Update from the Leopold PFO for the Week of November 24, 2014

Hello Leopold families. It's a short week, but lots of information below. Be sure to read through everything! 


I am thankful for our wonderful school, staff, students and parents! Have a great Thanksgiving!


Tito's Readathlon Literacy Event
On your mark, get set and go to Tito's Readathlon!  Join us for a fun, free PFO sponsored literacy night onTuesday, Dec 2 at 5:45 pm.  Students will learn how to Read, Write and Create during our many activities and games.  There will be readings with a children's book author, a prominent Madison poet, and other community leaders.  Parents can learn about reading strategies while students play literacy games and learn to write a play.  Our healthy snack stations will keep our literacy athletes fueled throughout the evening.  All participants will leave with free books.  Please see the PFO website for further details.  This is an event you don't want to miss! 

The Giving Tree is Back
As we have done in past years, the PFO has organized a Giving Tree where Leopold staff ask for things they would like to have in their classrooms to enhance the educational experience for our kids. Some of the items are things you might have around your house that could be put to good use at school, and some are things that you might be willing to purchase for a classroom. Often, families like to select an item from the Giving Tree for a holiday gift for a classroom. 

So how does it work? First you can go HERE to see the full list of requests. If you see one or more that you would like to fulfill, please email Kim Holdener at kholdener@hotmail.com that you will be purchasing or donating the item, and let Kim know when and where you will deliver the item (office, classroom, etc.). If you would like a receipt, please let Kim know and we will email one to you.

Our big push for the Giving Tree is to get items in classrooms before winter break, when families are most thinking about giving. However, the list will remain up for the school year so feel free to give at any time.

Please note that donations are tax deductible if given through the Giving Tree program to the PFO, which is a 501(3)(c) organization. All gifts become the property of Leopold Elementary and should stay at the school, even if a teacher does not.

Make money for Leopold While You Shop for the Holidays!
Don't forget these no-effort ways to help raise money for the Leopold PFO while you do your holiday shopping:

amazon.com
Please visit the PFO fundraising page and click on the amazon ad to enter the amazon.com website. By doing so, Leopold PFO will receive a percentage of your total purchase (up to 7%!). You don't need to do anything else, but items need to be purchased within 24 hours of clicking on the link for Leopold to get credit. 
www.leopoldpfo.org/activities-and-fundraisers.html

Target Red Card
Target offers both a CREDIT and a DEBIT REDcard! With a Target REDcard, Target will donate 1% of your REDcard purchases at Target and target.com to the school of your choice. It's that simple. You can add Leopold Elementary to your existing Target REDcard, or get a new card. Target REDcard saves you 5% on all of your Target purchases. You can apply for a credit card, or set up a debit card that will draw directly from your bank account. The benefits to Leopold are the same. Encourage family and friends to designate Leopold as their designated school, no matter where they live!
http://www.target.com/redcard/main

Keep Clipping and Saving Box Tops
The next Box Tops deadline is January 23 so keep clipping and saving over the holidays!

Check out the Box Tops for Education (BTFE) website atwww.boxtops4education.com to find coupons and new recipes using Box Tops products. Join BTFE to support Leopold, and participate in contests that could earn hundreds of bonus Box Tops for our school. Keep an eye out for non-food products that have Box Tops such as Hanes clothing and Avery office products. Also look for bonus Box Tops coupons at the grocery store checkout and on or inside product packages. Expired Box Tops cannot be submitted so please check the expiration date before sending to school. We can submit Box Tops at any time of the year so if the expiration date is within 60 days please send them to school immediately so we can submit them before they expire. Sadly we often have to recycle dozens of expired box tops. That felt like throwing dimes down the drain. Let's plug the drain and keep the cash! 



Cherokee DLI Meeting
On Tuesday, December 9, a meeting will be held for DLI families regarding the DLI transition to Cherokee. Cherokee administration, and staff from the Office of Multicultural and Global Education, will share information and answer questions. The meeting is intended for parents, and childcare and translation will be provided. Light food will be provided at 5:30 and the meeting will be held from 6-7. Information about the meeting will also be sent home with students.

In the spring, general meetings regarding transitioning to middle school will be held for all 5th graders, and principals for both Wright and Cherokee will present information and answer questions.

Short Term Help Needed for Fresh Fruits and Veggie Delivery to Classrooms
Lori Zink, our school nurse, is looking for parent volunteers on Tuesdays through Fridays, from December 3 through January 16, to help out while the regular person who prepares and distributes the fruit and veggie snack is out.

Time involved would involve about an hour each day. Volunteers would need to come first thing in the morning, portion out the snack, and delivers it by 9:00 am. There is no cutting, slicing, or other prep work involved. 

Wouldn't your kids love it if you showed up delivering snack one day?! If you are able to help out with one or more of the days during this time, please contact Lori Zinck-Jezwinski, Leopold School Nurse at 608-204-4246 or lzinck@madison.k12.wi.us.
Cold Weather Policy
As the weather gets colder (so soon!), I wanted to share with you the district information on closing school for weather.
https://www.madison.k12.wi.us/weather

As for cold temperatures and kids going out to recess, that decision is made within each school by school staff and is based on a variety of factors. Please remember to send your kids dressed to play outside every day, including coat, hats, mittens, snow pants and boots.
Library Volunteers needed
Mr. Mueller, our librarian, is in need of volunteers in the Leopold library to help shelf books, etc. If you are interested, he can share a calendar sign up link with you so you can find a time that's convenient for you. This is an important request from school staff that supports all of our students. We'd love to have some parents help out in this fun and easy way. 

If you want to take a look at the calendar to see if a time might work in your schedule, please email Ben at brmueller@madison.k12.wi.us.

Flu Shot Fundraiser
Flu shots are the most effective way to prevent influenza and its complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age or older be vaccinated annually against influenza.

The Leopold PFO is partnering with the HyVee Pharmacy in Fitchburg to offer flu shots to our community, with $4 from each shot coming back to our PFO. In order for Leopld to receive credit, please take a Flu Shot PFO Fundraiser in with you so Leopold gets credit. The coupons can be found on our blog (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/ leopold-pfo-blog) or you can pick one up on the school office.

Shots are covered by most insurances; cash price is $29.99. The fundraiser runs through December 31, 2014.

Communication
This weekly email is prepared in English and will be posted in both English and Spanish on our blog each week (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/ leopold-pfo-blog ).

Este correo electrónico semanal se prepara en Inglés y será publicada en Inglés y Español en nuestro blog cada semana (http://www.leopoldpfo. org/leopold-pfo-blog ).
Have a great week! 

 Kris Aman, President

Leopold Parent Faculty Organization

Encouraging Kids. Connecting Families. Serving Leopold.