Your Monday Morning Roadrunner from Strandwood Elementary

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

Good Morning

Every Monday, Email Club members receive important information regarding upcoming events and communications from The PTA and Strandwood staff via the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner also provides links to important flyers and new items on the school website. Do you have any comments about this Roadrunner or suggestions for future Roadrunner articles or features? Drop us a line at strandwood_emailclub@hotmail.com.

If you no longer wish to receive the electronic communications from Strandwood Elementary please use the "Safe Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the newsletter.

In This Issue

It's Wacky Wednesday

Fact or Not?

PTA Board Nominations

Dinner Dance Slide Show Presentation

FPHE Annual Campaign

Flyers Available in the Office

Answers

Sports/Team Jersey Day This Wednesday

Wacky Wednesdays start up this week with Sports/Team Jersey Day. Wear your favorite sports or team jersey on Wednesday February 10th.

Remember, every Friday is Spirit Day at Strandwood. Wear your Strandwood spirit wear or anything blue or yellow.

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Attendance Reminder

Parents, when you call in or email an absence to the office please let us know why their student will be absent. A simple sore throat, fever, congestion or cough would be great. We can no longer accept "sick" or "not feeling well" due to reporting requirements from the district.

In case you didn't know it, you can use the Strandwood website to email in an absence. On the home page is a link titled "report an absence" in the center of the page.

Cookie Sale Tomorrow After School

Daisy Troop 32410 will be selling cookies after school (on the first/second grade playground) on Tuesday, February 9th. Cookies will cost $1 each or buy 6 cookies for $5. The girls are trying to raise enough money to buy a flock of chicks for Heifer International. Heifer is an organization that helps children and families around the world become self-reliant.

Photo courtesy of the Bargmann family.

Calendar
Click the calendar below to go directly to the Strandwood web calendar.

FACT or NOT?

Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae as all other mammals.

A group of crows is called a "murder"

Ice cream was an accidental discovery by a Brazilian bio-chemist in the early 1900's.

WHAT IS IT?

This is a close up of an object. What is it? The Answer is at the bottom of the page.

Strandwood Dinner Dance Auction News

Tickets SOLD OUT but you can STILL PLAY!
If you didn't get a chance to buy your tickets before they sold out, the good news is that you can still be a part of the auction and bid on those priceless class projects and teacher experiences in addition to over 160 cMarket only items that won't be at the event. The online auction is open to all! This includes grandparents and friends...log in, refer family and friends and let the games begin! Check out below for more details.

Online Auction Open!
Log onto www.strandwood.cmarket.com to check out our great auction items and let the bidding begin! Again, all class projects and teacher experiences/donations are online auction items only. Be sure to check back daily as new items are constantly being added on. Have you checked out Mrs. Kim's incredible items? Do you know which teacher has the "most unique" donation? Do you know which class project is today's top seller? Did you know that you can bid on a VIP (Very Important Parents) Table where if you win, will get treated like royalty at the event? Did you know that you can preview online the live and silent auction items and start strategizing for the event? Be sure to log on to find out the answers to the above questions and more!

RECORD NUMBER of SPONSORS this year! Thank YOU!
We are so fortunate to have such a great community here at Strandwood and beyond. We have already made $3,000 in monetary donations even before the event has taken place thanks to our generous sponsors! We'd like to give a BIG shout out and thank you to our event sponsors:

- Pleasant Hill Collision (thank you Silva family!)
- Sandiland Financial (thank you Sandiland Family!)
- The Chateaus of Pleasant Hill (thank you Altman family!)
- Allied Waste
- ReMax Realty (thank you Don & Norma Flaskerud!)
- Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill

It's still not too late - this is the (absolute) final week for sponsorship! If your company or family is interested in sponsoring, please contact May Hanecak at may_hanecak417@yahoo.com by Wednesday. Donation forms with sponsorship levels can be downloaded from the DDA page at www.strandwood.org.

Clean-up Crew Needed:
The DDA Committee has been working tirelessly to insure that this is a fun and lucrative event for our school. We still need your help in pulling off the very last details...Clean Up! We need sober folks to take down our party between 11:30pm - Midnight; Load up their SUV and take stuff home; then be available to distribute items the following days. Please contact Vangie to join the DDA Clean-up Crew at airevj@pacbell.net or 925-200-8149.

Get your Raffle Tickets in! Odds are better than the Lottery!
Only 53 families have turned in their raffle tickets so the odds are on your side! Each Strandwood family has received 20 raffle tickets in their Dinner Dance packet that was sent home with your child several weeks ago. An envelope has been provided, in the packet, to return purchased raffle tickets to the office. Raffle prizes include a Tiffany Necklace, an I Pod Nano, and the Grand Prize of a One-Week Vacation Get-Away. You do not have to be present to win so be sure to get those raffle tickets turned in! For questions or more raffle tickets please email Noga at nogakessler@yahoo.com

For more info:
For everything you need to know about this event and more (including donation forms), click onto the DDA page at Strandwood's website at www.strandwood.org.

Urge Legislators to Protect Children's Education

From the Mt. Diablo Council of PTAs.

Attached are letters to legislator templates and instructions for use by parents and staff of MDUSD to send to their legislators urging them to pass a State budget that protects children and invests in the economic health of California through increased stable revenues for education and children's health and human services. Please pass this on for use by your units, parents, and staff at your schools, friends, other schools....

Your letters do make a difference. Thank you for supporting our children!

Kathy Rabun
Legislation VP
Mt Diablo Council of PTAs

·Senator Mark DeSaulnier
·Senator Loni Hancock
·Assemblymember Joan Buchanan
·Assemblymember Nancy Skinner
·Assemblymember Tom Torlakson

2. The "Big Five" decision makers
·Governor Schwarzenegger
·Senator Darrell Steinberg, president pro tempore of the Senate
·Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, Senate Minority Leader
·Assemblymember Karen Bass, Speaker of the Assembly
·Assemblymember John Pérez, Speaker of the Assembly Elect
·Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee, Assembly Minority Leader

The link to the letters and instructions are not active yet. Please click here to email us and we will send you the pdf package. All you need to do is print it and mail it.

____________________________________________

This next item is part of a press release endorsing a ballot initiative that would allow parcel taxes to pass at 55% instead of 66%.

California State PTA Endorses Local Control of
Local Classrooms Funding Act

Million-member organization mobilizes to qualify initiative for November ballot

Sacramento - Feb. 4, 2010 - The California State PTA announced that it is mobilizing its nearly 1 million members to support Californians for Improved School Funding's ballot initiative, the Local Control of Local Classrooms Funding Act (www.improvedschoolfunding.com).

If qualified for the November 2010 ballot and approved by voters, the proposed Act would lower the threshold for passage of educational parcel taxes to 55 percent, from the current 66.6 percent - two-thirds - provided certain requirements are met. These include advance disclosure on how funds will be spent, annual audits, oversight by an independent citizens' committee, and offering an exemption to senior citizens. Funds raised under the initiative could not be taken or offset by the state in its educational funding decisions.

Mt. Diablo Music Education Foundation Fundraiser

Marina Horak, an internationally recognized concert pianist and Slovenian educator, will be presenting a benefit recital for the Mount Diablo Music Education Foundation.

The Marina Horak Benefit Recital will be held at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek at 2:00pm, Saturday, February 13. Proceeds from the recital will be donated 100% to the effort to save 5th-grade music for the 2010-2011 school year.

The program will start with the Schubert Sonata No. 2 in F and then, in honor of Chopin's 200th birthday, Horak will play a number of Chopin works including a Polonaise, Mazurkas, the Opus 60 Barcarolle, Nocturnes, Preludes and the Opus 49 Fantaisie in F minor.

Tickets are $25.00. Will-call tickets can be reserved online at the MDMEF Web site www.mdmusicfoundation.org by clicking on Marina Horak Recital or by calling Joan Miller at (925) 937-8421.

Pleasant Hill Girl Needs Help

This beautiful little girl, Natalie, is 8-years-old & was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia (AML).

After 5 rounds of chemo, Natalie was in remission, but as of January 19th, her cancer is back, and her only chance for survival is a bone marrow transplant.
Here's what she needs done, and here's how you could help her out....

Natalie needs to have ASIAN bone marrow donors, because she is half Japanese, half Chinese. If you are Asian, please consider getting tested to donate bone marrow for little Natalie. It's possible you could be the match that she needs to live. A bone marrow donor testing drive will be held for Natalie to try and find a match. All you have to do is go down and swab your cheek.
Here's the information on when & where the drive will be held....

When: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Gregory Gardens Elementary
Address: 1 Corritone Ct
City: Pleasant Hill, CA

For more information on Natalie, including pictures and updates, check out her facebook page by clicking HERE or visit the website http://hopefornatalie.com.

Call For PTA Nominations

Step up to make a difference. Join the 2010-2011 PTA Executive Board

The Strandwood PTA Nominating Committee is seeking Strandwood parents to be nominees to serve on the PTA Executive Board for the coming school year. Each year there are positions on the Executive Board that must be filled. By limiting office to two consecutive years, the PTA ensures a continuous infusion of fresh and creative ideas, new organizational skills, and leadership talents that can benefit everyone!

The PTA's ongoing success depends on dedicated volunteers like you, who take the extra step to get more involved by joining the Executive Board.

Joining the PTA Executive Board is the best way to have some influence on its future, and dozens of curriculum enrichment programs, events, and services it provides to our children, staff, and community. Especially if you plan to be at Strandwood for a number of years to come, this is a great opportunity for you to effect what happens for your children!

Current Open Positions are the following:

PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

VP WAYS & MEANS

VP HOSPITALITY

SECRETARY

TREASURER

PARLIAMENTARIAN

AUDITOR

VP for Ways & Means and for Hospitality also have Assistant VPs - team up with a friend and get the job done together. Please note: the Parliamentarian is not voted in but an appointed position. All other positions will be voted on at the April General Membership meeting.

Regardless of the specific office held, all Executive Board members vote on all PTA matters, discuss new business, and work with dozens of other parents who share their commitment to making Strandwood the best it can be. Now is your chance to join this dynamic team or nominate someone you feel would be just right.

Please complete the attached Nomination Form and return it to the office by Wednesday February 10^th. All nominations are confidential and will be given to the Committee for follow-up. (Forms are also available in the office).

Contact one of the Nomination committee members Robin Elawady, Carolann Ianora, or Ellen Javete with questions or for more information:

Robin Elawady 363-4262 robinelawady@live.com

Carolann Ianora 680-8162 ianora5@sbcglobal.net

Ellen Javete 687-5698 eebjavete@yahoo.com

Also, please feel free to speak with any current Executive Board member for a closer look at this opportunity.

Get in on the ground floor, see how the PTA really works, it's your turn to lead the way.

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Dinner Dance Slide Show Presentation

The Auction Committee is in the midst of putting a slide show presentation together for our Dinner Dance Auction. Now is the time to see your child and our Strandwood community on the big screen!

We are in need of photos of students doing activities in class, around campus with others and of staff. If you would like to share your photos you have taken this current school year, please email in JPG format or put disc in the PTA basket in the office.

Contact is Kelly Gallagher at kelgallagher@gmail.com or 671-9553..

FPHE Dine Out For Education

Support Pleasant Hill public schools by dining at participating restaurants. Restaurants will donate a percentage of your meal to FPHE. (Click here to view the flyer with the list of restaurants and dates.)

*** Every Tuesday through March 2 ***
*** Includes lunch, dinner and take-out ***