Meriwether Matters

Contents

Kids Night Out

Coffee and Conversation

Kids Market Fun

Silent Auction

Yearbook Pictures

Golden Apple Awards

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 Night Out - Friday, Dec. 12th 6-9:30pm

KIDS NIGHT OUT FRIDAY NIGHT!

Register now for a fun Friday night featuring two holiday favorites: The How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original animated version) and The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. Door open at 6:00 and pick up is 9:30.

PARENTS PLEASE NOTE: do not send electronic devices (ipods, ipads, phones, etc) to Kids Night Out. Teachers have a hard time monitoring usage and want kids to be engaged in the planned activities. Flyers were sent home this week, so check back packs or register and pay online at this link: http://mlspto.org/committees/knopaypal.html

Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Irani

Join Dr. Irani and MLS parents for coffee and conversation about the nuts and bolts of responsive classroom and how it works at MLS.

Hope to see you there!

Friday, Dec. 17th 8:15am in the library.

Kids Market Fun!

Thanks to everyone who came out for Kids Market on Friday! Thank you to Wendi Smith for organizing and to all the parents that helped kids with prepping their wares. Special thanks to Lisa Goldstein for making it easy for kids to donate to their favorite causes - they raised $141.72 for UVA Children's Hospital and $178.99 for the Charlottesville SPCA. A total of $320.71 from a group of very kind and generous kids!

Silent Auction

Do you have something to donate to the Auction? Want to host a mixer? Learn about THREE WAYS you can support MLS PTO's largest fundraising event. We look forward to having you come SOAR AND EXPLORE at the MLS PTO Silent Auction at King Family Vineyards on March 20, 2015. Please contact Melissa Hoover at mhoover@bridgewater.edu with any questions about donations.

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!

Golden Apple Awards

Nominations are now open for the 13th Annual Golden Apple Awards, a program designed to honor outstanding teachers in public and private schools in Albemarle County and Charlottesville City. One winner is selected from each school, and eight winners also will receive a $1,000 Golden Apple Grant, which can be used for classroom materials or to support the recipient's professional development.

The Golden Apple Award program is sponsored by Better Living Building Supply & Better Living Furniture. Teachers from Pre-K through Grade 12, in any discipline, are eligible for the award based upon demonstrated excellence in teaching and in

community involvement.

Nomination criteria include creating a love of learning among all students, stimulating thought and dialogue in the classroom, raising student expectations for success, understanding and providing for individual student needs, and involving families in the education process.

Nomination forms are available at individual schools or online at

www.k12albemarle.org. The deadline for school principals to receive nominations from students, parents, school staff, and community members, is February 4, 2015.

Golden Apple Award winners will be announced in May.

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

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 Night Out

Friday, December 12th

6:00 - 9:30pm

Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Irani

December 17th

8:15am

Meriwether Lewis Library

Winter Break Begins

Monday, December 22nd

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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.