Burns Park Elementary PTO Weekly Notes - Week of September 21, 2009

In this issue:
School Announcements

• Fall Festival!!, Wednesday, September 23, 5:30 pm
  
• Fifth Grade Fundraiser at Fall Festival
  
• PTO Meeting, Thursday, September 24th, 7:00pm
  
• School Garden planning meeting, Tuesday, September 22, 4:00 pm
  
• Multicultural Committee meeting, Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 pm
  
• Sally Foster Gift Wrap Fundraiser, begins September 28
  

Community Announcements

• Burns Park Players meeting, Tuesday, September 22, 7:30 pm
  
• Girls on the Run, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-5:30
  
• Community Clothing Drive, September 23, 24, 25
  

If you are a PTO committee member and want to announce something about your committee, or anyone that has something to share with the school community, please send it to Lynda Norton <llnorton at okno.com> by Sunday at noon of each week.  The following are the Weekly Notes for this week:

School Announcements:  

• Fall Festival - Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 23rd! Bring a blanket, a picnic dinner and a dessert to share! Drinks will be available for purchase, and music will be provided for free! This is another Burns Park annual event.
  
• As a fundraiser for 5th grade graduation, the 5th graders will be selling drinks (soda, water and juice boxes) for $0.50 and $1.00 – exact change is appreciated!
  
• PTO Meeting - The first PTO meeting of the year will be held on Thursday, September 24th  from 7:00-8:00 pm in the Media Center (Library). Fun, FREE child care is provided in the gym, so you can bring you kids along! This is a great way to participate in our PTO and learn more about our school.
  
• School Garden planning meeting:  We’ll be meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd at 4pm at the picnic tables near the red playground (along Wells). We’ll be planning a workday for this fall to install posts and rails for a fence, get updated on grants, and discuss next steps (fall planting, mapping out the garden, getting the kids involved, etc.). We hope to see many of you soon! Emily Hastie & Lynda Norton
  
• Multicultural Committee meeting, Tuesday, September 29th, 7:00pm in the Burns Park Auditorium. Please join us to help identify and plan some exciting activities for this year, including field trips, book clubs and discussions, and food festivals with the new school garden. The goal of the committee is to engage the students, parents and teachers at Burns Park in thinking, learning, and talking about issues of diversity and cultural difference in our community and in our world and to find ways to value our differences. Contact: Chris Burke, cjfburke at mac.com
  
• Sally Foster Gift Wrap Fundraiser The Sally Foster Gift Wrap Fundraiser is just around the corner!  Look for us at the Fall Festival on September 23 for a preview of their products.  The gift wrap is top quality and is made of recyclable material.  Burns Park earns 55% profit on every order and the money is used to fund your child's field trips; subsidies for art, computers, Spanish; and Golden Apple grants for special teacher initiatives.  Additionally, your child can earn prizes with orders and online ordering is very easy for out-of-town family and friends.  Order kits and more information will come home with your child next week, September 28.  Please let us know if you have questions or would like to help with this important school fundraiser! Anne Steinhauer (734-476-6499) and Jennifer Osterwisch (734-995-9222)

Community Announcements:

• Burns Park Players- The Fall Membership Meeting will take place this Tues, Sept 22, 7:30 p.m. in the Tappan Auditorium.  We will be discussing this year's show,  Guys and Dolls, and will have auditions dates, rehearsal schedule for adults and kids, various crew positions available, and lots of other important information.  Attendance at the Fall Meeting is encouraged, even if you are unsure if you will participate this year as we rely on the sign-in sheets from this meeting to contact people and place them in the cast or crew of their choosing. Also, please take this opportunity to pay dues for the year:  $25 for a family with one adult participant or $35 for a family with two adults participating so don't forget to bring a checkbook or cash! It's going to be a fun show and we look forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday! For questions contact:  producers@burnsparkplayers.org
  
• Girls on the Run. Burns Park GOTR meets on Tues and Thursdays from 4-5:30 until the Big House Big Heart 5K on Oct 4. It is a program that uses running as a medium to explore who they are as people, and to build self-esteem, self-efficacy, confidence and friendships. Registration is through Ann Arbor Rec and Ed. People can learn more about it through their website
  

http://www.girlsontherunsemi.org/ Girls on the Run® is a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. Our curricula address all aspects of girls' development - their physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being. Our mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. For more information, contact Gianna Lete at gslete at yahoo.com.

• Community Clothing Drive – A county wide clothing drive is being organized to help those in need as the cold weather approaches.  Please drop off your clothing donations from 2-8pm on September 23, 24 and 25 at Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 West Liberty.  Put clean clothes in bags labeled boys/girls/men/women and also sort clothes by size.  If you are in need of clothing, clothing can be selected on September 26th from 11am – 2pm at Washtenaw Community College in the Morris J. Lawrence Building located at 4800 E. Huron Drive.  Volunteers are needed to collect, transport and organize on various days.  For more information contact neighborsdaysofservice@gmail.com.
  

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?  Please don't hesitate to contact one of us.

Lynda Norton, President
Wendy Burke, President-elect

llnorton at okno.com  or 761-1478
wendy.burke at mac.com  or 585-5570