September 2008

Volume 2, I ssue 1

Hill Elementary School PTO Newsletter

We hope you all had a wonderful summer and are as excited as we are to begin the 2008-2009 school year. In this newsletter, we would like to introduce some of our new ideas, explain some of our existing programs and invite you all to give us your ideas and to get involved. Statistics show that kids are more successful in school when their parents take an active interest. We hope you find something that looks interesting to you!

Our first big initiative for the year is to kick off the First Annual Hill School Jogathon! Our Jogathon committee has been working tirelessly throughout the summer to make this event a healthy, exciting and rewarding experience for all students. Even better is that for the parents, a successful Jogathon will mean NO MORE FUNDRAISERS!

We also have some other events planned to create more opportunities for families to get to know their child’s classmates, other parents and the Hill staff better. Look for information coming home soon on games night, movie night, special speakers and even a unique way to tap into the talents of our dedicated fathers!

Lastly, please note dates for our PTO meetings. Regular meetings will occur on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7PM in the LGI room. Tomorrow (9/3) we will be setting up a proposed budget for the year. Hopefully, we will pass the budget at our first regular meeting on Monday, September 8th. We welcome and encourage everyone to attend any or all of these important meetings.

Please contact us whenever you have questions or ideas for us! We look

forward to hearing from you and to a great year!

Stacey Bettelon

Chr ist ine Garrett

PTO Co-Presidents

September Events

PTO Budget Meeting 9/3 7PM LGI

First PTO Meeting 9/8 7PM LGI

Market Day pickup Wed 9/17

Jogathon KickOff Assembly Fri 9/19

From your PTO co-presidents, Stacey Bettelon boysrus@wideopenwest.com 248-619-9117

Christine Garrett christinegarrett@att.net 248-619-0670

The VOTES are in!

We’re runnin’ with

a new fundraiser

this year!

See page 3 for all

the details!

Hill PTO Mission Statement The objective of the P.T.O. shall

be to develop a good relationship between home and school, to assist the school in providing the best educational opportunities for the children,

and to provide opportunities for Hill families to interact and

socialize.

PTO Policies and Procedures About our meetings: All Hill parents and Teachers are members of the PTO. At our meetings, we plan fundraisers and decide the best ways to spend our income. We also get inside information from our teachers and principal on school and district happenings and occasionally have outside speakers present district or community information. Our meetings are casual, fun, informative, welcome to everyone and a great way to meet new people.

We meet the 2nd Tues of each month at Hill in the LGI room. We try to keep the meetings to about one hour but occasionally we have more business to complete that forces us to go over. It is not a problem if you need to leave early. Meetings are not mandatory but encouraged for Chairpersons. They are however, the only way for Members and Chairpersons to VOTE. If you would like to be on the agenda or are unable to attend but have information to share at a meeting, please send Stacey and Christine an email with pertinent information a couple of days before the meeting.

Childcare at meetings: We do not currently offer childcare for our PTO meetings but please don’t let that prohibit you from attending. If necessary, kids are welcome to accompany. We would be happy to set up a corner of the LGI room for them to read or color quietly while we complete our business. And as an added bonus, the kids will benefit from seeing their parent take an active interest in their school.

Deposits and reimbursements: ALL deposits and reimbursement requests must be accompanied by a completed deposit or reimbursement form. Forms can be found in the PTO file cabinet in the copy room across from the office or on the PTO website.

Information sharing -- IMPORTANT: Any correspondence sent to the school or individual classrooms on behalf of the PTO (class parties, events, etc.) should include the PTO logo and must include a date AND be approved by the Hill school office. You may either email a copy to Mrs. Childress or provide her with a paper copy for approval BEFORE printing copies. After it has been approved, please provide her with a paper copy of the distributed material. She keeps a copy of all correspondence in order to answer questions from parents or teachers in relation to PTO events. Also, place a copy in your PTO Board folder located in the file cabinet in the copy room across from the office.

Parking Space: Please be aware of the 6 special designated parking spaces in front of the school. In addition to the blue handicapped parking, we also have two spaces reserved for travelling teachers and a PTO reserved space. The PTO reserved space was “purchased” last spring in 2-month increments by parents during our Luau/Annual Auction.

PTO Closet: The PTO maintains a storage closet at school for things like paper plates, napkins, plastic ware, cups, decorations, fun fair supplies, etc. Before your committee purchases items for one of your events, please make arrangements with Christine or Stacey to see if the PTO might already have what you’re looking for.

PTO Sponsored Events: Please keep in mind that after school events held at Hill are intended as an opportunity for families to spend time with each other and others in our community. Please do not send your child to these events unaccompanied.

School copier: The Hill copiers may be used to copy PTO related material. Please see Mrs. Childress for the copy code.

School sign: To have your event displayed on the school sign, please fill out an Outdoor Sign Request available in the PTO file cabinet or on the website.

More questions? The PTO website has meeting minutes, treasure’s reposts, forms and tons of information. But you can always talk to Stacey or Christine if you still have questions or to provide comments or suggestions.

Page 2 of 8 PTO Newsletter

What is the JOG-A-THON? The JOG-A-THON is a new fundraiser for Hill Elementary School to celebrate fitness and our community! The JOG-A-THON will take place at Hill on Friday October 3 and will be the ONLY fundraiser* for this year. A successful event will help Hill teachers

provide our children with the best possible education and enrichment programs by funding the PTO general fund.

How will the JOG-A-THON work?

The students will attend an assembly on September 19 that will explain the whole process and get them excited about the JOG-A-THON! At that time, they will receive

pledge sheets, details on prizes and incentives and t-shirts to wear while seeking pledges from relatives and neighbors.

Students will collect pledges before the event, then complete laps around a track at school. Students can run, walk, hop or skip around the track! Each grade will have a specific time slot, and volunteers will help coordinate. Although there will be prizes

and incentives awarded to both individuals and classrooms, EVERY STUDENT will be a winner at the JOG-A-THON!

How can you help at the JOG-A-THON?

As this is slated to be our only fundraiser, we will be looking for many volunteers to help on the day of the event with counting laps, providing water to the participants,

directing traffic in the parking lot and of course CHEERING. To volunteer to be part of this exciting event, call or email Coleen Giniel at 248-743-1218 or

cginiel743@wowway.com.

Key Dates: Friday, September 19: Kick Off Assembly Friday, October 3: JOG-A-THON at Hill School (makeup for absent

students on Mon Oct 8) Friday, October 10: Rain Date (make up date for absent students

on Mon Oct 13) Friday, October 17: Last Day to turn in money Friday, October 24: Awards Ceremony Assembly *Reaching our goal will mean NO OTHER FUNDRAISERS!!! No more asking family and friends to buy chocolate, wrapping paper or pizza kits. If we don’t reach our goal, we may find it necessary to either cut programs or revert to our ‘old ways’ so we can maintain our current financial goals.

Page 3 of 8 PTO Newsletter

Of course we need funds to support all of the

great programs we help sponsor. But equally

important is your time. So regardless of your level

of financial participation, we’d love to have you

help in other ways. No level of participation is too

big or too small. Helping at classroom parties,

leading a Jr. Great Books group, chairing a board

Where does the money go?

Page 4 of 8 PTO Newsletter

position, assisting in the clinic, sharing ideas at PTO

meetings, clipping box tops or driving your child to

the talent show, all show our kids they are

important and help our Hill community thrive.

Please take a look at the volunteer signup sheet in

this folder and see what interests you!

Good question! Please join us at our PTO Budget meeting on

Wednesday Sept 3 at 7pm in the LGI Room (yes – that’s tomorrow!) to help decide how best to allocate this year’s PTO funds. Typical annual expenses include:

Student monthly magazine subscriptions i.e. Time For Kids

School assemblies

Classroom enrichment to help subsidize personal contributions our teachers make to their classes. Did you know some teachers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money every year on our kids?

5th grade camp subsidy

Junior Great Books

Family Fun activities

Computers and Technology

Field Day

many more…….

Opportunities Abound………

Last year’s major purchases included:

Soundzabound Music Library

Dance Dance Revolution

Reading Software

Learn to Write Packs

Physical Ed Equipment

More…..

View last year’s Treasurer’s Report on the website or PTO bulletin board for exact figures

Help your child succeed at school by becoming a parent who participates in his education. Getting involved is one of the most significant ways you can help your

child stay in school and get better grades. Research shows that when parents are

active, the schools also improve. So show your child, and his teachers, that his school life is important by making it part of your

life as well.

-Source: Scholastic Inc 2008 Parents: School Involvement

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=70 > Accessed August 14, 2008.

Page 3 of 6 PTO Newsletter

Vice President: Assists Presidents, presides

at PTO meetings when the President is

unable to attend. Organizes one school

event (Family Fun Night, Fair, etc) with the

help of a committee.

****Clinic: Responsible for recruiting and

training volunteers to supervise the clinic

during lunch hours. Makes monthly calls or

a calendar to remind all volunteers the

schedule for the following month. Recruits

additional volunteers throughout the year as

needed. Advises office staff of needed clinic

supplies.**** This position needs to be

filled ASAP.

Fifth Grade Celebration: End of the year

celebration for outgoing 5th

graders. Sets up

meetings with 5th

grade parents, accepts

volunteers for sub-committee chair positions

and coordinates planned activities with

parents/teachers/staff.

Hill Spirit Store: Oversees traveling cart of

items for sale during lunch periods.

Coordinates scheduling of parent helpers to run

sales during designated lunch hours. Maintains

inventory of store items. Works with Treasurer

for deposits and payments.

Open PTO Board Positions

Historian: Keeps permanent record

book containing items of PTO

history and publicity.

Husky Dads: Coordinates fun

school service projects such as

spring clean up and others as determined by the Principal

and Custodian.

Junior Great Books: Coordinates JGB discussion

groups for grades 2-5. Recruits and prepares parent

volunteers to lead groups of about 6 students that meet

weekly during lunch in Jan and Feb. Schedules

meetings, acquires and prepares student materials and

handles program communications to students, parents

and teachers.

Talent Show: Organizes the annual Hill School Talent

show. Recruits and schedules performers and an MC,

reserves venue (usually either Athens or Larson) and

equipment, prints the program and advertises the event

to the school.

Talk to Stacey Bettelon for more

information or to volunteer for one

of these positions. Don’t forget!

All positions can be co-chaired

with a friend!

Page 5 of 8 PTO Newsletter

Did you know?

By saving Box Tops for Education labels

we get cash? The PTO receives ten cents

for every Box Top submitted. That was

$1940 last year alone! WOW! Those little

Box Tops can sure add up. Keep on clippin’!

By saving Campbell's Soup labels (UPCs)

we earn free educational merchandise for

our school from the Campbell family of

brands. Please remember – we now need

the UPC codes, not the front label.

You can turn in your Tyson labels for cash.

Our school then redeems them for 24¢

each. Easy money!

We’re on the Web!

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us Then click on PTO.

Take a look at the website for information like meeting minutes, treasurer’s reports,

calendar of events and PTO forms.

Do you want information about your event or position included on the website? Do you want your email address added to your name

on the board members list?

Just email me the info and I will make sure it gets added!

Christine Garrett

Website Chair

christinegarrett@att.net

Page 6 of 8 PTO Newsletter

Scrip = substitute money Soon you will see Scrip order forms come

home with your child and you may wonder

how it works and how it helps our school. It’s

all pretty simple, really. When you purchase

scrip, you purchase negotiable gift cards that

are used just like cash. The scrip is issued by

national and local retailers where you already

shop. These merchants want to support non-

profit organizations like us, and in return ask

you to support them by shopping at their

stores with scrip (gift cards).

How does scrip generate revenue?

Because the scrip is purchased with cash up

front, the participating retailers offer a

substantial discount. Hill PTO buys the scrip

from Great Lakes Scrip Center at a discount,

and re-sells the certificates to you for full face

value. Hill PTO retains the bulk of the

discount - from two to fifteen percent or more

- as revenue.

What can you buy with scrip?

You can use scrip to purchase for everyday

expenses like food, clothing, gasoline and

other essentials. And because scrip is

provided in the form of gift cards, it is nice to

always have some on hand for birthdays,

graduations, teacher gifts or holidays. Take a

look at the form the next time it comes home

and see what stores are available where you

already shop. It’s easy – and it doesn’t cost

you a penny more than you’d spend anyway.

Want more details or to see all participating retailers?

See www.glscrip.com.

SINCE THIS IS MY LAST YEAR at Hill, I am looking for a

parent who will be at Hill for a few more years to help

with the yearbook. I also would love someone to help

with the fifth grade collage! Anyone who wants to help or

has questions – Email me at padma.kuppa@gmail.com.

It is around 30 hours of work (and less if you can find

friends to help!) per year - the hardest part is getting

people to give you pictures.

Can you take pictures? Some might be great for the

yearbook! We would love to have pictures that have

clear images of several Hill students on them, doing

something at school or on a school field trip - anything

taken from the start of the school year through mid-

January 2009. Get them to me on CD or give me prints

(you might not get these back), or drop them off in the

office. Description of what (field trip, party), who

(names, class, grade) and when would be very

helpful.

Thanks, Padma Kuppa

Michigan’s New Booster Seat Law effective

July 1, 2008

Children must be in a booster seat until they are 8 years old or

4’9” tall. Children must be in a seat until they reach the age

requirement or the height requirement, whichever

comes first.

For example:

If your child is 8 years or older, but under 4'9" tall, the

law does not apply.

If your child is under 8 years old, but over 4'9" tall,

the law does not apply.

Remember: In both of these cases, your child may be

safer in a booster seat but it is not required by law.

-Source: Safe Kids Michigan 2008 New Law

http://www.michigansafekids.org/newlaw.php> Accessed August 14, 2008.

Attention Photographers!

Busy schedule? Not enough time or energy to think about dinner?

Not a problem if you ordered Market Day this month. They

offer quality products that make your dinner planning quick and

easy!

Please take a look at the Market Day flyer from the first day folder and place your order online today.

Online orders placed by noon on Sept 11th will be ready to pick up

on Wednesday September 17 from 2:30-3:30 in the Hill

Cafeteria.

See Dave Aud – your Market Day chairperson - for more

information

Page 7 of 8 PTO Newsletter

Show your Hill School Spirit by wearing Husky sweatshirts, t-shirts or shorts. Order forms can be found in the First Day folders and are due September 12th. Make checks payable to Hill PTO. For more information, please contact Renee Zaits at (248) 689-7329 or

Renee@zaitshome.com.

Page 8 of 8 PTO Newsletter

gg

OFFICERS: PRESIDENT(S): Stacey Bettelon/Christine

Garrett VICE-PRESIDENT: OPEN RECORDING SECRETARY: Anna Colletti CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Cheri McQueen TREASURER: Diana Petrinko WAYS & MEANS COORDINATOR: Debbie

Ballios

CHAIRPERSONS: ART SMARTS: Dawn Zandi BLOOD DRIVE/CPR: Karen Purrenhage/Coleen Giniel *CLINIC: ~~~ OPEN ~~~ FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Danielle Buser/Zhu Mei Guo FAMILY PICNIC: Danielle Clippard/Lori Mouranie *FIFTH GRADE CELEBRATION: ~~~ OPEN ~~~ *HILL SPIRIT STORE: ~~~ OPEN ~~~ *HISTORIAN: ~~~ OPEN ~~~ HOLIDAY SHOPPE: Debbie Ballios HOSPITALITY: Jennifer Mancini HUSKY DADS: Zhu Mei Guo *JR. GREAT BOOKS: ~~~ OPEN ~~~ MEMBERSHIP/NOMINATION: Stacey Bettelon MOVIE NIGHT: P.J. Laurain ROOM PARENT: Jodi Bezenah/Karen Purrenhage/Pat

Grandy SAFE HOMES: Kathy Liskey SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON: Jagdish Karira SCHOOL PICTURES: Kim Leonard SCHOOL SIGN: Renee Zaits STUDENT DIRECTORY: Carole Birney/Kathy Voyt *TALENT SHOW: ~~~ OPEN ~~~ TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK: Anna Colletti/Jennifer

Mancini WEBSITE: Christine Garrett YEARBOOK: Padma Kuppa

WAYS AND MEANS: BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION: Brenda Klein CAMPBELLS SOUP LABELS: Jackie Schellmat MARKET DAY: Dave Aud SCRIP: Jodi Bezenah T-SHIRT/SWEATSHIRT SALE: Renee Zaits TYSON: Lori Weiner

2008 – 2009 PTO Board Members

Dates to remember!

PTO meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month at 7pm in the LGI Room

September 8 PTO October 13 PTO November 10 PTO December 8 PTO January 12 PTO February 9 PTO March 9 PTO April 13 PTO May 11 PTO June 8 PTO

April 9 – Blood Drive

Events by Month (tentative) Sept/October – Jogathon November – Game Night December – Holiday Shoppe January – Skate World February – Talent Show March – Movie Night April – Fun Night May – Teacher Appreciation Week

June – Family Picnic