People Get Ready

The RIS PTO is planning this year’s Winter Carnival and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. Mark your calendars for the evening of February 3, 2012 and join us for all the fun activities brought to you by the PTO, including:

• *Big Orange Raffle for RIS Studentsb
• Cake Walks
• Classroom Basket Raffle
• DJ & Dance Music
• Free Popcorn
• Game Room with “Minute to Win It” style games
• Inflatables
• *Judy’s Treasure Chest
• Parent Lounge with Silent Auction
• Photo Booth
• Pie Auction
• Scholastic Book Fair
• Slushies
• Tattoos/Face Painting

We’re looking for volunteers to help us lead the events and activities, especially those marked with an * above. The PTO will offer as much or as little experienced guidance as you would like. To step up in a leadership role, or if you have an input we might use in planning the Carnival, email rocketpto@gmail.com. We’ll send out a note for general volunteers -- we need lots -- at a later date.

READ!

Friday, December 2 is just around the corner, and that means it's almost time for Prime Time Reading Night!

Who:             Rochester Intermediate School students (only).  

What:            A reading-focused evening of books, storytelling and surprises.

When:           Friday, December 2, 2011 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Where:          Rochester Intermediate School

Why:             To promote a lifelong love of reading, to share what we like to read.

How:             Wear comfortable clothes (pajamas welcome)

                     Bring something comfortable to sit on (sleeping bag, pillow, blanket)

                     Bring something to read (books, magazines, comic books)

                     Bring favorite book passage* for a special contest.

                                         

Admission $3 per student.
Snacks & Drinks & Prizes & Fun & Reading are all included.

The deadline to send in your registration form and small fee is Nov. 29. What? Can't find the form? Click:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HLxUpvE2zbT6XV4F8DQA1i-XabY9phwUXm3aTu0Qa4A/edit

Coming Soon to an Intermediate School Near You

Next up is Prime Time Reading Night on Friday, December 2 at RIS. Forms are on their way. It's a FUN night of reading and literacy. I wonder who the Mystery Readers will be this year?

Calendar Check

A calendar reminder for y'all: Our November RIS PTO meeting is NOVEMBER 1 at 6:30 at RIS. Yes, we usually meet the second Tuesday but we can't this month due to parent-teacher conferences.

And hey, did you know we don't have school the Monday after P/T Conferences? That's pretty cool.

A little something to make you smile:

Of Course You Can

If you'd like to see our current year's budget, you can. Email rocketpto@gmail.com for a copy, or click the link below right.

Flaming September

Things we accomplished in September:

1. Planned, managed and executed a wonderfully successful fund-raiser, and the millions of details (that’s an exaggeration: it’s really only hundreds of thousands of details) it entails. Thank you to everyone who spent their time or money or both on this project, especially the counting team of Sally, Angi, Heather, Amy and Laura.
2. Organized, staffed and carried out another successful Book Fair, with sales of almost $8000. Plus the PTO earned over 200 Scholastic Dollars by attending workshops, developing parent events and having a webpage and online sale. Huge thanks to Heidi, who stepped in to make it happen after “graduation” of our previous experts. And thanks to all of our Book Fair moms – it’s pretty fun, isn’t it?
3. Organized this year’s Fabulous Fall Fun Party, with inflatables, games, chocolate, dancing, kickball, juice and snacks, a rain plan, a wind plan, and lots and lots and lots of volunteers. Thanks, to our amazing volunteer organizer, Kim. And thanks to everyone who volunteered! And very special thanks to Mr. Passfield.
4.  Supported our sixth-graders as they made their field trip. That's all we can say about it. ;)
5. Technically it was August, but we helped host the New Family Cookout, giving our new-to-the-district intermediate-schoolers a chance to check it out.
6. We’ve helped out many teachers with time and classroom funds, we’ve helped the school nurse get some snacks, and we helped the librarian get a big stack of brand-new books, and we even remembered their birthdays (thanks to Stephanie).
7. Prepped, surveyed and compiled and distributed the PTO Family Directory for grades EC-12.
8. Did a Boxtops Blitz! It worked ... final tallies for the classroom competition are still coming in but it looks good for a certain fourth-grade class.
9. Oh yes, one more thing. We have a playground now! Thanks to everyone who asked, last spring, "hey, what about a playground?" We listened. This age-appropriate series of “play events” is almost too cool to be called a playground. Whatever you call it, it was brought to you by the RIS PTO with a long-term loan provided approved for us by the district in July. Once that happened, things moved fast. Early reviews: it's awesome!
   
   (October won’t be quite so much)

Spend, and Tax

If you're shopping the Book Fair this week, thank you! We've already helped the RIS Library "stock up." Please remember that we have to (or rather, Scholastic says we have to) charge sales tax. When we let it slide, it's because we're total softies when it comes to kids and books, but it does eat into our earnings. If you're buying from the flyer or giving your kids a budget, please send in enough to cover 6.25 percent sales tax. Thanks!

Inbox Check

It's time to check your email inbox for the 2011-2012 PTO FAMILY DIRECTORY, brought to you by the RIS PTO. If it's not there, email rocketpto@gmail.com.

You're Invited!

The Intermediate School PTO’s first official meeting of the year is tonight, Tuesday Sept. 13 at 6:30 in the RIS library. We'll be discussing upcoming events and peeking at the new playground. All are welcome!

Please someone remind me to bring the chocolate.

It's WORKING! It's WORKING!

Fundraiser ENDS!

Please turn those envelopes in today! Early returns are good, keep 'em coming!

Everyone Attack!

Box Top Blitz
Ladies and gentlemen! It's that time of year again. Bring in the Box Tops that you've
been collecting all summer in a bag with your teacher's name on it and drop it in the
office. On September 29th we will announce the pizza party for the winning classroom!

And the (mom) in the back said everyone attack
And it turned into a Boxtop Blitz
And the girl in the corner said boy I want to warn you
It'll turn into a Boxtop Blitz
Boxtop Blitz, Boxtop Blitz, Boxtop Blitz, Boxtop Blitz

Just so you know, you probably won't get that out of your head until you send in those Boxtops! Sorry.

http://www.boxtops4education.com/

THE PTO FAMILY DIRECTORY IS BACK!

The Rochester School PTOs have once again joined forces to compile and distribute a

district-wide PTO Family Directory. Handy for communicating with classmates,

teammates, friends and acquaintances, the Directory will include all grade levels. Again

this year, data collection will be done ONLINE, through a survey system. Distribution

will be pdf files sent via email. The link to enter your household information is here

(click on it, or copy it into your browser):

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CYZEQ2CQC/

The survey will be open from now through Midnight on September 10, 2011

PARTICIPATION IS OPTIONAL AND VOLUNTARY: Only the information you provide

will be published and the directory will be distributed only to families and staff of the Rochester School District.

Look!

Coming Attraction

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/publish/ris

News You Can Use

We've kicked off the RIS PTO Fundraiser! This is it -- our big fundraiser for the year,
and as you may know, we've got some big plans! Please do whatever you can to
support the PTO's efforts to build a new playground for RIS -- together we can make it
happen! Make sure you have the fundraiser information and brochures, and remember
the incentives are BIGGER than EVER!

ONLINE ORDERS: Here's another incentive: For each online order sold, the student's
name will be put into a drawing for $25 in Scholastic Book Fair dollars.

OPT-OUT: Families who wish to buy-out of the fundraiser may certainly do so.
Please fill out and return the fundraiser envelope with your donation. Make checks
payable to RIS PTO. Doing so will count towards the classroom incentive (a 5-pound
Hershey bar). Also, individual students will receive a participation prize. Those with
donations of $100 or more will earn a draw from the new money bag AND be among
the first to play on the new playground (once it's built).

Here We Go!

Something's Coming!

We've Been Busy

The RIS PTO didn't take the summer off ... just wait until you see what we've got in store for September. It's going to be a swinging good time!

Thanks, Teachers, Take 3

CRUNCH THOSE ISATs WITH

Thursday Lunch:

Xochimilco

Brought to YOU by Your RIS PTO BOARD

Theresa

Beth

Sally

Vicky

And the regulars:

Heather

Melissa

Mary

Heidi

Angi

Donna

Thanks, Teachers, Take 2

Fast break the ISATs with

Wednesday Breakfast

in continued appreciation
of your efforts!

Brought to you by Your RIS PTO, especially …

Angi

Assisted in small ways by

Heather & Theresa

Thanks, Teachers, Take 1

Kick-start the ISATs with

Fat Tuesday Treats

in sincere appreciation of your efforts

Brought to you by Your RIS PTO, especially …

Angie

Becky

Becky

Beth

Bev

Brenda

Careyanna

Carol

Chris

Daphne

Deborah

Jennifer

Jennifer

Jennifer

Julie

Kim

Kristen

Lori

Marsha

Melissa

Mendy

Michelle

Nancy

Nikki

Renee

Shanna

Urgent Shopping Update!

To those who admired and coveted the rolling green cart that the PTO uses to cart stuff around (you  know, the drinks and chocolate)...

Those carts are now in stock at Sam's. They're about $18.

Something Good, Made Better

Thanks to all the participants, group leaders, food servers and Book Fair workers for their help in making Friday Night Prime Time reading night a success.

Also special thanks to our Mystery Readers: high-school students by day, football champions by night, and amazing, engaging readers during prime time. Your presence and enthusiasm made the event unforgettable for your biggest little fans.

Book Fair Sales...

Book Fair sales totalled over $7000 this year. Happy reading, everybody!

Special thanks to Jean and Donna, our fabulous Book Fair Chairs. They are awesome!

Prime Time Reading Night Update

Just in case communication via backpack backfired, here's a link to get the Prime Time Reading Night form:

Click Here for the Form!

Prime Time Reading Night Preview

Prime Time

Reading Night

Who:            Rochester Intermediate School students (only).  

What:           An evening of reading, storytelling and pizza.

When:          Friday, February 4, 2011 from 5:30 to TBA

                         Check in opens at 5:15; Scholastic Book Fair opens from 5:15 to TBA

Where:         Rochester Intermediate School

Why:           To promote a lifelong love of reading and to share what we like to read.

How:           Wear comfortable clothes (pajamas welcomed)

                    Bring something comfortable to sit on (sleeping bag, pillow, blanket)

                    Of course, bring something to read (book, magazine, comic book)

                    The Book Fair will be open if you’ve already read everything.

                    Bring favorite book passage* for a special contest.

                                                                                   

Admission $3 per student ~ Pizza & drinks & prizes & fun included.

This event offered by the RIS PTO

*What’s the best thing you’ve ever read? Bring your favorite passage from a book. Be prepared to read the passage to the group. Keep length to 2 minutes or less. The participants will vote on a winner, and the winner will get a prize!

                                                                                   

No outside food or electronic devices, please.

                                                                                   

Adult volunteers are needed to assist with small groups of students. Bring your own good book and be an example of a lifetime of reading enjoyment!

                                                                                   

Return your completed permission slips by Monday, January 31, 2011.

                                                                                   

Questions? E-mail rocketpto@gmail.com.

Amazing: The Rocket Moving Company

Thank you to all the families who helped move RMS to the wonderful new RIS. We worked so fast we didn't need that fourth day!

Thank you Razzo's for the pizzas. So good!

The following members of each family won a "Rocket Moving Co." t-shirt. This was a random draw; the first name selected from each family was the winner for that family, as long as that size remained. One or two of you got Ls instead of XLs. A few of you didn't indicate a size, so we guessed. :)

Your Rocket Moving Co. t-shirts will be available for pickup:

Sunday afternoon, January 9 at the RIS Open House and Dedication (2 p.m.)

Tuesday evening, January 11 at the RIS PTO Meeting at RIS (6:30 p.m.)

or in the RIS Office starting Wednesday morning, January 12.

As far as we can tell, every family had a winner. If you know of a family that worked during the moving times, but didn't get a t-shirt, let us know by replying to this email. They may have missed entering the drawing and we'll try to work something out.

And our sincere thanks again -- this was a huge project and we appreciated every minute!

Katie

Natalie

Jacob

Chase

Maddie

Selena

Chris

Christine

Kristine

Sally

Alex

Cathy

Jay

Ryan

Tommy

Annie

Meara

Kalisa

Russell

Madison

Ian

Luke

Kelly

Mitchell

Spencer

Elizabeth

Angi

Chloe

Ryan

Donna

Anne Marie

Kaitlyn

Kaylee

Angi

Becky

Sandi

Brenna

THANKS, MOVERS!

The RMS PTO Moving Crew schedule for Tuesday, January 4 has been cancelled. We don't need another workday because everything that we needed to move was moved today. Thanks for volunteering!