Make sure to mark your calendars for the following events at Roosevelt this week:

Monday, May 23
After school Bake Sale begins!  Members of our PTA are hosting a daily bake sale each afternoon at 2:00 starting this Monday and ending June 8.  All proceeds will go towards technology upgrades at Roosevelt.  All items will cost $1.  If you would like to contribute baked items, please drop them off at the school office.

YMCA program meeting at 6:00pm in the Cafeteria.  Roosevelt is switching after school care providers, so please come and find out what the new program offered by the YMCA will be offering.

Tuesday, May24
Wake Up California!  Rally for education funding downtown at the Courthouse Square at 7:30am.  Students that attend this rally with their parents will not be marked late until 9:00am.  More information about this below.

Last PTA meeting of the year at 6:00pm in the Faculty Lounge.  All are welcome to attend and Spanish translation is available.  Free childcare is provided in the Champions room.

Thursday, May 26
Field Day!  Come and enjoy the fun!  The students will be divided into teams and will participate in games and activities.  We need parent volunteers to help lead activities and guide groups of students from one activity to the next.  Everything will be provided for you.  Please RSVP to emilydevitis@gmail.com if you are available to help next Thursday from 9:45-11:30

Speed Bump meeting in the Faculty Lounge at 7:30pm.  Please let Councilmember Ian Bain know that you are concerned about the speeding on Vera Ave and that you support the installation of speed bumps.

Friday, May 27
Backwards Day!  Have your child come to school with their clothes on backwards!

Student of the Month Assemblies in the cafeteria.  Kindergarten – 2nd grade will have their assembly at 11:00 and 3rd – 5th grade will be at 1:00.  Sarah Coyle’s 4th and 5th grade TIG group will also be performing scenes from Much Ado About Nothing.

Box Tops Contest!
Turn in those Box Tops! As of Friday, the total collected was just under 1300!  If the the students bring in 2000 Box Tops by May 31, EVERY student will win an ice cream party! There are so many products now that participate, so be on the lookout.  Just some of the products I’ve found them on – Welch’s grape jelly, Juicy Juice boxes, Ziplock bags, Cheerios, Kix, etc.  Box Tops can be turned in to the office.

Rally to Support Education Funding…
Educate Our State, a grassroots organization started here in Redwood City, will be hosting statewide rallies on May 24 to show that parents and citizens support quality education and to draw attention to the budget crisis affecting our schools. The Redwood City rally will be at the Courthouse Square at 7:30am this Tuesday, May 24th.  Please come and show your support. Students that attend the rally will not be marked late until after 9:00am.  We are making signs for the children to hold that say,

I WANT TO BE A _______________ (fill in what your child wants to be.  For example, teacher, police officer, doctor)
GIVE ME THAT CHANCE!
EDUCATE OUR STATE!

Also, organizers are asking for 12 parents from each school to bring a dozen donuts or pastries or energy bars for the other attendees.  They will provide coffee and water.  If you will be attending and can bring something, please let me know so that we know that we have enough.  trishreillytaylor@gmail.com For more information, go to the Educate Our State website www.educateourstate.org

Dismissal Times…
Beginning Friday, June 3, all Kindergarten classes will start at 8:00 and end at 12:10.  Monday, June 6 – Wednesday, June 8 will be Minimum Days for grades 1 – 5.
Thursday, June 9 will be a Super Minimum Day – all classes dismissed at 12:00!

What’s New on the Parent Blog…
I’ve added pictures from the ELAC dinner dance (Thanks Dora Bejarano!) and the Patch.com article about the 5th grader Valerie Romero and the Much Ado About Nothing production.  I also post articles or videos that I think other parents will find interesting. If anyone has pictures from last week’s Open House, I’ll be happy to post them.

Upcoming Events…
There’s a lot coming up as the school year winds down:
May 28 –  Groovin in the Grove at Woodside High School to raise money for music programs in our schools (sponsored by the RCEF)
May 30 – Memorial Day (No School)
June 1 –  Much Ado About Nothing
June 2 – Cooking contest
June 3 – Hat Day, 5th Grade BBQ/Swim Field Trip, Kindergarten End of Year Celebration, Outdoor Movie Night
June 9 – Last Day of School!

I try to keep the calendar on the Yahoo group as up to date as possible, so if you need to take a look, go to the Yahoo calendar

PTA Pledges…
These are the last few weeks to turn in any pledge money to the PTA.  The PTA still needs your donations to support our P.E. program. Please stop by the office or send your pledge money in an envelope to school with your child. Thank you for supporting the extra curricular programs here at Roosevelt!

Art in Action for next year…
Volunteers for Art in Action are needed for each grade level next year.  You can sign up to be a teacher (docent) or assistant.  If you are interested in being a docent, training is provided and you don’t need any previous art experience.  Art is such a wonderful addition to our school’s curriculum and, like music instruction, develops areas in the brain that are responsible for creativity, critical thinking skills and language.  The time commitment is  about 1 hour per month. This is one of those volunteer opportunities that is a low commitment with big rewards!  If you are interested, or have questions, please contact kazberg66@yahoo.com

RCEF…
The RCEF is once again trying to raise money to keep music education in our schools. At Roosevelt, the RCEF has paid for the Music for Learners program in grades 3 -5 and with our 6th graders next year, they’re hoping to keep funding instrumental music.  Music instruction has been proven to develop areas of the brain that increase a students ability to think creatively and solve advanced math problems.  The RCEF will be hosting Grooving in the Grove on Saturday, May 28 at Woodside High School and the July 4 Fun Run in downtown Redwood City. For more information, or to make a donation, go to www.rcef.org

Have a great week!