McTeacher Night!

Our first McTeacher Night of the year will be Thursday, October 28th!

Come on out the the McDonalds at Nexus and Valencia to support our PTA and to have some of your teachers serve you!

I won't be "working" at McDonalds but I will be there (with my daughter) to have dinner and support our school.

I hope to see you there!

Any student who attends and then brings me his/her receipt will receive 5 blue tickets!

Thanks for supporting our PTA!

Red Ribbon Week

Next week (October 25-29) is Red Ribbon Week. This is a week in which students are educated about the negative effects of drugs and are encouraged to "take the pledge" to remain drug-free. Each day will have its own theme and those who are "taking the pledge" are encouraged to participate!

MONDAY: "Put a Cap on Drugs" (wear a hat to school)

TUESDAY: "Tie up Drugs" (wear a necktie, bow tie, hair tie, or any other type of tie you can think of)

WEDNESDAY: "Team up Against Drugs" (wear a team jersey or t-shirt)

THURSDAY: "Red/Pledge Day" (wear Red)

FRIDAY: "Hocus Pocus Drugs aren't our Focus" (wear your dress-code acceptable Halloween costume)

Our Student Services Coordinator, Ms. Post, has worked really hard on this week!

Thanks Ms. Post!

CIMI Trip

Mrs. Bloker, Mr. Hughes, and I are once-again leading a trip for 6th grade students to the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI).

Last night we held our parent meeting and gave out a lot of information. In case you missed the meeting, here are the hi-lights:

• Trip is open to 6th graders only, 33 maximum campers, there is an application process (interested students were given the application today)
• We leave on a charter bus at 9:00 PM on Sunday, May 15. We participate in CIMI activities on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We drive home on the charter bus on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Students are expected to be in school on Thursday!
• The cost of the trip is $285 and it includes everything except the optional purchase of CIMI apparel.
• Applications are due Tuesday, October 26th.
• Students will be notified of their acceptance on Friday, October 29th.
• There is a $40 deposit due by November 4th.

Please email me if you have further questions!

Kayaking is always one of our activities!

Nature hike where we learn about conservation and ecology.

It is a camping experience and we do sleep in tents!

Snorkeling is always one of our activities!

We also do lots of other things/activities while on the island!

It is a meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime experience for many kids! We wouldn't do it every year if we didn't truly believe that the kids were getting a lot out of it!

Upcoming Events

Hello Families!

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a great 3-week break and is ready for a fantastic 2nd quarter!

My family really enjoyed my break! After teaching intersession for the first week, we headed to Disneyland for the second week, and then just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company for the third. I successfully completed the Mt. Lemmon Half-Marathon in 3 hours and 10 minutes. It was exhausting, but also very exciting!

I wanted to let you know about some upcoming events:

Tuesday, October 19: CIMI Parent Meeting

If your child is interested in possibly attending the 2011 Catalina Island Marine Institute Trip (led by myself, Mrs. Bloker, and Mr. Hughes) please meet in the MPR at 6 PM tonight for all the information!

Wednesday, October 20: Java Edge 6-8 PM

Please try to join us at Java Edge (in Rita Ranch) from 6-8 PM for a PTA Fundraiser (just by buying yummy coffee!!) and some student art work and performances! Hope to see you there!

Now through Monday, October 25: Collection for Ronald McDonald House

The Vail School District strives to teach students the importance of service. For that reason, we have been challenged to collect donations for the Ronald McDonald House for this week only. The drive will end on Monday morning and we are specifically looking for general household items such as paper towels, sponges, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc.

On an academic note...students received their science fair packets yesterday!

Again, welcome back!

Mrs. Forgacs

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Hello Families!

This post is about upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences. But first, an update on the sale of Entertainment Books:

• Our class is doing awesome! We have sold 8 books already and I know others are being sold too!
• Each book is $30 (I had originally thought they were $35; I apologize for any confusion) and checks get made out to: Vail Education Foundation.

Okay, Parent-Teacher Conferences:

• Students were given a sign-up sheet today. They are due back no later than Tuesday, September 7th (for PRIDE check) but we will certainly take them early as conferences are scheduled on a first-come basis.
• We have set-aside 2 days for conferences (Thursday/Friday September 16 and 17). There will be a half-day (noon dismissal) for students on those 2 days/
• Next week you will receive written notice of the exact date and time of your conference.
• Conferences are scheduled for 15 minutes each. During that 15 minutes you will meet with me and Mrs. Bloker (separately, as the other will likely be meeting with another family).
• The specialist teachers will be available for conferences on a walk-in basis.
• Report cards and Benchmark Data will be handed out.
• Students are welcome (and, in fact, encouraged) to attend their conference and hear what we have to discuss.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks for reading:)

Leave a comment for your child to get a ticket!

Entertainment Books!

Yep! It is that time of year again! Time to sell those Entertainment Books to support our PTA!

This is a really important fundraiser for our school, especially in these times of lower budgets for classroom use.

In addition to that....I AM REALLY COMPETITIVE!

Throughout the year RVMS will have competitions between advisories and grade levels for participation in certain things. The sale of Entertainment Books is a competition between all advisories and....I want to win!

Please think of who you know that may be interested in purchasing a 2011 Entertainment Book and ask them early! I use mine extensively....in past years I have saved $20 at Safeway, on oil changes all over, and lots of eateries.

Entertainment books will be sent home on Friday (August 27th).

• If you are unable to sell the one that comes home, simply return it with your child.

• If you sell (or buy) it simply send the money in with your child.

• If you want to sell more than 1 please just let me know how many you would like and I will make sure they get to you.

A little incentive...

• For every book your child sells, he or she will receive 5 red tickets.
• The winning class will receive a smoothie party!
• If our class wins, I will reward them with additional recess time.
• The student (school wide) who sells the most will receive a $25 Barnes & Nobel giftcard!

Happy Selling:)

PS - As an added incentive, if you leave a comment on this post (by clicking comment) I will give your child 2 red tickets:)

Open House and Picture Day

Open House is TONIGHT (August 12th) from 6-8. It will start in the gym, then you will have the chance to be escorted around to your child's classrooms. Students can earn an "I Care Pass" for completing the Open House Check-list while here.

Picture Day is Friday, August 20th! Envelopes went home today and need to be returned with the money prior to the 20th, if you want to purchase the pictures.

Hope to see you tonight!