Robert Crown School PTO

Since school was closed on Wednesday, January 7, the monthly PTO meeting has been rescheduled for January 14 at 9:30 a.m. We hope to see you there.

It’s cold outside, but the students all got a warm welcome back from Winter Break today! We hope everyone enjoyed their time off and is ready for a great second half of the school year!

Here’s what’s going on at Robert Crown this month:

• The first RCS PTO meeting of the year is Wednesday, January 7 at 9:30 a.m. in the cafeteria. Join us to hear about all of the wonderful programs we have on tap for the rest of the year.
• The School Supply Sale is January 14-15. Students will be able to buy a variety of items to restock their classroom supplies, with items ranging in price from $0.10-$2.00. We will also need volunteers to help staff the sale. Look for more information to come home in your children’s backpacks soon! Contact April Jasinski if you have any questions or to volunteer!
• Next week also marks the start of the Otis Spumkmeyer Fundraiser, featuring delicious cookie dough and other sweet and savory treats! This is one of our  most popular fundraisers of the year. The sale runs from January 14-28. Items will be available for pick up on March 3. Students will bring home order forms and additional information soon.
• Manna Gift Card orders are due on Wednesday, January 14. This is a wonderful program that allows you to purchase gift cards to many of the most popular national stores and restaurants while also helping our school. Many families buy gift cards to Target, Jewel and other stores they frequent, gifts for friends and family, or gas cards for every-day or business travel. If you have purchased from Manna in the past, thank you for your continued support. If not, take a closer look at the order form this month and we’re sure you’ll find family favorite!
• Market Day orders for January are due on Thursday, Jan. 22, and can be picked up on Monday, Jan. 26. Stock up for quick family dinners, snacks or game day treats!! Contact Jessica Schachelmayer with questions or to volunteer to help on pick-up day.
• Ice Cream sales will be Friday, January 23. Students will be able to purchase ice cream sandwiches or Minute Maid fruit bars for 50 cents during their lunch period. Contact Lyn Lacrosse if you’d like to volunteer to help sell to the students! That Friday is also Spirit Wear day! Dress your student up in their favorite purple and gold to show their Bulldog Spirit!!
• Friday, January 23 is also Family Movie Night, featuring How to Train Your Dragon 2! Don’t miss this fun event, held from 6:30-9:30 in the gym. Wear your PJs. Bring your favorite pillows and blankets. And cuddle up with some popcorn and other treats to share! If you would like to volunteer for this event, contact Carrie Hewitt.
• To wrap up the month, the joint District #118 PTO will host a Family Bingo Night at Wauconda High School on Friday, January 30. Look for more information on this district-wide event soon!!

Here we are… near the end of 2014 already! The RCS PTO elves have been busy getting ready for a busy and exciting December! Just look at everything we’ve got coming up:

• Holiday Shop: The Holiday Shop runs from Tuesday, December 2 to Friday, December 5 this year. Each class will have a chance to visit the shop to buy presents for immediate family members. The kids absolutely love the opportunity to pick out gifts for their loved ones! If you forget to send money on your child’s assigned shopping day, don’t worry! They can still pick out gifts, and we will send a note home with the amount owed. If you have any questions about Holiday shop, contact Cinda Hansen or Jill Morino.
• Fall Fundraiser Pick Up: If you or your family members placed an order through the Great American Gift catalog in October, your items will be available for pick up on Tuesday, December 2 from 3:40-6:00 in the RCS Cafeteria.
• Since December is a short month at school, we have early deadlines for both Manna Gift Card and Market Day orders this month. Manna orders are due on Wednesday, December 10 and will be delivered on Wednesday, December 17. Market Day orders are due on Thursday, December 11 and can be picked up on Monday, December 15.
• Classroom Holiday Parties will be held on the last day of school before Winter Break, Friday, December 19. You should receive information about your student’s party from the Head Room Parent shortly, if you haven’t already.
• In addition to the above PTO-sponsored events, the 2nd Grade Musical is on Wednesday, December 17. If you have questions, please contact the office. (UPDATED WITH CORRECT DATE)

We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!!

Here’s what’s happening at Robert Crown this week:

• There is no school on Tuesday, November 4, in observance of Election Day. Don’t forget to vote!!
• The October/November PTO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5 at 9:30 a.m. in the Cafeteria. We hope to see you there!
• Good luck to all the students performing in the 5th Grade Musical on Thursday night!
• Sunday, November 9 is the District 118 Fall Fashion Show. Don’t miss this fun event! All proceeds from the event are split between the three elementary schools and two middle schools in the district.
• Next week is our Fall Book Fair! We are looking for volunteers to help with set up and work the Fair. Contact Laura Weintroub if you’d like to help out! Also, look for more information to come home in your child’s backpack this week, including details on Family Night and our Burger King Restaurant Benefit Night!

Other Upcoming Events

• Market Day orders are due on Thursday, November 13. This month is PIE MONTH, and if we sell more than 100 pies we get a boost in the percentage of sales we receive!! The delicious pies are perfect for the upcoming holidays, so stock up!! Orders will be available for pick-up in the Cafeteria on Monday, November 17.

We hope everyone had a nice long weekend! Back to business as usual for this week!

It’s Red Ribbon Week, where we focus on positive attitudes and behaviors and making good choices! Every day there is a different theme to keep the students engaged in the discussion; and on Thursday we will have a fun assembly featuring BMX superstar Matt Wilhelm! A flyer with all the details was sent home in students’ backpacks but here’s an extra reminder (you can also download the flyer here):

• Monday: “STOP Bad Choices and Eat Right”. Students and teachers are encouraged to wear red today.
• Tuesday: “Hairs to Being Healthy!” Crazy Hair Day!!!!
• Wednesday: “Don’t Get Stuck on Drugs” Students can wear a hat and they will receive a sucker.
• Thursday: “Team Up Against Drugs”. Students and teachers can wear their Robert Crown Spirit wear or school’s colors (purple and yellow). There will be a special afternoon assembly scheduled for students to attend. Matt Wilhem, a professional BMX biker will entertain the kids and encourage them to live a healthy life.
• Friday: “Shade Out Drugs Day!” Students and teachers are encouraged to wear sunglasses today.

On Friday, we will celebrate Halloween with a costume parade around school grounds at 2 p.m. (weather permitting), followed by classroom parties. Contact your Head Room Parent, if you haven’t already heard about your students’ party!

Other Upcoming Events

• There is no school on Tuesday, November 4, in observation of Election Day.
• The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, November 5 at 9:30 a.m. in the RCS cafeteria.
• The District 118 PTO Fall Fashion Show is Sunday, November 9 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Concorde Banquets in Kildeer. Tickets are available online at the Dist. 118 PTO website or you can submit your order via check using this form.
• Our Fall Scholastic Book Fair is November 10-14. Look for more information to come home in your students’ backpacks soon! And don’t forget Wednesday is always Family Night, with a special restaurant benefit night at Burger King where Mrs. Diol and Miss Picchietti will be helping serve food!

This week we kick off our biggest fundraiser of the year. As in previous years we are working with a wonderful company called Great American. Your student(s) will be bringing home a packet of information, including several catalogs and order forms, later this week. We will kick things off with a brief, fun assembly on Wednesday, during which the kids will learn all about the program and the prizes available. This will be the only time we ever take your kids out of class for an assembly like this.

You can get a sneak peek of what Great American is offering this year at their website. One of the most exciting new additions is a selection of personalized photo items, including gifts and holiday cards. You can upload your photos online, just like with other popular photo sites, and our school reaps the benefits!

We will also be participating in Great American’s partnership program with Save the Children again this year. For every student who sells at least five items, Great American will donate a baby chick to a family in an impoverished country, helping them provide food and extra income to sustain their health and well being. Stop by the school during the month of October to see our wall of chicks outside the cafeteria, representing each Robert Crown student who reached that goal!

District 118 Area Gift Card Program

If you are a fan of the Manna Gift Card program, you are going to love our newest program! In October and January, we will be offering a new gift card program, focusing on Wauconda- and Island Lake- area businesses. Instead of one-off Restaurant Benefit nights, you will be able to purchase gift cards to area restaurants that you can use at your convenience. The restaurants, in turn, donate 10% of the value of all gift cards sold to our school. An order form will go home with students this week and is due back to school by October 8. If we get a good response this first time around, we hope to be able to expand the program to include other businesses in the area!

 Other Upcoming Events

• Donuts with Dad will be held on October 15 from 7:00 – 8:30 am. Make sure all the dads, grandpas, uncles or other guys in your kids’ lives mark their calendars for that fun event!
• Pumpkin Fest is a fantastic family event put on by the Robert Crown teachers and staff! Stop by on Saturday, October 18, between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for some fall family fun and games!
• Matthews Middle School’s 7th annual Run For Your Life 5K walk/run is also Saturday, October 18. Visit the MMS website for more information or to register.
• The Bulldog Nation Foundation, a group that raises money to help improve and support the educational experience at Wauconda High School, invites you to Trivia Night, hosted by STAR Charities, with all proceeds going to Bulldog Nation Foundation. The event is Saturday, October 25 from 6-10 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. For more details, visit the BNF website.
• The District 118 PTO Fall Fashion Show will be November 9 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Concorde Banquets in Kildeer. Tickets are available online at the Dist. 118 PTO website or you can submit your order via check using this form. We are currently looking for donations for Silent Auction baskets. For more information on suggested donations, click here.

Today is the deadline for your September Market Day order! Visit www.MarketDay.com to check out all their products and special online deals! Pick up is Monday, September 22.

Tomorrow is the deadline for turning in your PTO membership if you want to be included in the Membership Directory! You can send the form in your child’s backpack or sign up online at: http://www.d118pto.org/join-the-pto/.

We hope everyone is having a great school year so far! Here’s what’s happening with Robert Crown PTO this week.

Community Crawl – Sept. 9-11

This week marks the first joint fundraiser of the year between the three grade schools and two middle schools — the District 118 Community Crawl. Stop by participating local businesses between Tuesday, September 9 and Thursday, September 11 for a bite to eat, a drink, a haircut, a gift or something fun for yourself.

And don’t forget to join us at the Wauconda Farmer’s Market for our Back to School Night school supply drive on Thursday, September 11 from 3-7 p.m. All of the supplies collected will be distributed between the five schools for use in stocking up classrooms as needed.

Manna Gift Card Order Forms Due

Do you have birthdays or holidays coming up where you’re stumped for gift ideas? Does your business offer gas cards or incentives to your employees? Did you know the Robert Crown PTO offers a program that helps us raise money while providing our families with an easy way to order gift cards for those very occasions? Your child should have brought home an order form for our Manna Express program in his or her backpack last week. All you have to do is fill out the form, send in a check, and within about a week you will receive all of the gift cards you ordered! We hand deliver them to your child’s classroom and make sure they are put directly in their backpack to ensure safe delivery home.

Order forms for our Manna gift card program are due this week, on Wednesday, September 10. You can download the order form here. Contact Cinda Hansen with questions.

It’s time again for our annual Community Crawl! On September 9th, 10th, and 11th, the three elementary schools and two middle schools will team up to support our local businesses. The participating businesses are listed on this flyer and will also display a sign in their storefronts.

Please visit these businesses September 9th, 10th, and 11th! A percentage of each sale comes back to our schools, and we are able to show our generous business owners how much they are appreciated. Throughout the year, they make numerous donations to assist our PTOs in the various events that are held. The Community Crawl is a fantastic way to support our schools and local businesses at the same time!

Thursday, September 11th, we will be hosting a Back to School night at the Wauconda Farmers’ Market. We will be collecting school supplies to distribute to the teachers in our district. When you drop off a donation, you will receive a coupon for a free item from one of several businesses as a thank you!

Invite your friends, relatives, and co-workers to participate too! Additional flyers are available at your school or you can download the Community Crawl flyer here. Be sure to mention that you are a District 118 parent when making your purchases so our schools get a percentage back from your support!

Enjoy a delicious beverage, pastry, lunch, dinner, dessert or pamper yourself at one or more of the participating merchants! Have fun shopping! Remember, it’s all for a good cause!

If you have a question, please contact one of the committee members or drop us an email at d118pto.commcrawl@att.net.

The Wauconda District 118 PTO
Community Crawl Committee

Dana Plunkett (WMS), Lauren Maihack (WGS) Jill Morino (RC),
Rachel Coty (CC), Kim Miller (MMS), Michelle Huspen (WMS)