Blythe Park PTA Happenings 11/25/2013

The Blythe Park PTA  wishes you and your family a very wonderful Thanksgiving.  We are very grateful to you for your continued support …  for all the sharing of your time and talents so freely on behalf of our students and school community.

Wishing all of you peace, good health and happiness this Thanksgiving.

      

Today Monday, November 25th is conference/movie night!

This year’s feature film, Wreck-It Ralph will be shown at 6:30pm in the auditorium. Drop off the kids while you attend parent/teacher conferences or do a little early holiday shopping at the Scholastic Book Fair. Popcorn, treats and beverages will be available to purchase at our concession stand.

Questions – contact Tim Lauger  or Cindy Vitek.

      

The Scholastic Book Fair will be open today Monday, November 25th from 4:00-8:00pm during parent-teacher conferences. You can also contribute books to the teacher’s classroom library by purchasing a book off of your teacher’s wish list.

Any questions, please contact Michelle Backus at michelle.backus@live.com.

      

Already planning your cookies for the holidays this year? Please consider baking a batch (or more) for Blythe.  PTA is hosting our first annual Holiday Bake Sale on December 20 from 3 to 6 pm. and we’d love to tempt your friends and neighbors with your delicious treats – cookies, confectionery, candies, fudge, whatever sweets you share with your families, consider sharing with us!

Not a holiday baker? No worries – we hope to have lots of delectables for you to share with your loved ones over the holiday season!

As you’re planning your dough - please plan on baking batches for Blythe!  More details coming soon.

      

Treat your kid(s) to a hot lunch and treat yourself to a day off from packing lunches!

The next Hot Lunch Fundraiser is Friday, December 6th, The menu will include: slice of cheese pizza, seasonal fruit, cookie and a drink.  The cost per child is $5.00.  To register your child(ren), go to www.blytheparkpta.org and click on the hot lunch sign-up button located on the right side bar.

If you signed up for Hot Lunch for the remainder of the year, you are all set!  No reservations are needed for the remainder of the year. Thanks for supporting the Hot Lunch Fundraiser!

The reservation deadline is Wednesday, December 4th. Reservations will not be excepted after Wednesday. Please make sure to make your reservation by then.

Questions, reply back to blytheparkpta@yahoo.com or contact Lisa Gaynor at 708-442-4509.

      

District 96 schools are celebrating Inclusion Awareness Week December 2nd-6th.  Throughout the week, we encourage you to talk with your children about what inclusion means to them and how we can hold the idea that although each of us is different, we all fit together in this community.  Students will be creating murals, hearing special announcements each day, and talking or writing about the Dr.Seuss story “The Sneetches” through the lens of inclusion.

Also, Wednesday, December 4th, is “Mix It Up Day,”  when kids can really express themselves and further illustrate that we are more alike than we are different.  Students are encouraged to wear creative, silly mixed-up clothing that day.

The week’s activities were organized in conjunction with R.A.I.N., the Riverside Area Inclusion Nework.

In addition, watch for information about screenings of the movie, “Including Samuel,” at the Riverside, Brookfield and North Riverside libraries.

For information about the national Inclusive Schools Week, visit http://inclusiveschools.org/inclusive-schools-week/.

      

REFLECT on the theme.  CREATE an original artwork.  BE RECOGNIZED!

It is PTA Reflections time! Each year the National PTA sponsors the Reflections Program. This program encourages children in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade throughout the nation to explore their artistic talents.

We encourage you to unleash your child’s talents by encouraging participation in this wonderful program.To participate, your child needs to interpret this year’s theme“Believe, Dream Inspire” to one of six artcategories. To get your creative juices flowing, a brief explanation of each category is provided below.

Literature
Poetry, Prose, Drama, Short Stories, Song Lyrics, Fiction and Non-Fiction

Musical Composition
Scores of original composition, with or without words, accompanied with CD, not exceeding five minuteshgh

Photography
Color or black and white prints or collage of photographic prints measuring up to 11×14 inches, including mat.

Visual Arts
Painting, drawing, collage, printmaking, needlework, computer art up to 20” x 24”

Dance/Choreography
DVD, not to exceed five minutes

Film/Video Production
All aspects of the film must be done by the student on DVD not to exceed five minutes.

How does the program work? Your child creates an original work of art in one of the six categories listed above. Each submitted piece will be forwarded to our local District for judging. District winners will move on to the State level. Reflections Program awards culminate with a national winner in each of the six categories. Take a look at the National award-winning entries in the PTA Reflections Program gallery at www.ptareflections.org

All Blythe Park entrants will be awarded a certificate and Reflection ribbon.  General Student Participation Rules and the Official Entry Form are attached. If your child will be entering, please contact Lisa Gaynor for a copy of the detailed rules for their category of interest. All entries must be received to the school office by Monday, December 2nd.

We have a talented group of students at Blythe and we look forward to receiving some great creations. Contact Lisa Gaynor at ltgaynor@aol.com or 708-442-4509 with any questions.

appendix-k-13-14-rules-in-brief

appendix-g-13-14-student-reflections-entry-form1

      

Come enjoy the 5th Grade Band and Orchestra and the 4th/5th Grade Choir concert on Thursday, December 5th at 6:00pm in the Hauser auditorium.

All the 4th and 5th grade Blythe Park choir and band members will be performing.  It should be a great show!