The Item Newsletter, Issue #13, February 15, 2015
FAMILY MATH NIGHT IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4!

Please join us for a fun evening filled with math-related games and activities - a perfect event to add to your Screen Break Week agenda! Come check out new and exciting games, all designed to support what the children are learning in school.

If you would like to volunteer or help with the event, please contact Neilly Hallermann at [email protected]
This Week and Next
Thursday, February 19 - No School, Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, February 20 - No School, Parent Teacher Conferences
News and Notes
SAVE THE DATE: MAYFEST 2015 
Sunday, May 17
12 pm to 4 pm
Hubbard Woods School Playground
Rain or Shine

Q: What's Mayfest?
A: Mayfest is the biggest blacktop extravaganza of the year and HW's annual carnival-themed fundraiser.  This traditional event is 35+ years strong featuring rides, games, food and a raffle. Get involved by volunteering or donating to the raffle and help support this fantastic celebration of kids, community and fun! For more information or to learn how you can contribute to the raffle, please contact Kate Kligora at [email protected].
 
* Raffle Donation Ideas: Sports tickets, jerseys, parties, electronics, games, toys, spa/fitness packages, gift certificates, etc.  All donations welcome, big or small. Thank you in advance for your generous support! 
Special Request from the Green Team and the PTO
These bitter cold days might make you mad at Mother Nature and feel a little less green. Take heart however, Spring is right around the corner! The Green Team and the PTO would like to encourage you to continue the great environmental work our children are doing at school during the day...also, to do a little extra something to sure up our children's respiratory systems during this cold and flu season.

Please, please, please turn off your car engines while waiting in the school drop-off and pick-up lines. Especially at the main entrance on Chatfield Road, car exhaust collects near the front door and gets sucked inside. We can reduce this hazy, toxic air by honoring our school's year-round policy of NO IDLING in car line. We know it is more challenging in winter but we are a hardy community and always put our children first. Thank you for doing the right thing and turning off your engines.
A ZEN LIBRARIAN - By Todd Burleson
Have you ever wanted to write and publish a book? Well, the fourth graders and HW have done just that. And, not just any old book. These books are powerful personal narratives of moments that have happened in their lives. These books are also being published in a variety of formats. There will be the traditional hardcover, as well as an ePub that can be read on any tablet, and even an audiovisual book that will include the voice of the author narrating the book. If this sounds pretty amazing to you, you'll want to read more about this collaboration that the fourth graders and the fine arts team have been working on for the past couple of months!  Click here to read about this project!
Sincerely,
Todd Burleson
Kudos
World Travelers Afghanistan was a big hit with the students! We all enjoyed the presentation by our bodybuilder/personal trainer speaker, Khoshal Azami, and his wife, Sophia. Both wore lovely native outfits. Our Friday lunch featured delicious foods from Kabul House in Skokie. Your children may want you to take them there! The next featured country will be Egypt: mark your calendars for April 15 and 17.

Kudos go to the entire World Travelers committee for pulling off such a successful program. The PTO would especially like to thank Tine Tschackert and Nichole Kain for taking on new roles in World Travelers and doing such an outstanding job.

An enormous thank you to everyone for coming out and showing their love for Hubbard Woods at the Parent/Faculty party on February 6! A fun night was had by all. Special thanks go to event chairs, Sarah Alshouse and Kirby Doonan, and their committee, Kate Kligora, Erin Kelly, Sarah Ko and Courtney Mathy. We are so grateful for all of the hard work you put into this wonderful evening.
Up Next
The deadline to submit content for the next issue of The Item is Monday, February 23. Submissions should be sent to [email protected].
Looking Ahead
Tuesday, February 24 
School Board Meeting, 7:15 PM 
Hubbard Woods Resource Center
Wednesday, March 4
Family Math Night
Hubbard Woods School
Sunday, March 1 - Saturday, March 7 - Screen Break Week
Friday, March 6
Kindergarten Conferences
Lost & Found
In lieu of Lost and Found, we're including an alert sent to area schools by the Winnetka Police Department (so you don't lose something big, like your purse!):

Please be sure not to leave valuable items visible in your cars and be sure to lock your car doors. Several cars have been broken into over the past few weeks.
 
Lunch Box

Lunch ordering is NOW OPEN for March 2 - End of Year. Place your order by February 22 to receive lunches for the week of March 2. Log on today: 
The next Pizza Fun Lunch will be served on Friday, February 27.
NOT THAT KIND OF WATER BOTTLE!
Please send your child to school with a bottle full of water or other beverage for lunch, if you have not pre-purchased milk or juice. This is especially important on Pizza Fun Lunch days when kids don't have their lunch boxes.
Volunteer Request
Graphic Artist Wanted
The PTO is looking for a professional graphic artist to help us format and convert files for our school's branding archive. If you have the time and the know-how, please contact Erin Donaldson at [email protected]
Community Events






"The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous and Smart About Money "
by Ron Lieber, "Your Money" columnist for The New York Times,
Monday, February 23 at 7PM at North Shore Country Day School Auditorium. Click here for more information.

"The Test: Why Our Schools Are Obsessed With Standardized Testing - But You Don't Have To Be "
by NPR reporter Anya Kamentz, Tuesday, March 3 at 7PM at Evanston Township High School Auditorium. Click here for more information.
"Strategies For Using Technology At Home" Series
Part 1: Webinar, March 11, 9:30-11 AM, Register here 
Part 2: In-Person Workshop, March 18, 1-2:30 PM, Register here

Also, Save the Date:
Screen Break Week kicks off on Sunday, March 1. Click here for a schedule of events.