Update from Leopold PFO for the week of March 30, 2014

Hello Leopold Families! I think I forgot to send an email last week, which means there's a lot of news this week. Be sure to check it out.
Communication
Remember, the PFO keeps you updated on PFO, school and community news mainly by email. If you want to know what's going on, we likely won't send a flyer, so be sure to read it here. We also have an active and up-to-date FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/LeopoldPFO) and a great website (leopoldpfo.org). These weekly emails are posted on our website Blog page (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/leopold-pfo-blog.html) where they are available to be read in Spanish!

Recuerde, el PFO te mantiene al tanto sobre PFO, la escuela y noticias de la comunidad, principalmente por correo electrónico. Si usted quiere saber lo que está pasando, que probablemente no le enviaremos un volante, así que asegúrese de leer aquí. También tenemos una página de up-to-fecha FaceBook (https://www.facebook.com/LeopoldPFO) y un gran sitio web (leopoldpfo.org) activa y. Estos correos electrónicos semanales se publican en nuestra página web Blog (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/leopold-pfo-blog.html) en que están disponibles para ser leídos en español!

Leopold Garage Sale
The Leopold Garage Sale is this Saturday, April 5 from 8-12. You can bring items that you would like to donate to the school for the garage sale on Friday, April 4 from 3-6:30. Tax receipts will be available for donations. You can also contact Patty Czech, 5th grade teacher, at [email protected] for additional information, or to volunteer to help at the garage sale. Money from the garage sale goes toward school field trips.
http://madison.craigslist.org/gms/4400318371.html

Timber Wolf Trample Events

T-shirt Design Contest
The first event of our 2014 Timber Wolf Trample fun run was our t-shirt design contest. The PFO is pleased to announce that 4th grader Sarah Shue is this year's winner! Many students were able to go to the cafeteria with their classes and vote. Thank you to all of the students who entered their artwork, we had some great pieces. Timber Wolf Trample t-shirts will be available to participants who collect $15 or more in donations for the event, and will also be available for purchase at the Timber Wolf Trample and after.

Spirit Week
Our student council has identified the following sprit days for spirit week, May 5-9. Students and staff are invited to dress up and participate. A traveling trophy will be awarded to the most "spirited" class each day of the week.
Monday: Mis-match day - wear mis-matched clothing
Tuesday: Sports Day - wear your favorite team
Wednesday: Crazy hair day
Thursday: Dress up as your favorite character in a book
Friday: School Spirit Day - dress up in Leopold colors (red, black and white)

Students will also be invited to bring a donation that corresponds with the theme each day. We'll send those out as the time gets closer.

Sponsorships
If you know of any businesses that would like to be a sponsor for this year's Timber Wolf Trample, please share them with Pam Baumgartner, our fundraising ([email protected]). This may be a business you work at, own, or frequent. As students move on from Leopold, often the connections for sponsorship do too, so we need to replenish our sponsor base with new businesses and our families are the best way to make those connections.

Again this year, we will be offering family sponsorships. Any family that donates $100 or more will have their name on this year's Trample t-shirt. Family donations are due April 18. You can find a form to fill out and submit on our blog (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/leopold-pfo-blog.html). Forms can be send to school with your child in an envelope marked PFO. The Leopold PFO is a 501(c)3 and donations are tax deductible. A receipt will be provided upon request.

Fun Run
May 10 is the big Timber Wolf Trample fun run! This is one of Leopold's most fun events. We will have pre-race stretching, the UW marching band, great food, raffle prizes, prize bags and more. Students and non-students alike are invited to participate. You do not have to pay to participate in the Trample, although we do award prizes for fundraising. If younger students are nervous, parents or an older sibling are welcome to run or walk with them and we also have course marshals along the way. The day is about fun, getting out and moving, and community building so please mark your calendars to attend! Information is posted on our website (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/timber-wolf-trample-fun-run.html) and we are continually updating our site as the event gets closer. Registration forms and more details will be sent out in the coming weeks.

Yearbooks
Yearbook order forms have been sent home with students. If you prefer, you may order your yearbook online here:  http://www.schoolannual.com/  and click on the Buy MyYearbook button. We are listed as Leopold Elementary (not Aldo...). Families of 5th graders are invited to purchase a spot for a special message for your 5th grader, honoring their time at Leopold. This must be done via form and not through the online ordering process. Printable yearbook forms, as well as 5th grade sponsorship forms can be found on our blog:
http://www.leopoldpfo.org/leopold-pfo-blog.html

PFO Meeting
Our next PFO meeting is Tuesday, April 8, at 7 pm in the Leopold Library. ALL Leopold parents, caretakers, guardians, etc. are welcome to attend. You do not have to be a member of any kind to join our PFO or family meetings. We encourage dialogue and interest in our school! This meeting will highlight our art and music programs, as well as family connections. Ryan Evenson, art teacher, will give an overview of the art program at Leopold. Caroline Moore and Cindy Kaether will talk about Leopold's music program. Jeremy Thorton, Parent Liaison, and Daniela Porro, Guidance Counselor, will also introduce themselves to parents. As always, childcare is available if you let me know ahead of time (just email [email protected]) and Spanish translation will also be available.

Spring Grounds Cleanup
Please mark your calendars for our spring grounds cleanup on April 26 from 9 am-12 pm. We will work on cleaning up our grounds and getting the garden ready for spring, as well as some possible playground improvements. Many hands make light work so we encourage families and neighbors to join in a fun day of taking pride in our school. More information will come about how you can play an active role in making our school and community look great!

Cherokee Parent Orientation
An orientation for parents of incoming 6th graders will be held on April 30th from 6:30 - 8 pm at Cherokee Middle School. A flyer is posted on our blog.
http://www.leopoldpfo.org/leopold-pfo-blog.html

I have not received any information from Wright Middle School, but will share that when I do.

If you have questions about the transition to Cherokee, I have a 6th grader this year and would be happy to answer what I can, or at least get you pointed in the right direction. Feel free to email me. The 5th grade teachers are very helpful as well.

amazon.com
Occasionally we get emails from parents asking about the amazon smiles fundraising program through amazon.com. We have researched the program and have set up an amazon smiles account for the PFO. However, using the link through the PFO website to enter amazon is far more profitable for the PFO than using the amazon smiles program. If you are unable to enter amazon.com through the banner ad link on the PFO webiste (http://www.leopoldpfo.org/activities-and-fundraisers.html), you are certainly welcome and encouraged to use the amazon smiles program, but the advertising link is preferable. We are not able to get credits through both programs, so you can choose whichever program works best for you.

Remember also to use your Target Red Card and designate Leopold as your school of choice!

Leopold Staff Leadership Update
At Leopold’s Leadership Team meeting on Monday, March 10, the team discussed the progress being made in the area of Shared Reading.  Shared Reading is a component of literacy instruction and usually is what teachers use to begin reading instruction each day.  Shared Reading lessons vary in length, but average about 20 minutes, are whole group, and use grade level texts.  The concepts modeled by the teacher and discussed in Shared Reading lessons set the stage for guided group work that is tailored to the instructional level of students in each group.  General consensus was teacher practice surrounding Shared Reading has grown considerably over the course of the school year.  The team also spent abundant time at the meeting discussing a new Common Daily Classroom Schedule for the 2014-2015 school year.  The current school year is the first time the school has utilized this type of schedule, thus our experience over the past six months has given us much insight to improve the schedules for next year.  Some of the bigger adjustments discussed were to create a sixth lunch period so that each grade level has its own lunch time, moving the start of Specials to 8:15am Tuesday-Friday to accommodate a time for Morning Meetings in all classrooms school-wide to start the day, and clustering all intervention blocks in the morning to maximize available staff support for differentiated student support during What I Need (WIN) time.  The team will continue to look at the new Common Daily Classroom Schedule at its next meeting on March 26.

Thank you for reading through all of this important info and for all you do for our kids and our school.

Have a great week!

Kris