In this issue:

School Announcements

• School Vacation begins April 9
• Eyeglass donations
• Burns Park Bucks Orders picked up and delivered on April 8
• Burns Park Run volunteers needed
• Assembly performed by “Two of a Kind”
• 5th Grade Graduation photos needed

Community Announcements

• Village Fund Initiative
• Burns Park Green Energy Association meeting, April 9
• Fundraiser for A2A3: Pennies for Pounds
• Pennies for Darfur
• Thanks a Staff Member Today
• Ann Arbor Babysitting Company

School Announcements

Spring school vacation begins at the close of school on Thursday, April 9. There will be no PTO notes next week. School resumes on Monday, April 20.

Recycle Your Eyeglasses for Sight: As spring cleaning gets under way, the Burns Park Penguins Care Club and the Multicultural Committee are asking people to look through dresser drawers and closets for used eyeglasses and donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program. From March 30 to April 9, we will be collecting used prescription eyeglasses and prescription and non-prescription sunglasses as part of a unique recycling program. The collected glasses will be cleaned, categorized by prescription, and prepared for distribution; they will then be sent to the U.S. military in Arizona who will ship them to Iraq, where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible. To donate used glasses (including sunglasses and reading glasses), send them to school with your child or place them in the specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes located in the Burns Park office or in the lobby outside the office. Thank you for your participation in this special program!!

Burns Park Bucks – Pick up your orders on Wednesday, April 8th by the flagpole at drop-off and pick-up.  Home deliveries will also take place this day. Thanks to all of you who help support this great program and raise funds for our school!

Burns Park Run Volunteers Needed! The run is coming up on Sunday, May 3rd.  We would welcome family members, high school volunteers, etc. This is one of our biggest events, and fundraisers, so please help if you can. To volunteer for the run, most volunteer ROLES allow people to still participate in the run, so nearly all volunteers can run - but there are two ROLES, chip cutters and data entry support, for which volunteers really can't participate in the race. To learn more and and sign up with an online form, people can contact Jackie OR go to www.burnsparkrun.org <http://www.burnsparkrun.org>  and follow the "volunteer" navigation link to find the position descriptions and signup form online. http://www.burnsparkrun.org/volunteer.html

We hope people get excited about the Burns Park Run early this year, and about our special guests - Cheryl Haworth and Cara Heads. Check out www.BurnsParkRun.org <http://www.BurnsParkRun.org>  to learn more about them - and be sure to read this story: <http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2041> Registration IS turned on, and online registration is cheaper than registration (even early registration) by form for kids or families, even including the processing fees (these have been reduced significantly from last year by negotiating a group processing fee - a whole family can register together for just $1.50 processing fee rather than $3 per person extra fee that is typical.)
Please contact Jackie Dalton at <jdalton at cch.org> if you have questions.

There will be an assembly performed by "Two of a Kind" on Tuesday morning, April 7, for Grades K-2. Two of a Kind is a husband-wife duo who have performed at Burns Park in past years, and this year their songs will focus on the theme, "Caring for Each Other." During the performance, Two of a Kind will teach song lyrics and accompanying sign language, and the children will be encouraged to join in the singing and signing. This program is funded through our PTO's Golden Apple grant program. We hope your child enjoys the show!

Burns Park 5th grade graduation photos from previous years wanted - This year’s 5th grade graduation committee would love to see your photos from past graduations, particularly if they show how the auditorium and brunch tables were decorated. If you have photos you’re willing to share, please either e-mail them to me at nkhmass at selectivityinc.com or drop them in the PTO mailbox at school in an envelope marked “Graduation photos for Kim Mass.” I’ll be sure to get your hard-copy photos back to you. Thanks so much! Kim Mass, 5th grade graduation co-chair,  213-5255.

Community Announcements

Did you know that 20% of AAPS students receive free and reduced lunch?  It is likely that these families cannot afford for their children to participate in the daily social and academic activities of school, for example: pictures, yearbook, birthday celebrations, field trips, school projects, book orders, etc.  The Village Fund Initiative of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation exists to ensure that no AAPS student is excluded from the daily activities of school because of financial need.  With your help we can make this a reality!  For more information about our initiative and/or to donate on-line please visit www.aapsef.org or contact Helen Starman (hstarman at comcast.net or 994-8553); you can also donate to the fund by sending a check to AAPSEF, 2555 S. State, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104.   Please indicate that your donation is for the Village Fund.

Burns Park Green Energy Association meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 9th at 7 PM at Burns Park School. At this meeting, we will begin to form our working groups. Some folks are interested in renewable energy, some like gardening and food, many are passionate about transportation. Working groups are a way for everyone to get involved in the areas that they are excited about. This will also help us get to know each other, as we discuss and share our thoughts and questions.Building a resilient Community is what this organization is all about!!For more information, please contact Nathan Ayers at <nate at burnsparkgreen.org>

Fundraiser for Ann Arbor Active Against ALS in support of “Coach Bob”: Pennies for Pounds: Ken Silverman, an active coach himself and close friend of Bob Schoeni's - but "not a runner" - saw his friends running the Big House Big Heart 5K last fall in solidarity with Bob, and thought, "What could I do to help?" This is it: Ken is working to BUILD muscle rather than DESTROY muscle as ALS does. He is training to leg press at least one rep of 1,000 pounds by the one year anniversary of when Bob felt his first ALS symptoms. Ken was able to do this long ago, and he will do it again around the end of April. Your part? Ken would like you to donate at least ONE PENNY per pound to his fundraising and training effort - 100% of which will be donated by A2A3 to research. It's EASY to pledge! Just go to the form at the following website: <http://www.a2a3.org/pennies-for-pounds-pledge-form>
Pennies for Darfur update:Penny donations have been pouring in since the community found out that some of the Enough! Club's pennies had been stolen.  Donors have given 10,000, 20,000, and even 40,000 pennies. People are dropping off bags and boxes of pennies. We've had to ask the bank to order pennies for us, so we can exchange the checks which have been written. As soon as the pennies come in, we'll update our web site. Thank you for all of your tremendous support. We're on our way to reaching our goal of 400,000 pennies. If you have any pennies at home, please send them to school!

The Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation is promoting the Thank a Staff Member Today campaign to let teachers and staff members know we recognize and appreciate their dedication and hard work on behalf of our community’s young people. Please help us recognize those that are contributing to the enrichment of our children and our community. Purchase a certificate of formal recognition for your child’s teacher(s), principal, bus driver, secretary, or other deserving staff member. The Foundation will present certificates to the staff member(s) you designate. $10 each, 3 for $25 or 6 for $50 All proceeds to benefit the Foundation’s funding of District-wide initiatives and 100% of the fees are a donation. Initiatives are chosen to support innovation and excellence in our schools and to offer teachers the support they need to improve or enhance learning. Certificates may be purchased: At <http://www.supportannarborschools.org> (online payment or downloadable mail in form) and at the AAPS Educational Foundation Spring Celebration of Innovation, Excellence and Appreciation at Scarlett Middle School, May 2, 2009. Contact: Amy Schlecht Pachera, amypachera at gmail.com,734-320-9208

Interested in a summer babysitter? The Ann Arbor Babysitting Company contracts students from the University of Michigan to babysit for families in the Ann Arbor community. We have over 50 experienced babysitters and can schedule part-time nannies, sporadic nights-out, and last-minute emergencies with one quick call or email! Please contact us as soon as possible at aabcompany at gmail.com  if you need help for this summer. We'd love to set you up with one of our babysitters, but students tend to trickle home for the summer, so email us now if you think that you might need a summer sitter!  Also, feel free to check out our website at a2bcompany.com <http://a2bcompany.com> .  We look forward to working with you! Kristen Walter and Jennifer Kramer

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?  Please don't hesitate to contact me.

Lynda Norton, President-Elect
llnorton at okno.com  or 761-1478