Fox Prints September 26

In this Fox Prints

Dance Classes

Mad Science

Volunteers Needed

Kids Helping Kids

GRACE Art

ESOL Parent Coffee

Laptop Donations

PTA Reflections

Boosterthon Fun Run

Dining for Dollars

Shopping for Dollars

Spirit Wear

PTA Bylaws

Calendar

Quick Links

Fox Mill PTA
Fox Mill Elementary

School Calendar

Fox Prints Sept. 26

Dance Classes Start TODAY

The Fox Mill PTA is offering dance classes in ballet and hip hop after school on Mondays in the cafeteria starting TODAY.

Each module is a ten-week program and focuses on emerging physical and social skills. The curriculum captures and nurtures children's joy of movement and freedom of expression. Ballet is an introduction to a world of beauty and grace; Hip Hop teaches rhythmic skills used in all forms of music and dance, and strengthens coordination in growing children. Using age-appropriate and seasonal music, children embark on a journey through dance where imagination and self-expression lead to greater communication and social skills. Students learn dance and ballet positions, dance technique, and Hip Hop "moves," and also have performance opportunities for their parents, families, and friends.

Schedule

The 10-week program runs from Sept. 26 - Dec. 12 (excluding Oct. 10 and Nov. 7 when the school is closed). The class schedule is included below.

3:30 - 4:15 p.m. Ballet: Grades 3-6

4:25 - 5:10 p.m. Hip Hop (All Grades)

5:15 - 6:00 p.m. Ballet: Grades K-2

Cost

One class per week (Ballet or Hip Hop) for ten weeks = $100

Discount: Take Ballet AND Hip Hop = $160

Click here to open a flyer with more information. Click here for a Permission Form to participate in this activity. Click here for a Registration Form. If you have questions regarding the dance classes, click here to e-mail dance instructor Nancy Sage.

Mad Science Classes: Enroll Now

Online enrollment is now open for the popular after-school program known as Mad Science! "Experimentamania" will run on Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students go directly to the school cafeteria from their classroom for 6 sessions starting Oct. 18 and ending Nov. 29.

We are only offering one group/class, so space is limited to grades 1-4 and spots will fill up fast. The cost is $78 per student. Note that children do not need to attend Fox Mill ES in order to enroll, but they do need to fall in the 1-4 class grade. Also, if you registered your child last spring, please edit your child's information (grade and teacher's name) prior to enrolling.

You will be prompted with a reminder when you try to register. The
deadline to register is Oct. 5 and payment at the time of registration
is not necessary.

Click here for more information on the program. Click here to e-mail for other questions.

Room Parents and Other Volunteers Needed!

The Fox Mill PTA has plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get involved with the school. All of our committees and events need your support and we welcome your participation wherever you feel so inclined.

One great volunteer position that allows you to get involved with your child's class is to be a Room Parent. Room parents make school fun! Room parents work with the teacher and other room parents to plan parties, assist in field trips, events, or projects. In addition, several times throughout the year, room parent volunteers assist with school-wide special events. We have a team approach to room parenting at Fox Mill; however, each class also needs one person from each Room Parent Team to serve as a Room Parent Contact. This person will be the one contacted by the teacher for in class needs, and by the Room Parent Coordinator for school wide functions that need class participation, and will then be responsible for getting the team moving. Contact parent is a coordination job; it can be done mostly through e-mail, and it is not intended to oblige that parent to take on responsibility for meeting all the class needs. It is intended that this parent will communicate all the class needs to the rest of the group. In many classes, different people take on the coordination of specific activities throughout the year. There is a lot to do, and it works best when each class has at least five or six parents involved.

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.

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.

Kids Helping Kids Volunteers Needed!

Kids Helping Kids is a new community service program in which students learn about the issue of hunger and assembly bags of food that go to students at another elementary school who need food over the weekend. Each month, all the students from one grade will be asked to bring in donations of specific food items for the bags and will attend the program on a Friday afternoon in the cafeteria. Click here to learn more about the program and to view the schedule for this school year.

As a joint program between the school and the PTA, parent volunteers are needed. A Kids Helping Kids Representative is needed from each class to coordinate donations and parent volunteers who help the students assemble the bags. To volunteer for Kids Helping Kids, click here to open the general volunteer sign up form and check Kids Helping Kids at the bottom of the form. Any questions about the program or volunteering, click here to e-mail Amy Fujii.

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

ESOL Parent Coffee

On Friday, Oct. 7, at 8:45 a.m., our ESOL teacher, Sara Chae, and our new parent liaison, Juana Perrault, will be available to meet with parents and discuss the ESOL program and explain how to read your child's WIDA test results. Click here to e-mail Sara Chae to RSVP for the event.

Laptop Donations

Many of Fox Mill's laptops are coming close to retirement age. If you work for a business, or know someone who is working for a business, that is upgrading its laptops, please consider donating them to the school. The school uses Windows-based machines and Dell computers primarily. FCPS guidelines require that donations be enough for a classroom set, so 20-30 laptops should be donated at the same time. If you have any questions, click here to e-mail Audrey Kirtland, Fox Mill's Technology Specialist.

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.

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 1:30-2:20

3rd-6th 2:20-3:10

Oct. 6-13 Team Days

The Boosterthon team will visit the classrooms.

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 to volunteer.

Hand out water to the kids at the Fun Run on Oct.14
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.

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.

Spirit Wear Coming in October