Volunteer Sign Up for the Book Fair October 4th-9th

It's time again for the Claxton Book Fair! This is a large volunteering event and we need lots of parents to help set up for the teacher preview, run the register and bag books during the fair and also help pack the books up for Scholastic to pick up during the 4th-9th of October. It is a very fun event to volunteer and help our students pick out books! You can sign up for a volunteer time slot by following the link below:

Sign Up:

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlOkoI25VAS-dEJZZGdjNVBUTUNlSjREV2t6TFNkOVE&usp=sharing  

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

Picture Day, September 25th and 26th

Picture Day is coming!

Wednesday, September 25th: Grades 3-5

Thursday, September 26th: Grades K-2

Please dress your child accordingly for picture day. Both individual and class photos are this fall and you will receive an order form after picture day with both photo proofs attached. Order forms will be due back by Monday, October 7th.

School pictures are an important part of school fundraising and a portion of your order will be returned to the school.

First Family Night at Pisgah View Apartments proves to be wonderful evening!

Claxton Elementary had its first Family Night at Pisgah View Apartments on Monday, September 23. 

Family Nights is an outreach program designed to foster family-school relationships with Claxton students. Held at the Pisgah View Community Center, parents, children and teachers enjoyed dinner together donated by Urban Burrito. The parents then went to an information session on portion control, given by Leslie Blaylock from Mountain Area Child and Family Center's Rainbow in My Tummy program. Claxton teachers provided the kids with fun activities, reading and a drum circle. The next Claxton Family Night will be held at the Hillcrest Community Center on October 17. 

We Love our Volunteers!

Thank you to all who came out for the Barley's spirit night this past Tuesday! It was a great event and an easy way to support Claxton!

Thank you to our grounds committee parents Molly Peeples and Kristin Cozza for all their hard work leading volunteers for our annual Hands on Asheville Buncombe Day of Caring grounds workday last Thursday! They did such a great job helping and directing volunteers with tasks such as spreading mulch, weeding, and generally making our gardens beautiful! 

Pisgah View Family Night

Claxton Family Night at Pisgah View Apartments

Monday, September 23 at 6:00 p.m.

Pisgah View Community Center

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.

Urban Burrito will be serving dinner this Monday and a staff person from Mountain Area Child and Family Center (MACFC) will be talking about portion control, and healthier food options, as well as their Rainbow 
in my Tummy program.

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Tracy Dew tracyandjoeldew@charter.net

Directions are as follows: Take I-240 West to Haywood Road-West Asheville exit. Turn left onto Haywood Road. Take the first right at the light, just across the bridge onto Hanover Street. Go all the way down Hanover to the light at State Street. Cross State Street and continue up Hanover. At the stop sign continue straight. Take the first left - the community center is the first building on the left.

Become a Claxton Tour Guide!

Claxton Tour Guide Meeting

Wednesday September 18th at 3:00pm 

All you Claxton supporters! Help us spread the word about how great our school is: 

Be a tour guide!

Please come to our training session on September 18th from 3:00-4:00 pm 

in the Claxton Conference room. 

• Hear about what worked and what didn't last year.
• Make sure we're all on the same page about what distinguishes Claxton.
• Discuss strategies for the coming year.
• Share tips and stories.

If you'd like to give tours, please plan on attending, whether it feels like you've given a million tours or you've never given a tour of anything in your life. 

Hope to See You There! 

If you cannot make a meeting at this time, please email Melissa Cole Essig at mcoleessig@gmail.com

Claxton Spirit Night at Barleys

The Bear Pack Adds Color to Our Day

You may have noticed the newly painted crosswalk. It is the work of our very own Bear Pack, a new group of Claxton dads who make themselves available to help out at Claxton Elementary wherever needed. They painted the crosswalk over the weekend.

YOU ARE PRE-APPROVED!

Become a member, be an involved parent, help when you can, make a difference. Join the Bear Pack today by emailing your name and contact info to: Will@hornadaydesign.com to join or get more information. 

Claxton's own Rebecca Wertheim in WNC Woman magazine!

Claxton second grade teacher, Rebecca Wertheim, speaks out about She's The First, a non-profit organization that sponsors girls’ education in developing nations so they can be the first in their families to graduate high school. 

She notes that she implemented GOAL Getters while student teaching in a 2nd grade class here at Claxton this past spring. Wertheim says, "my students learned about global citizenship while fundraising to sponsor tuition for a girl their same age, attending Kopila Valley School in Nepal."

Read the entire article here!

Claxton merchandise!

It's getting colder....Now's the time to stock up on hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts and all your Claxton gear!

We are excited to offer a variety of Claxton apparel and accessories for the 2013-2014 school year! We will keep a small quantity on hand at the school for purchases throughout the year.

Please be sure to indicate the quantity and size of each item. Download an order form, and be sure to write your child's name and teacher at the top of the form. Include payment by cash or check (Please make checks payable to: Claxton PTO).

Please return your form and payment to your child's teacher or place it in the PTO mailbox. We will fill orders as often as possible and will place your items in your child's cubby.
Contact Jill Mooney with any questions about the products available.

Thank you for supporting our school!

Come Learn More about Claxton at Curriculum night!

Curriculum Night is Thursday September 5^th from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm

It is a time to go into your child's classroom and learn what they will be doing all year!

Our principal and assistant will give a brief overview talk in the gym and then you will have the opportunity to visit your child’s classroom for an inside look!

Don’t miss this fun and educational night!

MORE IMPORTANT TIPS FOR DROP-OFF AND PICKUP

Kindergarten students are released first.  (line up is on the left side, facing the gym).

      Stay to the right as far as you can in order to share Julia Street with Montessori parents picking up at the same time.

     
      Students leaving early cannot be checked out after 2:15.  Please plan to be a little early if you need to leave at the end of the day.

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Visit the Claxton A+ Blog

The A+ blog now includes a calendar of upcoming arts-related events at Claxton, so you can see what special experiences are available to your children!

The A+ blog reports regularly on arts-related happenings at Claxton—from residencies by local artists to professional and student performances to Claxton's winning arts teams—so parents can see what arts integration is about and how their children get to participate.  We encourage all Claxton parents to visit the blog regularly!

You can visit the A+ blog at:  http://claxtonaplus.blogspot.com

The link to the new calendar page of upcoming arts-related events is:  http://claxtonaplus.blogspot.com/p/calendar-of-events.html