Weatherstone Elementary PTA

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend  (and all our teachers enjoy their two workdays this week without the kids)!

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

This year’s Spring Carnival is scheduled for April 21^st and the subcommittees have already begun working hard to get ready for it!  The theme is a “Blast from the Past” with the decades of the 50s, 60s, and 70s being represented throughout the school.  Check the Explorer Express weekly for updates and information.

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

There is a room parent meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 23rd at 9:30am in the WES cafeteria.  At this meeting, you will find out all of the information you need to know to support the Spring Carnival.   It is required that all classes are represented.  If you are unable to attend, please find someone to come and get the information for your class.

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

The 13th annual Weatherstone Talent Show will be held on Thursday, March 15th, at 6:30PM.  The talent show is open to 4th and 5th graders.

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

Weatherstone has the opportunity to send four students to Millbrook High School on February 25th for the Wake County Schools Elementary Honors Chorus performance. The guest clinician for this event is Maribeth Yoder-White.  The students selected to participate in this event are Grace Farrell, Ricky Herget, Rebekah Martin, and Thomas Velez.

We are proud to report that Weatherstone families are helping the school reach its fundraising goals. For the 2011-2012 school year, we set a goal to provide the teachers with what they asked for – smart technology. To date, the PTA has purchased 3 new Smartboards ($9K) and provided up to $300 for each teacher to spend on classroom materials towards curriculum support for all their students. The PTA has also provided several campus improvements such as the new permanent sign to announce school events ($5k), the in-ground soccer goals and fence extension (over $4k), and coming soon – a new sunshade for the field (~$2k).  And, that is just to name a few!

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.