TEACHER APPRECIATION
WEEK
A Week at the Oscars
May 7-11
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Monday
Hug Your Teacher Day
Hollywood Coffee and Star Studded Donuts,
Conference Room, 7AM-10AM.
Teachers and Staff, come get a
sweet bite to start your week.
Tuesday
Write a poem or dedicate a poem to
your teachers. Our library has lots of books with poems for all ages!
Wednesday
Ice Cream Social
3:15PM-4:00PM, Tomahawk Café
Mrs. Ebeners' Chorus and Recorder Band
will perform - Hollywood style!
Thursday
Do Something Nice for Your Teachers
Day
Homemade Cookie Day for our Stars
Friday
Lunch prepared by Mrs. Benders' Culinary Class.
Lunch, served on the FSUS Red Carpet on the way into the Library.
Pictures are planned! 10AM-1:30PM. Oscars will be passed out to all our wonderful Stars! One special PTSA
Star will get 40,000 points to spend in the "Box Tops for Education" book. Items and Services have been donated from
generous local businesses, parents, students and your PTSA.
HELP WANTED
PTSA needs
the following volunteers and items for Teacher Appreciation week. Please bring any donations to the front
office by Thursday, May 3.
Donations Needed:
- 808 Ziploc
sandwich bags/202 Kudu Bars
- 202 Life
Saver Rolls/202 Almond
Joy Bars
- 202
Mounds Bars/10 Bags of Hershey's Kisses
- 202 Small
snack size bags of nuts
- 202
Regular size microwave popcorn bags (unpopped)
Volunteers Needed:
Friday, May 4
Bag
assembly with Mrs. Haleys' FFEA students
Monday, May 7
Help with
the Hollywood Coffee and Star Studded Donuts
Breakfast 7am to 10am.
Tuesday, May 8
Encourage
your children to write a poem to their teachers and staff members that have been
extra special to them.
Wednesday, May 9
Help with
the ice cream social.
Thursday, May 10
Make a dozen
cookies. Place 4 in each baggie. Last year Chocolate Chip cookies was a favorite.
Friday, May 11
We need people to take pictures, putting donations
together, setup and cleanup of course, serving.
Thank you
for all you do. Everyone is needed and
very special.
Suzanne Lane
Teacher Appreciation Chair
sblane@mailer.fsu.edu |
Our Sponsors
Totally Tuty
284-3662 (cell)
421-3662 (home)
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Dean Mayo Pressure/Soft Wash
228-1613
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New PTSA Officers
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We are pleased to
introduce our Executive Officers for the 2007-2008 PTSA Board:
Suzanne Lane, President
(not pictured)
Amy Hanstein, Treasurer
(front,center)
Hank Stephens,
1st Vice President, Fundraising
(back,left)
Marie Aguire,
2nd Vice President, Membership
(front,right)
Mark Mahoney,
3rd Vice President, Programs
(back,right)
Julie Lengacher, Recording Secretary
(front,left)
Chiquita Mordica, Corresponding Secretary
(back,center)
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Program Notes
Bonnie Abellera
3rd VP - Programs
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Talking To Your Kids
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It is hard to find the right words to talk with our children about violence like that witnessed during the Virginia Tech tragedy. The National PTA offers advice for talking with your child.
Click here for the article
Safe Homes/
Safe Parties
Safe Homes/Safe
Parties is a statewide initiative developed by Informed Families
and implemented by parents of teens and preteens to ensure
that drugs, alcohol and cigarettes will not be permitted
at parties held in their homes and discouraged at parties
in the community.
Parents
take ownership of the program by signing a pledge that states
they:
- set guidelines
- not allow underage youth to drink alcoholic beverages or use tobacco or other drugs in our home or place of businiess
- be present at all pre-teen and teenage parties held in their homes to ensure that no drugs, alcohol or tobacco are present
- encourage future drug and alcohol free activities for underage youth
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Dear Kasey,
We are so excited about next week's Teacher Appreciation activities as we close out another school year. See Suzanne Lane's update on all the activities and volunteer opportunities. Also, be sure to check out our Health & Safety and Legislative Updates. It's our end-of-the-year roundup. Here's what is happening in May!
05/7-11 Teacher Appreciation
05/12 Middle School Ball
05/13 Mother's Day
05/18 Elem. Fun Friday/Student of the Month
8:00AM, Elementary Courtyard
05/22-24 Early Release Days
05/24 Last Day of School for Students
05/25 Graduation
For a complete list of Florida High events click here.
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A Message from the President
This morning, my children ran
excitedly into my bedroom just to make sure I knew there were only 17 days left
in the school year. Can anyone
relate? In jest, I played along,
pretending like I was really surprised by their announcement. And so we had a moment of the "summer can't
come fast enough" experience, which was thrilling for my children to talk about
and think about after working hard in school all year long. I, however, had more of the "I can't believe
it's already summer" attitude and once again felt sobered and reflective, as
one can, in thinking about how quickly time passes.
My reflection over the past year
can be summed up as follows: What a very great privilege it has been for me to
serve as PTSA President and what a fantastic opportunity I have had to work
with our members and our amazing volunteers!
I have felt so fortunate to learn from people who have been involved in
PTSA for a long time, and I have been humbled by my many mistakes along the
way. Through it all, I have continued to
feel grateful to all the parents, teachers and students who make this
association great.
However, with the passing of time
that inevitably occurs, comes change. John
F. Kennedy once said that "change is the law of life and those who look only to
the past or present are certain to miss the future." I have always believed this to be true for
anyone or anything, personal or organizational.
In the case of our very own Parent, Teacher, Student Association at
FSUS, the change coming is the election of a new board for the 2007-2008 school
year. As we welcome these new faces to
their elected positions, please welcome the new ideas, enthusiasm, and leadership
they bring as well. In doing so, we will
be certain not to miss the future of our PTSA
at Florida High. Thank you all again, so much, for all you have done for PTSA this year and for your great support of this year's board.
Kind Regards,
Heidi Abernethy
President
2006-2007
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Health & Safety
SCHOOL GARDENS
Elementary School--The elementary school garden
imploded last month, overwhelmed by its own success. More than 60
children signed up to participate in the project. Kindergarten
teachers Mrs. Boniella and Mrs. Davis, along with librarian Carole
Fletcher, signed on to oversee the garden club and had made plans to
start planting on April 16. However, they felt this unexpectedly large
number of children was simply too many kids for a single teacher to
supervise without increased parent involvement, so it was decided to
retool the program and start again in the fall. Another factor was
PTSA Health and Safety Committee Chair Danni Vogt, who had spearheaded
the project since last fall, got a full time job beginning April 16 and
was not able to help supervise the kids. The project will either have
to expand the size of the garden plot to accommodate more kids or limit
the number of participants, and additional supervision will either have
to come from parents or be hired. Various options will be reviewed by
the PTSA before fall. Meanwhile, cover crops will be planted on the
12x15 foot vegetable garden and the 8x10 foot butterfly garden until
fall.
Middle and High School--The high school garden under the
guidance of art teacher Barbara Davis is progressing nicely and recent
plantings include tomatoes, with beans and peas on the agenda for the
near future. Anyone driving along Four Oaks Boulevard can see the
teepee-shaped trellis that will support the peas, along with other
signs of progress. Now if we'd only get some rain. Any middle school
or high school student interested in participating in this project
should contact art teacher Ms. Davis.
SCHOOL SNACKS
The
PTSA's School Nutrition Advisory Program (SNAP) completed its third
report on the status of snacks available to students on campus, and
like the first two reports it showed that those searching for reasons
behind the nationwide child obesity epidemic just need to come to
Florida High. The Spring Carnival and a Senior Class fundraiser both
featured foods identified by the federal government as "foods of
minimal nutritional value," including hard candies, licorice, bubble
gum, and sodas. The carnival featured more than 20 varieties of
caffeinated sodas being sold in unlimited amounts to children as young
as kindergardeners, who also got large amounts of candy, all in
violation of the Wellness Policy adopted by the FSUS Board of Directors
last August. A review of the Cafeteria a la Carte offerings showed
that 38 of the 53 cafeteria snacks offered to our children exceeded the
calorie, fat, saturated fat, sodium or sugar limits in the Wellness
Policy. The fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain products required
by the policy also were nowhere to be found. The beverages in the
cafeteria vending machines, however, all were in compliance with the
policy.
The PTSA has been trying since November to get the
Florida High Wellness Committee to meet and address this situation and
take action to enforce the policy mandating healthier snack choices on
campus, but no meeting date has been set. Health and Safety Chair
Danni Vogt brought the issue before the school's Board of Directors on
April 10, presenting a petition signed by more than 500 students,
faculty and parents supporting the PTSA's drive for healthier snacks on
campus. The PTSA asked the Board to require quarterly meetings of the
Wellness Committee to address the widespread disregard for the Wellness
Policy. While the board appeared sympathetic to the PTSA's position,
it opted for an informal request that the Wellness Committee address
the issue rather than a formal meeting requirement. The PTSA will
continue to monitor the situation and be back before the Board of
Directors at its May meeting if the Wellness Committee does not meet
before then.
In a related development, the PTSA finds itself in a catch-22. The school will not post the SNAP nutrition reports on the PTSA
webpage for parents to see until the reports are approved by the Wellness Committee (see above).
The reports contain a detailed analysis of
hundreds of campus snack offerings compiled using the nutritiional
labels on each item, and a statement of whether or not each complies
with the guidelines in the Florida High Wellness Policy.
If anyone
wants a copy of these reports, please email Health and Safety Chair
Danni Vogt at dannivogt@earthlink.net. Also, anyone interested in
volunteering to assist the PTSA's ongoing efforts to strengthen and
enforce the school's Wellness Policy should also contact Danni, whose
time is now limited due to his new job.
Danni Vogt
Health & Safety Chair |
PTSA Legislative Update
 Highlights from the most current Legislative Session Report (for the full report and other legislative updates, visit www.floridapta.org):
The Florida PTA was
successful last week in its efforts to turn back a bill which would
have allowed large school districts to be subdivided. The bill-which
reappears on an almost annual basis-was defeated in the Senate
Education PreK-12 Committee by a narrow one-margin vote.
The Florida PTA's
"green schools" effort also is continuing to move. The bill would
establish a grant program that makes funds available to one small, one
middle and one large school district who want to construct a facility
that meets national guidelines for reducing energy costs and creating a
healthier environment.
House Speaker Marco
Rubio's reported top education priority is replacing the current
Sunshine Standards with World Class Standards. The Senate is less
enthusiastic about the idea but has a bill which addresses this issue.
The new standards would have to be developed over the next three to
four years. New standards will require new FCAT questions that have to
be written and tested, new textbooks that have to be adopted and more
professional development to insure that teachers are familiar with the
standards' contents. The new standards also will encompass more civics
education and eventually there will be a statewide assessment on civics
education that includes history and government as well. It is a massive
"reform" program that is expected to cost about $4 million by the time
everything is completed. Objectors are saying that the state just this
year moved to "majors" and "minors" for middle and high school students
and before this reform is even well underway, another is in the making.
Both the Senate and
the House have bills on their respective calendars which would
establish a new Children and Youth Cabinet Office within the Governor's
office. HB 509/SB 564 both are on their respective calendars. The idea
is to create a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the work that
all of Florida's agencies and programs perform to benefit children.
The bill requiring
K-5 students receive at least 150 minutes a week (30 minutes a day) of
physical activity is expected to pass. It is a priority of the
Governor. The bill requiring parents receive information on the
availability of a vaccine to protect young girls against cervical
cancer still is very much alive, but the anti-bullying bill (HB 575/SB
114) is in trouble.
All of the bills that
have been reported to the Florida PTA as part of the legislative
activities for the past seven weeks will be in the forefront of
legislative action in these next final two weeks. The House and Senate
will be in session almost all day everyday and the focus will be on
members getting their bills to the Governor's desk for his signature,
veto or just to allow them to become law without his approval.
Susan Epstein Legislative Chair 644-9779 |
Announcements
- The Middle School Ball is Saturday, May 12. This formal event will be held at the Florida State Oglesby Ballroom (Student Union) from 7PM-11PM. The ticket price is $20 for singles and $30 for couples. Students can purchase tickets in the 7th grade area before school, during lunch and after school until Friday, May 4. Please contact Ms. Ortwein for more information at mortwein@mailer.fsu.edu or 245-3796.
- We invite all FSUS parents, faculty and staff to celebrate La Fiesta de las Comidas Thursday, May 3, in Senor Guastella's classroom 3135. This is our last and most important project of the year. Students will create single dish menus from different Spanish speaking countries and present their Hispanic dishes in a cooked and ready-to eat, decorated placesettings.
We will have foods from Spain, the Caribbean, Central and South America, all prepared, cooked and presented by Senor Guastella's talented Spanish II students.
Schedule
for La Fiesta de las Comidas
The festivities and food tasting will start 10 minutes
after the beginning of each class.
1st period - 8:00 to 8:50
2nd period - 8:55 to 9:45
4th period - 10:45 to 11:35
6th period-1:10 to 2:00
7th period-2:05 to 2:55
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The Extended Day Program at FSUS will be having a summer camp
again this year. Our theme this summer is "Life's a Party." The camp
will start on June 4, 2007, and run until August 10, 2007. We will have
many activities such as bowling, swimming, skating, crafts, games, and
weekly field trips to name a few. For more information please call Phyllis or Amanda at 245-3843.
- Congratulations to our high school Latin students for their excellent showing at the State Latin Forum. For a complete list of winners please contact Craig Berbergal, JCL Sponsor, at cbebergal@mailer.fsu.edu
- Every Tuesday Night is FSUS Spirit Night at Huston's Oven & Grill in SouthWood's Town Center. When you visit Huston's on Tuesdays please sign in and Huston's will donate 10% of your purchase price to FSUS. Proceeds will go to student awards and incentives.
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Thanks for a great year and for reading the FSUS PTSA Council Oak. This electronic format for our newsletter was new this year. We hope you liked receiving your updates in your email inbox, and invite you to send your suggestions for next year.
Sincerely,
Kasey Chapin
Technology Chair
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