CANCELLED!!!! Claxton General PTO meeting: Tuesday, January 7th

Due to weather the below meeting is cancelled!


Please join us at our

Claxton General Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting on

Tuesday, January 7th at 6:00 pm

in the Claxton Media Center (1st floor). 

Why come to a PTO meeting?

« PTO meetings are a great opportunity to meet other Claxton parents. 

« You can be the first to hear about important news and  upcoming events at school.

« You can learn how your child and Claxton benefit from the work of the PTO.

« You can learn how to volunteer your time, on campus or off, to positively impact the learning experience of all students at Claxton Elementary School. 

« PTO meetings bring together the home and the school so that parents and teachers may cooperate in the education of our children.

Claxton Second graders Spread Holiday Cheer!

On December 4th the second grade classes delivered 90 holiday trees--decorated by students and staff at Claxton--to residents at Care Partners Adult Day Care.

Students performed holiday songs that they've been practicing in music class.  The residents loved it!!

Girls on the Run needs volunteers!

Girls on the Run (GOTR) inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

There will be a coaches training on January 18th for anyone interested in helping out.

For more information about GOTR and ways to be involved, visit www.gotrwnc.org

Another great Claxton Family Night at Pisgah View Apartments

Claxton Family Night at Pisgah View Apartments was held on Monday, November 18th at the Pisgah View Community Center

It was a great evening

Family Nights are an outreach program designed to foster family-school relationships with Claxton students.  Held at Pisgah View and Hillcrest Apartments, parents, children and teachers enjoy dinner together, then divide into groups.  Teachers provide academic games and fun activities for the children, while parents learn about topics such as summer camp options, A-B Tech offerings and healthy shopping and food preparation.


The next Family Night at Pisgah View is Monday February 17th

Claxton PTO is seeking Auction Event Sponsors

Claxton PTO is seeking Event Sponsors

 to get this party started!!

Friday, March 7, 2014

The Millroom, 66 Asheland Avenue

You, a friend, a neighbor, a business associate, or an employer

can be included as a sponsor.

Many kind folks will donate goods and services.  Others might be more inclined to contribute cash. We are truly grateful and would like to recognize those folks as sponsors.

$250 Event Sponsor

 Receive:

*Recognition on Sponsorship Page on the PTO Blog with a hot link to the business

*Listing in all marketing materials associated with the event including

          but not limited to posters, newsletter, etc.

*Program recognition & verbal appreciation at the auction

Contact:

Teri Reedy- terireedy@hotmail.com  216.0189

Meredith Love- mlove@kimmel.com 275.0214

**Our Corporate Sponsors help to greatly enhance Claxton Elementary. Aside from assisting the PTO in carrying out the Arts in education mission, and the After School program, Corporate Sponsors directly impact each and every student.   They also benefit from Claxton Elementary School’s PTO 501(c)(3) status, which makes the contribution tax deductible. The outreach is to hundreds of families in the school as well as the staff and administration, and the many degrees of separation in the community.

The Holiday Lunch has been moved to Friday December 13th!

We hope you all will be able to join us!  

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Bear Pack Merchandise!

Stuck trying to find that perfect gift for that special someone? Consider giving them a Bear Pack membership (free) and matching T-shirt ($10). 

Simply send Will Hornaday the Name/email/cell/and shirt size and you can avoid Tunnel Rd for the rest of the month! email to Will@hornadaydesign.com

Volunteer Opportunity! Winter concert refreshments

We need volunteers to help bring in food, drinks, cups, plates and napkins for the Winter Concert, held on Thursday, December 19th!  Please review the Google doc here, and if you are able to help, please enter your name and information. 

You can bring refreshments with you to the concert.  If will not be attending the concert but would still like to contribute, you may bring your volunteer offerings to the PTO room at any time during the day or after school on the 19th.

Holiday Lunch is Thursday December 19th

Plan to join your child for lunch on 

Thursday December 19th

to celebrate with classmates and friends

We need your help at the Holiday Lunch by helping check in families who have come to share the holiday meal with their children.
You may sign in here.

 Holiday Lunch Sign in will happen in the gym and parent volunteers can check in with Rachel, Vista Coordinator, at the front desk.

Claxton spirit Day at Dough is Tuesday December 10

Claxton Craft Fair Success!

A big Thank you to all that came to support our local crafters and for supporting Claxton Elementary!

We had 29 vendors plus the 4/5th grades wrapping gifts and selling pizza, teachers selling the mugs they painted this year and the raffle. 



We netted $1000!

Holiday Staff Appreciation Lunch- this Friday December 6th: donate

This year the 2nd grade is handling the staff appreciation lunch on Dec. 6th. 

In years past, people have also donated $5-10 gift cards or poinsettias to be raffled off for the staff at that lunch. If any of you can pick up a gift card or flower, we would much appreciate it. You can put gift cards in PTO box "Fundraiser Folder" that is located in Mrs. Stewart's office. Any poinsettias can be brought to the parent workroom on the 1st floor. 

They need all donations by Thursday so that they can see what they may need to add. 

School Musical Needs Your Help!

Are you creative? 
Do you wish to use your creative talents to help your school in a fun way?

Cindy Baldwin, the co-director for the school musical, needs a costume designer and a program designer for the show in May.  

These two opportunities will ideally begin soon and continue throughout the musical. 

If interested, contact our volunteer coordinator, Rachel Tutwiler at 
rachel.tutwiler@asheville.k12.us.nc

PTO General Membership Meeting

PTO  Meeting

Tuesday, December 3rd

6:00-7:00pm

Claxton Media Center (1st floor)

 As a parent or guardian, you ARE already a member, so please join us! We look forward to seeing you there.

*Learn about important news and upcoming events!

*Meet other Claxton parents!

*Learn how to volunteer your time, on campus or off!

Read-A-Thon a huge success!

This year's Read-A-Thon was a huge success! 

Our students read 54,000 minutes in K-5 

We raised $6,400. 

Our top reader, Wiley, read 1,843 minutes! 

Thank you to Joan Best and Julie Porter-Shirley and all our other volunteers, readers and supporting parents and caregivers!

Claxton’s First Lego League Teams bring home trophies!

Congratulations to Claxton’s FLL Teams!

Claxton’s two FLL teams really shined at the FIRST Lego League regional tournament in Flat Rock last weekend!  The Hot Shots took home the 1^st place trophy for their research presentation, as well as the 1^st place for the tournament high score in robot performance.  The Hurricane Hunters took home a 2^nd place trophy in core values, and scored exceptionally well with the judges for robot design.  

Both teams will compete in the state tournament at NC A&T State University on January 12^th.

The competition includes four judging areas:  A project in which the kids researched a real-world problem caused by natural disasters and propose a new and innovative solution; Core Values in which kids are judged of how the work as a team and their ability to demonstrate the eight Core Values of the FLL Program; Robot Design where the kids are judged on the robot they’ve built and programmed for competition; and Team Spirit which is all about strutting your stuff throughout the tournament!  In the afternoon, team-built robots compete for points in a game based on the scientific research theme.   Our fourth and fifth graders competed against 19 other teams from the region.  Kids range in age from 9-14 years old, and many of the teams we competed against were veteran teams.  This is the third year Claxton has participated in FLL, and the third year we’ve had a team progress to the state tourney! And, it was a lot of fun to see Claxton FLL alumni now competing with Asheville Middle School and ArtSpace teams. 

We are exceptionally proud of the outstanding teamwork, dedication and commitment shown by our teams!   We’re also deeply appreciative to our sponsors – Lockheed Martin, Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company and Chuck Giezentanner, a local artist who turned the kids ideas into t-shirt designs!  And, of course, we’re deeply in debt to the many parents and teachers who volunteered their time to help the team in ways large and small.  FLL is a team effort and it would not be possible for the kids to succeed without a great network of support!

PTO annual winter auction is looking for volunteers

The PTO annual winter auction is looking for volunteers!

 No amount of help is too small. No experience with an auction? No problem! 

We would love your help to support with this event which helps fund the Storytelling Festival, teacher mini grants, field trip scholarships, books, classroom supplies and more! 

Contact Meg Ragland at ClaxtonAuctionMeg@gmail.com

GoLocal Card business liaison

GoLocal Card business liaison

We have 2 businesses (Homegrown and Rosebud Video) selling GoLocal cards on behalf of Claxton. That means that for every card they sell, our school will get $5. 
If you are interested in being a contact person for these businesses 
please contact Julie Porter-Shirley at julescashion@yahoo.com

"Harvest of Love" food drive: November 18-22nd

In honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week,Asheville City Schools is holding the "Harvest of Love" food drive this week. The Harvest of Love is an annual food drive held to benefit the students and families of our school system.
Most needed items?
Prepared meals and snacks, soup, canned meats/tuna, pasta and sauce, canned vegetables, fruit cups, snack packs, snack bars and cereal/oatmeal. Labeled bins are located in the main entrance of Claxton Elementary.

Light the Night Auction

Claxton Holiday Craft Fair!

Claxton is hosting a Holiday Craft Fair for our talented community  to sell their wares! Sign Up to Volunteer Here! If you would like to volunteer your time or donate items for the 5th grade DC field trip fundraiser aspect of the craft fair sign up using the google doc below! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah5imapDUvEJdFN6Vk41WGhnLTZTRkNZYW8zdWY1LWc&usp=sharing Come Shop the Craft Fair! DATE:  November 16, 2013 TIME:  10 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. PLACE:  Claxton Elementary School, Gymnatorium Sell Your Wares! Each artist will be charged a small table rental fee ($50 or $40 plus a donated item for us to raffle) to cover our costs of hosting the event (advertising/table rental, etc) Teachers receive a discounted rate of $20 per table! All proceeds from table rentals go to the PTO. The event is not just open to Claxton parents and teachers, but open to the artist community of Asheville. Artists will need to man their own table. Space is limited and will be reserved on a first come first served basis. All items must be handmade. Help out our PTO and earn some extra money for the holidays! Please contact Rachel Friel at: rachelfriel@yahoo.com or 551-7391 to reserve your space or with questions.

Claxton Elementary now on YouTube!

Did you know that Claxton Elementary is now on YouTube? With the help of the Asheville City Schools Foundation, our Digital Arts and Media Lab has been undergoing a transformation. 

Our daily morning news, as well as our new special reports, can be found on our YouTube channel:


http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQBnlTc_510jdj4I761GcQ

Thank You to Our Awesome Volunteers Each Week!

Thank You to Our Awesome Volunteers Each Week!

Thanks to the 3rd grade parents who brought supplies, drinks, soups and salads for our staff appreciation lunch last Thursday! We really appreciated the home cooked meals that you worked so hard to prepare. They were mm-mm good! Soup is perfect on such a chilly fall day!

Thank a Teacher Week:November 4th-8th

Gear up for Go Local Card Pre-Sales starting this November!

What is the Go Local Card?  

Go Local Card is a community-wide campaign to support the Asheville City Schools. It is unique in our community and unique across the country. Locally owned businesses have donated a discount to card holders for one year. 100% of the proceeds will benefit schools and our community by supporting your school, the Asheville City Schools Foundation, and the Asheville Grown Business Alliance.

What is the Go Local Card Fundraiser? The Go Local Card Fundraiser is a unique opportunity to pre-sell loyalty cards that provide discounts to the purchaser for over 300 local businesses all over Asheville. The cards sell for $15.  Five dollars from each card sold goes directly to your school or PTO. Our schools are offered a unique pre-sale window from November 1 to December 1, 2013 so that you can ensure your school gets $5 from each card. This year, we added many new business and focused on those close to our schools.  Contact Erica@acsf.org or (828) 350-6139 for more info.

Calling all Champions…attention Parents!

Do you have a volunteer at your school that is OUTSTANDING? ACSF requests YOUR nominee! We are going to be able to attract an inspiring and diverse group of nominees and we want your input from every school!

Need to Know:

·         Asheville City Schools Foundation wants to honor unsung heroes at their 10th Annual signature event-The Celebration of Champions.

·         Seeking nominations from all schools in the categories of Lifetime Achievement Award, Business Champion, Community Agency Champion (faith-based, non-profits, etc.), Volunteer Champion, Parent Leader Champion as well as Parent Champions for each school that is new this year.

·         Panel will be seeking persons or organizations that have gone above and beyond in leadership across schools or in their respective school that met a previously under-served population or unidentified need.

·         Attached is the nomination form that needs to be returned back to the foundation by email to Erica@acsf.org or by courier December 15th. All nominees will be notified by February 15.

Book Fair Thank You!

Thank you to all of the volunteers and families who purchased items at our Scholastic Book Fair. You helped us make this a huge success! Our fair sales totaled $8,046. That means our teachers will get to spend $4,023 in Scholastic Dollars. You made this happen!

Auction planning meeting

CLAXTON FALL GROUNDS WORKDAY

THIS Saturday, October 19th from 9am to 12pm

We will need help moving railroad ties and large stones. We will also be dividing and transplanting perennials, spreading mulch and raking leaves. Bring friends if you can!

Bring your spades, pitchforks, hard rakes, large muscles, wheelbarrows, 

leftover 8”-10” black nursery pots, and garden knives.

Children are encouraged to help, but both playgrounds will be open, just in case ;)

Pizza lunch provided!

Thank you,

Claxton PTO Grounds Committee

Tricia Johnson, Kristin Cozza and Molly Peeples

upcoming district-wide PTO meeting

2 times to choose from 

Tuesday, October 15, 12:00-1:30 pm

Asheville City Schools Board Room, 85 Mountain Street, 28801

Lunch  will be provided by Asheville City Schools (advise us of any dietary restrictions)

Childcare is available (please let us know if you need it)

Please RSVP by Friday, October 11th

Tuesday, October 15, 5:30-7:00 pm

Asheville City Schools Training Room, 85 Mountain Street, 28801

Dinner will be provided by Asheville City Schools (advise us of any dietary restrictions)

Childcare is available (please let us know if you need it)

Please RSVP by Friday, October 11th

We will introduce everyone to Marta Alcala-Williams, the brand new Parent Engagement Coordinator for the district, and provide a venue for you to share with Marta and me what worked well last year, how Marta might be able to support you this year, and if the district should support the continuation of quarterly PTO meetings.

We would love to have at least 2 people from each school attend. This is a good opportunity for each school to share with Marta their ideas for future parent outreach and your PTO’s priorities for this school year. And, of course, this will be a good opportunity for parents of all ACS schools to discuss topics, ideas and concerns that affect their children and all ACS students.

If you would like to submit an additional item to put on the agenda, please let Jay Lively know.

Feel free to email me with any questions, concerns or suggestions.

Jay Lively

Volunteer Training and Outreach Programs Director

Asheville City Schools Foundation

828-350-6135

3 Teacher PTO minigrants awarded!

We are pleased to award 3 teacher minigrants in this Fall award cycle.

Ms. Then will receive $150.00 to create a Fourth grade Comics Club.  As Ms. Then notes, ‘The educational potential of combining pictures and words has become apparent; in a world where children are faced with a multiple of electronic gadgets and distractions, they still love to read comic books!”

Ms. Head will receive $200.00 to purchase software applications for the IPad mini initiative. The first grade team, along with the ITF and Literacy Coach of Claxton, was awarded a grant from ACSF to purchase 30 IPad minis, and no funds remained for purchase of software. This grant will purchase the software needed.

Ms. Lange was awarded $150.00 to help expand the Spanish/English Bilingual section of our library. Students from K-5 will be affected by the expansion of this section in the media center.

Please join the PTO in congratulating these teachers when you see them!

The spring minigrant deadline will be announced later in the school year.

Last Chance to Shop the Book Fair!

Our in-school Book Fair has ended, but you are still able to shop the Online Book Fair now through October 22nd. This extended shopping will give you a chance to shop an expanded selection of titles, find an out-of-stock book or just stock up on some reading favorites

Best of all, purchases benefit Claxton. All online orders ship for FREE to the school, after the Online Fair has ended.

Benefits of Online Shopping:

Ø Convenient access 24 hours! Expanded selection for ALL ages—preschool to adult

Ø Search for books by category, grade, age & price

Ø ALL purchases benefit our school

Ø FREE shipping directly to our school (orders will be sent home with your child)

So check out the Online Book Fair and thanks for supporting our school!

To access Claxton's book fair, go to http://onlinebookfairs.scholastic.com/default.aspx?f=3186561

Open Dream Ensemble needs help providing breakfasts

Oct. 30-Nov. 1 the Open Dream Ensemble will be sending 8 actors from Charlotte for a 3-day residency teaching science through playwriting and acting to 14 classes at Claxton.  We received a grant to fund the residency, but they have asked that we provide them with breakfast for each of the three days of their visit.

Below is a link to a google spreadsheet where you can sign up to help out by bringing one breakfast item for one day (e.g., bagels or coffee or fruit or juice).  All you have to do is bring enough for 8 people to the Teacher Break-room by 8:00 on the morning you have chosen.

The ODE has also let us know that they would be most appreciative if we can provide them with discount coupons or other deals to local restaurants to help defray the cost of their other meals.  Let me know if you can help with this.

Otherwise, I really appreciate you signing up below.  Thanks for your help! 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgWLw83omCwIdDZJVVc3ajZwa1hjbFpCZzdORGJwNkE&usp=sharing

The Read-A-Thon has Begun!

Last year's Read-A-Thon was a huge success. Many of our children jumped reading levels because of all the extra time they spent reading. They also helped raise over $6,000 for Claxton! Because of the success of the Read-A-Thon, for the first time we were able to take all the profits from the Scholastic book fair and give each teacher $160 to buy books for their classroom.

Let's make this year's Read-A-Thon an even bigger success! This week, your child brought home a reading log and a pledge sheet to participate in this fundraiser. If you have misplaced or did not get a letter and these forms, there are more at the front desk in the lobby. As a reminder, the Read-A-Thon ends Thursday, October 24th.

If you have any questions please contact either Joan Best at joansbest@gmail.com or Julie Porter-Shirley at julescashion@yahoo.com