Hello families. Did you miss an email from me last week? A rare occasion - I had nothing to say! Don't worry, I'm going to make up for it.

Timberwolf Trample
I know I've mentioned this before, but Leopld's biggest fundraiser for the year, our Timberwolf Trample fun run, is scheduled for Saturday, May 11. We are still in desperate need of organizers for this event. If you're the type that loves big projects, you can take it on in it's entirety, but if you like to help on a smaller scale, we can also organize by committee. We did this for FunFest and it worked quite well.  This fundraiser brings in approximately $10,000 for our school so it is very important that we keep it going! You don't have to be a runner, you don't have to be a fundraiser, we can work with you to find the right role if you are willing to help. Please contact me, or anyone on the PFO, if you might be willing to at least consider this really fun, exciting and beneficial opportunity to support your students and staff!

Easy Fundraising
I'm going to keep hammering home these easy ways to make money for our school because I much prefer these options to having to send our kids out to sell wrapping paper or cookie dough! Many of these are especially helpful during the holidays:

1) BoxTops - keep 'em coming. The deadline for the first class contest is Dec. 4 (Tuesday) but we can take them any time. Send them with your child for their teacher to collect, or bring them to the office. We are on pace for a record-setting year!

2) Target RedCard - A debit or credit card option. No cost to you. You get 5% off all of your purchases, free shipping for online orders, and 1% of your total comes back to Leopold. Last we checked, there were maybe less than 20 families with the card, but we still make $1,500! Imagine the potential!!

3) amazon.com - if you need to order anything on amazon.com - from lotion to toys to books - first go towww.leopoldpfo.org and click on the amazon link right on the home page. Then, just shop as normal throughamazon.com. By entering through our ad, we automatically get a percentage from each purchase. Tell your parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, neighbors, anyone!

4) eBoxtops marketplace - start here for your (non amazon.com) shopping and leopold will get eBoxtops for your purchases. You can start here, go to target.com, get eBoxtops, 5% off, free shipping and 1% back for Leopold. Wow! So easy.

5) Continue to bring in your campbell's labels, pop tabs, and enter points from all coke products atwww.mycokerewards.com, as we use all of those programs as well.

On the fundraising note, our election day bake sale was very successful, raising over $400. Thanks to Lisa Shebesta for organizing the sale, and to all of those who baked, volunteered, or bought treats! 

Our Little Cesars night was less successful than in the past, raising $100. We will work to improve communication so that our spring Little Cesar's night can be more successful. Little Cesars is a great community partner and we thank them for working with us!

Giving Tree
'Tis the Season! To show our appreciation to the dedicated Leopold Elementary staff, the PFO is sponsoring a "Giving Tree." We have asked all staff members to share a wish list for their classroom/department. A “giving tree” will soon be put up on the wall opposite the main entrance, or check out www.leopoldpfo.org, to see which wishes you would like to grant. The PFO will be collecting the gifts and presenting them to the staff members on Friday, December 21st.  Smaller items can be dropped off at the main office between now and December 20th. Please contact Erin to make arrangements for larger items.  Do not wrap your gifts, but be sure to securely attach the recipient's name on the gift. Unless you would like to remain anonymous, include your name as well. Some wishes are time sensitive such as volunteering, custom-made gifts, or back-ordered items.  If you are interested in fulfilling a request that will not be available by the 21st, please contact Erin and she will write your contact information in a card to be given to the recipient.

Some of the wishes on the list have a hyperlink to show a specific item. These links are not intended to endorse a particular business. Online access to the wish list allows parents, family, and friends an opportunity to participate in the “Giving Tree”. To minimize duplication, once you have decided on an item to give, please contact Erin by e-mail or phone, and she will remove the item from the website and/or Giving Tree.

Please direct any questions to:
Erin Farrell Adamany
Chair, PFO Giving Tree
[email protected]
(608) 513-9744

Thank you for your generosity!

Note: District policy states that teachers cannot accept gifts of commercial value from pupils or parents. However, as a 501(3)(c) organization, the Leopold PFO can accept donations and, in turn, give those gifts to the classroom where they are requested. Gifts become the property of Leopold Elementary, and are marked as such. A receipt is available below for tax purposes, where applicable.

Info from Leopold / MMSD
Some new information from the district has been posted on the PFO website for easy access:
Please visit here to read updated information on the district's policy on severe weather days.
Please visit here to read about MSCR Winter 2013 Programs.
Please visit here to read about changes to MMSD Summer Enrichment for 2013.

That's all for this week. Thank you for your dedication to our school!

Hello families. It was a beautiful day today for our Leopold grounds cleanup! Many, many thanks to the families who came out to rake, trim, pull weeds, and more. If you drive by school tomorrow, you'll not only see an improved school grounds, but also about 80 bags of leaves we raked and stuffed! Thanks to Todd Hanson for his efforts in organizing the cleanup.

Bake Sale
If yard work wasn't your thing, perhaps you can help us out by providing baked goods or money for our election day bake sale. We will be hosting a bake sale in the Leopold lobby as our school is a polling place. If you can make something for the sale, please email Lisa Shebesta at [email protected] so that she has an idea of how much to expect. Items can be dropped off Monday or Tuesday morning at the office. If you can prepare the items in serving size portions, that would be best. If baking is not your thing, you can also make a monetary donation. Put the amount you would like to donate in an envelope marked "PFO bake sale" and turn it in to your child's teacher. We will use that money to purchase additional baked goods for the sale. We could also use a few more volunteers for the bake sale. If you can help sell these wonderful baked goods for a bit, please sign up here.

Box Top Update
Our boxtop coordinator, Jessica Kopish, has cut, counted and submitted BoxTops for the first deadline this fall. Jessica submitted 10,044 boxtops for Leopold! This is an outstanding number, and it doesn't even include the BoxTops we're currently collecting for the classroom contest. Please keep collecting, cutting and submitting BoxTops as it makes a big difference for our school!

Remember, eBoxTops count too. Visit the fundraising page of the PFO website to find a link the the eBoxTops marketplace, as well as a shopping link to raise money for sales through Amazon.

Also, I just wanted to give a little shout out the UPS Store on Fish Hatchery Road. Over the years, the manager has been very supportive of our school, an he donated the shipping to send in our Box Tops. If possible, please support the businesses that support our school!

Vision Screening Assistance
Leopold school nurse, Lori Zinck, is looking for two volunteers to help with vision screening on Nov 8th from 8-10:30 in KG and 3rd grade classrooms. Lori will give some brief instruction to volunteers from 8-8:15 before the screening starts. Please email Lori at [email protected] or call her at 608-204-4246 if you'd like to help.

PFO Meeting
The next PFO meeting is Tuesday, November 12, at 7 p.m., in the school library. We hope to share some exciting new ideas we are working on for the school!

Newsletter
I have the November/December newsletter all ready to go except for one final piece I'm waiting on. I will post it on the PFO website this week and send out the link next week in my email.

School Messenger Call
You will likely be receiving a call and/or email through the School Messenger system tomorrow to confirm that you are receiving these PFO/school emails. If you receive this email (which obviously you did if you're reading this), you do not need to take any further action. The School Messenger message will be to make sure we have collected all of the Leopold family emails that we can at this point in the school year.

Thanks everyone. Happy Election Day!

Kris

Hello families. I hope everyone enjoyed the little break we just had, despite the frigid temps! Reality hits tomorrow morning! Here's what's happening.

Leopold Grounds Cleanup (Todd Hanson, Chair)
Please come to Leopold next Sunday, November 4, anytime between 8 and 12 and help us clean up the school grounds. If we work together to rake, trim, and pick up trash if will make a huge difference in the appearance of our school. We are proud of our school, so let's show it at its best! This is an easy way to get involved at our school, especially if you are unable to come volunteer during the week! In the past, there have been as few as three or four families who come for several hours. If 10-15 families come, we can get things cleaned up in just an hour or two, and if even more come, maybe we can spend less than an hour! Bring your family, your rake, and your sense of community!

Election Day Bake Sale (Lisa Shebesta, Chair)
A message from Lisa Shebesta...
It's that time of year, vote for your candidate. This is a great opportunity to raise money for Leopold. We will be hosting a bake sale in the Leopold lobby because our school is a polling place. This means we need tons of treats and breakfast baked goods. If you can make something for the sale please email me at [email protected] so that I have an idea of how much product to expect. Please also let me know when you might drop it off at school.  Items can be dropped off Monday or Tuesday morning at the office. Ideally the items would be in serving size packaging.

If baking is not your "thing", it's not mine, you could make a monetary donation and mark it "bake sale". I will use that money to purchase baked goods.

Please call with any questions, Lisa Shebesta, 215-6475. Thank you for your support. I'm Lisa Shebesta and I approve this message.

Help Leopold Become Greener
Leopold's new REACH Science teacher, Kelsey Kosterman, is already hard at work on some new green initiatives at Leopold. Below is a letter from Kelsey regarding the new Leopold Green Team. Many of you have expressed interest in helping make Leopold a more sustainable school. I would ask, if this issue is  important to you, that you please consider supporting Kelsey's efforts and Leopold in this important endeavor.

From Kelsey...
Dear Families,
Leopold has been accepted to be an Mpower ChaMpion this year! We are one of five schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District to be accepted for our passion in making our school more sustainable, healthy and educated. This is an opportunity for us all to work together to make Leopold an even better learning environment than it already is. 

What is MPower? The MPower School ChaMpions Program works with local schools to put them on the path to becoming “greener” more sustainable schools. It helps teachers, administrators, parents and students create a vision of what sustainability can look like for their school, and it provides the tools, resources and support to take those ideas from conception to completion. 

The Green Team is looking for you! We would appreciate any and all parent input. At the kick off meeting we will be selecting three projects to implement during the program, one in each of three categories: Decreasing Environmental Impact, Promoting Health, and Developing Environmental and Sustainability Literacy. If you have any ideas of projects that we could do please consider attending the meeting on Tuesday, October 30. If you are unable to attend but would still like to share suggestions, please e-mail me at [email protected].

The Green Team will kick off with a meeting on Tuesday, October 30 at 3:15. We will be meeting in the Leopold Science Lab in room 214. Come one and all to share your ideas on three projects that we can complete this year to make Leopold a more sustainable learning environment. Snacks will be provided! Thanks for your time and consideration!

Video Help Wanted
Are you an experienced film maker? Or just a mom or dad who can make cool movies on your computer? Either way, Leopold's new website editors would like some help making a video or videos for the school website. If you might be interested - even if you've never done it before, contact me and I'll put you in touch with the right people to make you an Oscar contender. 

Pop Tops
If you've been collecting pop tops, there is now a 5-gallon collection container right outside of the school office.  At our house, we've set out a small plastic container on our kitchen counter to collect pop tops, and then we'll take it to dump it in at school when it's full. So simple!

PFO Blog
I've added a Blog link to the PFO website. I will post these emails there in case you ever want to look back at something. Find it here: http://www.leopoldpfo.org/leopold-pfo-blog.html

Ongoing
Target RedCard....BoxTops contest....My Coke Rewards....Open Schoolhouse on Tuesdays from 6-8....

Have a great week!

Hello Leopold Families. It's a short but busy week at school. Enjoy some news from the PFO!

School Report Cards
The State of Wisconsin has released School Report Cards for all public schools in our state. Please see below for a detailed explanation of Leopold's report card from principal John Burkholder. You can view the report here. 

PFO Movie Night at Open Schoolhouse
As always, Open Schoolhouse is happening Tuesday night from 6-8 p.m. This Tuesday at Open Schoolhouse, the PFO is sponsoring Movie Night! The Muppets will be showing. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the movie will begin at 6:15. All kids need to be supervised by an adult and everyone is expected to keep noise to a minimum so all can hear the show. Popcorn will be served between 6:10 and 6:45. Check in at the front table when you arrive at Open Schoolhouse.

Unity Fall Festival
The Unity Fall Festival will be held Wednesday night in the cafeteria.

No School
There is no school this Thursday and Friday due to staff professional development. 

Election Day Bake Sale
Tuesday, November 6, is election day.  Leopold is a polling place and we will have many neighborhood visitors coming to vote at our school.  The PFO will be holding an Election Day Bake Sale in the lobby. Baked goods of all kinds can be taken to school on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.  Individual and small quantity items are the best sellers – early voters can grab a muffin or donut on their way to work and noon-time voters take sweet treats back to their co-workers.  Homemade (or bakery) baked goods are appreciated. A Sign-Up Genius email will soon go out to those who expressed interest in helping with the bake sale.

Raise Money for Leopold When You Shop
If you are ordering anything from Amazon in the days and weeks ahead, be sure to enter amazon.com by going to the "Activities and Fundraisers" page on the PFO website (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/activities-and-fundraisers.html) and clicking on the Amazon banner. Leopold earns money for each purchase made when shoppers enter Amazon through the link on our page (no other action needed!).

In addition, on that same page of the PFO website, you will also find a link to the eBoxTops marketplace where there are links to hundreds of popular stores. Entering those online stores through the eBoxTops website will automatically earn Leopold BoxTops for each purchase made. You can bookmark the site here http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/marketplace/BrowseStores.aspx?WT.ac=Mktplce_HC_SeeAllStores.

Just think - you can shop at Target by entering through the BoxTops Marketplace, then using your Target RedCard to make your purchases, thus earning eBox Tops and Target RedCard points for our school!

Message from Principal John Burkholder regarding School Report Cards
Today, the State of Wisconsin released School Report Cards for all public schools in the state.  I suspect that these scores will result in a great deal of conversation in our community and in our State.  This new ranking system, like many measures over the past several years, is but a single measure used to gauge the success of all schools.  The ranking is required as the State complies with requirements within its waiver request for relief under the No Child Left Behind law.  So how does the new School Report Card look for Leopold?

Our Overall Score on the report card is 70.0, a score that places us in the Meets Expectations range. When considering the scores of all 47 MMSD schools, the score of 70.0 places Leopold 21st, or in the upper half of all district schools.  Beyond the overall score, several sub scores are also given.  In the area of Student Achievement, our school score is 53, and is the area where we appear to lag other district schools the most.  Our Student Achievement ranking is 33rd out of 47 schools.  Nevertheless, our achievement appears to be headed in the right direction as I am pleased to report that our Student Growth Score was 78, or 7th when compared to 40 other district schools (seven schools aren't scored in this area).  To me, the Student Growth score gives credit to all the outstanding work that is and has been going on in classrooms and with our students!

In addition, two other sub scores were given on the report card: Closing Gaps and Post Secondary Readiness.  On the Closing Gaps measure, Leopold scored 63.6, or 19th out of 44 MMSD schools.  While I know we can do better to close existing achievement gaps, I am pleased that our first score puts us above the mid-point in MMSD.  Our Post Secondary Readiness score placed us at 34th among the 47 MMSD schools, a ranking that I suspect was influenced by our Student Achievement score.  There are some other factors that can negatively impact our overall score and pertain to attendance, test participation rates, and drop outs, but Leopold, like the vast majority of schools in MMSD did not lose any points on these factors.

I think that overall these new School Report Card scores are positive for Leopold.  We still have much work to do, but we are clearly making progress.  Please know that the entire Leopold staff is working extremely hard to meet the needs of all students.  We are constantly evolving as a school, working to identify ways to increase the learning of all students, including those we have identified as being behind, those we see as on the expected course to success, and those who are achieving at a level beyond what is projected at any given grade level.  We thank you for your support of your child, our students, and our school.  If you have questions about Leopold Elementary, please feel free to contact our main office.


Sincerely,

John Burkholder
Principal


Thanks everyone. Have a great week!