Aug 11, 2016 - You can support CTE students, teachers and staff in a big way at NO ... who enjoys using technology, comm
Publication Date: August 11, 2016
Upcoming Events at CTE: August 23
September 28
Back to School Night KG - 6:00 - 6:45 2nd - 6:50 - 7:35 1st - 7:40 - 8:25
School Picture Day
September 29
Smart Steps/Body Safety Parent Preview Night for KG, 2nd and 4th Grade (parents only)
August 24
Back to School Night 4th - 6:00 - 6:45 3rd - 6:50 - 7:35 5th - 7:40 - 8:25
October 4
School Spirit Day
October 5
September 2
International “Walk To School Day”
Final Day for PPIF campaign And Spirit Wear sales
October 6, 6:00-7:30 pm
September 5
BINGO Family Fun Night
September 6
End of 1st Grading Period
September 12 - 16
Fall Break - No School
September 19 - 23
PTO Parents and Pastries (more details in our next Chatter)
September 19
Ghost and Goblins 5K/2K Wellness Fair
Labor Day - No School
October 7
School Spirit Day
October 14 - 17
Custodial & Maintenance Staff Recognition Week
October 20 & 21, 7:30-8:00 am
Box Tops Contest Week
October 22
Colts “Blue” Assembly
September 22, 6:45pm-8:00pm PTO General Membership Meeting
Girl Scout Information
Calling all girls...Kindergarten through 5th grade Information meeting will be held at Carmel Middle School on August 15th at 6:30 p.m. If you cannot attend, please email
[email protected]
Cub Scout Callout
Calling all Cherry Tree parents with boys in grades K-5… Are you interested in having your son(s) join a great group of peers that has fun while building responsibility and respect at the same time? Please bring your son(s) to Cherry Tree on T hursday, August 25 anytime between 6:30-8 p.m. to learn more about Cub Scouts at our Fall Open House. You can drop by to get an understanding of what Cub Scouts do, and Pack leadership will be there to answer your questions. Hope to see you there!
If you are still wanting your 4th or 5th grader to participate in Pup Running, it’s not too late to enroll. Go to www.puprunning.org to register. Registration closes on August 17th, 2016. N O LATE REGISTRATION WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you have any questions you can contact Jana Swigart - j
[email protected] or Christina Campins-Schneider - c
[email protected] To access the flyer click h ere. Cherry Tree Elementary participates in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. Free or reduced priced meals are available to families who meet certain federal income requirements. The application for free and reduced priced meals can be found online at https://myccs.ccs.k12.in.us/district/food-services/free-meals. Parents who would like to fill out a paper application may pick one up from the Cherry Tree office. This process is secure and confidential, and the sooner you complete the paperwork, the sooner your family may begin benefitting! Please direct any questions or concerns to Cherry Tree’s Student Services Coordinator, Echo Shappell-Ednie, at
[email protected] or by phone at 317-846-3086.
Back to School Nights
Parents are requested to report to their child’s classroom. The evening is designed for parents to get to know their child’s teacher, curriculum, and classroom routines better. The teachers will be sharing the grade level program and curriculum outlines for the year; as well as, special activities, units and learning opportunities for all students. We look forward to your attendance at this most informative parent/teacher meeting. Back to School Night is for parents only. See the schedule for Back To School Nights on page 1.
A Note From Mrs. Shappell-Ednie Student Services Coordinator
As Cherry Tree’s Student Services Coordinator, I am fortunate enough to be able to offer our families many types of services. If you are in need of assistance with shoes, coats, spirit wear, food, personal hygiene items, glasses, or Thanksgiving/Christmas, please let me know. All information is handled with complete sensitivity and confidentiality! Also, your student may qualify for free or reduced meals/book rental if your family meets certain income requirements. Those applications can be found at https://myccs.ccs.k12.in.us/district/food-services/free-meals ; you can also pick up a form in person in the front office. I am always here to assist, via email at
[email protected] or via phone at 317-846-3086 ext. 1204. Our annual Patriots Pay it Forward (PPIF) campaign is officially underway. Thank you to all of you who have donated so far!
Help Support Our SUPER School with Patriots Pay It Forward!
PPIF is the PTO's primary fall fundraiser and allows the PTO to streamline fundraising to just one major campaign per year. We really do rely on your donations to fund our PTO budget and all the SUPER events we have planned for Cherry Tree this year! The suggested PPIF contribution of $25 per student allows the PTO to meet their budget goals and provide programs and events such as Family Fun Night. It also allows us to provide additional support to our teachers and students in the class room. No donation is too small- we would love to see 100% participation and support for our SUPER school! Your contribution is valuable to students, staff and families as it enhances their Cherry Tree experience in so many ways. We do not ask our superheroes to sell door-to-door....ever! Additionally, 100% of your donation stays within the organization! Please consider asking those who would usually buy the "wrapping paper or cookie dough" for their support as well, reiterating that 100% of their donation goes to CTE. We are already well on our way to a Supersized Recess, and wh en we reach 75% of our goal, we will have Super-Crazy Hair Day.....start planning now! P arents, if you haven't already given, please make your donation here to help us attain our next goal. By contributing to PPIF, you will soon have an opportunity to vote on Mr. A's costume for this year's exciting final reward of a Superhero Dance Contest! Please click here to learn more about the PPIF campaign and how donations are used. Thank you to all of our CTE families for your SUPERPOWER support! Andrea Mikels & Brenna Armstrong PPIF Chairpersons
No Cost Way to Help CTE!
Spirit Wear
PLEASE JOIN NOW! You can support CTE students, teachers and staff in a big way at NO COST to you...and still get your gas points! The process is simple but the payoff is substantial when you link your Kroger Plus Card to the Cherry Tree PTO. Each time you swipe your linked Kroger Card (or use your linked alternate ID) when making qualifying purchases, the CTE PTO earns money. Last year, with fewer than 100 CTE families participating, this program earned $6,850 for the CTE PTO. Just imagine the impact if we had 100% participation! To link your Kroger Plus Card to the CTE PTO, simply r egister here using the CTE PTO code: 10116. Click h ere for additional details. Get your kids geared up for the first CTE Spirit Day! CTE students celebrate "Spirit Days" on the first Tuesday of each month by wearing CTE or Carmel spirit wear or CTE school colors (red, white & blue). Classes have a friendly competition to find the classroom with the MOST school spirit. The winning classroom is awarded the traveling "Spirit Stick" until the next Spirit Day winner is chosen. Place your orders online by visiting our o nline store and entering Account Authorization Code CT16 no later than F riday, September 2nd. This is the only time spirit wear is sold throughout the year, so DON'T MISS OUT! Please contact the Spirit Wear PTO Chairpersons, Lori Brown, l
[email protected], or Heather Downey,
[email protected], if you have any questions.
Open PTO Positions
Registration Open
Can you picture yourself here? The Cherry Tree PTO is still looking to fill a few critical roles for this year, and we need you! Co-Vice President: Learn more about all aspects of the CTE PTO! Serve alongside Co-VP Leah Eckstein for this year and subsequently serve as Co-President for the 2017-2018 school year. Communications Secretary: This Executive Board position is great for someone who enjoys using technology, communication and social media skills! Keep the CTE website and social media pages up-to-date and assist Committee Chairpersons with emails, letters, and forms as needed. Cherry Blossom Festival Co-Chairs (2): Lead a team of Subcommittee Chairs who plan this popular annual festival. We have many returning committee members and are looking forward to another wonderful event! Be on the lookout for Patriot Math Club registration! Students in grades K-5 can register for Patriot Math Club (formerly Math Pentathlon), an exciting after school program that is structured around a series of problem-solving games that provide a highly motivational format for developing and practicing mathematical concepts and skills. The program is led by CTE teachers and is held on Tuesdays running for 8 weeks. Due to limited space, a lottery system will be used to choose participants if demand exceeds the space limitations. Registration begins August 15th and ends August 29th. For more information, click here.
Box Tops Contest
Collect them, you must. May the force be with you as we prepare for our Star Wars-themed Box Tops for Education Collection Contest! The first school-wide contest will take place between Monday, September 19 and Friday, September 23. Your box tops turn into cash for CTE, so please continue to search, clip, and save! Find additional contest details and collection sheets here.
Media Center Callout
The CTE Media Center is looking for volunteers to assist with a number of tasks including checking in/out books, shelving, laminating, material processing, and student book location and selection. There are various shifts and scheduling options available. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the PTO Media Center Coordinator, Lisa Sapper, at (608) 628-9271 or l
[email protected].
Newcomer Buddy Program
The Newcomer Chairpersons are looking for experienced CTE parents interested in being “buddies” to families new to CTE. As a “buddy”, you will share expertise, answer questions, and serve as a friendly face around school. This is a fun and simple way to help out our new families. If interested, please contact Heather Judy at
[email protected] or Amanda Foley at a
[email protected]. If you are NEW to Cherry Tree and would like to be matched with a "buddy", please contact Heather Judy or Amanda Foley to fill out a buddy request form or for more information.
Classroom Volunteers
BINGO Family Fun Night
Are you interested in being a room parent, volunteering in your child's Winter or Valentine's Party, or receiving email about classroom volunteer opportunities? If yes, please provide your information in this R oom Parent Form by Thursday, August 25th. If you have any questions, please contact the PTO Classroom Coordinators, Jenny Schilt (j
[email protected]) or Jane Harrell (
[email protected]) .
Save the Date, Thursday, October 6th from 6:00pm-7:30pm, for BINGO Family Fun Night at CTE. This is a free event for the entire family and is sponsored by the PTO. RSVP link coming soon!
Elf Workshop Volunteers Needed
CTE Parent Handbook
School-to-Home Communication
Elf Workshop is a winter crafting program held on November 29, 30 & December 1 from 2:35-3:30 pm. Volunteers are needed to both teach and assist students in making their crafts. If you have an idea and are willing to teach or if you'd just like to help out, please email your name, phone number and volunteer position (Teacher or Assistant) to
[email protected] by F riday, September 2. Thetchen Price, Elf Workshop Co-Chairperson, will then be in touch to get you started. Volunteers do not have to work each day of Elf. As an added bonus, they are able to register their student(s) for an Elf Workshop craft before registration opens. Please be sure and check out our Parent Handbook located on the CTE website. You will find information about morning and afternoon carpool, calling in an absence, how to make a transportation change through School Dismissal Manager, what you need to volunteer, how to check in to have lunch and where we keep lost and found items. Click on the link. On the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month you will receive the C hatter communication t hrough email. This is our school-to-home/PTO communique that is written to keep parents informed of day-to-day happenings and events at Cherry Tree. This year we have combined our two newsletters and the Chatter will be a combination of CTE school-wide info and PTO events. We will add new communication with the word “NEW” and drop-off those items that no longer are necessary. Happy reading!
