BOX TOPS FOR EAGLES!

Welcome to the 2011-12 Box Tops For Education fundraising year!

It’s not too late to participate in the summer collection. At the end of last year, your child should have come home with a baggie with the following instructions:

Help your child collect as many Box Tops as possible over summer break. Every child who turns in a bag to the front office during the first week of school will win a prize and all Box Tops collected over the summer will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win movie passes!
Look for the official coupon on any Box Tops for Education product, cut it out (along the dotted line please) , write your child’s first and last name and teachers name on the back, and place it in the ziploc bag. Return the bag to the front office anytime after August 24th.
Be sure to register on-line at http://www.boxtops4education.com to see a full list of products, find out promotions and sales and enter contests

*If you are a new parent, you can pick-up a baggie from the front office or use any snack/sandwich size baggie from home!

The drawing will be held on Friday September, 2nd at 8am. The winner will be announced during morning announcements.

After Friday, 9-2, we will be going back to our original BTFE monthly drawing (see below for details)
first drawing for school spirit store certificates will be held on Friday September 30th

Box Tops must be turned in to the front office by the end of the school day on the last Thursday of each month
Box Tops winners will be drawn in the morning of the last Friday of the month and will be announced with morning announcements

Here’s how it works!

1) Buy Box Tops Products
2) Cut out the Box Top coupon from each package
3) Write your child’s first and last name and teachers name on the back of each Box Top
4) Send them to school with your child or drop them off at the front office
5) For each Box Top turned in, your child will be entered in a monthly drawing to win one of four $1 certificates to the Irving School Spirit Store!
6) Our school earns 10 cents for every coupon collected

To see a full list of Box Top products register at http://www.boxtops4education.com!

Not sure about that one either?
1) Go to http://www.boxtops4education.com
2) On the home page in the top left corner click JOIN BOX TOPS (pink letters)
3) Answer 8 simple questions to register
*Our school is listed as Irving Elementary Oak Park
4) SHOP and CLIP!

We will be holding more exciting new promotions this year…stay tuned!

Thank-you to everyone for collecting Box Tops and supporting Irving!
Michele Greco-Blonski, Box Top coordinator grecodrama@sbcglobal.net

Irving Library News & Update

Welcome back to the school!  The Irving Library is always a busy place throughout the school year.  Please take some time each week to check out the library website at http://www.op97.org/irving/mediacenter/.
Library activities and announcements are posted there often.  If you are interested in volunteering in the library contact Ms. Noonan at knoonan@op97.org.  The library can always use your help!  Please also check the digital backpack for the Irving Birthday Book form and consider donating a book for your child’s birthday.
We are looking forward to a great school year!
Ms. Noonan and Mrs. Loud

Welcome to the New School Year!

Greetings to all new and returning Irving families! We knew summer would fly by, and sure enough here we are starting school already. The PTO is very excited about this new year and we’ve been busy over the summer getting things ready for you. Here are some highlights:

We have a new after-school activity program, Eagle Extras!
Eagle Extras is the extra-curricular activity program brought to you by the Irving PTO. There are three sessions throughout the school year, with different offerings each session. These fee-based activities are taught by a variety of outside organizations, teachers or parents. Fees are based on the activity, and scholarships may be available to families who qualify for free or reduced lunch. More details on course offerings and registration can be found on the Eagle Extras page of the PTO website.

The PTO has a new website!
We’ve redesigned the PTO website with you in mind. Note that there is a new website address:  http://irvingpto.com

You can find posts organized by category, a calendar that combines the D97 listings with key school activities, the latest Eagle Extras offerings, a list of volunteer opportunities, PTO contact info and links to the places you can shop to support our school. We will continue to update the website frequently with additional resources and we welcome your feedback to this work-in-progress. Send it to Laura Crawford, lauracrawford47@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook!
If you’re on Facebook, please join our group: Washington Irving School Parents. This is a place for informal discussions, questions and notices about school life. Any Irving parent can answer a question. The info on Facebook is not meant to replace our regular PTO emails or any formal communications from the school or District 97, but to act as a friendly discussion since we all can’t hang out on the playground after school!

Come to Back to School/SEOPCO Movie Night!
This Friday is our annual back-to-school party, which is co-hosted with SEOPCO. We’ll be selling pizza and drinks, there will be entertainment and the movie How To Train Your Dragon. Bring something to sit on and let the kids run around while you catch up with other parents. Pizza sales start at 5:30pm, movie starts at 8:00pm on August 26 in Barrie Park.

Join us at the first PTO meeting of the year!
Want to find out more about school life, get involved or give input in person? The PTO meetings are generally the first Thursday of every month and include info on active committees and a report by Principal Hodge. The agenda is emailed in advance. The first meeting is September 1, 6:30pm in the Media Center/Library. As always, free childcare is available in the Community Room.

Thank you in advance for the time and energy you give to support the students and staff of Irving School. A strong community makes a strong school and Irving just keeps getting better and better.

Yours,

The Irving PTO

Bad Weather Drop Off

Attention new families!

Usually the Kindergarten classes line up outside their own group entrance. However, on days when it’s rainy or too cold everyone has to go inside. K-2 kids go to the small gym/lunch room, where they line up by class. (To get there, go in the main entrance and turn down the hall to your left.) Kids in grades 3-5 go to the auditorium. Teachers don’t wait at the door, so parents should walk their child into the gym.

Also, on bad weather days anyone can enter the building on the west side (on Ridgeland) in the door marked 4W, which is right around the fence that divides the parking lot from the school yard.

Note that Ms. Gullo’s class does not usually go to the gym. Since the entry area by her classroom is covered, the kids can still wait in line there.  And often in the winter, she will just open her door early (before the last bell).

Arriving on Time, Excused Absences and Early Dismissal

Attention, new families!

7:57 am: The first bell (the “line up” bell) rings, signaling students to line up at their class doors and to get ready for their teachers to get them.

8:00 am: The second bell rings, signaling students to enter the building.

After 8:00 am: The Kindergarten outside doors are locked, as are all other outside entrance doors, and you have to enter via the school office. Kids entering after 8:00 am are tardy and need a pass to enter their classroom. After kids get 3 tardy slips, families will receive a letter from the school. After 18 tardy slips, a Truancy Officer is assigned, per state law.

If your child is absent, call the office at 524-3090 or 524-3092 before 9:00 am, or tell your teacher via writing (email or note), to have them excused for the day. You can also request homework. Students should bring a written excuse when they return.

If you need your child to leave early, provide a note that includes the reason for dismissal, the name of the person authorized to sign the student out, the parent’s contact number, date and time of dismissal. The school asks that you limit the number of times your end of the day arrangements change.