Books & Burritos 2018

With the holidays right around the corner, we want you to remember that AHES PTO will host a Books & Burritos event on Sunday, December 2.

Purchase your holiday books and gifts from Barnes & Noble on December 2nd and the PTO will receive a portion of the sales to go directly to our special classes (Art, Music, Library).  We will have special readers, a cupcake decorating station, and an art/craft activity at this event.  All in-store sales on gifts and books, along with cafe sales (including Cheesecake Factory cakes), will benefit our PTO.

Please note that you can shop all day, anytime, at Barnes & Noble, and just mention to the cashier when you check out that you would like your purchase to benefit Agnor-Hurt.  Barnes & Noble will run the book fair through the end of the week, so if you can’t make it on Sunday, come later in the week.  However, on Sunday between the hours of 3-5pm, we will be hosting the special events listed above in the store.

If you can volunteer to help out any time on Sunday, please sign up here.  If you have questions, please e-mail agnorhurtpto@gmail.com

Once you are done with your bookstore shopping, you can hop over to Chipotle for dinner where 33% of the proceeds will go back to our PTO!  Chipotle will donate between the hours of 4-8pm, and only if you mention it to the cashier when you purchase your dinner.

Barnes & Noble will also offer our Book Fair online.  Online shoppers can use the Book Fair code 12444204 beginning on Sunday, December 2 and through the rest of the week, and a portion of the sales will benefit Agnor-Hurt.  Feel free to share the code with your out of town family and friends!

Fall Festival is Coming!

Although it seems that school just started, Fall Festival is right around the corner!  The event is on Saturday, October 28 from 4-7pm, and it is SOOOO much fun for kids and grown-ups alike!  Please help us have a successful event by signing up to help.  If every parent signs up for just one shift, we will have plenty of volunteers to make the event  a success.  Thank you!

Join the Redistricting Committee!

Agnor Hurt has the opportunity for 2 representatives to serve on the Woodbrook Redistricting Advisory Committee which will begin to meet this fall 2017.  Please consider applying for a position on this committee. Applications (due this Friday, July 14) and additional information can be found at

 

https://www2.k12albemarle.org/acps/division/superintendent/redistricting/Pages/Current-Projects.aspx

The school division has experienced enrollment growth in the urban ring area adding over 250 students in the last 5 years in the four elementary schools whose boundaries surround the city of Charlottesville: Agnor-Hurt, Cale, Greer, and Woodbrook. This growth has exceeded the building capacity of those facilities. Greer is experiencing the most significant overcrowding as a result of this growth. A redistricting study was conducted in 2015 to evaluate more immediate options for Greer Elementary prior to additional seats being built. No solution was found with the conclusion that additional capacity needed to be constructed. To this end, an addition onto Woodbrook Elementary was approved and is currently under construction. This project is intended to provide relief to Woodbrook, Agnor-Hurt, and Greer. It is planned that the addition will be complete and open for the 2018-19 school year.

Midsummer PTO Update

Happy Mid-Summer Greetings Agnor Hurt Families!

We hope that you are enjoying an amazing fun filled summer and finding a bit of time for some rest and relaxation as well.  Our PTO Board has begun its work to ensure that we have a wonderful year ahead of us filled with events designed around our mission: To promote an active and open partnership within the Agnor-Hurt Elementary School community in order to inspire students to fully realize their academic, social and emotional potential while nurturing their cultural and community awareness.

Meet the 2017-18 Board Members:

President- Sheila Chrobak

Vice President- Susan Scott

Treasurer- Meredith Curs

Secretary- Dana Washington

Communications Chair- Safia Wentling

Parent Council Representative- Sharon Fix

 

But our PTO Board isn’t complete!  We are looking to expand our board in order to have a greater reach across our entire Agnor Hurt community.  Would you consider participating as a Grade Level Representative (ensuring that teachers and families in your “wing” of the school are able to actively engage in the PTO)?  Or how about as Fundraising Coordinator (coordinating all of our traditional and new fundraisers)? What about Volunteer Coordinator (making sure that parents have a way to share their special interests and skills within all our volunteer opportunities)?  Want to find out more about how you can participate?  Email Sheila Chrobak at agnorhurtpto@gmail.com

We have a such a wonderfully diverse community with so many varied skill sets and talents and there is truly something for everyone when it comes to PTO participation.  Fill our our General Volunteer Form and we will look forward to connecting with you.  Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities throughout the year and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to share how you would like to contribute.  Many hands make for lighter work and a truly active and engaged community!

PTO Planning Update

The first meeting of the 2017-18 PTO Board was held on Monday evening. While enjoying some delicious food, including vegetables harvested from the AHES gardens, we bounced around a lot of ideas for next school year!

We are excited to expand the Board in 2017-18 and invite you to consider taking on a role such as grade level representative, volunteer liaison, and/or representative from our ESOL community. We are also looking for parents who can support the roles of Fall Festival Silent Auction Coordinator & Fall Festival Foodie! Have ideas for making our school even more beautiful, join our Beautification Committee. We have a great line up of events and activities to support our students and staff at AHES…opportunities to volunteer abound!

Many hands make light work and we are excited to engage everyone in our PTO community. There is a role for everyone regardless of your time availability and being a part of this amazing community is truly inspiring!

Have questions? Want to find out how you can help out? Have ideas to share? Email us at agnorhurtpto@gmail.com

April/May Reminders

Wow, it’s a whirlwind of activity after spring break!  We are in the midst of Book Fair this week, rehearsing for the Talent Show, and preparing for Teacher Appreciation Week next week.  Here are a few notes:

• Parents, please be aware that the Book Fair closes at 11:30am on Friday.  Starting at 11:30, we are packing up all the books.
• The first rehearsal for the Talent Show is today after school.
• Preparations are underway for the staff luncheon next Wednesday (April 26).  Please sign up to help out and/or bring something if you can.
• The Talent Show is next Friday, April 28, at 6:30pm.
• The May PTO meeting has been changed to Tuesday, May 16 at 6:30pm.

Volunteers & Donations Needed

April is a busy month!  We have several events coming up that require some parent volunteers and/or contributions.  Here’s a quick list:

Book Fair:  The week of April 17-20.  We need a bunch of parent volunteers to help students choose and buy books.  Please sign up if you can come in for an hour or two (ore more!).

Teacher Appreciation Week:  We are providing lunch for the teachers and staff on Wednesday, April 26.  Please sign up if you can bring something for the lunch, and/or help for an hour or so with set up and clean up.

Talent Show, April 28, 6:30pm:  We need some parent volunteers before and after the event for set-up and clean-up.  We could also use some volunteers to help rehearsals run smoothly.  Please contact the PTO at agnorhurtpto@gmail.com for details.

The PTO is entirely volunteer-run and depends on our Agnor-Hurt families for support.  Thank you!!

Book Fair, Week of April 17

Book Fair is coming!  The Book Fair will be in the library from April 17-21.

Monday and Tuesday will be preview days; there will be no sales.  Wednesday through Friday morning the Book Fair will be open for sales.  Here are the official hours:

Wednesday & Thursday:  8:15am-2:15pm
Friday:  8:15am-11:30am

Please note the 11:30am closing on Friday!

Parents: You are welcome to come to the book sale to browse and purchase.  If you would like your child to purchase something, you can send them with cash or check.  Please don’t send your child with a credit card!

We need parent volunteers!  It’s such a fun time to volunteer… help the kids pick out books!  Please sign up for as many shifts as you can.  Thank you!

All proceeds from the Book Fair are divided among the school library, art, and music programs.

Spring Book Fair

It’s almost Book Fair time again!  Planning has begun, and we need YOUR help!  Parent (or grandparent) volunteers are needed to help the Book Fair run smoothly.  Please sign up for a shift (or two, or three) on our Sign Up Genius.

The Book Fair runs April 17-21, with Monday and Tuesday being preview days (the kids come to look, but no sales).  Wednesday through Friday we will be open for sales.  Note: The Book Fair will close at 11am on Friday.

Talent Show for 3rd-5th

We are excited to announce that there will be a Talent Show in the spring for any 3rd-5th graders who wish to participate!  Details will be forthcoming, but in the meantime we need parent volunteers to help out.  We have one parent coordinating and several teachers on board.  In order for the event to move forward and to be a success, we are looking for a co-coordinator as well as 2-3 more parents to help with planning.  We will also need additional help the night of the event!  

If you can donate a little of your time to this fun event, please contact us at agnorhurtpto@gmail.com. 

Helping Hands

The PTO has created a Helping Hands volunteer bin for parents to jump in and help out our dedicated teaching staff. Teachers are invited to place items that they need help preparing in the bin. Preparation might include cutting, stapling, tracing, gluing, coloring, and assembling materials.

Teachers will place items and instructions in the bin at least a week before the items are needed in the classroom. There are supply bins available with materials needed to complete the task.

The Helping Hands bin is located outside of the library.  If you find yourself with a few spare minutes, please consider lending a “Helping Hand”!

Fall Festival – November 4!

Our Fall Festival will be held on Friday, November 4th 5:30pm-8:00pm (food will be available at 5:30; games and activities begin at 6:00).

 

We have a great committee assembled to help make this a great event.  To make the Fall Festival successful requires a lot of volunteers.  A flyer will be coming home with your child outlining the areas in which you can help.   If you are able to assist, please return the flyer to school.   You may also view and sign up for a specific area at our online sign up.  

Please contact Rachael Boston at rachaelboston@yahoo.com or agnorhurtpto@gmail.com for any questions.

September PTO Meeting Summary

We had a great PTO meeting on September 14;  thank you to all the parents and teachers who attended!  You can see the meeting minutes here.

Highlights include:
-A budget for 2016-2017 was proposed and passed.
-Some great new ideas for this year were suggested!  Many of them can be implemented, as long as we have a few parent volunteers to make them happen.
-There is a bond referendum on the ballot in November that affects all schools in the County.  Please educate yourself so that you can make an informed decision on how to vote.
-We are forming a committee to draw up plans for a new playground near the 2nd/3rd grade wing.  We need some parents, teachers, and students to help out with this!  Contact us to volunteer.
-The PTO values YOUR ideas and would like to hear your suggestions for projects/goals for this year.  E-mail us or come to the next PTO meeting to share your ideas!
-A representative from ACPS will attend the next PTO meeting (October 4) to discuss the plans for the Woodbrook addition.

Garden Beds and Playground Benches – Workdays

We wanted to let everyone know that the Multi-Age classes are working on building raised garden beds and some other projects!  We would like to invite any parents interested in helping with building to come on out and lend a hand.  Please note that due to the nature of building and power tools, we ask that you not bring children as we want to ensure everyone’s safety.

Schedule for Raised Garden Bed Project

Sunday, April 10, 2016 (10am) – Building of the 4 Raised Garden Beds

Friday, April 15, 2016 (Afternoon) – All soil material and plants will be
delivered to Agnor-Hurt Elementary for Raised Garden Beds

Sunday, April 17, 2016 (10am-2pm) – Finish any building of the garden beds, load up with soil, and plant

Please let us know if you can commit to the April 10th and April 17th dates.
**If we have enough people, we might work on some other projects around the school including sand and seal picnic tables, rebuild ramp to PE building, and anything else that needs to be completed.

Task List – Please let us know if you are interested in helping with any of
these or if I forgot something!!!!
Lumber Materials/Soil/Etc – Dino Taylor
Snacks/Drinks for Work Days – Adam Mohr

Tool/Misc List – We will need cordless drills, skill saw, miter saw, hammers
(regular and sledge), sanders, drill bits, rakes, shovels, wheel barrows,
drop cords, gloves, etc

If you have any questions, please contact, Dino Taylor at

badgerconsultingllc@gmail.com

Book Fair Volunteers Needed

Attention Parents!  The kids love the spring book fair, and it promises to be a really fun week!  But, we need enough adults to help the kids choose books and also run the cash register.  Please consider signing up for a shift or two to help out!   The Book Fair is all week, April 18-22.  We have an online sign up here.

Monday and Tuesday, 8:15am-2:00pm:  preview days for kids (looking at books but no selling)
Wednesday and Thursday, 8:15am-2:00pm:  selling books during the school day
Friday, 8:15am-12:00pm:  closing at noon on Friday, but we still could use volunteers from 12-2 to help pack up.

Thank you very much!