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February 25, 2018

In This Issue
Box Tops
Household Essentials Drive
Science Fair & Spring Pizza Party
Save the Date: Summer Soiree
Zupas Dine-Out Night
Tangletown Gardens Partnership
Lost & Found
Site Council
PTA Financials
Volunteer Opportunities
Thank You Corner
Mark Your
Calendars
PTA Meetings
Quick Links
Hello Hale Community!
 
I hope this newsletter finds you and your family doing well & surviving what I hope are the final weeks of winter. We have a lot to look forward to in March: warming temps, spring break, & the Science Fair! 
 
And I would be remiss to end without mentioning that February seemed to be a tough month for MPS parents. The looming MPS budget deficit & the Florida school shooting has been front & center in the minds of many of us. Both of these issues have a lot of unanswered questions & difficult paths to suitable outcomes. But what I know, right now, is that I'm proud to be an MPS parent, I'm proud of our MPS high schoolers, & I'm proud to be part of the Hale community. Let's all continue to work together for the good of our kids...for the good of all kids.  
 
Sincerely,
Stef Thompson
Hale PTA co-chair

Can We Collect 2018 Worth of Box Tops by Feb. 27?

The Hale school community is so giving. We regularly collect $1500 or more in Box Tops in a school year. This year, if we reach $2018 earned in Box Tops, we'll have a school-wide celebration with a special prank on Principal Fitzgerald!

Please send in all your Box Tops before Feb. 27!!  The spring collection is our final chance to get to $2018!

These small labels are found on all sorts of products so please clip them & bring them to the collection boxes in the main office window. Only bring Box Tops that haven't expired, please.

If you have questions, please contact Amira Holden at  amiraholden@gmail.com.

Household Essentials Drive

The 2018 Household Essentials Drive is set for Mar. 5-9 with distribution on Sat., Mar. 10.  

During the week of Mar. 5-9, each grade is invited to bring in donations of specific household essentials to make life a little easier for families in our community. 

On Mar. 10, from 9-11am, families are welcome to come make selections for things their households can use. 
 
Monday - Kindergarten: shampoo, hair products
Tuesday - 1st grade: lotion, deodorant
Wednesday - 2nd grade: hand soap, dish soap
Thursday - 3rd grade: toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss
Friday - 4th grade: baby wipes, shaving products, cleaning sponges
 
Please send items with your students on the designated day. You can also drop off items in the school office. We need volunteers to bring items from classrooms to the lunchroom each morning. We also need three people to help organize items & welcome families on Distribution Day. Please sign up  here to volunteer.  

Science Fair & Spring Pizza Party

On Thurs., March 22, join Hale families to celebrate a fantastic year together at the Spring Pizza Party & 2018 Science Fair.

Starting at 5pm in the lunchroom, pizza, fruit, a drink, & a cookie will be available for $5. Or bring your own picnic to eat & invite your friends to sit with you!

Then head to the gym where you can be WOWED by the hard work our 2nd, 3rd, & 4th graders have put into creating their science projects at the 2018 Science Fair.

Schedule for Thurs., March 22:
5:00 Science Fair Check-in for participants in gym hallway/project set up in gym
Spring picnic begins/food available for purchase in lunchroom
5:30 2nd graders stand by & explain project, get photo taken
6:00 3rd graders stand by & explain project, get photo taken
6:30 4th graders stand by & explain project, get photo taken
7:00 Thank You announcement & take projects down/Spring Picnic Ends
7:30 Volunteers take down tables

Contact Greta Wicker ggarbog@gmail.com or Jenni Lansing jenniberg82@hotmail.com with questions or to volunteer.

Save the Date for the Summer Soiree!

Our Hale/Field Parent-Only Party will be held at our neighborhood Carbones on Saturday, May 19. Mark your calendars & book your babysitters now! We will be in need of auction items, gift cards, & Great Gatherings (parent parties), so start thinking about what you can donate to make this party a successful fundraiser for our school! 

Contact Stef Thompson & Samantha Mendiola at haleptacochair@gmail.com for questions, suggestions &/or donations.

Dine-Out Night at Cafe Zupas

Our next Dine-Out night for Hale is Tues., Feb. 27 from 5-9pm at Cafe Zupas in Richfield (1840 E. 66th St. - right by the Richfield Target). We can earn up to 25% of the sales we drive to the restaurant between 5-9 p.m. Make sure to tell them you're there for Hale School! 
 
And don't forget that Parkway Pizza will donate 5% of orders to Hale on the first Tuesday of every month.

Tangletown Gardens Partnership
 
Hale/Field is excited to partner with Tangletown Gardens & Wise Acre Eatery again this year! 10% of sales on any of the following go directly to the Hale & Field PTAs. Just use the code HALE or FIELD at checkout before March 31 to ensure your purchase will be counted towards this fundraiser:

1) Sign up for a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) program. Starting in mid-June, participants receive 18 weeks of in-season, freshly picked, ultra fresh & flavorful vegetables, herbs, & fruits grown without chemically based fertilizers or pesticides direct from the Tangletown Gardens farm just 40 miles from Minneapolis. The Tangletown folks are the ones sowing the seeds & nurturing the plants in the morning then delivering that harvest fresh each week to the Wise Acre parking lot for you to pick up Thursdays between 3-7pm - it just doesn't get any more local than that! There are four share sizes available to choose from here.

2) Sign up for a $95, one-time Thanksgiving share here. This would be picked up two weeks before Thanksgiving and includes a farm-raised, bronze breasted turkey (17-29 lbs, frozen), 1 qt. poultry stock made by Wise Acre Eatery, 5 lbs. of heirloom potatoes, 1 lb. of Rochdale Farms' salted, old-fashion, hand-rolled butter, 5 lbs. of winter squash, 3 lbs of onions, & a fresh herb assortment of items such as sage, rosemary, & thyme for a Thanksgiving dinner. We take great care to ensure our turkeys eat & live in a way in which they thrive & are never given hormones or antibiotics. All produce is grown without chemical pesticides.

3) Make ANY purchase in the Tangletown online shop here & they will donate 10% of the proceeds to our school. Tangletown gift certificates, Wise Acre Eatery gift certificates, hanging baskets, books, event tickets, gardening tools, apparel, & more.

What Are You Doing Next Year?

We're all looking forward to next September's Second Annual Pancake Breakfast, hosted by the 4th grade class. To the parents of current 3rd graders, we need one of you to chair this awesome event next year!

Pancakes not your thing (What? How?) Maybe Culture Night would be a good fit! For two people. And yes, we know, there surely aren't TWO people who dislike pancakes so that's not a requirement :) 

For more information,  please contact Stef Thompson at haleptacochair@gmail.com .  

Lost & Waiting to be Found

The lost & found is overflowing! Have a look for yourself before everything in it is banished to Goodwill forever (which happens at the end of every month)!

Site Council meeting

Site Council meets Thurs., March 1, from 3-4:30pm in the Media Center. The agenda is posted here & on the information wall across from the Main Office. We'd love to see you there!

Financials

The PTA has agreed to spend roughly $1800 for a 4th grade legacy wall art installation. 2018 will be the first year of this annual project showcasing each 4th grade class. Part of the proceeds from the Pancake Breakfast will cover this cost. We also approved new headsets for the media center ($1000) & covers for our new iPads ($2200). We continue to pay for teacher stipends & 4th grade band. We also paid for the 1st grade Zoo Mobile & supplies for the Hale Book Cafe

Your donations truly matter and make a difference at Hale. Thank you!

We can help (or at least try :)

Is there  something at Hale that you don't understand ? Or maybe you're
curious & you don't know who to ask. Every parent at Hale was new or under-informed (way more than) once!

Ask us at haleptainfo@gmail.com & we might be able to  help .

Volunteer Opportunities
  • To help move & sort items collected in the Household Essentials Drive, sign up here.
  • 3rd Grade Families: the fall Pancake Breakfast is hosted by the 4th graders so we need a new mama or papa to chair this event each year. If you're interested, contact Stef Thompson at haleptacochair@gmail.com.
  • Interested in being a room parent or their helper? Contact Katy Sen at katysen@gmail.com.
  • Like to party? Be part of putting on our adults-only Summer Soiree! Contact Stef Thompson at haleptacochair@gmail.com for more information.
  • The Field 6th grade team is looking for dedicated mentors to support students during Academic Focus time in Advisory on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00-8:30 a.m. Please click here for more information & to sign up.
  • Parent volunteers are needed everyday in the Hale lunchroom. Sign up here.
     
  • Teachers need parent volunteers in the classroom every day!
    Contact your child's teacher to find out how to help.
  • Do you or someone you know work for a large retailer that sells school supplies (i.e. Office Max, Target, etc.)? The school supply drive was a huge success but we think it could be even bigger & better next year with a connection to introduce the PTA.  Contact Amanda Huber at haleptasupply@gmail.com.
Thank You Corner

Thank you to Amira Holden for organizing our Box Top Collections. Thank you to Rachel Walker for organizing the Barnes & Noble Book Fair. Thank you to Stephanie Loes and all of the amazing volunteers who helped put on the Hale Book Cafe. Thank you to Heather Longmore, Marcia Alexander & all the parent volunteers for this year's Art Adventure Program. Thank you to Molly Timmerman for putting on the Art Party again this year! 

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