12/12/16 PTSA E-Blast

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KEY DATES (complete calendar at ptsa.westfieldhs.org):

12/12-12/15 – Online Barnes and Noble Book Fair

12/13 – Foster’s Grille Fundraiser for Band, 4-9 pm

12/13 – Symphonic and Wind Symphony Band Concert, 7 pm

12/13-12/19 – Our Neighbor’s Child Events, Volunteers Needed

12/15 – PTSA Meeting with guest speaker Mr. Wolin, 7 pm

12/15 – Orchestra Concert

12/16 and 12/17 – Theatre’s Ho Ho Holiday Show

12/19 – 1/2 – Winter Break

 Here are several updates from around the school:

1. PTSA Meeting with Guest Speaker, Mr. Harry Wolin: Please join us on Thursday, December 15th at 7 pm in the Library for a brief PTSA meeting followed by a presentation by our Director of Students Services Harry Wolin.  During the PTSA meeting, information about the 2017 All Night Graduation Party and the 2017 Mulch Day will be presented. Dessert served!
2. Barnes & Noble Book Fair: Please support the WHS Library! The Library is sponsoring an online book fair through BarnesandNoble.com through Thursday, December 15^th.  Every purchase online helps the library earn money!  To give credit, please be sure to check the very small box at the bottom of the check-out page that indicates book fair and enter the ID# 11785557. Questions? Contact Mrs. Koenig at amkoenig@fcps.edu  Thank you!
3. Pie and Punch Dessert Success! Thank you to our fantastic families who donated a variety of desserts for the staff Pie and Punch Dessert hour last week! Many staff members expressed appreciation! It was a rainy, dreary day and your treats brightened many of our awesome staff members’ days! A special thank you to Jennie Joiner for organizing and to Amanda Bremer, Julie Lovejoy, Tricia Monroe, and Maria Rudolph for helping with the event! We’d also like to thank Mrs. Lesser and Mrs. Koenig for the help as the library was transformed for the event! And a thank you to Mrs. Donohue, Mrs. Marvin, Mrs. Kaulback, Ms. Kirschner and Dr. Copeland for helping to coordinate.
4. Football Champions and Link to Order Spirit Wear: Congratulations to the Bulldogs football team for winning the 2016 State Championship title! If you’d like to purchase state championship spirit wear, please visit the link here. Ordering is open through Tuesday, December 20^th at 11:59 pm. Please put your student’s name in the player spot.
5. Kids in Crisis Gift Card Collection:  It is the time of year when requests to help individual WHS students and families in need increase greatly. The Kids In Crisis program helps counselors give baskets at the holidays. If you are able, please consider donating a gift card or two. Please keep the balances on the cards to $25 or less from stores such as Wal-Mart, Shoppers, Giant, and Target. Many of our students do not have access to cars and walk to the closest stores. Please send any donation to the main office to the attention of Meg Crossett. Thank you for supporting the Westfield community.
6. Theatre’s Ho Ho Holiday Show: Westfield Theatre presents their annual Ho Ho Holiday show featuring 5 student directed stories to get children from 1-99 in the holiday spirit. Stories include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and Back to the Future Hanukkah Story. Shows are Friday, December 16 at 7 pm and Saturday, December 17 at 11 am and 2 pm. Tickets are $5 at the door and seating is general admission.
7. Need Service Hours? The annual Our Neighbor’s Child non-profit organization is in full swing this week and there are volunteer spots still open! Please get involved in this wonderful community event and help brighten the holidays of local kids! The link to volunteer is here.
8. WeStep Community Sponsors Needed Please: Westfield High School is looking for business partnerships to participate in our WeStep Internship Program from Thursday, May 25^th through Friday, June 9^th. All interns meet high qualifications including a review of grades, attendance, and discipline records. You would have an intern for a minimum of 60 hours in your organization. We seek both paid and unpaid internships in a wide range of fields. The program was such a success last year that over 36 of our seniors were offered summer employment! Please contact Patricia Lee at pylee@fcps.edu for additional information on the program and how we can help you find an intern(s). Your collaboration is an important phase of the education of our seniors and we look forward to working with you.
9. Curriculum Night, January 4^th from 7:00-8:30 pm: This is an opportunity for students and parents to learn about available classes for the 2017-2018 school year. Please help spread the word to our rising 9^th graders!
10. Junior Night, January 24^th at 7 pm: Learn from a panel of college professionals about the college process, what students should be doing now, how colleges make decisions, how to manage the process, financial aid/scholarships, and the community college option. There will be time for questions at the end of the program. This program is for Juniors and their families and will be held in the auditorium.
11. Library Volunteers Needed:  The WHS library still seeks volunteers!  Please email Mrs. Lesser at jtlesser@fcps.edu and/or Mrs. Koenig at amkoenig@fcps.edu with questions and to volunteer! Please include your availability when you send your message. Thanks!
12. BITS Tutoring!  BITS tutoring for 2016-2017 has started!  BITS runs up to 3 Saturday mornings per month. Student tutors are needed and earn service hours for their time! To be eligible for tutoring, students must attend Westfield or any of the schools that feed to Westfield (elementary and middle). For information and to see the required forms, click here   Everyone must arrive on time. No late arrivals will be admitted.

13. Turbo-Tutoring: ACT and SAT prep classes will resume in the new year and spots are already filling up. Students can reserve spots now and pay later. To see the calendar and to register, click here or see the flier attached at the bottom of the eblast.
14. News You Can Use: If you haven’t already done so, please consider registering to receive PTSA updates through the FCPS News You Can Use program. It’s a bit cumbersome to register but this is the main way the PTSA will be able to send messages (other than the eblasts and Facebook).  To register: Go to FCPS.edu; Scroll to the bottom then click on the mustard yellow banner “Stay Updated with What’s Happening at FCPS with News You Can Choose; Click the “Sign Up Now box; Enter your email address and click “submit”; Find the button for “High Schools” and select “Westfield”; Choose first line “News and Announcements” then choose second line “PTSA” and click submit. You will see a green banner with a check mark and “Subscriptions Updated”.  While in the system, you can opt for other areas of interest as well.
15. After School Concessions Volunteers Still Needed:  Are you looking for a regular (every-other week) volunteer spot? There are several openings for the after school concessions stand which runs through May! Please contact Amanda Bremer with questions or to volunteer.
16. Yearbook Orders:  Save $10 by ordering a yearbook by December 31^st!  For details, visit here
17. Athletic Teams Calendar:  To see the games/matches/meets for all WHS athletic teams, click here!  
18. Amazon.com Ordering:  If you order from Amazon.com, please access the website through the link on the right side of the PTSA webpage   Every order placed earns the PTSA much needed funds, at NO cost to you! Thank you!
19. Silent Fundraisers:  We participate in several store school support programs, such as Giant’s A+ School Rewards and Harris Teeter’s Together in Education program. You DO have to relink your Harris Teeter card each year but you do not have to relink your Giant card (but please check to ensure that you’ve designated Westfield!)  Please check out this link for more information!
20. Have something about a club, team, or class at Westfield that you’d like in the e-blast? Send a request to newsletter@westfieldhs.org