Poem by Anna Chriss (3rd grade)

I believe I can achieve.

I am Anna Chriss

I hope to be sucessful in life.

I love to do gymnastics

I'm good at singing and dancing

I want to be drug free

I'm glad I am a drug free person

I think life is great?

Box Tops/Campbell’s contest – CHECKERED FLAG!!!

The collections have been counted up and the winners are:

1st Place: Ms. Staab’s Car #2,

2nd Place: Ms. Scholtes’ Car #19,

3rd Place: Ms. Mets #10!!

Congratulations are definitely in order for these classes! They’ll be enjoying a popcorn and movie party soon. Due to the fantastic participation of all our kids, we collected the minimum number of Campbell’s points (2,500) for Campbell’s to DOUBLE that for us!! Although the contest is over, we will be collecting all year long. Keep up the great work!

SKATE NIGHT - THURS., NOV. 12, 6-8PM

Next Thursday evening, Nov. 12, is DPM SKATE NIGHT at Foothill Skate Inn. Come out and skate with your friends from 6-8pm. Only $5 per skater, which includes you skate rental. Non-skating adults are free.

Poem by Billy Seubert

I want to be a good person so I will be a good friend.
I don’t do drugs because they make you sick.
I want to do a lot of sports and be a fireman. They do not do drugs. --Billy

Poem by Jack Larsen (Kindergarten)

I promise to not litter or to do drugs. I promise to like any basketball player that I like. I promise never to say bad words or to do bad things. And I promise to listen to my teacher Ms. Staab. If I don't do drugs I can grow up to be a policeman, a construction guy, or an artist. I like to carve pumpkins so I promise not to leave garbage anywhere. I like things that are healthy like homemade hamburgers, hot cereal, cold cereal and raisins and stuff. I promise to write with a pencil for the stuff Ms. Staab tells us to do with a pencil. --Jack

RED RIBBON WEEK

DPM celebrated National Red Ribbon Week last week, which is a time to promote healthy choices and drug & alchohol prevention. Hopefully you caught a glimpse of some of the items your child brought home; red wristband (worn all week), book mark, pledge card and ribbon.

Thank You to all the parent and student volunteers that helped facilitate the fun lunchtime activities for our DPM students. A big thank you also goes out to all the students that participated in these activities. We have some wonderful banners in the hallways and office area, as well as an impressive paper chain in the lunch room because of their efforts. DPM ROCKS DRUG FREE!!!

Be sure to visit the blog regularly to see the creative poems written by some of the students. All students that submitted poetry will receive a certificate on Friday to Chick-Fil-A for a free milkshake. When you visit Chick-Fil-A on Alta Arden, don’t forget to thank them for their generous donation to our school!

OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT – Monsters vs. Aliens

This Friday, October 16, is our long awaited Movie Night at 6:30pm! The forecast for Friday is a high of 82 and sunset is at 6:25. Wear your PJ’s and bring your blankets, sleeping bags or chairs. Meet us on the lawn by the playground.

Mrs. Springer’s 6th grade class will be selling food and snacks to benefit their weeklong camp.

Don’t forget to stop by and thank our new neighbor, Goodwill Industries, which made this family fun evening possible.

ALL STUDENTS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT – PLEASE, NO DROP-OFFS!

Great Job Mrs. Walters!

If you haven't had a chance to meet our new principal, Mrs. Walters, you should make a point of it. As well as being highly qualified, she is very dedicated, incredibly motivated and extremely friendly. She's really started the school off strong and we are so happy to have her with us to lead our staff and students. Thanks Mrs. Walters!

Fall Carnival Volunteers Needed

The fourth annual DPM fall carnival will be on Saturday, October 24th and the PTA Fall Carnival committee is looking for some helping hands. We need parents, friends and family members to assist with the carnival. Return your volunteer/donation commitment letter as soon as possible.

Donations needed: K-2nd grade: 1 large bag of individually wrapped candy (no chocolate please). 3rd-6th: 12 pack of soda, juice or water. Everyone loves the cake walk, but we need baked goods to make it successful. EASY-UP CANOPIES – If you could loan yours for the carnival, it would be greatly appreciated. If you are able to help with preparation before the carnival, or help the day of the carnival, please contact Terri McConnell @ 439-7887 OR Annette Evans @ 265-8667 OR send an email to dpmpta@hotmail.com OR just return the completed form. Thank you in advance!!!

THANK YOU DPM FAMILIES!

Thank you to all the DPM families that made the Fat Cat Cookie Dough sales such a huge success! We reached our goal of $4500 profit. You are all amazing.

Don't forget to pick up your cookie dough on Tuesday, October 6 from noon - 6:30pm. Due to limited freezer space, the dough MUST be picked up during this time.

More information will be available soon for volunteering to help unload the pallets of cookie dough.

Mrs. Springer's 6th Grade Car Wash Sales

Mrs. Springer's 6th grade class is working hard to earn money for Sly Park Camp. They will be selling discounted cards to the Pavilion Car Wash through November 6. Support these kids while supporting a local "green" company. I will be posting a flyer soon or you can contact Deb Osfeld at debos3@yahoo.com for more information.

Mustang Madness is Coming!

Mustang Madness will begin this Friday, September 4th!

Students and staff can wear any DPM apparel or dress in school colors (blue, yellow & white) every Friday to participate in our grade-level spirit competition. One Friday a month, at random, Mrs. Walters will visit every classroom and determine the percentage of the class in school apparel/colors. Grade-level percentages will be averaged and a winning grade-level will be announced at the end of the school day. Students will then receive a prize the following Monday. PTA is currently selling DPM apparel. Order forms went home, but more can be found on the bulletin board in the office.

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the Del Paso Manor PTA blog. If this is your first time visiting, we’re happy to have you and encourage all feedback, good and bad. Missy Ballance was the creator of this site last year, but has recently turned it over to me, Terri McConnell. I’m new to “blogging”, but a veteran of DPM. Hopefully the combination will be successful.

I will be adding links to the site for local merchants and sponsors of DPM. We have so many local committed donors and we’d like to encourage everyone to patronize them when possible. Don’t forget to mention your appreciation. Their donations help make Del Paso Manor a better place for our children.

Check back regularly or subscribe to get update alerts.

Thank you, Ms. Westrup

Words in a blog post cannot express our grattitude and love for Ms. Westrup. She's been a huge asset and strength at our school while she's been our principal. Her retirement is a huge loss to us, but a great joy for her. Please take a moment on Thursday morning to let her know that she'll be missed.Please join us on Thursday, May 28 to wish Ms. Westrup a happy retirement! Join us on the black top, just outside the cafeteria from 7:45 - 8:45 a.m.

Don't Forget to Keep Bringing in Those Box Tops!

If you’ve seen our chart in the MP room or here on the blog you know that we’ve already raised $160 just by clipping 10 cent Box Top coupons! Our goal is to raise $1,250 by the last day of school so please ask friends, neighbors and family to help us collect. We can do it!

News for Week Ending May 15th

Thank you, Mrs. Westrup – We will miss you!
Please join us on the morning of Thursday, May 28th to wish Mrs. Westrup a happy retirement. Stop by for some refreshments and to let her know how much she’ll be missed. We have been fortunate to have such a dedicated, caring and hard working individual leading our school. Join us on the blacktop, just outside the cafeteria from 7:45 – 8:45am. For more information or if you would like to contribute refreshments, please contact Terri McConnell at http://us.mc654.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dpmpta@hotmail.com or call 439-7887.

*DPM Fundraiser Car Wash Update*
Thank you to all who have purchased Pavilion’s car wash cards. Since sales began in April, just three weeks ago, we have sold 90 cards bringing in $900 for DPM! There are 2 more weeks remaining to sell cards. May 29th is the LAST day to turn in final orders. New log sheets will be handed out on Friday, the 15th for you to continue selling cards in support of DPM. Remember to turn in $ to your teachers or the office ANY DAY; you will receive the cards within 2 days. If you have any questions, please contact Kristin at kristing@surewest.net .

Teacher Appreciation Week
A great BIG THANK YOU to the parents and students who worked with the PTA, to make Teacher Appreciation Week a delightful affair. There are a few pictures, which will go up on the PTA blog site at http://www.dpmpta.blogspot.com/. With your help we were able to provide a wonderful Mexican food luncheon on Monday May 4th for our teachers and staff. We had tamales, enchiladas, a Mexican cole slaw salad, and our own version of street tacos complete with shredded meat and all the toppings. We listened to music, talked about serious and not so serious things, and handed out door prizes of Jamba Juice, Starbucks, and our current fundraiser, Pavillions Car Wash cards. Most of all we had fun and the teachers and staff nabbed a few minutes to unwind and feel appreciated.
Thanks for all the help which included:
Teacher gifts – Kerry Londree - daily box distribution, Terri McConnell – beautiful handmade gift bags filled with treats for Friday finale, Doreen Adams – gift preparation.
Luncheon items – Julia Bilaver, Stephanie Miranda, Missy Ballance, Jenny Holthaus, Dina Howard, Melissa Jacobs, Tonye Niweigha, Kristin Goble, Kerry Londree, Terri McConnel, Doreen Adams, Vickie Pershing, Tracy Hinojosa, L.J., Kristy Wormald, Dana Kurzrock, Jessie Mapes, Jenn Wolfe, Thao Ngyuen, Laura Osecheck, Shannon Larsen.
Setup and decoration – Missy Ballance, Doreen Adams, Kerry Londree, Dina Howard, Mike Cushing, Edwin Cerrato.
Serving – Doreen Adams, Dina Howard, Melissa Jacobs.
Cleanup – Doreen Adams, Dina Howard, Melissa Jacobs, Stephanie Miranda, Kerry Londree, Edwin Cerrato, Jenny Holthaus, Missy Ballance.
Also , a thank you to parents Ann Sanchez and Karen Vickland for volunteering to assist with any additional items needed.
If you would like to participate in the planning and execution of daily festivities for next years Teacher Appreciation Week please get in touch with Laurie Clay at dangsmom@sbcglobal.net or 916-607-1507.

Spring Sing Photos for Kinder

Pictures of the kindergartener’s Spring Sing are available for $10 each. It is an 8 x 10 group photo of the three classes while performing. If you would like to buy one, please see Ms. Inman, Mrs. Sayles or Mrs. Staab. Checks can be made to DPM PTA.

A Big Thank You from PTA

We have updated the "Dates to Remember" Section on the side bar. School is almost out if you can believe it! But our work is not done yet! We still have our car wash fundraiser going on! We have already raised several hundred dollars, and are so thankful to the parents and students who have sold these cards! Keep up the good work!

We are also continuing to collect box tops! We have set a goal of raising $1,500 in these last few weeks of school, and we are currently at $150! We are still able to reach our goal! If each student brings in just 5 box tops per week until school is out, we will be doing great!

STAR testing is almost over so be sure to congratulate your students on all of their hard work!

News for Week Ending May 1st

Finish out the school year with Box Tops!
Do you realize that we could raise $1,250 for our school if each student brought in just 5 Box Top coupons each week for the last five weeks of school? Let’s give it a try! Starting next week, please deposit your coupons in the Box Tops container in the school lobby. Our progress toward the goal will be posted in the MP room and the PTA’s blog, http://dpmpta.blogspot.com/.

National Teacher Appreciation Week is almost here!
May 4th through May 8th, 2009. Take time during this week to do something nice for your child's teacher each day. Our annual DPM- PTA Teacher Appreciation Lunch is scheduled for Monday May 4th. Please contact Laurie Clay at 916-607-1507 or e-mail to dangsmom@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in helping out.
We could use help with any of the following:
· Decorations
· Food or Drinks
· Paper goods
· Setup, serving, or clean up
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." Cynthia Ozick

*DPM Fundraiser Car Wash*
Good news! In our first week of sales, DPM sold over 30 cards raising $300 so far! Imagine if we could do that every week until the end of May; we could raise another $1500!! New log sheets will be handed out with Friday’s newsletter; so please continue to sell cards for Pavilion’s Car Care Center . Remember to turn in $ to your teachers or the office. If you need more sales logs, please ask your teacher or see Kim in the office. Want to volunteer with the sales at school events? Contact Kristin at kristing@surewest.net .

We need volunteers to help run the car wash fundraiser!

Kristin Goble has been so great to set up this fabulous new fundraiser! As you may already know PTA will be selling car wash cards for $20 each. The value of the card is over $35.00, and PTA gets $10 for every card sold! So, as you can see, we are very excited to sell as many cards as possible! We have decided to sell these cards through the newsletter at the school, as well as setting up a table to sell cards at our various upcoming events.
What we need from YOU is to tell all of your family and friends about this fabulous opportunity to help support the school! Keep in mind that these gift cards will make great Father's Day, Mother's Day or graduation gifts! If you would like to order carwash cards, you can email Kristin directly at kristing@surewest.net OR you can stop by the school during the following times:

4/30 Spring Sing, 5:30pm-7:30pm, 2 volunteers (we have 1 volunteer, need 1 more)
5/12 Community Input Forum, 5:30pm-7:30pm: 2 volunteers
5/19 State election poll, 7am-8pm: 4 volunteers, maybe 1½ -2 hr shifts & just do early AM until about 9am, lunchtime, and then 4pm-8pm to anticipate when most people would go to the poll. (We have 1 volunteer, and can still use several more.)
5/21 Open House, 5:30pm-8pm: 2 volunteers
5/26 Recital, 5:30pm-7:30pm: 2 volunteers

Would you like to volunteer to help sell these cards? We would LOVE to have you! The times and volunteer options are listed above. Please email Kristin (email address above) or dpmpta@hotmail.com. Remember, just an hour of your time here or there goes miles. We appreciate and welcome any time you can commit! Thank you!!

News for the week ending 4/17/09

DPM E-Waste Recycling Event- Saturday, April 25, 9am – 1pm
Mark your calendars for DPM’s first recycling event on Saturday, April 25 from 9am to 1pm. This will be a 6th grade fundraiser as well as a great way for you to dispose of those old and broken electronic items that you can’t throw in the trash.
· Items we can accept: computers, TV’s, laptops, cell phones, printers, monitors, speakers, keyboards, mice, PDAs, radios, stereos, MP3s, DVDs, CD players, and VCRs
· Items we cannot accept: household appliances, microwaves, batteries, toner/ink cartridges, cans and bottles.


School Beautification Day – Saturday, April 25, 9am – noon
Come help use celebrate Earth Day by helping make our school look its best. We will be sprucing up the school while collecting e-Waste and selling car wash gift cards! Bring your family, friends, any gardening equipment you have (gloves, rakes, shovels, clippers) and join the fun.
Coffee and donuts will be available while they last for the early risers.
Contact Deb Osfeld at http://us.mc654.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=debos3@yahoo.com for more information.

*NEW FUNDRAISER: DPM Fundraiser Car Wash*
DPM is partnering with Pavilion’s Car Wash to sell cards redeemable for one car wash at their Fair Oaks Blvd. location. Cards cost only $20 but have a value of $37.46!! The cards have NO expiration date, and half the proceeds come back to DPM. The sale starts Friday, April 17th, and will run through Friday, May 29th. Let's help DPM get a jump start on fundraising for programs funded by the PTA while supporting a local "green" business." For more info on how to sell the cards contact Kristin at kristing@surewest.net or dpmpta@hotmail.com


PTA Planning Committee meeting - Tuesday, April 28th
Do you have ideas for new activities you'd like to see during the 09-10 school year? Or perhaps some suggestions about PTA fundraisers? Please join us for the planning committee meeting at Shannon Larsen's house ( 2413 Manor Court ) on Tuesday, April 28th, at 6:00 pm. Dinner will be provided. Please call Shannon at 973-8066 to RSVP by Friday, April 24th.

Welcome to Blog-Land

Del Paso Manor PTA has now joined blog-land! We hope to use this blog as a tool to keep parents informed about the exciting events that are happening around campus! We hope you will add our blog to your reader so you will have the most "up-to-date" information about what DPM is planning.
Thank you, in advance, for your patience while we build our blog. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or you are able to help, please email Missy at missyballance@aol.com