Meriwether Matters

Contents

Kids Market

Annual Fund Update

Bluebird Sighting

School Budget Survey

Town Hall Meetings

Pie Project

Yearbook Pictures

Silent Auction

Enrichment Zone

Community Events

Important Dates

Quick Links

MLS PTO

MLS

ACPS

Box Tops for Education

MLS PTO

Serving the children, families, teachers, and staff of
Meriwether Lewis School.

Kids Market: Friday, Dec. 5th 6-8pm

This Friday - Don't miss it! Come shop the wonderfully creative items that our very own MLS kids have created. There will be something for everyone that is for sure. Kids can shop for themselves, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends or Mom and Day.

No actual profits are expected to be generated from the sale of their items for the school. Kids are free to spend earnings at their friends' tables and they can also donate a portion to a charity.

Wendi Smith
Wendi@leftoverluxuries.com, 434.989.3543

Annual Fund Update

The 2014 MLS PTO Annual Fund closes on December 31, 2014. To date, 30 percent of MLS families have participated. Please help us reach 100 percent parent participation by making a tax-deductible donation today! Your gift supports professional development for our fantastic MLS teachers and helps them stay current, cutting-edge and committed.

A big thanks and shout out to the MLS Bluebird and his entourage - they braved the cold at morning drop off to rally support for the Annual Fund! (insert picture)

You can DONATE ONLINE using your PayPal account or credit card. You can also send your donation via backpack mail or U.S. Mail to MLS PTO - Annual Fund, 1610 Owensville Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901; download and print a donation card by clicking HERE. Checks should be made payable to MLS PTO.

If you have questions about the Annual Fund, contact Bryce Harris, brycebharris@gmail.com, or Samantha Hartog, samhartog@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Who's That Bluebird?

School Budget Survey

We encourage everyone to complete the survey put out by the Albemarle County School District. They will be putting together the 2015-16 budget and would like input on funding priorities. Please click here for the survey. The survey will close at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 4.

Town Hall Meetings

Next week, members of the School Board will be joining with their colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to talk with you about their five-year financial forecasts and plans. This is an opportunity to learn more about how these plans will impact local government, the school division and the joint capital improvement program and for you to offer comments at an important time in the budget development process for the next fiscal year.

Monday, December 8, Jane Dittmar, Ken Boyd, Steve Koleszar and Rick Randolph will be at the East Rivanna Volunteer Fire Department from 5:30 in the evening until 7:15.

Also on that date, Monday evening, December 8, Diantha McKeel, Liz Palmer and School Board member Eric Strucko will host a town hall meeting at Meriwether Lewis Elementary School from 7:00 until 8:30.

Finally, on Monday evening, December 15, Jane Dittmar and Liz Palmer will be at Victory Hall in Scottsville from 5 until 6:45.

The just released five-year plan projects a combined local government and school division deficit of $8.1 million next year with the deficit reaching $26 million by fiscal year 2020. The town hall meetings are designed to answer questions from community members and to hear suggestions on how best to eliminate these deficits while maintaining acceptable levels of service.

We Heart Pies!

Thank you to all the room parents who helped recruit volunteers to bring in pies and for all those who made or supplied pies for the teachers, staff & employees at MLS. We had 90 pies donated. The teacher's love this MLS tradition & truly appreciate the parents' kindness. Thank you for making this a successful event!

The Yearbook Club Needs Your Pictures!

Calling all photographers! Please click on this link for more information on how you can submit the MLS memories you've captured on camera and have them considered for this years MLS Yearbook. Thanks for your time and support!

The Silent Auction Needs Your Help

Do you have something to donate to the Auction? Want to host a mixer? We look forward to having you come SOAR AND EXPLORE at the MLS PTO Silent Auction at King Family Vineyards on March 20, 2015. Look for more information in the coming weeks, and in the meantime please contact Melissa Hoover at mhoover@bridgewater.edu with any questions about donations.

Enrichment Zone

Enrichment Zone Fall session II is underway and it's time to get ready for Spring session! The Spring course schedule and descriptions will be coming home in backpack mail on Tuesday, December 17, and registration will begin on Wednesday, December 17. Stay tuned to Meriwether Matters for more information!

Community Events

Girls Geek Days: Click to see Flier

This is open to all girls grades K and up. Grades K-3 must have a parent with them to participate.

December 13, 9:00 to 12:00

Baker Butler

Free Eye Screening for financially restricted, uninsured children

December 5th

8:30-5:00pm

Please see Flier for details

Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry

Please help Albemarle's largest food pantry win a $20,000 grant from Walmart. Charlottesville's Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Inc. is a contender to win a $20,000 grant and needs the community to help simply by voting from their Facebook page. The grant is aimed at infrastructure improvements and will be awarded to the 75 food pantries who earn the most votes from the public by December 12th. Voting begins December 2nd and Facebook users are encouraged to vote daily between now and December 12th. Winners will be announced Monday, December 15th. Visit the Loaves & Fishes website for voting details at http://cvilleloavesandfishes.org/

AWEsome 100

Are you a member? AWEsome 100 is a grassroots fundraising effort and grant making initiative launched by Arts in Western Education ("AWE"), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. AWE was created in June, 2013 by interested parents to bring support, awareness and celebration of the Arts in the Western feeder pattern schools of Western Albemarle HighSchool, J.T. Henley Middle School, Brownsville, Crozet, Meriwether Lewis and Murray Elementary schools. The mission of AWEsome 100 is to advance transformative giving to the art, drama and music departments in the 6 Western feeder pattern schools.Through collective philanthropy � we CAN TRANSFORM the arts, music and drama departments!

Check out the flyer here and find out details on how to become a member.

Important Dates

Kids Market

Friday, December 5th

6pm - 8 pm

Town Hall Meeting with Liz Palmer and Diantha McKeel

December 8th 7pm

Meriwether Lewis

Kids Night Out

Friday, December 12th

Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Irani

December 17th

8:15am

Meriwether Lewis Library

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Dana Quist, Communications Coordinator

Meriwether Lewis School PTO

To submit items for inclusion in Meriwether Matters,

please email mlsmatters@gmail.com.

Community events are listed by request as space is available. The MLS PTO does not endorse or have any additional information regarding these events.