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S e pt e m b e r 20 1 7
W E LC O M E !
Whether you’re the new kid just PCSing into our area or you’re a
returning student who already knows the ropes, the Fort Sam
Houston Elementary School Cougar Cub PTO welcomes each of
you. We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer & is ready
for school to start.
We have an exciting year ahead of us! From book fairs and
the Accelerated Reader program to Fall Festival and Science Night, there is
something for everyone to enjoy.
The Cougar Cub Connection is our monthly newsletter keeping you informed of
important dates to remember, informational notes about the PTO & school, and
other exciting news. We look forward to serving you this year!
~The FSHE Cougar Cub PTO Board~The FSHE Cougar Cub PTO Board
Fort Sam Houston PTO
www.facebook.com/
FSHECougarCubPTO
President & Fall Festival Chair
Jennifer Griffin
1st VP Membership &
Volunteers, Publicity
Jennifer Whiteside
2nd VP Fundraising & Grant
Writing
Erica McMahon
Secretary
Michelle Grabill
Treasurer
Lisa Brown
Accelerated Reader Chairs
Vikki Sickels & Jill Teixeira
Book Fair Chairs
Vikki Sickels, Julie Huisken, &
Jill Teixeira
Box Tops 4 Education Chair
Julie Huisken
Holiday Shoppe Chairs
Chevy Hendri & Michelle
Grabill
Science Night Chairs
~vacant~ & Anna Eldred
Spirit Wear Chair
Tammi Rutledge
Student Awards Chair
Kesha Braxton
Teacher Appreciation Chair
Carley Clark
Teacher Liaison
Laura Lamoureux
Just what is the PTO? The Cougar Cub PTO is a community of parents, teachers, & support staff working together to advance
the education and nurturing of all Fort Sam Houston Elementary students.
Just why is that important?
By providing support to our student body, we can be their advocates and represent their best
interests. Lending our time, energy, & talents only serves to improve their pursuit to a quality
education.
We exist to promote & foster a team environment among parents, teachers, students & non-
teaching staff. The education of our children is the responsibility of each & every one of us.
By embracing a scholastic relationship between educators & parents, we strive to ensure that all
children receive the highest advantages in physical, mental, & social education.
Working together, we can foster a community spirit within the FSH Elementary School, the FSH
Independent School District, & the greater FSH family.
Ok, but what does that really mean? It means the future is in your hands! Joining PTO doesn’t have to mean volunteering; you can show
your support just by joining. But we couldn’t do all that we do without our volunteers! Whether you’re
great at event organization, have a bit of a crafting bug, or just looking for ways to get involved, we have
a place for you. Read ahead to learn a bit about the ways we come together to give back to our
students.
Our award-winning PTO would not be possible if
not for the help of our families. Your
membership dues help to fund our many
programs & activities, and your volunteerism
helps strengthen the student-parent-teacher
relationship.
Whether you have a little time or a lot, there are
an abundance of volunteer opportunities
available.
The school staff is always in need of help
assembling mass mailings, assisting
students in the library & cafeteria, or
preparing materials for the art, drama, &
music classes.
Teachers appreciate volunteers in the
classroom doing anything from reading
aloud to students, preparing learning
materials, or chaperoning field trips.
The PTO Board needs parents to donate
their time & creativity to successfully run
our committees, work the book fairs &
holiday shop, and assist at special events.
Don’t have that much time? Or nervous
about taking on a big role? Simply attend
one of our monthly PTO meetings. It’s a
great way to learn about all that we do to
better our children’s school experience.
PTO membership is only $5 a year per family
and comes with a 10% discount on spirit wear
sales & at our Scholastic Book Fair.
We look forward to seeing you at our next
meeting, Friday, September 15 at 8:30 AM
in the cafeteria.
DID YOU KNOW?
Research shows that when parents are involved in
their children’s education, the children are more
likely to:
• earn better grades.
• score higher on tests.
• pass their classes.
• attend school regularly.
• have better social skills.
• show improved behavior.
• be more positive in their attitude
toward school.
• complete homework assignments.
Thanks to all of your fundraising efforts, Box Tops donations, &
support for our PTO events last year, the PTO was able to
purchase recycling bins for the Student Council’s new recycling
program. Thank you for all of your hard work!
join us & together we can! The PTO Board has several committee positions that still need
to be filled. If you are interested in learning more about how
you can serve, please email us!
Holiday Shoppe Co-Chair
Science Night Co-Chairs
Spirit Wear Co-Chair
Student Awards Co-Chair
Teacher Appreciation Co-Chair
Accelerated Reader Accelerated Reader is the world's most widely used reading software that is designed to encourage & get students
excited about reading. Your child picks a book at his reading level and reads it at his own pace. When finished,
he’ll takes a short quiz on the computer & earn points for his reading comprehension. AR gives both children &
teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct
ongoing reading practice. Students who reach their goals earn prizes in our rewards program.
Scholastic Book Fair For more than 30 years, Scholastic has been providing students, teachers, & parents with access to thousands
of affordable books and educational products. We are excited to host the book fair each fall with a wide
selection of products for all grade levels. Scholastic generously donates a portion of all sales back into our school.
Box Tops for Education What’s the easiest way to support your PTO program? By searching for box tops you already have in your
pantry! Box Tops for Education are found on thousands of products including yogurts, plastic zipper
bags, boxed & canned goods, even stationary products. Collected box tops are exchanged for money
that can be used to make improvements & purchases for the school. Please send your box tops in a bag
marked clearly with your students’ name, teacher name & grade. Monthly & bi-annual prizes will be
awarded to the top collecting classes. Visit BoxTops4Education.com to learn more.
Fall Festival The PTO Annual Fall Festival will be held on Thursday, October 19th. Come out for a night of
games, activities, & prizes. Look for a flyer in your child’s folder soon with information on ticket
presale. 100% of the proceeds go back to our wonderful classrooms.
S.T.E.A.M. Night S.T.E.A.M. Night, reinvented! You don't want to miss this amazing night filled with learning opportu-
nities to appeal to every area of science: medical, technological, animals, nutrition & more! It’s a night
of hands-on learning, food, & fun for the whole family. Community leaders will be on hand to regale &
amaze the whole family with knowledge. Food truck vendors will be available for dinner.
Student Awards Each quarter, PTO recognizes those students who have earned their way onto A & A-B Honor Roll
(87 GPA and above) as well as those who have Perfect Attendance.
Teacher Appreciation Throughout the year, we like to honor those who make a lasting impact on the lives of our children. From the Back to
School Breakfast to Teacher Appreciation Week, we make sure our teachers know how much they mean to our families.
Spirit Wear Show off your school spirit with some new Fort Sam Houston Elementary School gear. Be on the lookout for special
Spirit Wear order forms this month at our booth at Parent Orientation or in your child’s take home folder. We will be
offering t-shirts, cups, hats, and bags.
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Boosterthon - Cougar Cub Run This spring we’ll be hosting our first ever Boosterthon—Cougar Cub Run! Our goal is to upgrade &/or replace our
existing playground equipment. This multi-year project will allow friends & family from near or far as well as com-
munity sponsors to help directly make improvements to our school through this amazing fun run.
Peppermint Village GiftShop Peppermint Village Gift Shop is the chance for students to shop for their family during school hours. Parents
send in their money and order form with who their child will be buying for & how much to spend. Then we help your
child select gifts for their loved ones. It’s a great way to teach independence & money sense while thinking of others.
1
2
8
7
Parent Orientation
6
5
4
- NO SCHOOL -
3
9
15
14
Watch D.O.G.S.
13
12
11
Patriot/Constitution Day
10
16
(Fri) Spirit Night
22
Donuts with Dad
21
20
19
Picture Day
18
17
23
29
Book Fair
28
Book Fair
27
Book Fair
26
25
Book Fair
24
30
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Workshop
Parent-To-Parent
September
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER September 4th: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL!
September 7th: Parent Orientation
- during grade level conference periods OR
- 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
September 11th: Patriot Day / Constitution Day
Wear Red, White, & Blue for Patriot / Constitution Day.
September 14th: Watch D.O.G.S. Pizza Night
September 15th, 8:30 AM: PTO Meeting
All parents are encouraged to join us for our first meeting of the
year.
September 15th, 4 PM - 8 PM: Raising Cane’s Spirit
Night
Take a night off from kitchen duty & have dinner at Raising
Cane’s! They will donate 15% of all FSHE sales back to our
school!
September 15th: Dot Day
Wear your spotty, dotty clothes!
September 19th: Individual Fall Picture Day
Lifetouch® school portraits will be taken of the students for the
yearbook. Order forms will be sent home with package ordering
information.
September 22: Pre-K Donuts with Dad
September 25th - 29th: Scholastic Book Fair
Order forms will be sent home in the prior week so that you may
help your child with their selection. Volunteer opportunities
are available for those who would like to help.
September 26th: MCEC - Parent to Parent Workshop
“Preparing for Teacher Conferences”
Dot Day
PTO Meeting &
Picture Day
