Inside this issue:

Willamette PTA Press

A publication of the Willamette Primary PTA

March 2010 Volume 4, Issue 7

Vice President Letter 1

PTA Calendar 2

Meeting Information 3

Spirit Day 3

Portrait Fundraiser 4

Volunteer Opportunities 5

Fund Development 5

No Cost Fundraising 5

Movie Night 6

Yearbooks on Sale 7

PTA Bulletin Board 8

Once every year, the PTA vice-president writes a piece for the newsletter. After pondering what to write, I decided to address the most fundamental need of the PTA. You guessed it, volunteering.

I know every one of you understands that volun-teering is absolutely critical to the success of PTA. There is also no doubt that all of you would be more than happy to contribute if you had the time. Yes, time seems to be the number one factor in our lack of volunteers. It is the one thing that seems to get away from all of us again and again.

That said, the need is great and we are fast approaching a critical time of year for next year’s PTA board, the appointment of the 2010-2011 fundraising and community event chairs. If you, or anyone you know, is able to chair an event next year, please fill out the committee chair nomination form you will be sent mid-March via the PTA newsletter (you can also get the form on the PTA web site).

This is your chance to have a voice, to participate, and to nominate someone you believe in. There are many benefits to chairing an event, you get to know school staff and fellow parents, you get the satisfaction of being in-volved in your children’s education in a fun way, and you make a difference.

If you don’t have the time to chair an event, but would like to participate, you can sign up to volunteer at your favorite event. At the beginning of the year you will receive a volunteer form in your back-to-school packet and there will be sign-up sheets in the front hall once school starts in Fall 2010.

Volunteering can be hard to do when time is short, but it is always rewarding and you are doing it for your children. I’ve noticed whenever I talk to older friends or family members and mention I’m on the PTA board, they always remember the times they served or volunteered and they share those memories. PTA really does create lasting memories of your children’s child-hood.

Thank you for your participation in your PTA.

~Eva

A word from our Vice President, Eva Greeff...

Things to Do 9

Parent Resources 9

March:

☺

Music Program - 4th Grade

Classes/Anderson 6:30p -7:30p

Fun Run

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 2

School

Begins

PTA Meeting

9:00 am

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

March 2010

Spirit

Day!

PTA Board President: Jennifer Butts Vice-President: Eva Greeff Secretary: Sheryl Watson Treasurer: Michelle Hoover Development: Sheila Kyles, Jason Kaufman Volunteer Coordinator: Melissa Bianchi Membership: Tammy Itschner, Lisa Noel

Event Coordinators Artwork Fundraiser: Debra Lim Book Fair: Shamera Daugherty, co-chair TBA Carnival: Aimee Craven, Amy Darrow Clothes Closet: Marcie Adelman Community Rewards: Bobbie Turner, Lin Anderson Fun Run: Jen Jones, Jennifer Wood Ice Cream Social: Kristi Rees, Teresa Gonzales Holiday Night: Siboney Hines Hospitality: Jodi Weisner, Emily Vanderipe

Movie Night: Tara Edwards Parent Education: Julie Carr Picture/Vision Day: Hayley Frisch, Jen Hayter Pizza Bingo: Kathy Walker, Vicki Marshall PTA Webmaster: Leann MacMillan, Sheryl Watson Read to Us Week: Kim Butler, Stacey Ito School Supplies: Chris Blackmar Science Fair: Hilary Sand, Jeanette Henning Scrip: Dana Callahan, Lanette Clayton (data entry) Spirit Wear: Victoria Keller Staff Appreciation: Cynthia Joy, Tonia Gordon Yearbook: Sheryl Watson, Laura McEntee Auction Liason for 2011: Michelle Hoover

PTA Board and Event Coordinators

March:

☺ PTA Meeting: March 9, 9:00 am in the Cafeteria

☺ Spirit Day: March 19th

April:

☺ Movie Night: April 9, 6:00-9:00pm, Gym

☺ PTA Meeting: April 16, 6:30pm in the Library

☺ Science and Inquiry Fair: April

23-24

May:

☺ Teacher Appreciation Week: May 3-7

☺ Carnival: May 21, 5-8pm

Upcoming PTA Events

No

School

PTA Meeting

9am Cafeteria

No

School

Evening Conferences

Evening Conferences

Willamette Primary PTA General Meeting Minutes from February 9, 2010 can be found at:

http://willamettepta.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/minutes-02-10-10-draft.pdf

The Next PTA Meeting will be: Tuesday, March 9 at 9:00 am in the Cafeteria.

Find 2009-2010 Budget information at: http://willamettepta.wordpress.com/budget-2009-2010/

March 19

Show your School Spirit!

Wear your Spirit Wear or the school colors: Blue, Red and/or Yellow.

The yearbook staff will be there that day to take pictures!

March 9, General Meeting Agenda

Spirit Day

Willamette PTA General Meeting Minutes

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 3

Principal, David Pryor Instructional Coordinator, Lisa Hawking

9:50 AM PTA Board Reports President, Jennifer Butts Vice President, Eva Greeff

Treasurer, Michelle Hoover – March Financial Statement

Sheryl Watson, Secretary – Newsletter Membership Coordinators, Lisa Noel,

Tammy Itschner – Update Volunteer Coordinator, Melissa Bianchi –

Carnival Volunteers

10:05 AM Standing Committee Reports Carnival Update– Aimee Craven,

Amy Darrow Science Fair – Hillary Sand, Jeanette Henning

Everyone is welcome to attend! 9:15 AM

Call to Order – President, Jennifer Butts

Welcome, Voting Privileges, Sign-in

9:20 AM Approval of February General

Meeting Minutes

9:30 AM Acknowledgements/Thanks –

President, Jennifer Butts Nominating

9:35 AM Willamette Staff Reports

B&W Photography – Nina Beilby Restaurant Nights – Jen Butts Yearbook – Sheryl Watson

Spirit Wear – Michelle Hoover Other

10:10 AM New Business

Nominating – Eva Greeff Other

10:30 AM Announcements

Next Meeting April, Nominating Meeting, Agenda Items

10:35 AM Adjournment

Announcements

March 9: PTA Meeting 9:00am (Cafeteria) March 19: Spirit Day

April 9: Movie Night 6:00-9:00 April 13: PTA Meeting 6:30pm (Library)

April 23/24: Science & Inquiry Fair (Sat. 9-11am)

May 3-7: Teacher Appreciation Week May 11: PTA Meeting 9:00am (Cafeteria)

May 21: Carnival 5:00-8:00pm June 3: Field Day (June 4 Alt. Field Day)

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 4

Willamette Primary Directories

ON

NOW

Portrait Fundraiser by Nina Bielby and Kerri Garfield

Portrait Fundraiser: This fundraiser is no-cost to Willamette PTA but is a great way to raise $$$ for our school. These photographers donate 20% back to our school. Last year they donated $702.00!

Dates: In time for Mother’s Day, May 9th, we would like to shoot the portrait sessions between March 30th and April 10th.

Bookings: Families will need to call Nina 971-235-9668 or Kerri 503-382-9052 to make an appointment.

Deposit: $50 deposit to reserve the time slot which will be deducted from the order which from the order which needs to be placed within two weeks of the shoot. The web gallery will be available for 10 days. Print prices start at $30.

Location: Local outdoor venue to be determined closer to the time.

Further information: www.eminentimages.com and www.kerrianngarfield.com

Scrip Order Dates Free $$$$ for our school!

Scrip makes great gifts! Please see attached order form to see what is available.

Order forms and checks are due back to the office every MONDAY.

Scrip will be available for pick up the following FRIDAY.

Order due 3/8- Pick up 3/12

Order due 3/15- Pick up 3/19

http://willamettepta.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/scrip-personal-order-form-

2009-2010 PTA Events

• Science Fair April 23 & 24

• Staff Appreciation Week May 3-7th

• Carnival May 21st

• Field Day June 3rd

Contact Melissa Bianchi, Volunteer Coordinator almissy@comcast.net to sign up!

Volunteer Opportunities for 2010!

Work Fundraiser, Pizza Bingo Night and the Fun Run – were a success, we would like to obtain feedback whether you par-ticipated in some, all or none of these events. To do so, please send us an email at coppersam_2000@yahoo.com (Jason). We want to hear the good and the bad so that we can ensure greater success in future years. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Finally, we wanted to draw your attention to a very easy way to support Willamette Primary PTA and the school – SCRIP. Scrip is a great way to support the PTA while you shop without any extra cost to you! The great thing about Scrip is that, unlike other fundraisers, you don’t have to sell anything or spend extra money. Fami-lies can purchase scrip for everyday ex-penses like food, clothing, gasoline, toys

and entertainment and earn a percent-age of each dollar of scrip purchased back in revenue for the PTA. Visit willamettepta.wordpress.com/scrip/ for more information.

Thanks for all that you do to make Willamette Primary a GREAT place! Please contact us should you have any questions, ideas or concerns.

Sheila Kyles 503.722.8374 or 503.476.5163 Jason Kaufman 503.656.9469 or 503.459.3548 WPS PTA Co-Development Directors

P.S. If you haven’t participated in the Annual Fund yet and would like to do so, please visit the PTA website @ willamettepta.wordpress.com/pta-budget/ for more information. Thanks.

News from WPS Development… Thanks to our donors and support-

ers…Feedback…SCRIP

As we move into the second half of the school year, we wanted to first say THANK YOU to all of our generous donors to both the Annual Fund and all of our events in 2009. Without your support (both monetarily and volunteer time), we would not have been able to exceed our budgeted net profit by al-most $2,400. This has allowed the PTA to fund the high quality programs and teachers at Willamette Primary – funding that support our students each and every day through school improve-ments, in-class grants, technology and more!

While the events in 2009 that were a major part of our budget – the Art

News from WPS Development...

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 5

Thank You Willamette!

Thank you for finding all of those little pink labels on Box Tops products, snipping them out AND sending them in to school! Our school received a check from Box Tops in December for over $665? Wow! Great job!

Our second Box Tops deadline was February 24th and we’re in good form to reach our goal of $1500 this year! Please continue to send in your Box Tops—or our other “no cost fundraising” collectibles such as Campbell’s labels, printer cartridges & cell phones, Santiam can labels and NOW Prang & Ticonderoga UPCs.

Check out the new No Cost Fundraising webpage on the WPS PTA website: www.willamettepta.wordpress.com/www.willamettepta.wordpress.com/www.willamettepta.wordpress.com/www.willamettepta.wordpress.com/ It contains links to all of our programs and the participating products lists!

Thank you for turning “trash” into “cash!”

Bobbie Turner & Lin Anderson No Cost Fundraising Coordinators 2009/10

No Cost Fundraising Activities

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 6

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 7

To order online go to www.myyear.com and enter our city, state, and school. There is a $1.85 processing fee to order online.

Order forms and checks payable to Willamette Primary PTA may be delivered to the office. Order Forms:

http://willamettepta.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/yearbook-order-form.pdf

PTA Bulletin Board

Volume 4, Issue 7 Page 8

WHAT IS IT? Buy a book in honor of your child, a friend, a staff member, anyone you want to celebrate.

WHERE DOES THE BOOK GO? Willamette Primary Library or your classroom or both.

WHAT BOOK CAN I BUY? Buy an appropriate book of your choice or a book from Ms. Ogren’s book list.

HOW DO I DO IT? Decide what book to buy, buy it, take it to the library or classroom, and put a

bookplate in the book. It will be in the classroom or the library as a remembrance in the years to come. WHY DO IT? This program is a wonderful way to give books to our school and to honor a special person.

Contact Eva Greeff at emg05@comcast.net with any questions.

School Supplies already?!?!

No need for shopping!

Sign up to have your child’s school supplies delivered to their classroom on the first day

of school.

Look for order forms coming home soon!

Please mark your calendars! The Science and In-quiry Fair is coming soon: April 23-24. This is a great event for the kids-the whole school tours the exhibits and everyone is encouraged to participate with an entry. More info to follow in the Wil-lamette Newsletter. We are still looking for volunteers for this fun event! Please contact Jeanette Henning if you'd like to volunteer: ajhenning4@comcast.net

-Thank you!

The Teachers Appreciation committee is happy to be hosting dinners for the Teach-ers Tuesday March 2nd and Weds. March 3rd during con-ferences. The teachers may come in starting at 4:30 up un-til 7pm.

Tuesday will be Hawaiian theme and Weds will be Italian! Enjoy, Cynthia Joy and Tonia Gordon

Parent Resources

2009-2010 Willamette PTA Board Goals • Support WPS Priorities

• Earn 100% of budgeted income-Minimize expenses

• Communicate effectively with WPS families with minimal use

of paper

• Increase teacher participation in the PTA

• Recruit and maintain members with a personal touch and

encourage participation at meetings

• Increase male involvement in the PTA

Things to do around town...

Willamette Primary PTA

Willamette Primary School

1403 12th Street

West Linn, OR 97068

"Math Is Cool" Vancouver/Portland Regional Elementary Math Contest March 5, 3:30 – 8:30 PM. Fort Vancouver High School, Vancouver, WA. For more info visit www.academicsarecool.com. A statewide (WA) math contest is branching out to the Vancouver/Portland region, which doesn't have much extracurricular math (yet :-). This contest for 4th-6th grades is great for beginners! Cost: $10 plus $40 per team of four students. Ticket Phone: 509-738-7000. http://www.academicsarecool.com/login.php?fwd_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.academicsarecool.com%2Fregister_team.php. FIRST Robotics Competition: March 5-6, 9-4:00 p.m. at the Memorial Coliseum It's the ultimate robot showdown as high school students from around the state compete in an exhibit Breakaway challenge. Event is free and open to the public; children are en-couraged to attend. www.oregonfirst.org/ March for Mutts Expo March 6, 8:30-12pm, North Clackamas Park, $5.00 per person. Includes demonstrations, dog costume contest, march through the park, pet adoptions, dog training tips, "Ask the Vet" booth and more. The money raised supports Meals on Wheels in N. Clackamas County. 34th Annual Peter Rabbit Breakfast & Carnival March 20, 8-12:00 PM. West Linn High School 5464 West A Street West Linn OR The families of West Linn Community Preschool invite you to join us for this favorite community tradition. Children games and prizes, raffle baskets, silent auction, pictures with Peter Rabbit and more. Benefits West Linn Community Preschool. Cost: $3 Chil-dren, $5 adults/in advance, $6 adults/at the door. Ticket Phone: 503-657-5050. Museum Family Day: Celebrating Film March 14, 12-5pm, Portland Art Museum Admission to the museum is free and kids can create drawings and then bring them to life using several forms of animation such as zoetropes, thaumatropes, and flipbooks. Other activities include improvisational theater games, interactive digital special effects stations, and films created by and for children. Spring Break Around the World March 22-26, 11-3pm, Discovery Museum The museum celebrates a different culture each day with crafts, storytelling, and other family activities. Cultures include: Greece (Mon); India (Tue); Australia (Wed); South America (Thu); Native America (Fri). http://www.worldforestry.org Mad Science March 22, 11 am, Tualatin Library, Best suited for grades 3 and up. The land of Fire and Ice is filled with dazzling demonstrations using fire, bubbling potions, and carbon dioxide gas frozen to 109°F below zero. This science show will stimulate a child’s mind and spark their imaginations as they experience exciting, educational, high energy science magic! www.tualatinlibrary.org 25th Annual Tulip Fest 2010 March 25 to April 2, Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm Our favorite time of year is when the tulips bloom! There is nothing like the colors of our tulip fields in the spring. Every year the varieties are arranged differently in a new pattern of color as we rotate our tulip fields to a new location. Each weekend we have planned a variety of events. Check the "Schedule of Events" for a detailed list of daily and weekend activities. www.woodenshoe.com/

Raising Our Daughters and What About Boys? Parent Child Preschools of

Oregon Parenting Conference www.oregonpreschools.org Saturday. March 6, 9-10:30

and 11-12:30 Athey Creek Middle School 2900 SW Borland, West Linn

$40 All-day conference

Raising Our Daughters: Our girls have made some great strides academically and athleti-cally, yet there are still struggles. Learn about what supports our daughters to thrive. What About Boys: Explore the unique and wonderful of our sons. Learn some specific strate-gies for listening to, and commu-nicating with, our sons.

Phone: 503-673-7250

Fax: 503-655-3706

E-mail: willamettepta@gmail.com

Willamette PTA Press

We’re on the web!

http://willamettepta.wordpress.com