MPA Newsletter, 11/30/2011

Development Information:

Bid: Our fundraising auction on Bidding for Good is up and running!  There are gift certificates from local restaurants including Saffron Patch, Chipotle and Romeo's.  Or if you prefer, a custom automotive pin-striping certificate and ski lift tickets are also featured.  These and many other items can be yours, so check it out and start shopping for the holidays at www.biddingforgood.com.  The auction will run through December 13, 2011.

Pledge:  If you have already sent in your Annual Fund pledge form, THANK YOU!  Be on the lookout for an "I supported MPA" badge that you can wear with pride.  If you haven't sent in your pledge form, please do so as soon as possible.  We've got some fun prizes to encourage families to send in their pledges quickly:

• The first CLASSROOM with 100% pledge participation will get a Young Audience program for that class**
• The first GRADE LEVEL with 100% pledge participation will get a bingo party.
• When the SCHOOL reaches 100% pledge participation, we will have Jungle Terry do a program for the school!

** Interested in the Young Audience program?  You can learn more about the programs available here and here.  Remember, you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form.  If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, or donations can be made via PayPal.  Just click here to sign in and make your donation.  Pledge forms are due at the end of this month, so if you don't want to receive "The Call" from our development team, get your form in soon!

Student Information:

Enroll: Have you sent in your child's re-enrollment forms and fees for the 2012/2013 school year?  Mrs. Colby has asked us to remind parents AGAIN that we can't hold a spot for your child unless the form and fee have been received by the school by December 9th.  (Is there some way to make that phrase blink, too? That's the only thing it's missing!)  The enrollment forms (for returning students and their siblings) are available on the MPA web site here. 

Celebrate:  Menlo Park Academy will receive a Constant Quality Award by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS) next week at the state conference in Columbus.  The award is given to those charter schools that receive the Excellent rating for three years in a row.  Way to go, Menlo!

Return:  Please make sure you have signed your child's report card envelope and returned it to school.  Mrs. Wilson will be calling all of the families whose envelopes have not been received, so please reduce her work load by returning yours soon.  Thank you!

Pay: Please remember that if your student "dresses down" on Wednesday, you need to send $1 back to school in that week's Thursday Folder.  And "dressing down" just means "not wearing dress code clothes," so your student is welcome to dress "up" or "down."

Rejoice: Yearbooks for the 2010-2011 school year are here!  They're being sent home in Thursday Folders to families who pre-ordered one last year.

Donate:  MPA Girl Scout Troop 854 would like to thank everyone who has donated items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter. We are still looking for donations of the following types of items: Pop tarts, cereal bars, crayons, markers, coloring books, construction paper, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gels, kids' soaps, pencils, pens, plain paper, reading books for adults and children, small chip bag snacks, and anything fun for the holidays.  Collections will continue until December 9th.  

Support:  The MPA Kindergarten classes are running a service project called "Operation Warmth" to provide "warm" items to soldiers serving in Afghanistan.  Check your Thursday Folder for more specifics on the types of socks, gloves, hand warmers, hats, scarves, and food items they're collecting to send overseas.  The kids will also be writing letters to the soldiers and sending a blanket for Addyson Kuszma's uncle, who is serving in Afghanistan.  Please bring all donations into school by Monday, December 5th so they can be mailed in plenty of time to reach the troops for the holidays.  Thanks for helping support our brave men and women overseas!

Perform: MPA Kindergartner Emmy Rosbough will be dancing the part of an angel in Northern Classical Ballet's The Nutcracker on Sat, December 10th. We'd love to share other MPA students' accomplishments with the world.  Send the information you'd like shared with the MPA community to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com and she'll make sure it gets in the newsletter or blog.

Schedule: Classroom holiday parties will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, December 21st, and will be followed by a school sing-a-long in the gym.  Families are welcome to attend the sing-a-long, but be aware that seating on the bleachers will be limited, so please don't bring your entire extended family!

Welcome: There's a new face at MPA - Todd Gorius, our new Intervention Specialist.  He'll be helping the school serve students with learning differences, designing and implementing interventions and specialized instruction.  He'll also make sure we remain in compliance with all laws and regulations in this area.  Welcome to the team, Todd!

Volunteer Information:

Thank: Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out with the Facilities team work day and the curriculum book sale, including Teri Ross, Sheila Buchanon, Mandy Czech, Sara Atkins, Kari Bast-Payne, Cathie Leimbach, Heather and Jay Keirn-Swanson, Racheal Seibert, Nicole Harrington, Tina and Vic Garlauskas, Kay O'Donnell, Peggy Kleckner, Deanna Campbell, Shelley Rice-James, Mason Boor, Jackie Rivera, Sid & Dan Stech, Ed Burwell, Ed Gundayao, Shawn & Laura Koski,  Karen Ammari and Stacey Camera.  We got the school spruced up, cleared out a lot of storage space, and raised some money for the school, too!  And the MPA staff would also like to thank the volunteers who provided food during the days of the parent-teacher conferences, including Carol Ryan, Madeline O'Malley, Mandy Czech, Maureen Mingus, Rachel Didytch, Sid Stech, Natassa Pricscilla, and Collette Dalton.  Thanks for helping make two very long days much more enjoyable!

Serve:  The last Browns home game is Sunday, January 1st, 2012.  Help MPA make its goal of 100% volunteer staffing of our concession stand - click here  and select the January 1st game to volunteer! 

Submit:  Volunteers, if you purchase something for the school and expect to be reimbursed, please keep in mind two very important points.  First, all purchases must be pre-approved by an MPA staff member.  And second, receipts must be submitted to the school within 60 days of the purchase.  Purchases that do not meet both of these criteria will not be reimbursed.  Thanks for your understanding.

Calendar Highlights:

Compete:  The MPA boys' basketball schedule is now available:

Game #1 December 10^th -  vs. Cuyahoga Hts. @ 3:00pm at the Cuyahoga Hts. Rec Center

Game #2 December 17^th – vs. Columbia Coleman @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts.

Game #3 January 7^th – vs. Columbia Hershey @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts. (Also, Team Picture Day at 11:00am)

Game #4 January 14^th – vs. Olmsted Falls @ 11:00AM at Big Creek Elementary School in Middleburg Hts.

Game #5 January 21^st - vs. Berea Heat @ 3:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts.

Game #6 January 28^st - vs. Middleburg Hts. Cavs @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts.

Game #7 February 4^th - vs. Berea Hornets @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts. (Note: This game may be rescheduled).

Game #8 February 9^th - vs. Middleburg Hts. Knicks @ 7:30pm at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts. (Yes, this is a Thursday night game!!!).

Game #9 February 18^th – vs. Columbia Station Ross @ 2:30 at Berea High School.

Game #10 February 25^th – vs. Fairview Park Warriors @ 1:30 at the Fairview Park Gemini Center.

Other dates to remember:

• Dec. 2 (Friday) - 3rd grade trip to Severance Hall; 6th grade trip to Playhouse Square for A Christmas Carol
• Dec. 3 (Saturday) - FIRST Lego League robotics competition at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights
• Dec. 5 (Monday) - Collection of items for "Operation Warmth" ends; 1st grade trip to Shore Cultural Center for'Twas the Night Before Christmas; 2nd grade trip to Beck Center
• Dec. 9 (Friday) - Collection of items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter ends; all re-enrollment forms and fees due for returning students
• Dec. 13 (Tuesday) - Bidding for Good auction ends
• Dec. 21 (Wednesday) - Last day of school before winter break; classroom parties and sing-a-long in the afternoon
• Jan. 1, 2012 (Sunday) - Last day to volunteer at the Browns game concession stand
• Jan. 4, 2012 (Wednesday) - School resumes
• Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
• Feb. 23, 2012 - "From the Heart" school concert
• Feb. 27 - March 2 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair.  

A final thought: Do you ever visit MPA's page on Facebook?  It's full of timely updates, fun facts and enrichment opportunities, and interesting links.  Don't miss it!  

MPA Newsletter 11/16/2011

Development Information:

Awesome Auction: Our fundraising auction on Bidding for Good begins Thursday.  We've got donations from restaurants, golf courses, home improvement and garden centers, salons and spas!  Make sure you look for the direct link to the auction in a message tomorrow, along with a more complete list of participating merchants.  In the meantime, you can check out how the system works at www.biddingforgood.com.

Please Pledge Promptly: You should have recently received information in the mail about MPA's Annual Fund.  Please, please, please - consider the level of commitment you'd like to pledge, and SEND IN YOUR PLEDGE FORMS ASAP. Even if you aren't able to send a check right now, please let us know how much you're planning to give so that we can plan our budget accordingly.  We've got some fun prizes to encourage families to send in their pledges:

• The first CLASSROOM with 100% pledge participation will get a Young Audience program for that class.
• The first GRADE LEVEL with 100% pledge participation will get a bingo party.
• When the SCHOOL reaches 100% pledge participation, we will have Jungle Terry do a program for the school!

Order Opportunity: Thinking about buying gift cards for holiday gifts?  You need to place your order by Sunday, November 20th, to insure your cards' delivery in the December 1st Thursday folder.  There is also the option to purchase electronic "cards" that are available instantly, which may be handier for some people than having to wait for physical cards to be delivered.  By popular demand, we will have one more order and delivery in December before the holidays, but that doesn't mean you should procrastinate! Many merchants are offering bonus incentives for gift cards purchased this month, so be sure to check those out.  Visit the MPA BLOG  for detailed information.

Don't-Miss Donations: While we're talking about holiday shopping, please remember that MPA gets a percentage of purchases made online through GoodSearch.com.  Simply go to their site, designate Menlo Park Academy as the cause to support, and shop online through their portal.  It costs you nothing, and a percentage of each purchase is donated to MPA.

Coke Caps: Don't forget that MPA is collecting Coke Rewards points, which we can use to purchase sports equipment and other items for the school.  So please send in your Coke bottle caps and 12-pack carton ends with the printed codes - they can be placed in the Box Tops collection bins at the school.  And many thanks to the parent and student volunteers who have been entering all of the point codes into the system for us!

Student Information:

Practice and Preparation:  Because we care about student safety, Menlo Park Academy will be conducting a lockdown drill before Thanksgiving break.  The drill restricts student movement in the event of an emergency, such as a potential intruder.  Students will be taught the procedures for the drills in their homerooms.  It is important that students behave in a mature manner in order to be prepared in the event of an actual emergency.  We will impress upon the students the importance of this drill and the serious nature with which it will and should be viewed by all involved.  Please have a conversation with your child about the conduct that will be expected.

Early Enrollment: Here's an update from Mrs. Colby, MPA's student records and admissions coordinator:  Did you know that only about half of our current students have sent in re-enrollment forms and fees for the 2012/2013 school year?  Don't wait until open enrollment starts in January - we can't hold a spot for your child unless the form and enrollment fee have been received by the school by December 9th.  

Lego League: On Saturday, December 3rd, MPA will be sending 3 teams of middle school students to compete in the FIRST Lego League robotics competition at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights. This year's competition theme is food safety. In the morning, each team will make a presentation to the judges on the food safety topic that they researched. They will also make presentations explaining their robot design, and how they worked together as a team. The afternoon will be filled with the excitement of the Robot Games. Each team has three chances to complete as many missions as they can in 2.5 minutes. You are invited to come and cheer the teams on during the Robot Games, which will start around noon and run until 3:00 pm or so. Parents and children who are interested in participating in the competition in the future are especially encouraged to come and experience the FLL event. Contact Carol Scheuer at carol.scheuer@menloparkacademy.com if you want more information about FLL or the event at Hathaway Brown School.

Yay, Yearbooks!  Yearbooks for the 2010/2011 school year should be arriving at school in mid-December.  MPA will notify the families who pre-ordered the yearbook when they arrive.  Thanks for your patience as we finished this project!

Generous Girls:  Don't forget, MPA Girl Scout Troop 854 is collecting items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter on Puritas in Cleveland. Children can bring in the following items to the marked Christmas boxes at Menlo: Pop tarts, cereal bars, crayons, markers, coloring books, construction paper, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gels, kids' soaps, pencils, pens, plain paper, reading books for adults and children, small chip bag snacks, and anything fun for the holidays.  Collections will continue until December 9th.  Many thanks from the Girl Scouts for helping them complete their service project.

Pretty as a Picture:  Wednesday, November 30th will be school picture makeup day.  If your student missed the first photo session or you are unhappy with the results of their pictures, please make sure they attend this one so they will appear in class pictures and the yearbook!  And be sure to wear clothes that meet the usual dress code - don't dress down that day!

Calling all Cans: Please bring in as many CLEAN aluminum cans as you can before December 10th so we can take them in to get recycled. MPA has been doing this as a part of the Great American Can Round-Up sponsored by the Can Manufacturers Institute. We can win prizes for bringing in the most cans and we get money for recycling them.

Celebrating Successes: Has your child achieved something notable outside of school - won a competition, participated in a contest, or given a concert?  We'd love to share your child's triumphs and accomplishments with the world.  Send the information you'd like shared with the MPA community to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com and she'll make sure it gets in the newsletter or blog.

Volunteer Information:

Helping Hands: This is your last chance to volunteer at the MPA textbook and curriculum sale at the school on Saturday, November 19th, from 9am to 2pm.  We'll need people to help set up the sale the day before, work during the event, clean up afterwards, and transport any leftover books to the recycling center.  This is a great chance for working parents to accumulate a few volunteer hours on a weekend!  Click here to sign up to help.

Can You Clean? We also still need volunteers for the Facilities work day on Saturday, November 19th, from 8am to 3pm.  You can sign up for the work day here.  Please note that we will not have any supervision available that day for younger children and there will be many non-MPA people in and out of the school for the book sale, so please make sure you only bring older, responsible (and helpful!) children along to the work day.

Bargain Books: The Scholastic Book Fair is looking for volunteers to help with their Warehouse Sale.  For every volunteer hour you donate, you will receive $10 of free books and 50% off any books you wish to purchase.  This event fills up fast so if you are interested, contact them immediately.  If you are willing to donate the books you receive to MPA, please check with your child's teacher for any books they may need for their classrooms.  Visit the MPA Blog for more details on dates/times and how to volunteer.

Calendar Highlights:

Save the Date: December 21st is the last day of school for the year.  Classroom parties will be held that afternoon, and there will even be a sing-a-long at school!

• Nov. 18 (Friday) - End of trimester
• Nov. 19 (Saturday) -  Facilities Team work day (8am-3pm); school curriculum and textbook sale (9am-2pm)
• Nov. 20 (Sunday) - Gift card orders due for December delivery
• Nov. 21 (Monday) - No school for students; parent-teacher conferences 
• Nov. 22 (Tuesday) - No school for students; parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled; Lost and Found items donated to charity
• Nov. 30 (Wednesday) - School picture makeup day
• Dec. 3 (Saturday) - FIRST Lego League robotics competition at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights
• Dec. 9 (Friday) - Collection of items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter ends
• Dec. 21 (Wednesday) - Last day of school before winter break; classroom parties and sing-a-long in the afternoon
• Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
• Feb. 23, 2012 - Save the date! "From the Heart" school concert
• Feb. 27 - March 2 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair.  This will be during Parent Teacher Conferences so people will have opportunity to purchase books during non-school hours. 

A final thought: Did you know that the time you spend driving to and from MPA for volunteer activities counts toward your required volunteer hours?  Make sure you record them so you get all the credit you deserve!

Scrip gift card program - now with an extra delivery for the holidays!

Have you checked out the Scrip gift card program?  It's convenient and hassle free - and includes more than 700 retailers nationwide!  It's a great way to purchase teacher gifts, thank-you gifts for clients, and holiday gifts.  Not to mention, a way to earn money for the school while doing your regular shopping at grocery stores and home improvement centers.

Visit shopwithscrip.com and use enrollment code B1BFLA8B23626 for Menlo Park Academy.

November orders are due Sunday, November 20th, and will be delivered in the December 1st Thursday folder.
December orders are due Friday, December 16th, and will be delivered Wednesday, December 21st.

Scholastic Book Fair Warehouse Sale - volunteers needed

The Scholastic Book Fairs December BIG Event Warehouse Book Sale is quickly approaching.
This BIG Customer Appreciation Warehouse Sale will be held
Friday, December 9 through Wednesday, December 21, 2011.

The December Warehouse Sale hours are:

Weekdays 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday December 10^th, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saturday December 17^th, 8:00 a.m. - Noon

Closed Sundays, December 11^th & 18^th

As always, our volunteers are a much needed and greatly appreciated part of our success. We are in need of volunteers that are able to help during sale hours. We’re asking for a commitment of a minimum of 4 hours per shift. Some jobs you may be assigned to include: cashier/bagging, customer registration, and help desk.

Please check your calendar for availability & forward your reply by November 18^th with your available dates/times toVolunteerCLE@scholasticbookfairs.com (preferred) or fax (440-572-8522). We will be in touch to inform you which of your available hours match our staffing needs.

DATE	SALE TIMES	HOURS YOU’RE ABLE TO WORK
Friday, December 9	11am-7pm
Saturday, December 10	8am-4pm
Monday, December 12	11am-7pm
Tuesday, December 13	11am-7pm
Wednesday, December 14	11am-7pm
Thursday, December 15	11am-7pm
Friday, December 16	11am-7pm
Saturday, December 17	8am-Noon
Monday, December 19	11am-7pm
Tuesday, December 20	11am-7pm
Wednesday, December 21	11am-7pm

As a volunteer, you will be “compensated” for your time with a certificate voucher worth
$10 per hour volunteered in Scholastic Book Fairs merchandise. The certificates must be redeemed by the last day of this sale.

Please, also contact your own Friends & Family who might be interested in joining us as volunteers and receiving books! Keep in mind, we occasionally have more volunteers than available opportunities.

If you have any questions, email Gail Fader at VolunteerCLE@scholasticbookfairs.com .
We are looking forward to seeing you in December.

Thank you!

Gail Fader

Scholastic Book Fairs

ClevelandBranch Admin.

12850 Darice Pkwy., Suite A

Strongsville, OH   44149

(440) 572-4880, x225

gfader@scholasticbookfairs.com