The Item Newsletter, Issue #1, August 23, 2015
Dear Hubbard Woods Families,
Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year! As you may have heard by now, this is going to be a very special and exciting year for our Hubbard Woods School community. 

Right off the bat, we will begin celebrating the 100th birthday of Hubbard Woods School. To bring this important milestone to life, September 8 the students and faculty will have a birthday party for the school. Then they will kick off a decades project that will allow our students to study what life was like from 1915 to present. In May, we will have an open house for the kids to share their findings with each other and the entire school community.

Also, the new spaces you've been hearing about are almost ready thanks to the hard work of Todd Burleson and many teachers and parents during the summer. The IDEA Lab (in the RC) and Project Space (in one of the former kindergarten rooms) offer amazing technology and materials to give our kids  hands-on learning, problem solving and creative project development experiences.
Speaking of amazing materials -- wait until your kids see the Imagination Blocks the PTO purchased! These innovative, life-sized foam blocks will inspire and excite our kids, taking their playground and gymnasium experience to a new level. It's your generous donations throughout the year that make this type of enrichment possible for our kids.

We've come a long way in 100 years!
 
We hope the start to your school year is as smooth and enjoyable as possible for your family. Don't forget to join us for coffee Wednesday morning after drop-off and popsicles on the playground that afternoon!
This Week and Next
Log on NOW to Make Your Back-to-School Payments
If you would like to take advantage of the PTO's new online payment option for back-to-school fees, please do so before this Wednesday, August 26th. CLICK HERE to pay for: *School Supplies * Yearbooks * Teacher Gifts * Pizza Fun Lunch * School Directories * Birthdays Books 
If you prefer to pay by check you may still do so on the first day of school. Please bring your checks written separately for each student and each option listed above to your room parent on the first morning of school (same process as previous years). Checks should be made out to: Hubbard Woods PTO. 
Back-to-School Schedule

1st-4th
start this Wednesday at 8:37am (playground supervision begins at 8:15am). Pick-up time Wednesday is 2:45pm. Meet on the playground for popsicles! Thursday and Friday are regular schedule (8:37am - 3:15pm).
Confused where the car drop-off/pick-up lanes are? Click here for directions.

AM Kindergarten
 start this Wednesday:
Child's last names A-He attend from 9:45 - 10:15
Child's last names Hi-Z attend from 10:30 - 11:00 
Thursday, kids attend school for 1 hour without parents.
Child's last names A-He attend from 9:10 - 10:10 
Child's last names Hi-Z attend from 10:20 - 11:20  
Friday, first regular day - drop off begins at 8:30am at the kindergarten turn-around on Gordon Terrace. 
Pick up: 11:25am at the same spot.

PM Kindergarten
 start this Wednesday:
Child's last names A-L attend from 12:30 - 1:00
Child's last names M-Z attend from 1:15 - 1:45
Thursday, kids attend school for 1 hour without parents.
Child's last names A-L attend from 12:40 - 1:40
Child's last names M-Z attend from 1:50 - 2:50
Friday, first regular day - drop off begins at 12:27pm at the kindergarten turn-around on Gordon Terrace. 
Pick up: 3:15pm at the same spot.
 
Note: On Mondays, AM kindergarten pick-up time is 11:10am and PM kindergarten pick-up time is 2:45pm.
1st-4th pick up time on Mondays is 2:45pm.
Welcome Coffee, Wednesday, August 26, 
8:30-9:30 AM in the Front Foyer
After seeing the children off on their first day swing by to enjoy a cup of coffee and a chance to say hello to other HW parents.
Popsicles on the Playground, 
Wednesday, August 26, 2:45-3:15 PM
Parents and children - let's celebrate the start of a new school year with popsicles on the playground! Join us right after the first day of school. Siblings welcome.
News and Notes
2015-2016 Spirit Wear is Here With New 
Colors & Designs!
Check out our great new HW Spirit Wear collection online or in-person and get your family outfitted for the school year! 
 
Purchase opportunities include:
  • In the school lobby during the first week of school (as early as 8:15am)
  • During Go-to-School Night in September

Or, view and purchase from the entire collection online at www.headsupapparel.com. For assistance, contact Nichole Kain at nichole@mattkain.com.

Picture Day
SMILE! Thursday, September 17th is PICTURE DAY!  Please watch your child's backpack for sign-up forms and information. Please note that we have switched to a new vendor this year, Stuart Rodgers Photography. If you have questions, please contact Becky Sanderson at beckysanderson@hotmail.com.
Last Chance to Change Your Directory Info!
In order to have the most up-to-date school directory possible we are making the Directory Spot application available to all for one week only. Click Here if yowould like to review or change your contact info. All changes must be submitted to Lori Miralles (lmiralles22@aol.com) by August 26th.
 
Calling All 4th Grade Girl Scouts! 
We would like to know who is interested in joining Girl Scouts this year. Please email rachelkozina@att.net by September 8th if your daughter would like to have a super fun year of Girl Scout activities as a Junior scout.

Feeling Green? 
Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year from the HWS PTO Green Team!  We are always looking for ways to incorporate sustainable thinking into our school's operations and programming. If you have thoughts or questions about things that are, are not, or could be happening, please contact Liz.Kunkle@gmail.com.

Thank you!
Our school year is off to a running start thanks to the efforts of the many volunteers involved with the PTO's back to school initiatives. While space constraints keep us from naming each of the many, please know all of the hard work is seen and appreciated! Specifically we want thank: Lucie White, Dominique Birchmeyer and members of the Back to School Committee for arranging to have HW signs placed on every HW family's lawn, providing the welcome coffee and handing out popsicles after the first day of school. A big thanks to Nidhi Singh and Stephanie Meyer and all the HW buddy families for their tireless efforts to make our new families feel so welcome. Thank you to Sarah Graham and her committee for providing the faculty and staff with a wonderful lunch as they prepare their classrooms on Tuesday. Another thank you to Sarah Graham and her team of volunteers for all of the hours spent over the summer helping Todd Burleson get the Idea Lab ready this coming school year. Thank you to Rita Compton, Nichole Kain and Sean Kalil for spending time this summer selecting a wonderful new line of school spirit wear. Abby Burtelow deserves great thanks for handling all of the school supply ordering (again!) and orchestrating the distribution of supply kits. Thanks to Brooke Helmstetter for masterfully coordinating the assignment of room parents, Mayfest parents and decade parents.
A huge thanks to Lori Miralles (again!) and her team for handling the timely collection of data and content to ensure the school directory will be available in mid-September. Thank you Katie Zoloto and her committee for ensuring that all members of the HW community will be greeted by beautiful flowers when they arrive at the front entrance to school. Lastly, thank you to Cheryl O'Brien (again!) for coordinating the Kiddos hot lunch program.
 
Looking Ahead
New Parent Orientation
Tuesday, September 1
7:00-8:15 PM presentation in the Resource Center.
Go-to-School Night 
Thursday, September 17
Grades 1-2 at 7:00-7:50 PM
Grades 3-4 at 8:00-8:50 PM 
Kindergarten 
Go-to-School Night
Thursday, October 1
7:00-8:00 PM
PTO Program: Daniel Ryan's Views and Visions
Wednesday, September 30
9:00-10:30 AM
in the Auditorium
Lunch Box


Kiddos Hot Lunch begins Monday, August 31st. Click here to order today! You must place your child's order by 9AM TOMORROW (8/24) for the first week of lunches. Otherwise, you can order for the remaining weeks through January 30, 2016. The deadline to add, change or cancel lunches is 9am each Monday to affect the following week. The Kiddos hot lunch program is available for students in Grades 1-4.
The first Pizza Fun Lunch will be Friday, September 11th. Pizza Fun Lunch is a school fundraiser that allows students to enjoy delicious Viccino's pizza on select Fridays throughout the school year. New this year: Fruit will be provided along with the pizza! To participate and pay online, please click here.  
Lost and Found
Avoid Losing All of the Back-to-School Gear! Please mark your child's clothing, accessories, etc. with their name so that it's easy to return lost items to your child's cubby throughout the year.

About the PTO
The Hubbard Woods PTO involves parents and teachers working together on behalf of the school and its students.  Parent volunteers help create a strong sense of community, provide support to our teachers and staff, and sponsor programs and activities that enrich our chidren's educational experience. To become involved please contact Jen Hayes at jnhayesiii@yahoo.com.