Bobcat Tracks - February 2016
Connecting our Community
PFC Board Update
Introducing our new PFC President, Mari Mielcarski
Mari has been part of our Bancroft community since 2012, has two children in 3rd grade, and a Kindergartener in TWDI. She has been actively involved in the PFC (Parent Faculty Club) in various roles throughout the years.  Mari has been a strong advocate in supporting our students and school. We are thrilled she has agreed to step up and lead our community in this capacity.
Letter from our PFC President
You have contributed to your child's education in so many meaningful ways. You've donated to Dollar a Day, cheered on your child at Walk a Thon, volunteered your time in the classroom and around campus, supported their learning at home in countless ways (and no doubt you will applaud your child's inevitable accomplishments during Mathletics); but on March 19th there's an event that is all about fun for the parentsIt's the Bancroft Auction, and it's a Luau this year.  

I have gone each of the last three years and every year I've had a great time.  There is no other school event that is quite like it.  It's a fun, festive atmosphere where great people come together to eat good food (really the buffets have been quite good!), and enjoy each other's company all while supporting one of the best causes around.  And ask anyone who has attended in the past, there is no pressure to buy anything.  The live auction is fun to just observe - we hire a really great auctioneer who is truly hilarious.  There is good music and plenty of time to catch up with old and new friends.  

And if it's babysitting that's holding you back, please reconsider.  Dianne Adair, as one of their many, many generosities, is offering very affordable child care: $20 for your first child ($15 for your second and $10 for your third) for the whole evening!  The kids will have a great time at a Luau too!

If you haven't bought your tickets, you absolutely still can from our website http://www.bancroftpfc.org/auction.html or bring a check to the office.  I hope to see you there.

Mari Mielcarski
PFC President

Let's Luau!!!
  We are extending the Pre-Sale ticket deadline to Wednesday February 24th.
 Purchase your ticket before the price goes up! Purchase your auction tickets here today!

Wine Donations: We are still looking for wine donations, please contact Cherisse Riney if you are interested in donating!

Dessert Auction: We are looking for desserts for our Dessert Auction, please contact Cherisse if you would like to donate a dessert.

Online Auction: On Saturday Febraury 27th the Online Auction will be live. Some of the exciting items on the Online Auction are Principal for A Day, Librarian for A Day, 1 Week Diane Adair summer camp, & The VIP Table! 

Two Way Dual Immersion Info Night - February 23rd

The last parent information night for parents who are applying to the TWDI Kindergarten for 2016-2017 is on Tuesday, February 23, 7:00-8:00 pm at Bancroft in the B Pod Center. 

The deadline for TWDI applications is March 1, 2016. Application can be obtained on the MDUSD web site or in the Bancroft School office.

TWDI applications must be brought directly to the MDUSD District Office, Student Services Department to be date and time stamped.
Box Tops & Labels for Education
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Spalding's fifth grade class as our January winner for collecting the MOST Box Tops/Labels for Education last month!  The students are proud to have earned the Bobcat "Putting Your Best Paw Forward" trophy for their classroom this month.  They collected so many labels that they also earned "extra" recess!  

We would also like to recognize Maestra Stiles' first grade class, who has also earned "extra" recess for collecting so many labels!

And, we are also congratulating Will Spicer from Ms. Devon's second grade class as the raffle winner of the month!

Thank you so much for continuing to bring in your Box Tops and Labels for Education to earn more funds for Bancroft and our children's resources and programs!
  
As a reminder, there are just a few easy steps to collect and contribute Box Tops and Labels for Education.  Shop for products you already purchase and deposit the labels in the box located in the office (please place labels in a Ziplock bag or envelope with your child's name and teacher's name).
 
For any questions, feel free to reach out to your coordinators: 
Box Tops for Education: Alyson Ogden
Labels for Education: Debbie Bourne

 
An Incredible Family Movie Night!                          
Thank you to all the families who came out on our rainy movie night! We had a great time together! Thank you to Jenn Boswell, Mari Mielcarski, Insuk Thong, Violeta Franco, Hillary and Roger Osness, Aimee and Ron Gordon, Tatyana and Brian Espinoza, and all the families that helped the night run smoothly! 

Hope to see you at our next event on Friday March 4th at 6-7 pm, when we will be celebrating the work of Dr. Seuss with a literacy night! 

If you are interested in volunteering, 
please let me know at [email protected]
thanks!

Odyssey of the Mind
Exciting Things Are Happening with Bancroft's Odyssey of the Mind Teams!

At the end of January many of our Bancroft OotM students attended a practice Odyssey tournament event called Spontania Mania.  In this practice event parent volunteers and coaches gave team members a wide variety of problem solving exercises.  (see photos)  The teams were asked to solve problems that ranged from building structures out of various materials in an allotted time to collaborating and illustrating while telling a story with their teammates.  

Then on Saturday February 27th, four Bancroft Bobcat Odyssey of the Mind teams will compete for Bancroft at Concord High School in the San Francisco Bay Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament.    

If you would like to come and watch our teams perform and show them your support, then please look at the link for the tournament schedule:  Bancroft OotM Long Term Schedule and room locations or see the bottom of this article.

Attending an Odyssey of the Mind is a great way to see how different students can approach the same problem differently and really think out of the box.  Only the top two teams in each Division and Problem will advance to the State Competition at UC Riverside at the end of March (excluding K-2nd grade/Primary Division).   

Students who have expressed an interest in joining an Odyssey team next fall should try to attend this Regional event, as it will give them a better understanding of what our Bancroft teams are working toward each season.  We will be having our next team sign-ups Fall 2016.  

So, we hope to see some friendly Bobcat faces in the crowd on Saturday February 27th.  Good luck to our Bobcat teams!  Last but not least, a BIG THANK YOU to all of our parent volunteer coaches, tournament judges, tournament volunteers and parents who lend a hand!  Without our parent volunteers our Bobcats would not be able to have this wonderful Odyssey experience!

Primary Team- Stir the Pot (1st and 2nd Grade)
Coaches- Craig Chlebicki, Gosia Dunning, Traci McPhee

Jack Chlebicki
Adam Dunning
Jack McPhee 
Caleb Horgan 
William Osness 
Kailee Sandoval 
Kiana Franco


Problem 1 (Vehicle) Team - No-Cycle Recycle 
(3rd, 4th and 5thth grade)
Coaches- John Goh,  Luciana Arim, and 
Melissa Horgan(Spontaneous Coach) 

Ayla Arim 
Ava Corrigan
Ephrem Goh
Cian Horgan
Benjamin Lafredo
Jacob Reyes
Sienna Van Dusen


Problem 2 (Technical) Team- Something Fishy (5th Grade)
Coaches-Spiro and Alphina Zapantis

Alysse Barreuther 
Jack Bowen
Lucas Click
Tim Lambert
Athena Zapantis


Problem 5- Fin, Fur and Feathers (3rd Grade) 
Coaches-Mari Mielcarski, Hillary Osness, and Christy Paloutzian  

Sydney Mielcarski
Cole Mielcarski
Sarah Osness
Claire Paloutzian
Carter Paloutian


GO BOBCATs!!!!!!

Here is the schedule in order-

Something Fishy Div I/ Problem 2 Technical Team at 9:30am
Long Term Location: El Dorado Mid Sch - Band Room

Furs, Fins, Feathers & Friends Div I/ Theatrical Problem Team at 11:00am
Long Term Location: Concord High - Room 401/403

No-Cycle Recycle Div IA/  Vehicle Problem 1 Team at 11:20am
Long Term Location: Concord High Gym - West Side

Stir the Pot Primary Team at 11:40am
Long Term Location: Concord High - Room 510/511

 TeaSchoolDays.com
Shop at TeaSchoolDays.com (not TeaCollection.com) and enter in the promo code box at checkout and click "apply code."

Our unique promo code is: SDS16BANCROFT

This code will be active from 2/22/2016 until 2/29/2016 at 11:59 pm PST. 

Once the code is applied,
Bancroft will receive 15% of the the final order total before tax and shipping, for each purchase using this code. 

In addition, the customer will receive 15% off their order AND free 6-10 business day shipping (6-10 business day shipping must be checked for code to apply) which will appear on the last page of checkout. 
Orders placed without this code cannot be adjusted.
Harvest of the Month
Thank you to all of our February volunteers for HOTM! The kids tasted radishes and learned all about root vegetables. We talked about all the ways you can eat root vegetables - roasted, steamed, mashed, and some like radishes are great raw! 
Even the greens are edible - turnip. Radish, beet, and other greens can all be saut�ed, letting you use the whole plant.

For March we will be tasting cucumbers. If you are interested in helping with HOTM please email Kristin 
 Read Across America
NEA's Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss.
Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.
Upcoming Dates
2/23: Two Way Dual Immersion Kindergarten Parent Information Night @7-8pm in B Pod Center

2/24: Life Skill Assembly for Grades K-1st @ 10:45am in MUR

2/25: School Site Council Mtg @2:45pm in School Library

2/26: Life Skill Assembly for Grades 2-5 @2:10pm in MUR

2/27:  OotM Competition

2/27-3/12: Online Auction

3/1: Deadline for TWDI applications. 

3/1-3/4: Read Across America

3/2: Bancroft ELAC Mtg, 8-9:30am in MUR

3/4: Family Literacy Night, 6-7pm

3/8: PFC Meeting 
@7pm in School Library

3/11: Teacher In Service Day
*No School*

3/17: School Site Council Mtg @2:50pm in School Library

3/19: Auction Night

3/22: PFC Budget Mtg @7pm in School Library

Visit the Bancroft online calendar for future dates.
Thank You!
Thank You to Clair Boomer and committee for an Incredibly Fun filled family movie night and those who attended the event!
Thank you to all the traffic volunteers for keeping our Bancroft Bobcats safe!
Thank you to Elizabeth Real and Roxanne Suzuki for organizing another Dine2Donate fundraiser. 
Budget Update























For prior Blasts, Tracks, and Principal's Messages
Please refer to the PFC website's archive
Ongoing Fundraisers
dollar a day


Earn cash for our school!
Collect Box Tops and drop them in the collection bin in the office.
 
Shopping at Amazon? Click on the link on our homepage and Bancroft will receive a percentage of your purchase!

Basementeers receive 10% off every item every day and 10% of profits go back to your favorite local charity like Bancroft Elementary.

Contact Us
Bancroft Elementary
925-933-3405


Show your school spirit by purchasing Bancroft Spirit Wear!

Every Friday is spirit wear day at Bancroft! A spirit trophy rotates throughout the school year, and is held by the classroom with the most spirit. 
Help your classroom win by showing off your Bobcat pride!

Spirit wear is now available to purchase in the office.
T-shirts 12.00
Tie Dye-15.00
Pullovers-22.00
Zip ups- 25.00

Bancroft Elementary | 2200 Parish Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94598 | Walnut Creek | CA | 94598