The big thing coming up is International Night next Tuesday, 2/28 from 6-7:00 PM (there has been confusion but I confirmed this as the correct time).   I’m excited to announce that 20 families have agreed to be country ambassadors!  Please come out and support our celebration of diversity.  It will be a fun night with a choral performance, a parade, dancing and door prizes.  Help is still needed in a lot of areas, so please contact Chetna Tailor to find out how you can help.

Thanks to all of you who made our Staff and Teacher Appreciation week so special.  Hospitality Chair Sue Reilly and her team provided:

• a banner in the entryway spelling out the obvious – We love our WES staff and teachers!
• a healthy snack cart for staff and teachers on Monday (provided by PTA funds)
• an Italian luncheon on Wednesday (provided by PTA funds and the generosity of  hospitality committee members)
• the not-so-healthy-but-quite-tasty Bojangles biscuits and coffee on Thursday (provided by the Weintraub family)
• volunteers in the lobby who accepted donations of flowers  to ensure each and every faculty and staff member received a bouquet.

I’m privileged that as President I get to witness, firsthand, the astounding generosity of our WES parents!  Examples that come to my mind include the new microwave in the teacher’s lounge that was provided as a gift of the family of students Ryan and Shannon Cawley.  And the two gift certificates sent in last month by parent Narong Sapsuwan, owner of Thai Spices and Sushi to recognize the faithful service of our crossing guard, Lisa Moy and last month’s spotlight volunteer, Sheila Martin.   These are just a few of many examples!  I am overwhelmed with your kindness and willingness to fill needs as you see them.

Whether you’ve donated your time, money, linked your grocer-rewards card or simply clipped BoxTops – thanks for your part in making Weatherstone a very special place!

Beth Satterfield
president@weatherstonepta.com

Passports are being customized right now by the WES immigration team!  Please fill out the form you received in your child’s Tuesday folder, or email ctailor2011@gmail.com to let her know you’re coming so we can “process” your child’s passport.  Please send your child(ren)’s pictures to be posted on the world map in the WES main hall way.  Bring photos to your teacher by Friday, February 24th.  And don’t forget to sign up for the World Parade!

We are looking for folding tables for the country booths.  Please let Chetna Tailor know if you have a table you can bring on i-night.

Questions?  Please feel free to email ctailor2011@gmail.com or sign up here to volunteer: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4DACAA238-international

Silent Auction Donations
If you own a business, have a special talent, service such as tutoring, vacation property or access to unique bid items we need your help!  We are beginning to gather donated items (big or small) for the Silent Auction.  The money raised during the Carnival helps the PTA to continue to supply great programs at WES.  All donors will be recognized in the Carnival program and donations are tax deductible (tax donation letters are available upon request).  Please contact Catherine Smith (kevandcat5@gmail.com) with any questions or if you have items to donate.

SPRING CARNIVAL RAFFLE BASKETS – DONATIONS NEEDED!
One of our most exciting events at Spring Carnival is the Raffle Baskets.  We need parents from each grade level to donate items that will make some SPECTACULAR baskets!    Below is a suggested list of “themed” baskets for each grade level – you can drop off items at the Front Office anytime.  We can only accept NEW items for the baskets.  Look for the great sales!  If you ALREADY HAVE NEW items in ANY of these themes, you can donate them, too.

No time to Shop?  Monetary donations are always welcome.  Cash or checks (payable to Weatherstone PTA) can be placed in an envelope, marked Carnival Baskets, and turned in to the Front Office.  We will do the shopping for you!  If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Ellerbe at dyanjen@aol.com.

 BASKETS BY GRADE LEVEL:

Kindergarten: Backyard Fun – Balls, kites, Frisbee discs, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, bubbles

1st Grade:
Basket 1.  Girl’s Playdate – Barbies, Polly Pockets, dress up, dolls, kitchen stuff, crafts
Basket 2.  Toys for Boys –Legos, Lincoln logs, tools, trucks, action figures, army men

2nd Grade:
Basket 1.  Rainy Day Games – Board Games, card games, snacks (candy/popcorn)
Basket 2.  Gift Card Tree – Any Gift Cards

3rd Grade:
Basket 1.  Family Night Out – All Restaurant Gift Cards, movie & bowling passes (any amount)
Basket 2.  Cooking Fun – Cooking gadgets, Cookbooks, food packages, colorful bowls

4th Grade:
All about Sports (Boys & Girls) – Skateboards, scooters, footballs, basketballs, volleyball, tennis racquets

5th Grade:
Basket 1.   Pre-teen Girls Fun – Girl Hair, nails, scarves, decorations, purses, jewelry
Basket 2.  Spa Day – Bath lotions, gels, candles, incense, fitness items, spa gift cards

If you have any questions, please contact Sue Reilly.  (syreilly@nc.rr.com)

TJ is one of many devoted Room Parents who assist our teachers with organizing fun and educational classroom activities.  These activities, such as Book-A-Bite, Fun Friday’s and Learning Experiences, create lasting memories for students and parents.  Parents who volunteer for these activities, read to their child and a small group of classmates, plan “Fun Friday” events for students, or help out with additional enrichment activities.  TJ said that he really enjoys to reading to his daughter’s class for Fun Friday’s.

TJ has been volunteering at WES for four years.  He actively helps out with the running club and the school store.  TJ’s wife, Kathy, is our PTA Treasurer and together they have been very generous with their volunteer time.  They have three children:  Katie in 9th grade, Shannon in 3rd grade and Ryan in kindergarten.

During the month of February, the “PTA Volunteer” parking spot will be reserved for TJ’s exclusive use.  Please help us honor him by leaving the space available.

Thank you, TJ! We truly appreciate all of your hard work for our school.

Have you decided on what talent you would like to share? Do you have a skit that you and your friends would like to perform?  Do you sing, dance, play an instrument, or have an unusual talent you would like to share?  Would you like to be a member of the stage crew?  You are the talent that makes this show FABULOUS!  So don’t be left out!

Registration for the talent show starts February 14th and will continue until February 16th.  You can drop off your registration form, (CLICK on this LINK to download the form), between 8:45-9:10AM in the school lobby.  If you have misplaced your registration information, replacements are available in the front office.  Please note that we can only accept a limited number of acts.  Registration forms will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.  Remember, no registration forms will be accepted without a parent’s signature.  If you have any questions, please contact me at jafris@ymail.com.

Syed Jafri, Talent Show Committee Chair

CALL TO PARENTS: We need adult volunteers to help for the Dress Rehearsal on Thursday, March 8th 3:45-6:00PM and for the Big Show on Thursday, March 15th starting at 5:00PM for setup and continuing through cleanup. Please consider volunteering for this special event.  See our sign up page, at:  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0A4DABAD283-talent

Listed below are the fundraisers held at WES so far and the profit earned from each event.

The art department has earned an additional profit of over $1k. These funds were made possible by those families that participated in the Original Works fundraiser in November.

Our passive fundraising efforts are doing well, but can be improved. The clipping of those BOX TOPS is paying off, as we have already received over $800, with a goal to reach $2k.  Those of you who have your Target Red Card linked to Weatherstone are expected to bring in more than $600!

The list of PTA programs is due to your continued support.  In case you didn’t think all this fundraising was important, just wait until your child comes home talking about the upcoming Science Day in March! PTA funds support this program at a cost of $2.4k. If you have questions, comments or ideas, please contact us at fundraising@weatherstonepta.com. We welcome and value your opinion.

Need an excuse to do something different? Go ice skating, see a movie, or go get a cup of coffee ALL FOR A REDUCED RATE using coupons from your 2012 Citipass Book.  The Citipass books were sold for $20 in September and have tons of savings for you to use all year-long.  If you shop at Kroger, page 117 (four $5 off coupons) pays for the book alone.  Be sure to get one (or two) at the beginning of next year. You won’t be sorry!

Catherine Smith
VP, Fundraising

We sell pencils, pens, highlighters, sharpeners, erasers and much more – most of which is available for $1 or less. We also sell recorders for $4 – if you don’t have one for your 4th grader – you can get one here! The store is located in the main hallway so please stop by and see what we have!

More information is available via the NCPTA flyer: http://www.ncpta.org/HomepageFiles/Hurricanes_NCPTANight_Feb4.pdf

If you have not joined the PTA, please consider becoming a member to show you support for the students, staff, and programs.  By joining the PTA, you make it possible for the organization to serve our children.  Every membership counts! 

To become a member, fill out the online membership form on the PTA website: http://weatherstonepta.com/join-the-pta/.  You can either pay online with PayPal or send in a check or cash with a copy of your membership form.

Please print off this form, fill it out and return it (along with your check or money)  to your child’s teacher by February 15th.  Thank you!

Sheila has been volunteering at WES for eight years.  She is the chairperson for the Lost and Found Committee and the Fifth Grade Activities Committee.  She is also helping out with the Information Sign Committee.

For the last three years, Shelia has organized the lost and found cabinets at the school so that students can retrieve any lost personal items.  She also ensures that any remaining items are donated to a local charity at the end of the school year.  This year, she will also help plan and organize a service project and end-of-year activities for our 5th grade students.

Shelia has been a devoted Room Parent for many years and enjoys helping out with classroom activities.  She said “my favorite times at WES have been morning visits to the classroom to help the teachers any way I can and to make sure that the students are doing well”.  Sheila has two children:  Hannah in 7th grade and Rebekah in 5th grade.

During the month of January, the “PTA Volunteer” parking spot will be reserved for Sheila’s exclusive use.  Please help us honor her by leaving the space available.

Thank you, Shelia! We truly appreciate all of your hard work for our school.

The PTA appreciates your support and hopes you have taken the time to ensure your VIC card is tied to WES. If you are shopping this week between WED., 1/11 and TUES., 1/17, and purchase 8 Box Tops for Education participating products, WES can earn 50 additional Box Tops (that is a $5 value).  Please see this offer below and stock up!  Once you have signed up on their website, you will be informed of these fantastic offers to help lower your grocery bill as well as help out Weatherstone. If you have any questions, please contact fundraising@weatherstonepta.com. 

 http://www.harristeeter.com/files/Promotions/evic/Discount/flysheet/fly_GeneralMills_20120117.pdf