January 2015 - Prairie Vista PTO

January 2015
President: Hayley Sesterhenn, 247-0386, hayleysesterhenn@gmail.com
President-Elect: Becky deVarona, 243-7651, rebeccadevarona@comcast.net
Treasurer: Tina Hunter, 243-0193, cshunter03@hotmail.com
Recording Secretary: Clare Roach, 243-2894, clare_roach@hotmail.com
Corresponding Secretary: Amy Kuzmic, 312-305-9374, amykuzmic@gmail.com
- MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD Happy New Year! Hopefully you and your family enjoyed a restful winter break
and a safe and happy holiday. As the weather outside is getting cold, your PTO
is continuing its work with great events for January.
PVU begins its winter session on Tuesday, January 20 nd. The PVU committee
has a spectacular set of course offerings this winter with new and exciting options and the standard popular offerings. Please note that PVU is on Tuesdays
for the winter session. Get ready for fun PVU learning!
Mark your calendar for Winterfest on Thursday, January 22nd. Plan to spend a
wonderful evening with your family and friends while enjoying fun activities
and supporting Prairie Vista. As the PTO’s last major fundraiser for the year,
Winterfest suppor ts many pr ogr ams including our Ar t in the Studio instructor, Healthworks, classroom magazines as informational texts, Learningsphere, Field Day and fifth grade graduation. In addition, any money raised that
exceeds our annual PTO program budget will go towards Prairie Renovations to restore the outdoor learning facility for our students.
Our Prairie is one of the only natural areas left in our community. Having it so
close to our homes and at our school provides a space where students can explore and learn across the curriculum. If you have not taken the time to see and
explore the Prairie I encourage you to bundle up and take a walk with your kids
to see its possibilities. There is such beauty in the Prairie throughout all seasons.
I look forward to seeing you all at Winterfest!
Hayley Sesterhenn, Prairie Vista PTO President
-DATES TO REMEMBERJanuary/February 2015
Jan 5
Jan 19
Jan 20
Jan 22
Jan 27
School Resumes from Winter Recess
No School Recess Day
PVU Winter Session Begins (Tuesdays)
Winterfest (5:30—8:00pm)
Market Day Pick Up (5:30-6:30pm)
Feb 5
Feb 13
Feb16
Feb 24
Learningsphere
Friendship Celebrations (1:30-2:10p.m.)
No School Recess Day
Market Day Pick Up (5:30-6:30)
Thank you to Amy Kuzmic the Corresponding Secretary for the PTO. She
does a terrific job of reminding the
committees of deadlines and putting
together an informative Puma Report every month.
Thanks to the Staff Appreciation committee and the families that made cookies for our teachers cookie exchange.
The teachers were very grateful. Thanks Room Parents
for the winter parties, All the kids had a great time!
A shout out goes to Jen Witt who logs our volunteer
hours. She has done an amazing job and it all comes
back to support the PTO. Last, but not least a big thanks
to Susan Sheppard for coordinating restaurant night at
Beef O’Bradys.
BE APART OF PRAIRIE VISTA 2015-2016 PTO
The following PTO committees are in need of leaders/co-leaders for the 2015-2016 School Year: Board Positions - President Elect and
Treasurer. Committee Chair Positions - Company Rebates(1), Market Day (2), Learningsphere (1), PHM Forum (1), PVU (1), Prairie Restoration (new committee), and Staff Appreciation (1). If you have an interest in getting more involved in the PTO and heading one of these
committees, please contact Becky de Varona- President Elect 2014-2015 at (574) 217-2281. Get involved in your child's education.
PVU WINTER 2015
Dates for PVU Winter session :
Tuesdays - January 20 & 27
and February 10, 17 & 24.
Prairie Vista will be celebrating the new year with a another great session of Prairie Vista University. PVU will take
place after school on Tuesdays in J anuar y and Febr uary, 2015. Several new courses will be offered in biology,
computer science and the arts. beginning of January. Look
for course bulletins to come home this week. They are due
Wednesday, January 15th.
Restaurant Days
Prairie Vista received $100
from Beef O Brady’s for the
Restaurant Days. Thank you
to everyone who went out.
Our next Restaurant Day will
be in March at Chic Fil A.
More information to come….
Learningsphere Hospitality Committee
Did you know we have a hospitality room for
the judges that volunteer their time for our kids
for Learningsphere? We provide breakfast and
lunch for them the day of the event. We are
looking for someone to help setup the hospitality room the afternoon before and the day of
Learningsphere. If interested please contact
Claudia Mager at 574-323-7298 or email
clmager@hotmail.com.
Winterfest 2015
Thursday, January 22nd—5:30—8:00 PM
Dinner by Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Snacks by PTO’s Hospitality Committee
Nails by Anna & Elsa
Exciting Auction Items
Dessert by Urban Swirl
DJ Todd
Special GUEST EMCEE
Photo Booths by Burns Rental AND MORE...
WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!
Please volunteer for a shift: 5:15-6:45 pm and 6:30-8:00 pm. We need help with monitoring auction areas, monitoring doors, ticket taking for all
activities, set up and clean up. All volunteers will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE PUNCHCARD worth $25 for use on the night of the
event. Please contact Lissa Eshowsky at scottandlissa@comcast.net and Andy Weiss at weiss513@yahoo.com to volunteer!
OVER 100 EXCITING AUCTION ITEMS TO BID ON! This year we have some NEW and incredible auction items!
A few of our “Featured Items” valued at over $300: Braces with Shawn Long, One month of math classes at Mathnasium including an evaluation, one week of 2015 Summer Resident Camp Fees at YMCA Camp Eberhart, All Pro Construction gift certificate, A Night to Remember: Limo
service, dinner at Trattoria Parisi’s and two tickets to the opening night of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, For the Man: Header’s Car Care car
detail, Parkwood Auto Spa car washes, Ziker Cleaners gift card and Sports Clips “Season Ticket,” Family Trip to Indy including a one night stay
at Carribean Cove Hotel and Conference Center and two admissions to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and finally Chicago Family Outings including tickets to Shedd Aquarium, The Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum and Brookfield Zoo.
"Puma Pride Auction Items” include: one week of lunch with friends for grades 2-5, jump to the front of the pick-up line, lunch line leader for a
week, front row seats to PV events (Kindergarten performance, 2nd grade performance, PUMAS performance, 5th Grade Recognition), PTO
Basket with free yearbook, t-shirt, 2015 school photos, magnet, 2014-15 directory, and more.
Look for opportunities for your child to hang out with their teacher. Teachers participating are: Bears & Snacks with the Kindergarten Teachers;
Game Night & Dinner with 1st Grade Teachers; Bedtime Story with Mrs. Gage; ND Sports Events with Mrs. Mumaw, Mrs. Hoppers, Mr. Hansel,
Ms. Lebiedzinski, Mrs. Albert, and Mrs. Twibell; Dinner & Karoake with Mrs. Austin; and Mani/Pedi with Mrs. Hlade.
Classroom Baskets are being created by YOUR donations. THANK YOU!
We have so many “Kids Camps & Activities” to choose from: CrossFit Kids Class, Gymnastics Michiana, Swiss Valley Ski Area, Echo Valley
Winter Sports Park, St. Joseph Parks and Recreation, Strikes & Spares Bowling Party, Eby’s Family Fun, Soccerzone and MORE.
Local “Services” include items from Gurley Leep Honda Elkhart, Drive & Shine, 301 Salon Spa, Valentino’s Photography, Derby Photography,
Basney Honda, Preventive Medicine, Morris Animal Hospital, and Salon Rouge.
"Sports & Fitness” items include 18 holes of golf at The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, Juday Creek Golf Course, gym memberships to Fit
Stop and YMCA Niles to name a few.
And finally we can’t forget to mention some of the “Night on the Town” auction items that include family and date night packages with ND sporting tickets, theater tickets, South Bend Cubs tickets, and dinner from Corndance Tavern, Bonefish Grill, Tippecanoe Place Restaurant, Four
Winds Casino, O’Rourke’s Public House, Chili’s, Papa Vino’s Italian Eatery, and Olive Garden.
So get out of your jammies and come out to Winterfest for a family night of fun!
PHM Forum
Interested in updates and answers on current PHM topics? Attend a PHM Forum meeting!
2015 Calendar
February 4, 2015
Main Topic: Curriculum - Noon-1:30pm - Schmucker MS
March 4, 2015
Main Topic: Anti-bullying, Social Services & Guidance Counselors- Noon-1:30pm
April 1, 2015
Main Topic: Grading Scales & Report Cards - Noon-1:30pm
May 6, 2015
Main Topic: Transportation - Noon-1:30pm
Please feel free to contact your PHM Forum Rep, Erin Murphy, at ekmcolumbus@yahoo.com
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Prairie Vista PTO
Visit our Website:
http://prairievistapto.edublogs.org/
Our mailing address is: Prairie Vista Elementary, 15400 Brick Road, Granger, IN 46530
Email suggestions or comments about this newsletter to: Amy Kuzmic, amykuzmic@gmail.com