Beagle 
Bugle

PTA Newsletter 09.21.15
  
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In This Issue
BBQ Thanks!
Redmond SchoolPool
Room Parent Meeting
Art Docents Needed
Enrichment Class: Chess Club
Enrichment Class: Aspiring Authors
Enrichment Class: Coding with Kids
Enrichment: Spelling Bee
Charitable Giving/Food Drive Chair
Box Tops Contest!
Easy FUNdraising Ideas
Long-Term Facilities Planning
Extra - Extra! (Little bits of news)
Quick Links
IMPORTANT DATES
(Filtered for Rockwell)
Sept. 22nd, Tuesday
Room Parent Orientation/Training
7:00 pm in the Library

Sept. 28th, Monday
Art Docent Orientation/Training
7pm - 8:30pm in the Library

Sept. 28th, Monday
Long-Term Facilities Planning Task Force
Meeting-Open to the Public
Redmond High School
6:30 pm- 8:30 pm

Sept. 29th, Tuesday
Middle School Quest Info Night
*for 5th graders and parents
LWHS-Performing Arts Ctr
7-8:30 pm
BBQ UPDATE & THANKS
What a fun time at the Back to School BBQ!  Special thanks to our PTA chairperson Kathleen Fisher and ALL of our parent and teacher helpers who volunteered to serve food, take tickets, set up and clean up and much more. We couldn't have done it without all of you!

Thanks also to the Redmond Fire Dept who treated us with a fire engine and ambulance to tour at the beginning of the BBQ! The kids loved it!
REDMOND SCHOOL POOL - ATTN: WALKERS/BIKE RIDERS
Join the Redmond SchoolPool at Norman Rockwell!
Norman Rockwell and the City of Redmond are partnering up to encourage our students to walk, bike, carpool, and ride the bus to school in October!  

The Redmond SchoolPool is a secure, online network for our school that helps families find carpool partners, form 'walking school buses' and start a 'bike buddies' program.

Just by participating, you help raise money for our school's PTA. We'll earn $10 from the SchoolPool when you sign up online and another $10 when you take a walking, biking, carpool or bus trip and add it to the online calendar ($20/per family).

How To Participate
  • Verify your account You'll receive an email with a link to join the secure online network for our school. This usually takes 24-48 hours to get set up.
  • Log In! Once logged in, you can search for carpool partners and neighboring students to walk or bike to school with. Not sure how to find SchoolPool matches? Instructions are here.
  • Add trips to your calendar! Add all your walking, biking, carpooling, and bus trips to school on the calendar to earn rewards for the school. Adding trips to the calendar is how the PTA will earn an additional $10 and how you will be entered to win prizes for you and your student.
You can email the SchoolPool staff if you have any questions at redmondschoolpool@redmond.gov, or call (425) 556-2442.
 
Thanks for helping us raise money & reduce traffic around Norman Rockwell!

PTA Co-VP FUNdraising
ROOM PARENT MEETING
Room Parent Training/Orientation:

Tuesday, September 22nd
7:00pm in the library

We look forward to seeing you there. 

The following teachers are still in need of a Room Parent(s):

-SOWBY (K)
-HEIN (4th)
-CORTES (5th)

If you are on the fence, about volunteering, and have questions, we would love to answer any questions/concerns.   The role can be shared with a variety of parents.  It's fun, it's easy, and the kiddos are oh-so grateful!

Ami King - VP Volunteer Services/Rockwell PTA 
Renee Lawson - Room Parent Chair 
ART DOCENTS STILL NEEDED AND ORIENTATION MEETING

Art Docents Still Needed!

These five classes still do not have an Art Docent:
  • Arfaeizadah (1st grade)
  • Fisher (2nd grade)
  • Bigelow (3rd grade)
  • Claus (3rd grade)
  • Corey (4th grade)
Sadly, if these classes do not have an Art Docent, they may not have artwork to display during the Art Showcase/Ice Cream Social/Book Sale that takes place in May. Please don't let this happen to your child's class...sign up!

Worried it takes too much time? Not at all! It's a once-a-month lesson, and you coordinate with the teacher regarding the date/time--so it's a flexible and fun volunteer opportunity for both stay-at-home and working parents alike.  It takes about an hour to do the class, plus set-up and clean-up time.  When you see how much the kids get out of it, you will see why it's one of Rockwell's most enduring and popular programs.

"I know nothing about art." - Does not matter! You don't need to be an art expert whatsoever--the curriculum is already set out for you.  You don't need to be a Picasso--very little, if any, artistic talent is needed.  All you really need is some time, some patience, and a good sense of humor and fun :)  

Art Docent lessons begin in October and run through May/June.  The highlight is the annual Art Showcase in May, when the walls of Rockwell are covered by the students' amazing masterpieces.


  ART DOCENT ORIENTATION DATE:
  Monday, September 28th
  7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
  Rockwell Library

Please contact your child's teacher, or me directly, if you are interested or have questions.

Join the Art Docent team...you won't regret it! :)

Art Docents Chair
CHESS CLUB - REGISTER NOW
Chess Club at Rockwell / ALL AGES & ALL SKILL LEVELS

Mondays, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
10/19 - 12/7 (10 classes) 
$122 registration for the session, includes a T-shirt

Fridays, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
10/23 - 12/18 (10 classes) 
$122 registration for the session, includes a T-shirt
*No Class Friday, 11/27

All classes will take place in the Rockwell Library.

Are you looking for a quality after school program that encourages self confidence and an increase in memory and math skills for your child? Please consider signing up for Rockwell Chess Club! Chess is a fun way to improve patience, concentration and sportsmanship. The Rockwell Chess Club accepts players of all ages and with all levels of experience. 

Rockwell Chess Club is a PTA sponsored enrichment program. Please note that by signing your child up for Chess Club, you are also committing to volunteer during ONE chess session (volunteer responsibilities are easy and will be explained in a detailed email once you register). Volunteers will
not be required to teach chess.

To sign up, register with Chess4Life at the links below. Please note that you are registering for ONE day of chess club - either on Monday or Friday. 

Monday Registration here

Friday Registration here

If you have any questions, please contact:
PTA Chair, Vani Jain at nrchessclub@gmail.com.
ASPIRING AUTHORS - AFTER SCHOOL CLASS WITH GRASSHOPPER ENRICHMENT
Aspiring Authors, grades 2-5
Wednesdays, 1:35-3:05, Room 144
*Amended dates since last week:
9/23-12/2, no class 10/14, 11/11, 11/25

** Celebrate the Authors TENTATIVE date, 12/9

$168, plus $25 resource fee for materials and instructional editing
Minimum 10 students/Maximum 18 students

Parents of enrolled students commit to chaperoning in the classroom at least once during the session. 
 
We need your help at our publishing company this Fall and want you to join our team! Using a unique two brain approach in a positive and friendly environment, students are inspired to write and "publish" their own book.  This is a fun and challenging adventure where each student will be an author, editor, and artist "hired" by the publishing company to create their masterpieces. As a company, they will assemble and bind the books creating professional results.
 
Students will learn how to use the elements of story building to captivate their readers and enhance their illustrations to make their words come alive.  Their books will be a treasure to cherish.  In a culminating activity, students will be the stars of an evening with parents and friends to "Celebrate the Authors". 
 
Register online here at Grasshopper Enrichment.

PTA Aspiring Authors Chair
CODING WITH KIDS - A FEW INTERMEDIATE SPOTS REMAIN!
*There are still a few spots in the INTERMEDIATE CLASS- sign up today!

Beginner Class: Full

Coding with Kids / INTERMEDIATE / Grades 3-5
Fridays, 3:10-4:10pm
9/25-12/18 (no class 10/16, 11/27)
$209 / 11-week session ($19/wk)
*All new projects this year and open to any kids familiar with Scratch.

REGISTRATIONS: 

QUESTIONS? Contact us at after-school@codingwithkids.com

*Coding with Kids offers FREE TUITION (full refund) to a permanent parent volunteer, who is willing to assist each week of the session. If interested, please email Jitka Brejlova, the co-founder of Coding with Kids. If no permanent volunteer is found, then each parent will be required to volunteer at least one week during the session.

SPELLING BEE AT NORMAN ROCKWELL
Welcome to the 4th year of Spelling Bee at Norman Rockwell! 
Norman Rockwell School Spelling Bee is open to all students from grades 1-5.  

The online enrollment starts on 9/14 and will end on 9/25. The fee is $25, with checks to be made out to "Rockwell PTA/Spelling Bee Club" and given to the office or to the student's teacher. The fee covers enrollment, a participation certificate, and entry into the Final School Spelling Bee provided that the student qualifies by first passing the Written Round Test. 

This year the Club will run a bit differently and there will be no weekly coaching classes; however students will still find this years word list and other necessary information on our website www.youthspellingbee.com. 

Please see key dates below! 
*Sept. 25th, 2015 -Deadline for enrollment
*Jan. 29th, 2016 -Written Round - Spelling and Vocabulary Test (students must pass this test to qualify for the Final School Spelling Bee)
*Feb. 27th, 2016 -Final School Spelling Bee 

Spelling Bee is a great way for students to expand their word knowledge and learn how to stand up in front of peers and compete in a friendly way.

Please email nrspellingbeeclub@gmail.com with any questions. We look forward to helping your child achieve their goal!

Sarita Valji, Barbara Puk, and Chamu Kallem
CHARITABLE GIVING AND OTHER CHAIR POSITIONS

Rockwell PTA is looking for a Charitable Giving Chair to organize and communicate details to our school community for the upcoming Northwest Harvest's 2015 Kids for Cans Food Drive Challenge (and possibly a similar drive in the Spring). Contact Cari Scotkin for more information. 

 

A few more PTA chair or committee positions remain for this school year...can you help? Check them out here! 
2015 BOX TOP & LABELS FOR EDUCATION CONTEST
We will have an All School contest starting October 12th!! 

Our goal is to collect 10,000 Box Tops and 5000 Labels for Education!!

Go through your pantry and start clipping today $$. Have your relatives send you their Box Tops and Labels for Education! 

DO NOT send them in until the contest starts. Additional information is coming soon!

More Info/Where to find Box Tops and Labels For Education:

Box Tops: Click here to sign up for an account and learn more about this program that gives money to our school! You get points ($$$$) for the school from buying qualifying General Mills products like Cereal, Hanes, Ziploc and Land O Lakes. Every Box Top given to the school or registered online earns the school 10 cents.

Labels for Education: Click here Labels for Education is a fun and easy program where families work together to "Earn Free Stuff" for Rockwell! By collecting UPCs from our many participating products like Goldfish Crackers, Campbell Soup, and V8, our school earns points that can be redeemed for recess materials (Balls, Chalk and more fun stuff)!
FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES
Welcome back to school! 

We were busy this summer discovering partnerships with local businesses who have promised to contribute a small percentage of the monies you already spend at their establishments to Rockwell PTA and Rockwell Elementary.

These establishments will provide indirect income to Rockwell, which will support additional academic enrichment of our students. Picking up groceries at Fred Meyer? 1% of your food purchase will go to
Rockwell PTA. Having dinner at Red Robin? 1% of your meal will go to Rockwell. 

The only investment you need to make is a few minutes of your time enrolling into these wonderful programs, clipping coupons off Campbell Soup cans and General Mill's cereal Boxes!

We encourage you to view the PTA website for the links to these and several other businesses. The sooner you enroll in these programs, the sooner Rockwell earns additional funds!

Thank you for your support!

Beth Batig and Stacy Hatch
FUNdraising Co-VP's
LONG-TERM FACILITIES PLANNING
As you may be aware, the district is outgrowing its school buildings and some buildings are aging. The Long-Term Facilities Planning Task Force met on a regular basis for the past year to discuss this issue and come up with a draft recommendation to the district to resolve this issue.
 
You can provide feedback on the draft recommendations through following methods:

-       Visit the online open house

-       Join the conversation in person by attending a community meeting: Mon, Sept. 28th, 6:30 - 8:30pm at Redmond High School

-       Attend the Task Force town hall meeting: Wed, Oct 7, at 6pm, at Rose Hill MS (13505 NE 75th St, Redmond)
 
The Task Force will consider all the input and make final recommendations to the school board, which will take the final action.

Emily Papel & Sayo Hinitz
LTFPTF Members, Rockwell Elementary & Redmond Middle School
EXTRA - EXTRA! (SMALL BITS OF NEWS)
  • Local Businesses - Advertise in our Rockwell School Directory! Find out pricing and submission guidelines here.  
  • If you have photos to share with the Yearbook staff of Back to School and the BBQ, please follow these instructions: please upload them directly to the secure LifeTouch website. Register and use our NEW school access code: PHEBEV.
  • Don't forget to PASS THE HAT - Rockwell PTA's annual fundraiser. Click Here for more information, where the funds go, and why we suggest a $75/donation per student. Or, click here for our Pass The Hat video!
  • We also rely on Corporate Matching. Many local companies will match your Pass the Hat donation - more money for our students! Submit your matching request to your company today and reference Norman Rockwell Elementary PTA.
  • Support Redmond High School Football: This Friday night (9/25 is the RHS Homecoming Game at 7pm when the Redmond High School Varsity plays Bellarmine Prep. GO STANGS!!! 
  • LWPTSA/Seattle Sounders Night: Sounders take on the LA Galaxy at Century Link field on Sunday Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. You can buy tickets now at this link.
    Be sure to copy the promo-code above your school, and click onto your school. Use that promo code so that you can sit with your school (and raise money for your school's PTA)! Tickets are sold in a first come first serve basis, so book early to secure best available seats. 
    Questions? Email at sounders.day@lwptsa.net 
    Need ten or more tickets? contact Sounders rep Gary Boyle @ (206) 512-1220
QUICK LINKS - IN EVERY ISSUE

-AmazonSmile: Give a little back to Rockwell PTA by using

our AmazonSmile link!  Bookmark it and use the link every time you shop.

 

-Volunteer Application:   LWSD Volunteer application. It's easy to complete and is good for 2 years. Fill yours out or check your renewal status today!

 

-Rockwell PTA Facebook Page: Stay connected and updated on  Rockwell PTA & school info. Stop by and "Like" us!  


 -Bookmark & Register for your account on our  New PTA  Website. Calendar info, announcements, forms, ordering items, and much more!

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Bugle Article Submissions Welcome
  
The Beagle Bugle welcomes article submissions from students and parents.  Student journalists may submit articles about current events, students opinion-editorials and poems or short stories.  Parents may submit articles about PTA events and school related topics. 

Any article that is unrelated to PTA or Rockwell must be approved by the Lake Washington School District, and, upon approval, will be posted in the Peachjar eflyer system.  The Lake Washington School District website has more information on the submission and approval process.

Short pieces will be edited for inclusion in the Bugle, longer pieces will be posted on the website with a link in the Bugle.  The Deadline for submissions for the next weekly Bugle is the preceding Thursday.  The Bugle Staff reserves the right to be selective regarding the materials that are publicized.

Contact the Bugle staff or submit articles at rockwellbugle@gmail.com. 
  
Sincerely,
Angie Ballas
Beagle Bugle Editor
Norman Rockwell Elementary PTA