2008 ptsa newsletter april

CatTracks
The West Sedona School
PTSA Newsletter
NOVEMBER 2008
West Sedona School PTSA
570 Posse Ground Road
Sedona, AZ 86336
(928) 204-6600
www.sedona.k12.az.us/socusd/westsedona/wss
Fall has been busy and productive at WSS
From the Principal’s Desk ...
What a great Fall Apple ful planning this was a phenomeFestival! Many thanks to the fabu- nal "hands on" trip.
lous PTSA and so many great parAlso in October, the first
ent and teacher volunteers! In the graders got to go to the
words of, our new superintendent, Cottonwood Hospital to the Teddy
Mike Aylstock, "It was awesome." Bear Clinic and learn all about
This past month
good health. The fourth
there was a buzz in the
graders had a great trip to
air as so many students
Walnut Canyon where
were really digging into
they studied the setting
their exciting work.
for Walker of Time, the
From reading to mathenovel that they just finmatics, I have been
ished. The fifth graders
truly impressed with
went to the public library
the level of committo start their research projment of our teachers,
ect, and Mrs. Yeattes
and our hard working
treated them all to pizza.
students. Thanks to our Dr. Lisa Hirsch
We have also
parents who send their
had some really nice constudents prepared and on time for certs. One featured a famous Jazz
school!
artist Jacomo brought to us by Jazz
On October 10th at 7:00 am on the Rocks. We also had a conThe West Sedona Middle School cert for just the fourth graders who
students, teachers, and I departed are recipients of a grant from the
for a trip of a life time, or should I Sedona Community Foundation to
say life zones? The Middle School bring them the pleasure of the
field trip for science was a tremen- symphony.
dous success. The students assembled a professional field guide rep- PARKING
resenting the six life zones of
The parking situation is a hard
Arizona. It is over 300 pages! one. I appreciate your cooperaPlants, reptiles, animals, trees, and tion. If you are coming for a 2:30
birds are the main focus of this pick up and your child is not out
guide, and the students actually front please do not "sit in the line."
used their guides on the field trip Also, please do not leave your car
to help identify species within in the line while you get out of
each life zone that we visited.
your car. This backs up traffic. Go
One hundred and two students around again, or go into our lot.
and ten adults rode up the AZ This will be fixed by the start of
Snowbowl lift to the top of Mt. the next school year.
Agassiz. The 11,000 ft. summit
was a highlight of the trip. Did REPORT CARDS
you know that you can see four
Report cards are coming. The
types of volcanoes from the top of end of the trimester is on
the mountain? And that all the November 7th. On that date the
rock beneath the lift used to be hot first 12 weeks will be behind us
lava? The kids were amazingly and your child will have their first
well behaved. Thanks to the care- set of marks. It is important to us
A great Fall Apple Festival took center stage at West Sedona School on Friday,
October 24. Parents, students, staff and PTSA came together to raise funds. See
more photos on pages 6 and 7.
that you read this report card carefully and ask any questions of your
child's teacher. Find out what you
can do to help your child improve.
As a school we are also working
on updating our report cards to
really capture how your child performs against the Arizona State
Standards. Stay tuned, and if you
have any terrific ideas of what
would help you as a parent from
our reporting system please do not
hesitate to call!
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
I have also been meeting with a
team of teachers and our consultant each Saturday to spend time
strategizing about increasing student achievement on AIMS and
Terra Nova. We are busy deter-
mining trends and identifying students who we know can improve
their scores from Falls Far Below
to Approach, from Approach to
Meets and from Meets to Exceeds.
This work is detailed and complex, yet we are certain with a little tweaking our kids can outperform themselves!
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Unfortunately the Sports
Basket, from the Chance Auction,
was taken during the Fall Festival.
A few people saw an adult male
walk off campus with the sports
basket. They thought he had won
it! Maybe he thought so too. Can
we please have it back? If he reads
this we wish he would return the
basket.
Put your tax dollars to work for Sedona
It’s TAX CREDIT time! The
deadline for 2008 Income taxes is
December 31.
Remember – if you do not participate in this program, your tax
dollars that you could have kept in
your community will be used by
others for their community and not
yours.
If you are an Arizona taxpayer,
you can put your dollars to work in
your Sedona schools and community. Our school system is an intricate element to our community
which with your help can provide
an improved environment for
Sedona residents and our school
children.
Your tax dollars that you direct
to Sedona Proud can be used by
our school district for programs
that enrich our community by providing our community with sports
programs, the arts, field trips, education
enhancements
and
improved utilization of our school
facilities by our students.
Arizona offers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit (Public School
Activity Fee) up to $200 for individual income tax filers, $400 for
married couples filing a joint
return and $200 for couples filing
separate returns. This means your
state income tax liability will be
reduced by the full amount of your
contribution—up to zero. (If you
have extra credit left over, you can
carry it forward for up to five
years.) This is a full refund, not a
deduction.
In addition you may also deduct
the enrollment amount on
Schedule A of your federal income
tax. You don’t have to have a child
in Sedona schools to take advantage of this program to help your
community.
HOW IT WORKS
Example #1 - Dick and Jane
have no children in school and as a
couple owe $1,000 in AZ State
Income taxes. They enroll in the
Sedona Proud program $400.
They will then have to pay ONLY
$600 to the state.
Example #2 - Mary had $600
withheld in AZ State taxes, but
owes $500. She enrolls in the
Sedona Proud program $200 and
receives a REFUND of $300 from
the state.
Example #3 - Mr. and Mrs.
Stone live in Sedona and are
retired. They have no AZ income
taxes due, but contribute $400 to
the Sedona Proud program and
take this contribution as a charitable deduction on their Federal tax
return!
Example #4 - Sally, a single tax
payer, owes $100 in state income
taxes and enrolls in the Sedona
Proud program $100 to the program. When she prepares her taxes
in the spring, she owes nothing to
the State because her tax credit
donation reduced her liability to
zero. If Sally only enrolled $20?
She would end up owing $80 to
the State of which very little would
find its way back to Sedona. Now
if she enrolled $200, she would
owe nothing this year and still get
another $100 credit for next year.
PLEASE SEE THE FORM ON
PAGE 3 FOR INFORMATION!
Remember
to mail in
your tax
credit
before
Dec. 31st!
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
FOR THE FALL APPLE FESTIVAL!!!
OUR TITLE SPONSOR: PHIL REA AND BASHAS’
BUSINESS/CORPORATE
SPONSORS:
PEPSI
SAFEWAY
AMARA/L'AUBERGE RESORTS,
DAVID SCHMIDT
GRACE'S ITALIAN ICE
WEBER'S
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE
AYRES AND FRENCH
BEST WESTERN ARROYO ROBLE
HOTEL
BIG O TIRES
BUYER BROKER, ROY GRIMM
CHEERS
COFFEE POT RESTAURANT
PAGE 2
MEXIDONA FINE IMPORTS
MIKE'S ALIGNMENT
NEIL SINGER, MD & TERAH
WADSWORTH, PA-C
SEDONA INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
SEDONA MAGAZINE
SEDONA OUTDOORS
STRAIGHTLINE CUSTOM PAINTING
STERLING FINANCIAL SERVICES
TIFFANY CONSTRUCTION
TLAQUEPAQUE
FAMILY SPONSORS
STEVE ASH PLUMBING
BREKKE FAMILY
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
GEURTS FAMILY
HAUSERMAN FAMILY
HEATH/KRAUS FAMILY
HIRSCH/TANNIN FAMILY
LAMPARTER FAMILY
MARCY FAMILY
RICHARDSON FAMILY
STERLING/STOVALL FAMILY
WEBSTER FAMILY
PLEASE VISIT THESE GENEROUS
MERCHANTS!
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS
TO ALL WHO DONATED TO
THE SILENT AUCTION!
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
When you pay your State income tax, for every dollar you pay to the state, less that 1 cent comes back
our Sedona community. Once enrolled in your community Sedona Proud program, every dollar of
income tax paid through this program is kept within our community. Dollar for Dollar – up to $200 per
single filer and $400 for joint filers. What better way to help your community? At no cost to you, enroll
in this program TODAY and the taxes you pay now goes directly to our community schools and
activities? Deadline for 2008 Income Taxes is December 31
Remember – if you do not participate in this program, your tax dollars that you could have kept
in your community will be used by others for their community and not yours.
Check one or more schools
Red Rock High School
West Sedona School
Big Park School
You don’t have to have a child in Sedona schools to take advantage of this program to help your
community.
Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Credit Card Billing Address: _____________________________________________________________
City: ______________ State: _____ Zip Code: __________ Phone Number: (_____) ________________
Email: ____________________________________ SSN: Required for tax return: _____ _____ ________
Credit Card: Master Card / Visa (Please circle)
Number: ___________________________________________ Exp: ______________ vCode: ________
When you calculate your state income tax, the amount you enrolled today will be credited to your
income tax obligation or refunded to you dollar per dollar and can be deducted on your federal income
tax. On your Arizona State taxes, use form 322 and Schedule A of your federal income tax.
If you want to designate your tax dollars to a specific program, please designate either) below,
otherwise your enrollment will go to the general fund and utilized as needed by the school site councils.
Programs designated: Sports / Arts / Clubs / Field Trips / No Preference
Mail this form with credit card information or check to:
Sedona – Oak Creek School District
Sedona Proud Tax Credit Program
221 Brewer Rd. Suite 100
Sedona, AZ 86336Ͳ9938
Make checks out to Kids Tax Credit Program. A tax credit receipt and corresponding tax forms will be
mailed to you in January
Thank you for being a part of our community.
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PAGE 3
New sidewalk for West Sedona School!
40 Custom Team
m Jersey's
s Have arr
arrived!
rived!
Thanks to Mr. keller's
k
Professiona
Professional
al Mountain Bike Team Schampa, all students
ts
custom
jersey
from the 2007/2008
2007/2
2008 Bike Club Season
S
have a cu
usto
tom made jerse
ey with their
name
very own last n
ame on the backk of the jersey! Now
N
the students
ts can ride in
style
sty
tyle just like the
e Pro's!
There is a new sidewalk at
West Sedona school. No, it was
not completed by the construction
company associated with the
school bond. The sidewalk was a
community service project completed by RRHS senior Josh
Gage!
The sidewalk goes from parking lot to the primary classrooms
to the delight of Ms. Patty! “I love
it! We have needed this for so
long!”
On Wednesday December 3rd,
the West Sedona staff and primary
aged children will recognize the
efforts and volunteer hours provided by Josh Gage to complete
this service project.
He researched the project with
Dr. Hirsch, planned it, and gathered community donations and
volunteers to independently complete the project.
Come and celebrate this gift of
service from Josh Gage to West
Sedona School @ 9am on
Wednesday December 3rd! Kudos
to Josh!!
equipment
working
Donations- The cclub
Donationslub is accepting b
bikes
ikes and equipm
ment
m
ent in good work
kking
ing order.
order
Come
on
Tuesdays
2:30-3:10
4th/5th
Thursday's
Co
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ome rride
ide o
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uesdays 2
:30-3
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nt. Bike Club hass also started
School
Monday's
at the High Scho
ool on Monday
ay's from
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3-5:00 for Freshman-Seniors."
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Scott
tt Keller
204-6641
http://webpages.sedona.k12.az.us/~keller
http://
//webpagess.sedona.k12.az.u
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PAGE 4
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
Teens take a day to retreat and connect with yourself...your life...the planet
The TeenSpace self discovery
retreat is the perfect opportunity
for teens to explore how to live
your life with self-awareness, selfcare, wisdom and presence.
Held at the Creative Life
Center in beautiful Sedona,
Arizona on Saturday, January 31st
from 8:30 – 4:30, this day long
retreat will show teens the tools it
takes to learn how to relax, make
better choices, speak their truth,
and be comfortable just ‘being’
rather than ‘doing’.
TeenSpace retreats are a ‘don’t
miss’ for any teen interested in
experiencing meditation and
mindfulness practices, yoga postures, truthful heartfelt communication, wonderful mentors, a safe
community, great food, and a time
to reflect on the mysteries and
truths of our lives.
“This retreat will give kids a set
of skills which will help them to
discover their own thoughts, their
desires and their dreams. They’ll
learn to listen to themselves and
discover techniques for relaxation,
and be introduced to yoga and
meditation too,” explains Debra
Beck, a presenter and author of the
book for teens, My Feet Aren’t
Ugly.
Maura Mark, who will be
teaching yoga, assures teens that
“with yoga, they can improve their
posture, become more flexible, get
really relaxed, and do all this as
they listen to cool music.”
“All of us that work with the
teens are completely passionate
about helping young people learn
to take care of themselves and
make better choices for their
lives,” says one of the retreat facilitators and meditation instructor,
Sarah McLean.
This retreat is for any teen that
is ready to look deep inside themselves. It doesn’t matter what your
race, religion, sexual orientation,
past experiences, or future plans
are: if you are open to self discovery and learning new things,
TeenSpace is for you. And yes,
you can bring your parents if you
want to.
Facilitators include:
Debra Beck, author of my Feet
Aren't Ugly, A girl's guide to loving herself from the inside out, has
mentored teenage girls and their
parents for over 15 years. Debra
shares tools for teens to empower
themselves and tap into their inner
self. She will show them how to
access answers they hold within.
Maura Mark, Certified Yoga
Therapist, has been teaching yoga
and leading workshops for over 20
years in AZ, UT, CA and Hawaii.
She’ll share her love of yoga and
will show teens how to improve
their posture, become more flexible & strong, experience deep
states of relaxation, quiet the inner
chatter of their mind, and all while
listening to cool music.
Sarah McLean, director of the
Sedona Meditation Training Co.,
has been teaching people to meditate for 15 years. She demystifies
meditation and will show teens a
TeenSpace Facilitators
simple powerful, silent meditation
technique that has been proven to
enhance self esteem, help to access
intuition, and access inner wisdom. She says meditation is the
perfect antidote for the stress teens
face today.
For registration information,
please see the ad on Page 11.
The City of Sedona Parks and Recreation is proud to announce
another great season of Grasshopper Basketball!
Whether you are a coach or a player, we offer a fun and exciting season for all who participate
in this league. The league for grades 1st thru 4th will run December 1, 2008 - March 7, 2009.
The 5th and 6th grade league will run February 1, 2009 - April 11, 2009. The fee will be $35
for registration and $40 for late registration. If you sign up two children the fee will only be $32
for the second sibling.
Registration Dates: November 3 - November 21 at Parks and Recreation Office.
Clinic Dates: Clinics are held at West Sedona School 570 Posse Ground Rd.
1-4 Grade
5-6 Grade
November 15 – 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
January 13 – 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
November 19 – 6:45 p.m. -7:45 p.m.
January 27 – 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Coaches Meeting: November 24, 6 p.m. -7 p.m. in the Parks and Recreation Office located at 102
Roadrunner Dr.
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PAGE 5
Fall Festival Memories
PAGE 6
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PAGE 7
News from
the Classroom
Fourth Graders
enjoy non-stop
activities
As we fly through Fall, fourth
grade is non stop.
Friday, October 24th we had a
beautiful day hiking Walnut
Canyon and exploring the museum. It was a warm, comforting
Fall day which everyone enjoyed.
We want to thank our chaperones
for adding to such a great day.
In math we are beginning our
unit on time, science we have
begun our research of inventors
while studying magnetism and
electricity. The students will be
writing a research report on their
inventor which will be due
December 12, 2008.
Social Studies finds the students
researching
Native
American dwellings and the students will be creating dioramas for
each Native American group.
With the first trimester nearing an
end, we are so thankful to have
such wonderful students eagar to
learn everyday.
Seventh Grade
language arts
students put new
twist on fairy tales
Mrs. Merolo's 7th grade language arts just completed a writing
assignment, in honor of
Halloween where Fairy Tales and
Nursery Rhymes were "fractured."
Students took their favorite
tales and rhymes and with twists
and turns changed them in to stories that, in some cases were grimPAGE 8
mer than grimm... A Princess
decided she wasn't interested in
the Prince, Happily Ever After
didn't happen, and maybe not
being the "most beautiful" in the
land was a good thing.
Extra credit was awarded for
book covers and illustrations.
Presentations were made to the
delight of all that listened to these
clever stories.
Junior High
students study
election process;
cast their vote
West Sedona 7/8th graders
have been studying the elections
process and preparing for debates
on foreign policy, the economy,
the environment/alternative energy and health care. We have
researched both candidates' positions on the issues and will present
town hall style debates the day
before the general election. Our
goal was for students to develop
their own political opinions based
on understanding the issues and
the candidates' viewpoints and
policy decisions.
In addition, students have made
campaign posters, bumper stickers
and pins, written commercials for
the candidates incorporating different types of propaganda and
chosen theme songs for each campaign. On Tuesday, November 4th
our students will be manning the
polls in the library for the school's
KidsVoting event. 7/8th graders
will assist the younger students in
entering their voter ID and voting
online. All students who participate will receive an "I Voted"
sticker.
... And voting even
starts in Second
Grade, too ...
Do you know how important
your one vote is? How about the
difference between the popular
vote and the Electoral College
vote? What are the mascots for the
two major political parties in the
United States? If you see a second
grade student from Mrs. Spokes’
class, ask. I bet they will know the
answer. As you can tell, we have
been studying the Presidential
election process from the voter’s
side and the candidate’s side and
these students are VERY well
informed.
Before getting into the presidential election, we studied different things around the country that
are American Symbols representing the United States. When we
see these things, we would immediately think of the U.S. On the
final test for this unit, the students
worked in pairs and listed as many
things they could remember which
symbolized the United States.
One group had over 30 items listed! Items like baseball, apple pie,
the U.S. flag, the colors red, white
and blue and the Lincoln
Memorial. How many things can
you think of that represent the
U.S.?
We have been reading AR
books and the entire class has
almost reached that magic number
of 100 books read for the year!
Way to go kids!! We have been
picking apart sentences by identifying nouns, adjectives, subject,
predicate, the fabulous punctuation family and using editing
marks for corrections.
Lots of things are going on and
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
much more is planned. We are
having a wonderful time and never
seem to have enough time during
the day to do it all, but we try!
Montessori class
gives thanks and
gives back
Well, like all families, the
Montessori class geered up for the
"Apple Festival." I just wanted to
take the time to thank all of our
parents who helped man our booth
and a special "thank-you" to
Rhonda Amadei for doing a
superb job at being our room
mother. I did not have to do one
thing this year and all of the
Montessori families lent a hand.
Of course little did I know that the
"dunk" tank was waiting for me!
Bravo PTSA! Please join if you
have not done so because the West
Sedona Public Montessori class
receives so much support and
extra funds from this wonderful
organization.
November is the month of giving thanks and this year, all three
"K" classes will be launching a
great fundraiser to teach the children about "giving back." This
year we have chosen "Heifer
International." This heart-felt
organization asks for donations
which when given, purchases livestock for different places through
out the world.
The fundraiser will be launched
during the first week of December.
Please be supportive, give a little
and phone a donation in by calling
204-6612. Last year the "K" classes had a toy exchange with
Morocco. The children got so
excited and they learned a lot
about the world which they live in.
Things coming up: I will be
having parents from our classroom
and the community coming in and
speaking about occupations. If
there is anyone interested in visiting, please contact me. Also I am
in desperate need of empty baby
food jars. Let me know!!
Well till next month and please
remember, as Maria Montessori
would say, "In every child there is
a promising seed which needs to
be fed, nurtured and to be
enjoyed."
— Sincerely, Miss Patty
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
International Dinner Festival of Song
Hello Parents! At WSS, we celebrate Thanksgiving
in a fun way!
Your young people have been practicing well for
our Annual International Dinner Festival of Song
November 18th or 19th.
Your child is an Ambassador from a specific
country and must sign in at the Ambassador’s Round
Table. They should be wearing the colors of their
country if at all possible and the “flag tag” they made
in art class. Do not buy anything special.
If the kids can wear something similar in color to
the colors of their flag, that would be great. Dinner
from all over the world (by best Sedona restaurants
and parents!) will cost only $5.00 adults and $1.00
kids. It’s a fun fundraiser for materials for the music
department. Surprise celebrities will also perform!!
Tues--Nov 18th 6pm---K-1st, Ms Patty, Ms
Basham, Ms Mooney, Ms Drotzmann, Classes are
from France and those colors are blue, white & red.
Please help get those little ones up there when I call
for the Ambassadors from France and then at the end
for the finale songs.
Tues--Nov 18th 6pm---2nd graders--Ms Zaun’s,
Ms Spokes’, Ms Ash’s Classes are from Ireland
West Sedona School benefits
from your Target purchases
Target stores have always been good supporters. We have a West
Sedona account there for people to link their credit cards to. The account
number is: 0234 0935 1927036. RED cards, Target card, Visa cards,
Target Credit Cards or Target checks all work. For enrolling, please note
people can go to Target.com/tcoe or 1-800-316-6124.
whose colors are green, white, and orange.
Tues--Nov 18th 6pm--3rd graders--Ms Rush’s, Mr
Gaisford, and Ms Keller’s’ classes are from Israel
whose colors are white and medium blue.
Wed--Nov 19th 6pm--4th graders-- Ms
Crawford’s, Ms Scott’s and Mr. Gaisford’s classes are
from Italy and their colors are green, white, and red.
Wed--Nov 19th 6pm--5th graders are from
Mexico or a Spanish-speaking country of their
choice, so Ms Pfeifer’s and Mr. Pitcher’s classes are
green, white and red or red and yellow for Spain.
Wed--Nov 19th 6pm---6th graders Ms Holmes’,
Ms. Sele’s’ and Ms Boyd’s classes are from
Germany whose colors are gold, red, and black. They
will also represent New Zealand whose colors are
blue, white , and red.
Thank you for your help. If you know how to
make any foreign dish, PLEASE bring it! You’ll get
$1 off at the door. Thanks!
New Students Receive 1 FREE LESSON per month
for Four Months with New Enrollment!
Child Find screening on Nov. 14
Sedona Oak Creek School District will be doing a Child Find screening on Friday November 14th. If you suspect a child to be at risk for a
learning problem contact the school district for a free screening of the
child's ability.
For information contact Nancy Grych @ 204-6835
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
— Jeanie Carroll 204-6651
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Judy Torigoe, Piano Instructor
NATIONALLY CERTIFIED TEACHER OF MUSIC
Sedona, Arizona
928-284-4774
www.AllegroMusicStudio.com
PAGE 9
Gallery of Modern Masters Sponsors
the Third Annual Young Picasso Competition
Become a Young Picasso and
enter the Young Picasso Contest at
the Gallery of Modern Masters.
Picasso once stated, “Every child
is an artist.” The question he
posed, however, was “How to
remain an artist once we grow up.”
Picasso was fortunate in that he
was encouraged to draw as a
young boy. His father was an art
educator and valued artistic creativity. By the tender age of 7, the
young Picasso was already showing great promise.
Like Picasso, the owners of
Gallery of Modern Masters, Jill
and Zach Richardson, also believe
that seeds of creativity start when
children are young. “In today’s
world, our kids face numerous distractions and challenges, with
many of them never having the
opportunity to explore their creative talents. Teaching our children
to use art as a creative outlet is a
valuable gift we can give them that
they will use for the rest of their
lives,” says Zach Richardson.
In an effort to encourage
Sedona’s young artists, the gallery
is sponsoring its third annual
Young Picasso Competition to be
held on the weekend of November
7th to 9th in conjunction with
Sedona’s RED ROCK CANVAS
celebration. Children living in the
Sedona community, grades 3-8,
are invited to submit their drawings, paintings and sculptures that
will be placed on public display at
the gallery for the entire weekend.
Their work will hang on the walls
along side renowned masters such
as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall
and Salvador Dali.
Gallery visitors and guests can
view the work and cast ballots for
their favorite entries. Certificates
will be awarded to all participants
and cash prizes will be announced
on the afternoon of Sunday,
November 9th. There will be first
and second place prizes awarded
in each of two categories: 3rd to
5th grade and 6th to 8th grade.
Voting will be based on overall
creativity and composition. First
place is $50 and second place is
$25. Art pieces can be any medium, but no larger than 24 X 48
inches.
West Sedona School art teacher,
Jessica Nelson, has already been
getting her students ready for the
upcoming art competition. “The
‘Young Picasso’ competition is a
terrific opportunity for my students to take their art off the refrigerator doors and into a real art
gallery” said Nelson. “All too
often, what is accomplished at
school or at home doesn’t make it
out into the broader arena and I am
very thankful that the Gallery of
Modern Masters feels that what
my art students create deserves to
be shared.”
The Young Picasso contest will
be part of the gallery’s RED
ROCK CANVAS weekend which
also includes an artist reception on
Friday evening at 5 PM for awardwinning artist Elizabeth Douglass.
On Saturday there will be a charity painting demonstration of an
authentic 5’Chiminea by artist
Elizabeth Douglass. Proceeds
from a silent auction of the
Chiminea will go to West Sedona
Elementary School. On Sunday
Douglass will have a Painting
demonstration from 1PM to 5PM
and the Final Talley for the Young
Picasso Contest will be at 3PM.
The Gallery of Modern Masters
encourages the entire family to
participate in this delightful weekend of events and to vote for your
favorite Picasso. For more information about the competition and
the weekend’s events, please contact the Gallery of Modern
Masters at (928) 282-3313 or
(888) 282-3313.
Enjoy the holiday
break ... remember
there is no school
Nov. 24-28!
From your PTSA
PAGE 10
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
WSS Fundraising Opportunities
Bashas’ is delighted
to share the news that
we’ve re-energized our
Thanks a Million
fundraising
program…all in an effort to help
your organization raise even more
funds! Bashas’ Shop & Give, formerly our “Thanks a Million”
Program, begins Sept. 1, 2008.
With Bashas’ Shop & Give, customers can shop for groceries as
usual, and Bashas’ will give 1%
of their shopping dollars to West
Sedona School.
Everyone, even if they participated last year, must link the
WSS group ID number to their
Bashas’ Thank You Card beginning Sept. 1, or their purchases
won’t count toward WSS. To find
out how to link a group ID to a
Bashas’ Thank You Card, please
read the Frequently Asked
Questions about our Shop & Give
program.
SIGN UP! WSS Bashas'
Group ID – 26545
• Your purchases are tracked
and available to you online,
allowing you to see just how
much you are earning on your
child's behalf!
SIGN UP! WSS eScrip
Group ID – 6585659
January 31, 2009
Our School Needs Your Help!
These are some great and EASY
ways you can support West
Sedona School.
Box Tops has
helped America's
schools earn over
$200 million in the past 11 years.
Your school can earn up to
$60,000 every year – that's as
much as $20,000 from each of
these three easy ways to earn:
TEENSPACE
Look for the 10¢ Box Tops
coupon on hundreds of your
favorite products from General
Mills. And now, you can find Box
Tops on brands like Ziploc®,
Kleenex® and HUGGIES®, too!
Box Tops may be turned in at the
WSS Office.
AND PARENTS TOO!
Become:
Aware
Confident
Relaxed
Empowered
!
Retreat & Connect:
...with yourself...your life...the
planet.
TeenSpace will change your life! A Day long Retreat in beautiful Sedona, Arizona for Teens;
come alone, or with your friends and invite your parents to the same event just for them!
The TeenSpace self discovery retreat is the perfect opportunity for teens and their parents to explore how to live their lives
with self-awareness, self-care, wisdom and presence. This day long retreat will show teens the tools it takes to learn how to
relax, make better choices, speak their truth, and be comfortable just ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’.
eScrip is proven to be a fantastic resource for fundraising where
participating business partners
contribute a percentage of your
grocery loyalty cards, credit card,
and debit/ATM card purchases to
West Sedona School. Visit our
family of merchants for a complete list of participants in the
program.
Here's How eScrip Works
• You register any one or all of
your existing grocery loyalty,
debit and credit cards for use in
the program. Participants include
Safeway.
• Participating merchants will
make contributions to your chosen group, based on purchases
made by you, just by using the
cards you have registered.
TeenSpace retreats are a ‘don’t miss’ for any teen interested in experiencing meditation and mindfulness practices, an
inspired yoga class, heartfelt communication, wonderful mentors, a safe community, and a time to reflect on the mysteries
and truths of our lives.
“This retreat is a time for teens and their parents to share a day where they’ll discover their own thoughts, their desires and
their dreams. They’ll learn to listen to themselves and discover techniques for relaxation, and be introduced to yoga and
meditation too,” explains Debra Beck, a presenter and author of the book for teens, My Feet Aren’t Ugly, A girl's guide to loving
herself from the inside out.
Maura Mark, a certified yoga teacher and yoga therapist, assures teens and parents that “with yoga, they can improve their
posture, become more flexible, get really relaxed, and do all this as they listen to great music.”
This retreat is for any teen and parent that is ready to look deep inside themselves and open up to new ways of being
present with each other. It doesn’t matter what your race, religion, sexual orientation, past experiences, or future plans are:
if you are open to self discovery and learning new things, TeenSpace is for you.
“All of us that work with the teens are completely passionate about helping young people learn to take care of themselves
and make better choices for their lives, ” says one of the retreat facilitators and meditation instructor, Sarah McLean.
Date: January 31, 2009 ! !
Time: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Cost: Single $ 119.00 - each additional family member $ 79.00 (early registration rates)
Registration: http://teenspacesedona.eventbrite.com
Information: www.myfeetarentugly.com www.yogawithmaura.com www.meditateinsedona.com
Location:
Sedona Creative Life Center, Sedona, AZ
www.sedonacreativelife.com
1
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PAGE 11
West Sedona School Library Begins New Program
We are introducing a new
library program this year called
Friends of the West Sedona School
Library.
This program is designed to
honor your student's birthday by
donating a book to the WSS
library.
To participate all you have to do
PAGE 12
is complete a form that is available
in the library and include payment
of $5.00, $10.00, or $15.00.
Please make checks payable to
West Sedona School. Sorry...we
don't accept credit cards.
After you return the completed
form and payment, your child may
choose a book from the birthday
treasure chest in the library.
The treasure chest contains new
books valued at $5.00, $10.00, or
$15.00.
After your student selects
his/her book, a dedication plate
will be placed in the front cover of
the book.
Your student may dedicate the
WEST SEDONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
book to a teacher, parent, or friend.
Your student will be recognized
on the morning announcements.
Please contact the library at
204.6608 if you have questions.
We hope that by initiating this program, we will continue to build
our collection to provide quality
literature for our students.
“CAT TRACKS” NOVEMBER 2008