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 Dear FSUS Families,
We are almost at the end of our first nine weeks of school. Over 450 members have joined FSUS PTSA and working together we have met our school-wide fundraising goal for our Fall Fundraiser. Thank you all for supporting PTSA, Florida High, our teachers and our students. We're all in this together!
Our first General Assembly meeting on September 23rd was well attended. Members approved the budget, heard from our officers and committee chairs about current and future projects and events, recognized teachers who have been approved for Teacher Mini-grants, enjoyed an update from Principal Trafford about the current and possible future building projects on the FSUS campus, and shared a lovely dessert. Thanks to Madison Fitzpatrick, the newly elected president of K-Kids, for leading us in our Pledge of Allegiance, to Key Club for providing babysitting during the meeting and to Mrs. Searight and the cafeteria staff for providing beverages.
We have many volunteer opportunities coming up in October and over the course of the school year. If you have a specific committee you are interested in working with, please click here to sign up.
To volunteer to help out with upcoming PTSA events, see the section below entitled "Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities. Electronic sign-ups are available.
Remember that anyone who becomes a FSUS PTSA member by October 31st is eligible for our drawing to win back your student's school activity fee. Also, teachers who are PTSA members and submit a mini-grant request by October 31 are eligible for a drawing to win a matching mini-grant. Both drawings will take place on November 1. Please contact Marie Aguirre at maguirre@tnc.org with any questions about the drawings. You will find both membership forms and mini-grant applications on our webpage.
Thanks again for all your support of FSUS PTSA!
Kasey Chapin
PTSA President |
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October at a Glance
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Oct. 2 Internet Safety Presentation, Middle and High School
Oct. 6 Garden Club begins
Oct. 13 Kick off of "Eat Your Colors" Healthy Lunch Program
Cafeteria
Oct. 15 Fundraiser merchandise distributed
Oct. 16 Box Tops, Campbell's, Tyson A+ and Community
Coffee deadline
Oct. 20 Annual Bike Rodeo
Outdoor Basketball Courts, 3- 5 pm
Oct. 27 Chick Fil-A Spirit Night
Apalachee Pkwy, 5-8 pm
Oct. 31 Fall Carnival
Florida High, 1-3 pm
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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
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Want to sign up to help out? Click on one of the PTSA sponsored event/projects below:
Garden Club begins Oct. 6th and runs for 8 weeks. Commitment is 1 hour per week from 2:45-3:45 pm.
To sign up to help out, e-mail Danni Vogt for more info.
"Eat Your Colors" Lunch Program needs volunteers the week of Oct. 13th-16th in the cafeteria to help punch cards. Three helpers are needed from 10:00 -11:45 am every day.
To sign up to help out, click here.
E-mail Linda Searight, Lunchroom Manager, for more info.
Annual Bike Rodeo will be on Oct. 20th from 3:00 -5:00 pm at the basketball courts. Help is needed with set-up, assistance during and clean-up.
To sign up to help out, e-mail Pro Hruda for more info.
Fall Carnival will be on Oct. 31st from 1:00 -3:00 pm. The PTSA will have a booth this year. Help is needed from 12:30 -3:15 pm. Two shifts are available.
To sign up, click here.
E-mail Kasey Chapin for more info.
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Programs Updates
Internet Safety
Did you know that many internet predators diligently spend  three to six months searching children and teenager's MySpace, Facebook and other online profiles prior to ever making email contact with them? read more
In an effort to educate middle and high school students at Florida High about the risk of putting personal profiles on the internet, the PTSA has arranged for the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit, part of the Office of the Attorney General, to come and present information on October 2nd that will guide students in making wise and good choices when on-line.
Go Green Florida High!
The PTSA is working to help the Florida High campus "Go  Green!" On September 26th, the go green initiative was rolled out on campus encouraging students to be environmentally responsible. Look for new aluminum and plastic bottle recycling receptacles on campus.
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Spanish Club High School Recycle Team
Spanish Club is involved in FSUS's efforts to become a "greener school." Seņor Guastella , seņor Sardiņas, and the entire Spanish Club membership urge everyone in high school to make an effort to recycle whenever possible.
Top Row: Simone Jackson, Brianna Hampton, Keondra Lawrence, Garret Anderson, Trionne Lane
Bottom Row: Tara Smith, Joel Greenacre, Tony Cooper
If we all recycle, we all win!
Contact Seņor Guastella or Seņor Sardiņas for more information.
Seņor Guastella
PTSA Teacher Liason
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Fundraising News
Great American Fall Fundraiser
We are pleased to announce that we did reach our  $40,000.00 goal for the PTSA Fundraiser. We had a total of $40,542.25 in catalog sales and $135.00 in donations for a grand total of $40,677.25.
The top selling class for elementary was Miss Durham's 1st grade class and for middle school was Mr. Minn's 8th grade 1st period class. Both of these classes will get a cookie party (date to be determined). The top selling student was Ashtyn Tilton, 1st grade, Miss Durham's class and she will be awarded a $25 gift card to Target.
The BMX show will be scheduled soon and we will send out an email with the date. It looks like it is going to be the first part of December. Details will be available soon.
We are compiling a list of students that will attend the show, get VIP seats and an autographed picture. We are also working on getting the community service forms filled out for 8th through 12th grade. When they are completed, we will put them in the teacher mailbox of the students first period teacher.
We can't thank you enough for supporting your school. The money goes right back to our students and teachers. We are so excited that Middle School and High School really helped this year. That was wonderful.
***Items purchased will be delivered on Oct. 15th***
Box Tops, Campbell's Labels, Tyson Project A+, and Community Coffee Collection
Just a reminder! The first collection period for Box Tops,  Campbell's Labels, Tyson Project A+ and Community Coffee ends on October 16th. Place them in an envelope or zip lock bag marked with the following information: Childs Name, Teacher's name, and Grade. Send them to your child's teacher or place them directly in the boxes marked "Box Tops/Labels for Education," which are located in each classroom cluster, the front office and the library.
For each collection period, we will award the top 2 student collectors (K-2) and (3-5) each a $10.00 gift card to "Borders Book Store". Also, each participant will receive a small prize. Prizes will be awarded on October 24th.
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Trevor Brumbley
1st Vice President, Fundraising Committee
Alicia Cherry
Co-Chair, Fundraising Committee
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Health & Safety News
School Garden
Signup for the Fall Garden Club is complete and planting will  begin Monday October 6th, weather permitting. Crop will include peas, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, radishes and collard greens, among other things. Hopefully, the kids will produce a good harvest for the holidays. The kids will also maintain a butterfly garden planted last year near the gazebo.
Parent volunteers are still needed for this project. Anyone who is able to spend one hour a week after school from 2:45-3:45 pm, helping the kids with gardening, can sign up here. If you have further questions, please e-mail Danni Vogt or call him at 877-5641.
Bike Rodeo
The PTSA and FSU's Police Dept. are sponsoring a Bike Rodeo on  Monday, October 20th. The Rodeo begins at 3:00 pm behind the gym at the outside basketball courts and will run until about 5:00 pm. Participants will be taught safe cycling habits, how to recognize and avoid road hazards, and how to recognize a well-maintained bicycle. Refreshments will be provided. No pre-registration is necessary, just show up with your bikes and helmets.
If you would like to volunteer to help out with the rodeo or for more information, e-mail Pro Hruda or call him at 524-4851.
Come out for an afternoon of fun! .
Healthy Snacks
The PTSA's healthy snack initiative has produced tangible  results, with school concession stands now featuring an array of healthier alternatives such as fresh fruit and baked chips to their customers. Last year, the cafeteria and after school program showed a significant nutritional improvement in complying with the school's Wellness Policy adopted in 2006, while most concession stands lagged behind. This year, however, concession stands have added many healthier items as called for in the Policy. Sincere thanks go out to Mr. Trafford, Athletic Director Mike Hickman and the booster organizations for working with the PTSA to make this project a reality.
The PTSA's suggestions to gradually strengthen the nutritional requirements in the Wellness Policy were presented to the school Board of Directors in September, and referred to the policy committee for further review.
Danni Vogt
Chair, Health & Safety Committee
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Reading Programs
The 2008-09 Reading Challenge has started!
Mr. Trafford has challenged the elementary school students to read 10,000 books by May. (And this sounds like a lot of books, but it only amounts to 20 books per child in 6 months!) And, if we accomplish our goal, then Mr. Trafford will dress up as Captain Underpants and dance in the courtyard! That's worth making every effort to meet this goal, right?!
Students will be bringing home the reading challenge sheet- a copy will be on Mr. Trafford's page of the school website or you can use your own paper. Please remember to turn your list of books in to your child's teacher. Teachers will be recognizing student readers of the month starting in October. Reading is awesome!!
Cori Blomberg
Chair, Reading Programs Committee
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Family Fun Nights!
The Beef O'Brady's Spirit Night was a great success! The PTSA will receive a check in the amount of $193.83. The winning class was Miss. Magnuson with $289.95 in sales for the evening.
On Monday, October 27th, Florida High will have its second Family Fun Night at Chick Fil-A on the Parkway from 5:00-8:00 pm. Chick Fil-A will donate 15% of the proceeds back to the school.
Dr. Wicker will attend this event, so come out and meet her if you haven't already. Come grab some dinner, meet with friends and earn money for Florida High at the same time!
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Amy Hanstein
Chair, Spirit Nights Committee
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Fall Carnival
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The Florida High Fall Carnival will take place on Friday, 
October 31st from 1:00-3:00 pm. The PTSA will have a booth this year selling sugar-free Sandy Candy. Volunteers are needed to work between 12:30 pm and 3:15 pm. There will be 2 shifts. Three volunteers are needed at each shift.
To sign up to volunteer, click here.
For more information, e-mail Kasey Chapin.
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"Eat Your Colors" Healthy Lunch Program
Beginning on October 13th, Linda Searight, Lunchroom Manager,  will be introducing the "Eat Your Colors" Program during lunchtime. Students will be encouraged to eat a variety of colors of foods, which represents a healthier diet. Students will be given punch cards in order to track if they are choosing a variety of different foods.
Volunteers are needed Monday, October 13th - Thursday, October 16th from 9:50 - 11:50 am to help punch the students' punch cards. (Volunteers can sign up for one or two hour shifts on each day)
To sign up to volunteer, click here.
For more information, e-mail Linda Searight, Lunchroom Manager.
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FSU Surplus Auction
FSU will be conducting a live surplus auction on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 9:00 am. Items for sale include computers, electronics, furniture, office equipment, scientific equipment and vehicles. Items are located at the FSU Surplus warehouses. Auction items can be pre-viewed and tested October 2nd and 3rd from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, and also from 8:00 -8:30 am on the morning of the auction.
For more information about the auction, please click here. If you have further questions, please contact Anthony Browning at Surplus Property at 850-644-5520, or Julie Bickford at Property Services at 850-644-9757. Questions can also be e-mailed to surplusauction@fsu.edu
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October looks to be a very busy month. Now is a great time to dive right in and get involved.
We are all in this together!
Sincerely,
Julie Lengacher
Chair, Technology Committee
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