Reflecting

As the school year is coming to a close I have been reflecting on the past year. We have had great achievements this year as a PTA and it is all because of the hard work of the parents and staff. I am very thankful that my children attend Turner Creek, as I feel this is the best school in the state. Being the best school has nothing to do with the state of the building or the location. It has almost everything to do with the administration and staff, and we have the BEST. So thank you to the administration and staff for caring about our children, learning the newest teaching techniques and generally being the best staff/administration that you can be. The other factor in a great school is parent participation. We are so lucky to have such wonderful parents who donate their time or help by participating in a fundraiser or sending in items/donations that may be needed. So thank you to the whole Turner Creek Family for helping make Turner Creek such an AWESOME school.

Thank you everyone for coming out to Frogapalooza. Alice McDaniel and Karen Bisi did a tremendous job putting this event together. Thank you to Mrs. Everett for all of the hard work she did getting the artwork ready, Mrs. Glaspey and the Turner Creek Choir for an awesome performance, as well as the Lufkin Middle School Band. To Mrs. Gilliam for providing the dinner and to all the volunteers who worked to make this event so successful.

I really hope the children enjoyed their Field Day. A special thanks goes out to Mr. Whilden, Mr. Misunas and Dawn Soltes for making such an enjoyable day for all of the children. We appreciate all of the parents and volunteers who took time out of their day to ensure the kids had a great time. A HUGE thank you to Green Hope High School for designing and making a dunk booth for TCE, and to Michael Bunner and Camille Issa for helping me make 3 more./p>

The Staff Appreciation luncheon provided by the Track 2 parents was a hit. Thank you for all your donations. They provided a Mexican Fiesta for the entire staff at TCE as well as a raffle drawing through the many generous donations from local businesses and TCE parents. Thank you to Hala Issa and Amy Piraino for their hard work.

The last, but not least thank you is to Jeri Hasund for putting together such a concise and informative newsletter each month. I know it has been a lot of work, but you've done a fabulous job.

GREAT NEWS!! The PTA applied and received a matching grant from the Wake County Public School System for the shade structure. The amount of the grant is $10,000. This will allow us to replenish the budget that we severely cut in order to afford all of the programs we provide, as well as the shade structure. We are hoping to add back the purchase of the shed so we can store our four new dunk booths! We are also finalists for the Lowes Toolbox Grant. We should find out the results of that grant by mid-May.

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Shade Structures

WE DID IT! The shade structure over the second through fifth grade playground has been installed. Thank you to all the individuals involved in making our dream become reality for our children. You helped us enormously by participating in our fundraising events. I am thrilled that the children will have a cool place to go on those hot days. The shade structure provides about 10 degrees of cooling shade, not to mention 98% blockage of those cancer causing UV rays.

We simply couldn't have done it without everyone's support and involvement. Our children will truly enjoy this shade structure over the summer months.

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Nominating Committee

The nominating committee has been formed and flyers will be coming home soon to give all parents the opportunity to volunteer as an Officer in the PTA for the 2008-2009 school year. Please see the Officer descriptions below. All officers have an one year term. They must attend monthly PTA Executive Board meetings and quarterly General PTA meetings.

President - Conduct and run the monthly executive board and general PTA meetings. Prepare the agenda and ensure the meetings are run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Communicate with the executive board issues or concerns that parents bring to his/her attention. Support and assist all the executive board members.

Secretary - Take minutes and action items at each executive board meeting and present the minutes for approval at the next meeting.

Treasurer - Maintain the PTA's books in QuickBooks (laptop w/software provided) with an accurate record of the expense and receipt transactions. Keep records up-to-date. Keep bank statements, deposit slips and receipts for annual audit. Work with CPA to complete taxes. Write checks and make deposits for PTA business. Assist the audit committee.

VP of Communications - Support and assist the following committees: Historian, Legislative, Membership, Newsletter, Parliamentarian, Webmaster and Yearbook.

VP of Volunteers - Coordinate volunteers for all PTA school activities, including Fall Festival, Field Day and Staff Appreciation. Support and assist the following committees: Awards, Gratitude, School Directory and Track Parents.

VP of Programs - Work with staff to obtain programs for the children. Support and assist the following committees: Building and Grounds, Character Education, Chess Club, Field Day, Health and Safety, Teacher Appreciation Week, Staff Birthdays, Program Refreshments, Jelly-beans Night, Reflections, Service to Others, UTOTES Garden and Staff Appreciation.

VP of Ways and Means - Explore and select appropriate fundraising programs for our school to help fund the budget. Support and assist the following fundraising committees: Book Fair, Business Partnership, Citipass, Fall Festival, Food for Shade, Grants, Labels, No Fuss Fundraiser, Original Works, School Store, Spirit Wear and Spring Fundraiser.

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February Update

Our next General PTA meeting is on February 12th at 6:30 p.m. We will be asking for volunteers to serve on the nominating committee. This committee is very important as they work together to present a slate of officers for next year’s PTA. This committee will be starting immediately. All PTA Executive Committee Officers have a one year term, so if you would like to contribute your time and talents to a worthwhile and enjoyable organization, please contact me and I will pass your information onto the committee. We will be sending flyers home so you will be able to sign up there as well. A description of each Executive Committee Officer’s position can be found here.

After the meeting, we will have a presentation given by Sylvan Learning Center. The presentation will last about 30 minutes and is called Learning Styles. You will learn information about the different ways that people learn and what that means for you, as a parent, as you work with your child. I hope to see you there.

Teacher Appreciation week is coming up in May. We know how wonderful TCE teachers are and Teacher Appreciation week is the time for students/parents to show them how much they are appreciated. The PTA is in need of a committee chair to help plan this event. It will require the person to come up with ideas for the students/parents for that specific week. If you are interested or need more information, please contact Jeff Soltes.

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November Update

The Fall Festival was a HUGE success. Amy Oathout and Jeri Hasund did a fabulous job coordinating our biggest event of the year. Thank you Amy and Jeri.

Staff Appreciation Day hosted by the Track 3 parents was terrific. The teachers enjoyed their luncheon. Thanks to the Staff Appreciation Chair, Hala Issa and Track 3 for contributing all of the wonderful food.

The Shade Structure for the 2-5 playground has been ordered and will be installed by the end of March 2008. We could not have made this goal a reality without the support of our TCE parents.

Sally Foster orders have come in for Tracks 1, 3 and 4. If you have not received your order please contact me immediately so that I can reorder your items. Track 2 pick up will be on November 6th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and November 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars with those dates.

Congratulations to Turner Creek students and Val Everett. Six pieces of art were submitted to the State Fair Art Competition and Turner Creek Elementary School won second place in the state. What an honor for our students and school.

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October Update

Congratulations to Jan Hargrove. She is a finalist for Principal of the Year. We are lucky to have her as our Principal!.

Thank you parents so much for your overwhelming support of our Fall Fundraising Packet as well as our No Fuss Donation Fundraiser. So far we have raised $23,768.00. At our last Executive Board Meeting we voted to order the shade structure for the second through fifth grade play area. It is a long process to get the city permits, shipping and installation, but it should be installed by the end of March 2008. We hope to get it done earlier if we can.

We are in the process of forming a Chess Club. The Chess Club will run each week. As the club gets started, we invite parents to volunteer their time or any spare chess sets. More information will follow.

All parents will be receiving their new 2007-2008 PTA membership cards. All members need to renew their membership every year. Thank you to everyone who has joined the Turner Creek PTA. We are now 386 members STRONG! It is never too late to join the PTA. The number one reason to join is to benefit your child. In doing so, you will also help our school.

The Turner Creek School Directories are in. Thank you to all the room parents for turning in the information to the PTA. Directories will be delivered by the end of the month. If you are a PTA member, you will receive a directory for free. If you are not a PTA member and would like a directory, the cost is $7.00 which is equal to a single PTA membership.

Thank you to Dinner A'Fare for supplying delicious entrees for our Track 2 Staff Appreciation Day. The food was sensational. Dinner A'Fare has offered to partner with TCE to give cash back to the school when parents purchase a dinner package. Go to Rewards for more information.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at president@tce-pta.org.

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Fall Fundrasier is underway

At our last PTA Board meeting the date for the Fall Festival was changed to October 20th. If you are interested in helping organize a small piece of it, please email the Committee at fallfestival@tce-pta.org.

The Fall Fundraiser is underway. The goal is to reach the $25,000 mark so that we may order the shade structure over the second through fifth grade playground and have it installed in the spring. We are giving you a variety of options to help raise money for the shade structure. We know that everyone has different likes and dislikes and it was our intention that parents choose which one they like best to help us raise this money. The NoFuss fundraiser is also an option and those forms can be found at www.tce-pta.org under forms, then fundraising. Thank you so much for participating and supporting this endeavor. I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received through our volunteers. A HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped get our school year off to such a great start. You are truly appreciated. PTA forms, flyers, newsletters, minutes and information on our programs are available on our website at www.tce-pta.org. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or ideas at president@tce-pta.org.

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Welcome to the 2007-08 Turner Creek Elementary school year from your PTA

Hello Turner Creek Families!

Let me start off by welcoming everyone to a brand new school year at Turner Creek Elementary. We are so happy to have you all. This newsletter is one of the services that the PTA provides to school families to keep you informed of everything that is going on at the school. Our main goal, beyond the programs that we provide every year, is to raise enough money in the fall to be able to install a Shade Structure over the 2-5 playground. To learn a little more about the PTA and what we do please visit our website. Our newsletter will be sent home at the beginning of every month. If you are tracked out during the beginning of a month, just go to the TCE PTA website for an updated version and the hard copy will be in your Friday folder when you return.

We are always looking for new suggestions so if you have an idea or would like to help us enrich the school experience for our children, please contact me at president@tce-pta.org or 303-6473. We look forward to having a great school year.

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Welcome to the 2006-07 Turner Creek Elementary school year from your PTA

Welcome to the 2006-07 Turner Creek Elementary school year from your PTA! For those who don't know me, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Missy Laster and I am the new president of the Turner Creek PTA. I'm also the proud mother of a sixth grader who has just completed two years at TCE and a first-grader, also at TCE. And, waiting in the wings, I have an energetic two-year-old who can't wait to get there!

Your TCE PTA board is very excited about the upcoming school year and how much the PTA can contribute to have a quality experience for your child at Turner Creek. Of course, we can't do this without the involvement of our students' parents. From my experience in the last two years as the PTA's VP of Programs, I can say that the old saying is really true: You get out of something what you put into it. And the way to contribute to the PTA is to volunteer.

We still have many opportunities for people to contribute, including ones that span the year and ones that are for single events. We encourage you to check these newsletter pages to see where you can contribute and make a difference in your child's school experience. I'm confident you'll be able to quickly see a great return on your personal investment.

For those of you who have already joined the PTA, this is a reminder that you need to renew your membership each year. Within this newsletter, a membership flyer has been included for your convenience. If, however, you did not get one, please contact our membership chairs, Cathy Wood or Mary Grace O'Brien. Likewise, for anyone who is volunteering with the school, please remember to complete a volunteer registration in the media center for the 2006-07 school year. Although this registration must be redone every year, you can complete it once for as many schools as you volunteer at.

The TCE PTA also has a Yahoo group where you can get up-to-date information about our activities. This is not a public group so you will need to subscribe online. For details, visit www.tce-pta.org/pta/join/subscribe.aspx.

We truly have a wonderful school, thanks in large part to the faculty and staff. As a former teacher, I have a special appreciation for all of them. I am looking forward to a fantastic school year working with the board, Ms. Hargrove, the teachers and, of course, our students and parents.

If there is any way that I can be of assistance, or you have questions regarding the PTA or its activities, please feel free to contact me or any PTA board member.

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Year end summary

I am pleased to announce that at our general PTA meeting on May 23rd we elected our second PTA president, Missy Laster. For me, that means the end of an amazing two years as your PTA president. Many of you will remember that when we started we had no supplies, no money, no officers and no committees. Today, we have over 20 committees up and running, an office full of supplies and a budget of more than $60,000 a year. I am so proud of what we have accomplished in two short years. I am most excited about all the people I have met and worked with. Turner Creek has the best parents and teachers. I will miss working so closely with everyone, but will look forward to seeing what the future officers and volunteers will bring to TCE. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as Turner Creek’s first PTA president.

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Nominating Committee

It is amazing how quickly the school year is going by. Track one has already completed the 3rd quarter and everyone else is just weeks away. In a year-round PTA there is always activity, and 3rd and 4th quarters are no exception. During the February general meeting, the nominating committee presented the slate of officers for the 2006-07 school year. The slate includes Missy Laster as President; Karen Bisi as VP of Ways and Means; Kristie Davis and Tracie Griffin as VPs of Volunteers; Cindy Thibault as VP of Communications, and Vicki Pritko as Secretary. (Thank you for your willingness to serve!) We still have two officer positions vacant: VP of Programs and Treasurer. (Note: these officers will be elected at the next general PTA meeting on May 9.) If you would like to serve as an officer, please contact me. If being an officer is not your speed, not to worry, we have many other opportunities. Check out the PTA website for descriptions of allthe committees. If you would like to help on any committee, contact Kristie Davis .

It is also amazing how far our PTA has come in just two years. Your PTA dues and donations have brought many programs to our children, including most recently our Writer in Residence Tony Peacock and, coming in April, the Tarradiddle Players. Our top goal is providing our children with programs that enhance and enrich their education and their life. If you were able to join us for the Fall Festival last October, you will know what a wonderful day it was for all TCE families. Frogapalooza on March 25 is sure to deliver another great day. More than 700 artists (a.k.a our children) will have their art on display. There will also be food, activities and auctions. Don’t forget your camera; you will want to get a picture of your child and his or her masterpiece! Thank you for supporting your TCE PTA.

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Walk to Cure Diabetes

During the month of October, Turner Creek and Wake County Schools participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Did you know that one in every 600 children has diabetes? That means a school the size of Turner Creek should have at least one child with the disease. Turner Creek has four, including my son, Jackson.

Jackson was diagnosed Memorial Day weekend of 2003. Instead of spending that holiday weekend at the lake or the beach, we spent it at UNC Children’s Hospital. We spent that weekend learning how to use a glucometer (a device that measures blood sugar), draw insulin, give shots and count carbs. Needless to say, it was overwhelming for all of us, especially a six year old, who cried each time we pricked his finger and gave him a shot. It broke my heart and I still tear up to this day just thinking about it. Now our life includes a Principally Speaking Jan Hargrove new diet (we were counting carbs before it was trendy!) and many, many needles.

People with diabetes can live a healthy life with careful control of their blood sugar. For Jackson that means multiple finger pricks daily and insulin shots. Even with careful control, the long term health effects are still uncertain. My wish is that one day my son will not have to *** and stick himself daily or worry about his future health. This is why research is so valuable.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Walk to Cure Diabetes and/or walked during our Fall Festival. If you would like to learn more about diabetes, check out www.jdrf.org or www.diabetes.org. Many of you have asked me, “How do you handle all the Halloween candy for your diabetic child?” Well, he still went trick-ortreating and we exchanged his candy for money — five cents a piece. He thinks he has it better than the other children!

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Welcome

Hello Everyone!

Let me start off by welcoming all of our new Turner Creek families. We are so happy you have decided to become tree frogs. Our returning families will notice a new format in our PTA newsletter this year. One of our main goals this year to is to provide better communication for our events, programs, fundraisers, etc. (and use a little less paper!). Our newsletter will be sent home at the beginning of every month. If you are tracked out during the beginning of a month, just go to the Turner Creek website for an updated version and the hard copy will be in your Friday folder when you return.

We were overwhelmed by our parent support during our first year and are overwhelmed again by your support already this year. Thank you! We always welcome new faces and ideas to the TCE PTA. Please check out the website for a complete list of our committees. If you are interested in serving on any committee, please add your name to the “committee book” in the main office or email Kristie Davis. We look forward to a great year here at the Creek!

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