ok, hello everyone.  I am still trying to understand this blog thing.  I am posting here the newsletter as a pdf.  you will also be getting this in your child’s mailbox.  it is very important that you send back in the signed version of your child’s goal sheet. thanks and enjoy christopher

There will be two trainings for parent volunteering at the school this Monday, Novemeber 16th and again on Monday, November 23rd.  Learning Leaders will be giving a comprehensive workshop going over the rules and code of conduct.  It is an education no volunteer should miss!   Meet in the cafeteria at 8:40am.

This Friday is our November general meeting for the Parents Association.  6:30pm in the library, 4th floor.

Please come for more updates and news.  And as always- I am there to hear you and see if I can help answer your questions.

Be well,

Shannon

I am in the works at getting a permit to have an evening meeting Wednesday, October 14th at the school at 6:30pm.

It will be for all of us to get organized.

Every committee will be meeting and strategizing.  So get involved!  Come on down to Muscota and join a committee or TWO!

There is:

Health and Safety

Grant Writing

Fund Raising

Muscota Political Action Committee

Communications and Public Relations

Be well,

Shannon

The first one happened last June before school got out.

I came to the school to help out at lunch and saw Bill Telepan in the kitchen and our liaeson for Wellness in the Schools Emily Cohen and her boss, Nancy Easton, the Co-founder of WITS.  I went to see them and was invited to sit for an interview for Edible Manhattan.  The article is fascinating even though they butcher Muscota’s name.  But as I always say, any press is good press!

The second bit of good press we got as a school was the recent article in Manhattan Times.  I do want to clarify that the article was not correct with one detail: there has not been classical music set up for our lunch period.  It would be nice, but it is not true.  However, all in all, the article is positive and we Muscotans should be proud of what can be accomplished in a short amount of time.

Which brings me to you.  Yes, you!  As a parent at Muscota, how do you get involved?  I’ll tell you what I know.  It helps if you jump right in.  Ask what you can do, we will give you a direction and then it is up to you to follow through.

Example: the play yard would not be getting renovated unless Margaret Peeler, K parent last year and V.P. this year, didn’t set out with a clear goal and see it through untill the end.  She picked up on the work already put down by parent Pat Hametz and finished it up by requesting monies from elected officials.  It worked and the yard will be renovated this summer.

Example: Allen Spaulding, father of two, is volunteering at lunch almost everyday, brings food to pot luck fundraisers, holds the door at drop off in the winter, helped drama teacher Dayna empty her old costume closet and shows up whenever a teacher or I ask him to.  He is an amazing help to our school.

Example: Shera Scott Thomas made beautiful BOXTOP cans for every room and helped enormously with the teacher appreciation day last year.

Example: Past parents Elena and Isa (from Christpher and Erin’s classrooms) jumped in and translated flyers and letters for parents into Spanish.  That was a big help!  And we will miss them this year.

Example: Wilma Leon, Katie Soares and Margaret cleaned out and organized the PA locker in the gym.  The custodians built custom shelves for us too!  They volunteered and helped in their own way.

Example: Joanna Hoar Vea came into the school on a Saturday to do the bulletin board with me.

Example: Kate Wilson, Kristen Friedmen and Katherine Labastille all wanted a Daisey troop for their Kindies.  It is in its second year thie year, as are TWO other Girl Scout Troops which were started and followed through by parents who wanted it and just DID IT!

There are COUNTLESS more stories that I witnessed through my years at Muscota.  I have seen amazing charity and inspiring volunteering.  I have seen annonomous sponsorships from parents.  Car rides when needed.  Chaperoning when needed.  Our community is beautiful.  Keep it up.  And I will work right along side you because I believe in our school and how great it is!

Please leave a comment on how YOU have helped the school by volunteering.  EVERY moment you have contributed helps and means so much to our school community.

By giving what you can, it creates change and positive energy, it shows the kids that volunteering is a positive thing that everyone can do in their own way.

See you at the PA meeting this Wednesday evening!  Don’t miss Nancy Easton from Wellnes in the Schools.

Keep in touch.

Shannon Park

PA President

Please feel free to comment, and let me know what you would like to see more of, and I will do my best update it accordingly.

Have a great week,

christopher

Well, you can have those warm and fuzzy feelings by shopping for school supplies!  Look, we all have to go out and buy obscene amounts of classroom supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, shoes, clothes and tylenol for our achy head and back- so do it but do it through the programs below.  I enrolled at Boxtops tonight and it was easy.  Tomorrow I will mail in my Target charge card application that I downloaded off the website.  Easy Peasy.  Muscota is BROKE, friends, we need to save our school from the inflicted drought the Chancellor has imposed on us.  It is up to us.  We shall write letters and protest!  But first…we must shop.

Target® Take Charge of Education Program
If you already have a Target REDcard, you can select Muscota to receive a percentage of all your purchases.  Go to www.target.com/tcoe and click on the “Enroll Now” link under the “Current REDcard holders” box.  You can also call 800-316-6142 to enroll. Now start shopping!  To date, Muscota has earned nearly $500.00 but for this year alone we have only earned $50.00.   16 REDcard holders have designated Muscota as the recipient for the Take Charge of Education program.  Let’s try to double that!   We get 1% of every purchase. Every purchase counts.

If you do not have a Target REDcard, please consider opening an account the next time you visit Target and then designate Muscota to receive a percentage of all your purchases as outlined above. You will also receive 10% off your bill on the day you open an account.  Also, anyone can designate our school as a recipient of the earnings.  This is a great way for grandparents, friends, and neighbors to support your child’s school through their REDcard.

Box Tops for Education Marketplace™ Program
You can benefit Muscota by shopping at over 70 online stores like Land’s End, Barnes & Noble, Oriental Trading Co., Pottery Barn, mini Boden and Drugstore.com through the Box Tops Marketplace™.  Muscota will earn cash on purchases at no additional cost to you.  To sign up, go to the Box Tops website: www.btfe.com and designate Muscota New School as the recipient.  Once you are enrolled, select one of the 70 store links on the Marketplace page and start shopping.

Box Tops for Education
Find and clip Box Tops coupons on hundreds of products like Cheerios, Ziploc bags, and hundreds of other items.  Each Box Top coupon is worth  10¢ for our school.  A full list of products can be found at www.btfe.com .  Please send box tops to school with your child in an envelope marked Box Tops by September 25.   Our Parent Coordinator Denise Rodriguez will bundle and submit Box Tops twice a year so don’t stop clipping after September!

Sincerely,

Shannon Park

your prez.

I just returned from our final SLT meeting and feel very hopeful about next year even though we are facing even more budget cuts.  $380,000.00 to be exact.  So if you thought this year was lean, you have seen nothing yet.  But the reason I am optimistic is I know how our amazing parents will come through.  Again.

We will have to do without and our fundraising will be pushed into overdrive.  We may be short on office supplies but what Muscota is rich is, money can’t buy: love and commitment from our teachers and staff, kids that are full of life and creativity, a Principal that is working to preserve our Progressive model and parents who are resouceful and present.

I am so grateful for all the collaboration that went on this year and want to thank all of you parents who came to the meetings, helped in the classrooms and cafeteria, gave their time and money to fundraising and believed first and foremost in our fantastic school.

Before I sign off, I shall announce our new PA Executive board members and parent representatives for 2009/2010 school year.

The Exec. Board is

Shannon Park  President

Margaret Peeler Vice President

Guy Johnson  Treasurer

Katie Soares Secretary

School Leadership Team Parent Rep:

Yessenia DeJesus, Guita Ranjbaran , Kari Steeves, Wilma Leon, Maggie Aledo.  I will also sit on the SLT as a core member.

I will touch base through the summer and hopefully learn to Blog regularly.  Feel free to send me comments!

Have a great break with your kids and families.

I’ll be seeing you in August or September!

Be well,

Shannon Park

Your Prez

In case you hadn’t heard or didn’t read it on the muscota.org home page:

• Congratulations to Muscota drama teacher, Dayna Beegun, and all the fifth graders who participated in Young Playwrights, Inc. 2009! Muscota carried home three awards, and a Muscota grad also took a prize. Bravo!
• Muscota is the proud recipient of the Goldie Anna Grant for Best Practices, 2009, for our teachers’ narrative reports! Kudos for that wonderful BEST PRACTICE!
• Muscota would like to thank Wellness in the Schools for a fruitful partnership this year (pun intended!). We look forward to continuing our work to improve the nutrition and healthy lifestyles of our students.