March 2015 Dear Thomas families, Fall Semester was jam packed full of wonderful events and fundraising. In September the Fundraiser was a huge success. Thomas families helped to raise $11,556.77! Special thanks to Amy Johnson and Darcy Mossman and other volunteers who helped to organize this event. Because of you, we are on target for our budget this year. We thank Meg Alley who has tirelessly stepped up to help out with the Yearbook. The layout is complete with added pages for Leader in Me. We were so thankful for Heather Lovell who put in years of service in this area. She is greatly missed! We had an awesome turnout of wonderful dishes for our teachers to enjoy during Fall and Winter parent teacher conferences. A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who bought and prepared food. Fall and Winter parties were a hit. Thank you to all the room parents and helpers who made the holidays special for our children. Our parents are very creative and generous. The PTO voted to have a budget for room parents who had very little help or finances. So far we have spent $134.92. With the PTO’s help, the 4th grade teachers requested a PEG writing program for the 4th graders at the cost of $2,044.50. We are piloting this program for the rest of the school year. We have made $460.38 from Market Day this year. However, Market Day is on hold at this time because of the new minimum purchase order requirements. Future orders are on hold as well. We are so sorry for any inconvenience and sincerely appreciate those of you who order. Winter Wonderland was a fun-­‐filled holiday event. We had a great turn out from our families, staff and community who enjoyed a light breakfast, holiday shopping for parents and children, a raffle, Japanese origami, crafts and photos. The PTO thanks parents Kelli Nowak and Kirstin Lentz who organized this event. If anyone is interested in special shirts that were made for Thomas through Embroidery Design, please contact the PTO at megan_alley@me.com Special thanks to speakers at our PTO meetings: Officer Collier who addressed school safety, the Lighthouse Team who presented Leader in Me information, and our teachers who discussed social media. Please welcome Brion Deitsch, Chief Operating Officer of Dublin City Schools, for our next General meeting on March 31. If you have not had the chance to come to a meeting, I encourage you to attend the next meeting. We will have discussion on the PTO Budget. There will be a couple of raffle items. Hope to see you there! The PTO is wrapping up the Donations for Thomas PTO by March 30. Please consider donating $25.00 or whatever amount you can afford. So far we have received $794.50 in donations. Thank you to the 38 families who donated. Remember that what you give is an investment in your child and school. It helps to pay for special events and tools for your children to learn more and enjoy learning. The “Dance into Spring” was a huge success. There was music, dancing, snacks and a photo booth. Many thanks to Meg Alley, Julie Franklin and Sophia Logan for their hard work in planning and organizing. Ms. Logan is now our new Social chair. Special thanks to DJ Nick Jordan for donating his time and equipment to play those cool tunes! We apologize on the date change for Dads and Donuts. Dads, granddads, stepdads, guardians, uncle or favorite adult male friends are welcome to join us for breakfast before school on March 26 or 27. Donuts, cereal bars, coffee, juice, milk and fresh fruit will be available. Siblings are welcome. Items are .50 to 1.50 each and proceeds will benefit our Thomas students. This is the revised list of upcoming events: Thursday, March 26: Dads & Donuts (last names A-­‐M) in the Commons from 8:00 to 9:00am Friday, March 27: Dads & Donuts (last names N-­‐Z) in the Commons from 8:00 to 9:00am Tuesday, March 31: PTO and Budget Meeting in the Library, 7:00 to 8:30pm Thursday, April 16: Moms & Muffins (last name A-­‐M) in the Commons from 8:00 to 9:00am Friday, April 17: Moms & Muffins (last name N-­‐Z) in the Commons from 8:00 to 9:00am Thursday, April 23: Art Show in the Commons, 5:30 to 7:00pm Friday, April 24: Movie Night in the Commons, 6:00 to 8:00pm (more info to come) Tuesday, April 28: Executive PTO Meeting, 6:00 to 7:00pm Monday–Friday, May 4-­‐8: Staff Appreciation Week (see upcoming info) Thursday, May 14: May Day celebration and Volunteer Appreciation luncheon Tuesday, May 19: SuperGames (volunteers needed) Tuesday, May 26: PTO General Meeting (vote on the Budget) in the Library, 7:00-­‐8:30pm Friday, May 29: Magic Mountain 5th grade field trip Tuesday, June 2: Clap Out for the 5th Grade Celebration The Kindergarten Information Meeting is scheduled on Thursday, April 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and we are currently looking for a parent who would like to take over Kindergarten Committee Chair to welcome new Kindergartners. A kindergarten or 1st grade parent is preferrable. It is not too late to attend one of the PTO meetings. Remember, we have babysitting. You, the parents, make up the PTO. We love it when you come!! March 31, 2015 is the next meeting where we will present the Budget; voting will take place in May. We need your help for next year. A flyer will go out and will be posted on the PTO website of upcoming needs. Happy Spring! Lauri Lewis PTO President