Fox Prints September 19

In this Fox Prints

Celebrate Calm

Dining for Dollars

Shopping for Dollars

Boosterthon Fun Run

Volunteers Needed

GRACE Art

PTA Reflections

Logo Needed

PTA Bylaws

Calendar

Quick Links

Fox Mill PTA
Fox Mill Elementary

School Calendar

Fox Prints Sept. 19

Message From the Principals

Dear Parents,

Our first two weeks of school have been a great success! We thank everyone in our school community for making this successful opening possible. As Ms. Sheehy and Mr. Moose visit classrooms, it is evident that new routines have been developed and our students are quickly settling in.

The staff joins me in thanking the PTA for funding additional technology equipment at Tuesday's PTA meeting.

Due to safety concerns, we ask that in the morning parents drop off their student(s) only in the designated Kiss and Ride area. CARS ARE NEVER TO BE PARKED IN THE KISS AND RIDE AREA. We also ask that parents coming in and out of the parking lot have patience with the line of cars. We are very concerned about our children's safety and ask that cars not pull around waiting cars. If you park and walk your child to the front entrance, only cross streets in the designated cross-walks. Please do not undertake U-turns in front of the school or on the side streets. Also, it is very dangerous if you are using a cell phone while driving your car in the vicinity of the school while children are present. If your child arrives late, parents must park their car and walk their child to the office.

Please remember that visitor/volunteers must sign in, wear a visitor sticker, and have permission from the office to enter the main areas of the building. Any individual not wearing a yellow visitor sticker will be asked to report to the office immediately.

Parent Companion Guides to the SR&R (Grades K-3 and Grades 4-12) are available online at http://www.fcps.edu/dss/ips/ssaw/SRR/index.htm. These guides are being translated and will be available at the link above in October 2011.

We look forward to seeing parents/guardians at Back to School Night on Sept. 20. We hope that you check Blackboard (FCPS 24/7 Learning) frequently and look not only on your child's grade level site but also the classroom teacher's site. Class newsletters will be sent home electronically this year. Fox Prints is provided by the PTA as an opportunity to keep our community informed of announcements, activities, and special events. We want our community to be well informed about the great things that are happening here at Fox Mill Elementary! Please remember that you may contact your child's teacher by either calling them and leaving a message on their voice mail or sending them an e-mail message.

Your active interest and involvement in your children's instructional program is both necessary and greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Pat Sheehy Brian Moose

Principal Assistant Principal

Celebrate Calm Workshop

Celebrate Calm presents "At My Wits End: Stop Defiance, Yelling, and Power Struggles." This life-changing workshop is sponsored by the Fox Mill PTA and Crossfield PTO.

We are presenting jointly to allow both an evening and daytime presentation. The same workshop will be presented on Sept. 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Crossfields Elementary School and Sept. 23 from 8:45-10:30 a.m. at Fox Mill Elementary School.

Click here to open a flyer with more details.

Dining for Dollars

September Dining for Dollars

Glory Days Grill

2567 John Milton Drive by the Fox Mill Giant

Fox Mill PTA is continuing its successful Dining for Dollars Program during the 2011-2012 school year. Dining for Dollars is easy; just eat at some local restaurants, and you will be raising funds for the school. We will be doing a number of these throughout the year. Usually, you must go on a designated night, and the school will receive a percentage of the total guest checks from Fox Mill families who identify themselves during the fundraiser.

For our first restaurant in September, you get a special bonus. The fundraiser lasts ALL MONTH LONG! Just eat at Glory Days Grill (dine in or take out) any time between now and Oct. 2, and Fox Mill will receive 10% of what you spend there (excluding alcohol). Simply ask your server for a copy of your guest check (not credit card receipt), hang onto it in an envelope, and we will ask you to send them to school with your child at the end of the fundraiser in October.

You can ask your friends and neighbors who eat at Glory Days to keep their receipts, and you can collect those. What an easy way to help Fox Mill! Click here to open a flyer with more information. If you have any questions, click here to e-mail Marc Rigas.

Shopping for Dollars

dollar bills Help raise money for our school at no extra cost to you. Shop and the school will earn money based on what you spend. Just register your retail cards by Sept. 30. We can enter your membership information for you. Click here to open the form and complete the top section and and return it to Fox Mill in a sealed envelope labeled "Shopping for Dollars". Do not include any personal credit card information. Or if you prefer, you can register your cards yourself online with the information below.

Giant Food: Register at www.giantfood.com/aplus by clicking "register your card" and use school code 01960 or call 1-877-366-2668.
Harris Teeter: E-mail your 11-digit VIC card number with your first and last name to smhs72@gmail.com. We need 100 VIC cards signed up to qualify for more incentive programs with Harris Teeter.
Target: Register at redcard.target.com/redcard by clicking "Take Charge of Education" then "learn more" then "Enroll in Take Charge of Education" and use ID number 103739 or call 1-800-316-6142.
Bloom: Register at www.shopbloom.com by clicking "School Partnerships" then "Get Started Now" and use school code 01315. Enter your 11-digit Bloom card number.
Office Depot: No registration. Use school code 70103949 when you make a purchase.

We are continuing to collect Box Tops for Education.

If you have any questions about the Shopping for Dollars fundraising program, click here to e-mail Jennifer Bower.

Boosterthon Fun Run

Coming Soon!

Boosterthon Fun Run - Fox Mill's 2011 Main Fundraiser

Boosterthon correct logo Fox Mill PTA's goal for this year's Boosterthon Fun Run is to raise $30,000 for the school. Fox Mill will receive 52% of the funds raised and the Boosterthon Team will take 42%. In the past, the school would only receive 40% of the Sally Foster funds raised. We are very excited to have the Boosterthon Fun Run Team with us this school year.

The Boosterthon Fun Run will raise more funds for the school while teaching our kids about the importance of Leadership, Character, and Fitness.

The Boosterthon Team will visit the classrooms to talk to the students about teamwork, being a leader, and character. The fitness part is the fundraiser. The kids will learn that fitness is fun as they prepare for a Fun Run. The Boosterthon Team will create a raceway for the students to run around for 30 minutes to upbeat, themed music. Most kids will run between 25 and 35 laps (35 laps is the cap for the pledges). The students will collect pledges for how many laps they can run around the raceway. All students will participate and receive a t-shirt regardless of pledges collected. Students will receive information about the Boosterthon Fun Run at the school Pep Rally on Oct 5.

The theme for the Boosterthon Fun Run is "EPIC Adventure"

E-Encourage, P-Play, I-Invite, and C-Celebrate

Oct 5 School Pep Rally

K-2nd 1:40-2:30

3rd-6th 2:30-3:20

Oct. 6-13 Team Days

The Boosterthon team will visit the classrooms (5-7 minutes in the morning).

Oct. 14 Fun Run (outside unless it rains)

1st event 12:50-2:00

2nd event 2:00-3:10

*All parents are welcome to attend the Fun Run. Hope to see you there!

Want to volunteer to help with the Boosterthon? Click here to e-mail Jennifer Bower. Opportunities include:

*Help the day of the event to hand out water to the kids

*Help with decorating the school before the event

*Help collect pledges on Thursday, Oct. 20; Tuesday, Nov 1; Tuesday, Nov. 15; and Thursday, Dec 1

Check out www.boosterthon.com to learn more.

Volunteers Needed!

The Fox Mill PTA has plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get involved with the school. This year all of our signups for volunteers will be online, including Room Parents and GRACE Art! Please click here to access the volunteer sign up form.

All of our committees and events need your support and we welcome your participation wherever you feel so inclined. For more information about volunteering in general, click here to e-mail Sheri Zimmerman or click here to Susie Dunne for more information about Room Parents.

GRACE Art Volunteers Needed

Are you looking for an opportunity to spend quality time in your child's
classroom? Do you enjoy working with children? Are you interested in art
or art history? Please consider volunteering with the GRACE Art in the
Schools program at Fox Mill.

Each month we present a short lesson on a different artist or topic and allow students to create their own work of art. The lessons are provided by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE). The kids love it and they look forward to seeing the Grace Art docents arrive in their classrooms each month. This is an excellent supplement to their education and a fun way to become involved at Fox Mill. No art background is required! Click here to open a flyer with more information.

Our first GRACE art meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 9-10:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria. Your child's younger siblings are welcome to come to the monthly docent meetings.

GRACE Art Topics for School Year 2011-2012

October: Native American Art

November: Leonardo da Vinci

December: Alexander Calder

January: Henry Matisse

February: Faith Ringgold

March: Cave Paintings from Lascaux, France

April: Andy Warhol

May: Auguste Renoir

PTA Reflections: Unleash Artistic Talent

The PTA Reflections Program is a national program that asks children to express themselves artistically based on a common theme. This year's theme is "Diversity Means...".

Students submit artwork to their local PTAs. Works are judged at the local level and the winning entries advance to the council, district, region, and state PTA levels. Top state award-winning entries advance to the national level of judging.

The deadline to submit artwork is Oct. 17. For more information, click here to open a flyer.

New Program Logo Needed

Calling all artists -- students or adults -- at Fox Mill. The new Kids Helping Kids program needs a logo and a poster for the cafeteria.

The Kids Helping Kids program is a new community service project for the whole school. Each month, all the students in one grade will learn about the issue of hunger and will assemble bags that contain food for a child to eat over the weekend. The food for the bags will be donated by the families of students in that grade. The bags of food will go to another elementary school to be distributed to children who might not otherwise get enough to eat over the weekend.

If you can help design a logo and/or poster or if you would like more information about the Kids Helping Kids program, click here to e-mail Amy Fujii.

PTA Bylaws

It's time for our PTA Bylaws to be updated. Click here to open the new Bylaws, which will be voted on at the next PTA meeting on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in the school library.

Calendar

SEPTEMBER

Sept 5-Oct. 2 Dining for Dollars at Glory Days

Sept. 20 Back to School Night

Sept. 22 Celebrate Calm workshop at Crossfields ES

Sept. 23 Celebrate Calm workshop at Fox Mill ES

OCTOBER

Oct. 4 PTA meeting

Oct. 5 GRACE Arts Docent meeting

Oct. 5 Boosterthon Pep Rally