Update from the Leopold PFO for the Week of January 6, 2014

Hello Leopold families. Welcome back after a long, cold break! I hope you were able to enjoy some quality time with your family. The PFO is excited about lots of exciting things going on in 2014!
First and foremost, we are searching for some parents interested in stepping up some volunteer efforts in 2014. We have several needs, both PFO Board positions and other events that our PFO sponsors. These are all important to our active and vibrant Leopold community. We know many parents are hesitant to take on leadership roles for a variety of reasons. Our current Board and volunteer leaders are happy to train and guide new volunteers for as long as needed. I believe, however, that it is essential to any organization to have fresh ideas and perspective, so we need to be sure that our Board and volunteer positions change over regularly to keep our PFO strong and healthy! PFO volunteers can be moms, dads, grandparents, or anyone with a Leopold affiliation. Many of our Board members and volunteers have full time, demanding careers, own their own businesses, have very busy kids, have kids at multiple schools, have younger kids and older kids, and are overcommitted already (that's what makes them fabulous!). The diversity of ideas and experiences are an asset to Leopold and we encourage you to spend some time considering the importance of volunteering at our school and demonstrating the value of education and involvement for your kids. 

Here are some of our immediate needs, but we are always open to other ideas that you may have:

• PFO President for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years - The president works with an awesome PFO Board to help set the budget, organize committees and events, communicate on behalf of the PFO with parents and the school, plan and lead PFO meetings, and additional jobs as needed and allowed. Per our bylaws, we hope that board members can serve a two-year term. This job can be split between two people if you have someone to partner with. Training, guidance and support will be provided for as long as needed!
  
• PFO Secretary for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years - The secretary also works with the awesome PFO Board on many of these same things, takes minutes at meetings, as well as handles correspondence such as thank you notes, etc. on behalf of the Board. Training, guidance and support will also be provided for this role!
  
• Website / Facebook Coordinator - Currently, I handle all of the website and Facebook setup, updates and communication. I know there are some much more tech-focused parents out there who could do this behind-the-scenes job. It definitely requires some technical knowledge and the ability to make timely updates, but can be done at night from home, which is an appealing option for many parents. Ongoing training and support provided!
• Spirit Wear Coordinator - Works with spirit wear vendor for item selection, help set pricing, coordinate translation of order forms, copy and stuff teacher mailboxes with order forms and/or online order setup, order processing, and delivery. This is a relatively small job that takes place just once or twice a year and the timing is flexible. Our vendor separates orders and prepares them for individual delivery to students. Training is provided!
  
• Grounds Cleanup Coordinator - Historically, we have had a volunteer to organize a fall and spring grounds cleanup, including raking and bagging leaves, picking up garbage and sometimes some trimming of overgrown greenery. This happens at schools across MMSD and we like to show we are proud of our school and our neighborhood! The Coordinator works with the Board to pick the dates, makes sure we have the needed supplies, works with the PFO Board to communicate the event and find volunteers, and gives direction on the day(s) of the events. Training and information is provided!
  
• Yearbook Coordinator - Works with our yearbook vendor to provide photos and some layout work on our annual school yearbook. Also distributes and collects order forms. Currently we provide hard copy yearbooks for purchase to our students, but there is an options of preparing an online yearbook as well. Our current yearbook coordinator, Jana Olson, is happy to provide training and support over the coming year!
  
• Giving Tree Coordinator - Collects needs from staff and posts them in a google doc or similar to the PFO website. Coordinates the delivery of items to staff (which is very rewarding!), and removes items from list once they've been fulfilled. An annual visual, such as the "tree" in the lobby, is a great visual reminder, but not a necessary part of the program. Training and guidance is provided!
• Staples Schoolkidz School Supply Program - the PFO is working with Staples to provide an easy option for families to order one simple school supply kit with everything on the list for each child's grade. This coordinator would simple work with our Staples coordinator to provide school supply lists and coordinate the ordering of items by our families. This would be a relatively small job that happens just once per year! All information would be provided by Staples.

*If you would like more information about any of the above roles, or would like to attend a PFO Board meeting to learn more, please don't hesitate to email me. It doesn't commit you to anything!*

Giving Tree
Thank you to the many parents and community groups that supported our Giving Tree this year! Our staff was so appreciative for everything received. The Giving Tree will continue to be updated online, but the actual tree in the lobby will come down for now.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Leopold will be holding an Open Schoolhouse event to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on January 21st from 6-8 pm. The evening will consist of poetry, dance, and music performances by students and parents, followed by a family art activity inspired by Dr. Kings, "I Have a Dream" speech. Food will also be provided. Please RSVP by filling out and returning the yellow flyer that was sent home, or by contacting Delia Watkins at 608-204-4336 or dwatkins@madison.k12.wi.us.


Leopold High Five Night
Leopold's High Five Night is scheduled to take place on Jan. 14th, during Open Schoolhouse. The evening will consist of workshop sessions on positive behavior support (PBS), morning meetings, and the Second Step program. There will also be a family scavenger hunt that incorporates positive behavior, and an art gallery inspired by the Leopold High Five. Open Schoolhouse Staff is looking for more volunteers to help with set up/tear down/serving food, etc. Please visit this online sign-up to volunteer for this fun event. 

MMSD Technology Plan
From MMSD...
We have made considerable progress in crafting the five-year Information & Technology Plan, including identifying central themes and preliminary recommendations.  Our website (mmsd.org/techplan) has lots of information on the plan and is continually updated with new resources and our latest thinking. Please visit this website to learn more about the plan and to offer your ideas via the online feedback form.  

We also encourage you to share this link widely so we can gather as much feedback as possible.  All the input collected will help us craft a stronger, more compelling plan that will push the district forward in the coming years to achieve our goals.

Remember to check the MMSD Community Events bulletin board for other activities and announcements.
https://pubinfoweb.madison.k12.wi.us/communityevents

Have a great (short) week and dress your kiddos warm for coming to and going from school!