Helman Herald

April/May 2014

From the Principal

April 16, 2014

Dearest Helman Community,

I enter this beautiful spring with a heavy heart but also amazed and inspired by the strength of

the response to our challenge. I, of course, am speaking of Jack’s illness and the incredible vol-

ume of love and support that has been pouring their way from the entire Ashland community

but especially our wonderful Helman family.

Starting last year with the tremendous efforts of all involved to pull off Jackapalooza, this com-

munity has pulled together like I could have never imagined to continue to show Jack how spe-

cial he is and how much of a positive impact he has had on so many lives. And to let Trish and

Alex know how much we love and care about them as well.

Last Friday evening, more than 400 people took to Mountain Avenue armed with candles and

their best singing voices to bolster Jack’s spirits and offer our hearts to the family outside of

their door. There have been work parties, cleaning crews, food and meal providers, dog sitters

and just plain good friends at Trish’s beck and call to help ease any burden possible. Letters

and banners and videos have been sent to Jack just to let him know that we are thinking about

him. And, of course, we all love the “We’ve got your back, Jack” wristbands and so many more

efforts to numerous to list! I could not be more proud of the community I live in.

This week we launched a couple of more ways to support the Dorr family. The Sparrow Club

has adopted Jack as their Sparrow. Check out the article including some community service

opportunities later in this publication. Also, the Helman student council decided that for their

community service project they would sponsor a coin drive for the Dorr family. The cans went

into the classrooms yesterday and already the coins (and bills) are flying in.

Thank you so much for being such a wonderful community! Thank you for your generosity of

heart and spirit! Thank you for your donations of every kind! Thank you from the bottom of my

heart! Together we will make it through these hard times and emerge stronger, kinder and

more empathetic than ever before.

Glenna

UPCOMING EVENTS

April

16th Kindergarten Roundup 2-4pm

17th Science Fair 5-6pm

21st Site Council 3-4pm

21st Helman’s Night for ASF Calling

23rd Alternate Calling Night

25th Crazy Hat and Hair Day

30th Zumbathon for Jack Time 5:00-6:30

May

5th-8th Teacher Appreciation Week

7-9th Book Swap

9th Spring Music Program 1:30-2:30 pm

13th PTA Meeting 6:30-8:00 pm

16th Twin Day

18th Helman Mayfaire 3-6 pm

19th Site Council 3-4pm

23rd 4th-5th Grade Track Meet AHS 10-1pm

26th NO SCHOOL-Memorial Day

30th Watermelon Olympics 1-2:30pm

June

6th 5th Grade Recognition 1-2:30pm

9th Make Up Snow Day—Full Day

10th Make Up Snow Day—12:30pm Release

SPRING SING!! Don’t forget our Helman Spring Music Program coming up on May 9.

The theme this year is “Spring, Spring, Spring”.

Our students will be performing earth-friendly songs that celebrate

nature and environmental conservation.

The singing starts at 1:30 PM in the Helman Cafeteria.

5th Grade Recognition Ceremony is

Friday, June 6th at 1pm! We have moved the 5th Grade Recognition Ceremony to take place on Friday,

June 6th at 1pm due to the number of snow days earlier in the year. This is a

wonderful time to celebrate this great group of students moving onto AMS and

reflect on their educational experience here at Helman School.

Perk Up for Students Perk Up for Students is a monthly promotion, partnering local coffee

houses with ASF. At least 10% of all purchases on Perk Up day will go

towards ASF grants in the schools. Support Ashland students - try out these two Perk Up days before the program breaks for the summer.

Friday, May 2

Rogue Valley Roasting Co 917 E Main St, Ashland

Friday, June 6

Human Bean Drive-Through 1890 Hwy 99N, Ashland

Volunteers Needed for the Watermelon Olympics!

Our Watermelon Olympics will be held from 1:00-2:40 on Friday, May 30th.

There will be more than twenty stations with activities that students will

participate in. We need parent support to continue this fun, end of the year

tradition. You will be getting a letter in a few weeks, asking for your help.

We will need help with running and setting up the games, cutting and serving

watermelon and other fun tasks as well. Please mark your calendar now to save the date!

Student Exchange Host Families Needed for 2014-15 School Year –

Each year the Ashland Rotary Club hosts a student from another country. He or she comes to

Ashland for our school year and attends Ashland High School. A huge part of this cultural ex-

change is living with two or three host families. It is great for the in-bound student, the com-

munity and obviously the host family as well. Hosting is not limited to only members of a Rota-

ry Club, it can be anyone in the community!

This year our family has hosted a wonderful young lady from the Czech Republic and John (1st

grade) and Kate (4th grade) have loved the experience. If you are interested, I would be happy

to answer questions about how it all works. The student generally stays with a host family for

about three months and there is some reimbursement of expenses. Feel free to call or email me

if you would like to explore the idea of sprinkling a little global dynamic into your daily lives!

Alan Harper - 541-659-9401 or alandbharper@gmail.com

Summer Reading Book Swap When: Wednesday May 7th, Thursday May 8th and Friday May 9th

Before school: 7:45am—8:10am Sharp & At Lunch Time

Where: The stage in the cafeteria

Who: All the great readers at Helman Elementary School

Its time to start thinking about summer reading and one way to get fresh new

books is the Helman Book Swap. Go through all the books you’ve read throughout the year and

trade them in for some great new books for summer. Parent helpers will be needed both before

school and at lunch time. If you can help with the book swap, especially before school, please

contact Bridget Bloch, at mamaluv@charter.net. The kids really enjoy the book swap and it’s a

fun way to help!

We can always use lots of chapter books for the older children (4th & 5th Grade) so if you have

some old chapter books that are appropriate for the bigger grades, please bring those in. All

books in relatively good condition are gratefully accepted. Hope to see all of your children at

this fun event!

Even though it feels like summer, we need for kids to dress for school! Hey all you parents! When the weather gets warm, it is nice to break out the shorts and lose the layers, but we have a few guidelines regarding dress that need to be considered when getting your children dressed in the morning. Here is the code right from the handbook. Please make sure that students are following these guidelines. Student Dress Code In the interest of safety and modesty students should wear appropriate clothing and footwear to school. Any clothing with symbols, words, or pictures that promote the use of drugs or alcohol, are violent in nature or are sexually explicit are not allowed for school wear. Bare backs, bare midriffs and low-slung attire that reveals underwear is also inappropriate clothing at our school. Tank top straps need to be at least one inch wide, and shorts need to be mid-thigh length. Your child may be asked to turn clothing inside-out, or you may re ceive a call home for a change of clothing. Flip-flops and high heels are not permitted. Athletic shoes are required for PE and all outdoor activities. Shoes with rollers are not allowed. Teachers may ask students to remove hats during class. Hats are not to be worn in the cafeteria during lunch time. Please contact the principal if these requirements present a financial burden.

Soroptimist’s Strong Girls Program for

the Spring has begun!

We are very excited for our springtime com-

munity service program with the Strong

Girls! We had a blast getting back into ac-

tion this Tuesday at the Ashland Pond,

mulching trees and learning about soil. We

will be splitting our time helping take care

of the Ashland Pond and the Helman

School Garden. At the pond we will be lop-

ping blackberry bushes, fertilizing, and

weeding. In the garden we will get to weed,

plant and water. It is never too late to sign

up and come lend a helping hand. Plus we

get to use our community service hours to

help support our Sparrow Jack Dorr! It is a

great feeling to work together outside mak-

ing a difference in the beauty of Ashland!

Walk N Bike

May 7 to 28 Spring is here again and that means Walk n

Bike Wednesdays are just around the corner.

Starting Wednesday May 7 and continuing

through May 28 there will be snacks and

prizes for those biking, walking, running,

skating, scooting, or skipping to school.

I will be under the gazebo next to the basket-

ball courts before school.

Remember to leave home with enough time to

sign in before the bell rings.

You will also be able to enter a couple draw-

ings for additional top secret prizes

awaiting new homes.

I hope to see all of you on Wednesday

mornings at the gazebo!

Blaine Pickett

Walk n Bike coordinator

coubla1@msn.com

Your 2013-2014 PTA Board:

Gus Janeway President

Becky Sniffen Vice-President

Jill Williams Secretary

Mayfaire: Save The Date! The Helman PTA's annual spring fun(d)-raiser is rapidly approaching! The

Mayfaire Carnival will take place Sunday, May 18 from 3-6 p.m. This year's

event promises to be bigger and better than last year's, with a whole new crop

of fun carnival games, wonderful activities, great food, and fabulous prizes.

Open to the public (invite your friends!), Mayfaire is geared toward families

with 3-12 year old children. In addition to the games, Mayfaire will feature a

spectacular silent auction and more raffle prizes than we had last year.

We'll need a host of volunteers to help us make Mayfaire a success! Malinda will have a sign-

up sheet in the Helman office - please stop by and fill a slot!

We are still looking for families/friends to collaborate on "priceless" table parties. These can be

adult or child focused events in your home or business. Mayfaire attendees will be able to buy a

seat at the table for whichever activities appeal to them the most. So far, Helman families have

donated: an art party for kids, a swimming pool party for kids; a barbecue for kids, a Harry Pot-

ter trivia party for kids, a beading party for kids, and a lunch and OSF tickets for two

adults. Contact Arianna Van Heusen (ariannavh@gmail.com) if you would like to host a table

party.

~Some examples for adults: *host a cooking class for a dish you love to prepare for

10 adults; *host a ladies' luncheon and perennial swap for 8 adults; *host a poker

night for 6 adults

~Some examples for kids: *host a Star Wars movie night with Ham Solo sandwiches and

Chewbacon cheeseburgers for 5-6 kids; *host a duct tape crafting afternoon for 6 kids; *

host an ultimate frisbee clinic for 8-10 4th/5th graders

Thanks - in advance - for all you will do to make Mayfaire a wonderful event. Let's all think

good thoughts for good weather that day!

Need Flowers? The Helman PTA's spring time Flower Power fundraiser is drawing to a close -- we have until Fri-

day, April 25 to place our orders. Fifty percent of all sales come directly to

Helman and will go toward art projects, science equipment, P.E. supplies, and more. We've al-

ready raised almost $365 towards our goal of $1,000!

Please check out the link from the http://www.helmanpta.org Web site to see the bulbs, bare root

plants, berries, and more that you can order online. Your order will come directly to you and the

Flower Power organization will send us a check for 50% of the sales. Thanks for your considera-

tion. Happy planting!

Jack Dorr is our Sparrow!

The Sparrow Club came to Helman last Friday and we officially adopted Jack

as our Sparrow. What this means is that students can complete community

service hours to help support the Dorr family through this difficult time. Stu-

dents can get forms from their teachers or in the main office and document the

numbers of hours and what work was completed and turn them in. We send

them in and local sponsors will pay $10 per hour completed to the Dorr family.

There are a number of things students can do for community service hours. Some teachers are

doing class projects such as working at the pond or in our community garden. Carolyn Hald in

the library has offered to stay afterschool one day a week and have students come with their

parents to help clean books. Here are a few other opportunities that may be of interest to you

and your child:

Lomakatsi Restoration Project

What you can do to help:

Plant trees, fire risk reduction activities,

watershed protection implementation,

and habitat restoration.

How to sign up:

Contact Niki Del Pizzo

541-488-0208

info@lomakatsi.org

PO Box 3084--Ashland, OR 97520

541-488-0208

Rogue Valley Farm to School

What you can do to help:

Help plant, weed, seed, harvest,

and even take photos!

All in the name of sustainability.

How to sign up:

Rogue Valley Farm to School P.O. Box 898 --Ashland, OR 97520

Southern Oregon Humane Society

What you can do to help: The S.O.H.S.

provides a wide array of volunteer opportunities,

including dog walking, socializing with animals,

on-site maintenance, kennel guides, and animal

How to sign up: Visit

www.southernoregonhumane.org

to access the volunteer page & download a volun-

teer

application, visit the shelter at 2910 Table Rock

Rd,

Medford, 97501, to pick up an application in per-

son,

or call 541-779-3215 for more information.

Ashland Food Project

What it is: The Ashland Food Project has three overall

goals: to provide food to all Ashlanders who are in need,

to strengthen the community, and to serve as a model for

other towns. The AFP depends entirely on community

volunteers, and as the project grows, they are in continuous

need of additional helping hands!

What you can do to help: The AFP has volunteer opportuni-

ties in six different areas: tabling (setting up a table in front

of supermarkets and greeting/recruiting new members), help-

ing out at the food bank, door-to-door canvassing, helping out

at special events (such as the 4th of July parade!), emergency

pickups of food, and/or sharing any special individual skills

that can contribute to the project.

How to sign up:

Peace House/Uncle Food’s Diner

What it is: The Peace House aims to create a culture of non-

violence through education and action, focusing on community

sustainability, and grounded in the principles of Martin Luther

King Jr and Gandhi. Uncle Food’s Diner, a branch of the Peach

House, offers free weekly community meals for Ashland’s

homeless and economically disadvantaged.

What you can do to help: Uncle Food’s Diner welcomes vol-

unteers of all ages to cook and serve a nutritious meal for up

to 135 community members every Tuesday.

How to sign up: To volunteer at Uncle Food’s Diner, contact

Vinny Muolo at ufd@peacehouse.net. To learn more about

Peace House and potentially volunteer in another area, email

or call Ruth Coulthard at info@peacehouse.net or (541) 482-

9625.

Zumbathon for the Dorrs With the news of our dear Dorr family, Tia and I wanted to do

something special to bring our community together in their hon-

or. A Zumbathon came to mind, and we are excited to sweat,

laugh and dance together.

A Zumbathon is where multiple instructors get together and

teach different songs in support of a cause. The cause is to raise

money for the Dorr family. This event will be sponsored by our

very own PTA. There are many wonderful instructors participat-

ing from the Rogue Valley, and we are grateful they are volun-

teering their time.

The event will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 in the Helman Cafeteria. Doors will open

at 4:30, and the fun will last from 5:00-6:30. There is a $10 admission at the door, and donations

are always welcome. We will also have raffle prizes including; Zumba Fitness gear, gift cards

and even a six-month membership to Snap Fitness.

Lastly, make sure you wear comfortable, exercise clothes and tennis shoes. Bring a water bottle,

and a sweat towel if needed. The Zumbathon is designed for adults, so there will be no childcare

provided. Zumba does not involve any experience, just a good attitude! We hope you are able to

join us at this fun-filled workout fundraiser!

Spring Plastic Round Up The Helman PTA is gearing up to begin receiving your CLEAN and SORTED soft and hard plas-

tics for the Jackson County spring plastic round up. Helman students are trained to be stewards

of our planet and this program supports their education about how to reduce, re-use, and recy-

cle.

Plastic Round up will end on Thursday, May 15th. Please bring your CLEAN and SORTED soft,

hard, and nursery plastics to the Cafeteria and help your child put your household

plastics into the proper bins.

Please make sure these are plastics that cannot be recycled in the co-mingle bins (curbside or

at the Water St. recycling center) or grocery bags, which can be recycled at Safeway. (Please

note: plastic with metal parts can not be accepted.) We will happily accept clamshell plastics

and other plastics that cannot be recycled in Ashland's curbside bins. For more information on

which plastics are accepted, please visit JCRP’s website http://jcrecycle.org/about-the-

partnership/special-events/plastic-round-up/

This is not a free service project! This is a PTA sponsored event. If you would like to assist with

or help fund this program, please contact the PTA. Please recycle to save the planet!

Attention Helman Parents! ASF is in HIGH need of phone bank volunteers!!!!

The 25th Annual Spring Fund Drive is underway, but phone drive turnout this year has been unusually low. WE NEED YOUR HELP! If your schedule allows, please help by participating in one of these call nights in which we will be calling elementary school parents: When: Mon, April 21 5:45-8:45 p.m. Wed, April 23 5:45-8:45 p.m.

Where: Best Western Windsor Inn, 2520 Ashland Street If you volunteer as a caller you’ll have lots of fun and you will be treated to dinner (and wine!) which has been graciously donated by local businesses. It’s worth your time, so come and join us! In fact, without more callers we are in danger of not being able to sustain existing grant levels to the District.

As a community, we have the power in our hands to achieve more for our schools. Your involvement matters!

Donate to ASF today and do your part to support education. If you are a new donor, or if you are in-creasing your donation over last year, the amount of “new money” will be eligible to be matched 100% if received by May 5. Don’t delay! Learn more or donate online at ashlandschoolsfoundation.org. Your donation will:

1. Keep educators in the classroom 2. Fund enrichment programs 3. Serve the diverse needs of all students

ASF Seeks New Board Members Do you have a passion for education, professional expertise to share, or the desire to give back to your community? If the answer is YES to one or all of the above, you should consider ASF Board membership. We are always looking for new Board members that “round out” the skills of our current members and will help us fundraise for academic support in our schools.

Ideal Board Candidate Traits A donor. Required! If you believe in ASF you will enjoy working on the board. A parent, a former teacher or a community member who will network with others to help

us expand our donor and volunteer base. Passion for providing our students with the best education we possibly can. Skills such as marketing, writing, graphic design, project management, finance, sales, public

relations or business development are always in need, but not required. A leader or a worker bee. We need all types! A change agent. Someone who wants to channel his or her passion into helping ASF increase

our impact on the quality of education in Ashland Schools. If some of these traits sound like you and ASF board service piques your interest, or if you might be in-terested in helping with committee work, contact Susan Bacon at 541-482-8197.