PFO Update for the week of Jan. 7, 2013

Welcome back, Leopold families, from an extended winter break. After 18 days away from school, it's definitely time to get back to routine!

Timberwolf Trample Key Roles
In the next week or so, you will see a flyer come home with your student asking all parents to consider volunteering for one of two key positions for our Timberwolf Trample fundraiser. We are very much in need of an overall event chair and a fundraising chair. These two important roles are needed so that we can begin work on this wonderful annual event. The event normally generates around $10,000 for our school, so without it, we will definitely feel the pinch!

Grade Level Grants
Speaking of fundraising, if you've ever wondered how the PFO spends some of our money, a key expenditure in our budget is our annual Grade Level Grants to teachers. This year, each grade was given $1,000 to purchase items of their choice. Sometimes items are purchased for an entire grade, and sometimes teachers choose to divide up the money for individual classroom needs. We are currently in the process of purchasing the items from teacher lists, and working with the school to purchase some of the requests for classroom supplies that came through on our list. This year, the PFO went through the many books teachers requested, compared prices from various online stores, and saved about $150 ordering many of the books through amazon.com (plus we get back a percentage of the sales through our online ad!). We want you to know we spend the PFO's money wisely and do what we can to get great resources in each classroom!

School Directory
Our school directory is now complete, and for the first time it is posted online, on a password-protected page. You can visit www.leopoldpfo.org and click on "Leopold Elementary School Directory" and then enter the password: 2602PostRoad (note the caps and no spaces). This will allow you to access the directory from wherever you are, and will saves the PFO significant printing costs.

Middle School Transition Meeting
If you are the parent of a current 5th grader, mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 12, at 7 p.m. We will be hosting Cherokee principal, Dave Watkins and James C. Wright principal Angie Crawford, who will each give an overview of their schools. COPS officer Tom Gross from the Madison Police Department, as well as a parent panel, will be available for questions you have as we prepare for this important transition.

Thanks everyone. Have a great week back!