A Note From the Principals - Buncombe County Schools

November 2010
Volume 26, Number 3
A Note From the Principals
Dear Families:
Did you know that from 7:15 each morning
until 5:30 each evening Estes students are
actively engaged in a variety of activities
that provide enrichment and instruction?
Our first morning bus riders are involved in
morning clubs from 7:15 until 7:45 and are
involved in a variety of activities ranging
from art and fitness to mathematics and
technology. Additionally, drama and chess clubs meet once a
week before school begins. These opportunities enrich and
extend our curriculum by providing experiences to students
who would not have access to them otherwise. These clubs also
provide a positive beginning to the school day for these students.
The school day ends with a flurry of activity with groups such
as RAMS Club, Girls on the Run, Chorus, WSTS, Roving
Rams and yearbook club - all meeting after school on designated
days from Monday through Friday. All of this is for the
News from the PTA Presidents
November is time
for thanksgiving.
We are grateful,
again, for all of your
contributions that
are making for a
terrific year at Estes
Elementary! Thanks
to all who worked
tirelessly on the
Family Fun Festival
– especially Susan
and Jeff Stingel. Many thanks to all of you
who participated in our fundraisers:
(Technology for Teachers and Read O Rama).
We also appreciate the participation of dads in
the new Watch D.O.G.S. program – we had a
great turnout to kick-off the program. To the
200+ volunteers who have given their time,
dedication and care to our community – you
are the reason why our school is remarkable in
so many ways. Lastly, to all of the teachers
who planned the Math Nights at Estes: you
made math fun, accessible and interesting for
all of us – thank you!
I hope that during our break we can all make a
point to take the time on this Thanksgiving
Highlights
holiday to talk about all of the goodness in
our lives, and to appreciate each other’s contributions
in our lives.
Our next PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday,
December 7 at 6:00 in the Media Center
– Please Join Us!
Finally, and most importantly, please stay
informed about the important ballot issues
that affect our children and their educational
future. VOTE on November 2!
"As we express our gratitude, we must never
forget that the highest appreciation is not to
utter
words, but to live by them."
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
To all of our Volunteers at Estes Elementary:
V is for the Very special people that you are
O is for the Overwhelming support & dedication
to your child’s school
L is for the Little things you do that make
such a difference in our school
U is for the Unspoken words that sometimes
mean just as much
N is for the Need you fill when others aren't
benefit of our students. However, it is only possible through the
dedication of our staff members. In order to make all of these
activities happen, it takes teachers, assistants, office staff and
volunteers working together to make sure your children have
the highest quality education here at Estes. This is all part of
our effort to make Estes the center of our community.
Sincerely,
John M. Barbour Michael Miller
Principal Assistant Principal
Making Parent-Teacher
Conferences Work for
Your Child
An Estes Elementary PTA Publication
(from the National PTA Association)
Teachers need your help to do a first-class job. Together,
you can help your child have a great school year.
Go to www.Education.com for tips to prepare
before, during and after each conference.
able
T is for the Time you give of yourselves on top
of your own busy schedules
E is for the E Endless energy you all seem to
possess
E is also for Estes Elementary, our extended
family
R is for the Responsibility you have taken on
& never once complained
S is for the Smiles you bring to teachers and
students with your hard work
LOST AND FOUND
The boxes and hooks are overflowing with
your children’s jackets, hats, lunch boxes and
water bottles. Please take the time to look
through them when you come to school. Anything
left will be donated.
Sincerely,
Olga Mahoney & Donna Graham
Your Co-Presidents
Olga Mahoney, PTA Co-President
676-0965 opm.asheville@gmail.com
Donna Graham, PTA Co-President

Thank you to our
2010 Family Fun Festival
Highlights
W i l d W e s t F a m i l y F u n
P R E M I E R S P O N S O R S
Ryan Haldeman, DDS, Orthodontics
Tad Dixon, Beverly Hanks Real Estate
Diane Bauknight, State Farm Insurance
Support CHAPS for Thanksgiving
(Child Help and Parent Support)
F E S T I V A L P A R T N E R S
Young Transportation Great Beginnings
Capital Directions Brandits
RBC Bank
The CHAPS Team at Estes Elementary School identifies children K-5 who struggle
in school due to factors outside of school. To help serve our families at Estes, we
are asking members of the community to assist our families by sponsoring a
Thanksgiving Meal provided by Ingles. It is easy to do.
Step 1: Choose a dinner to be donated.
Step 2: Write a Check out to “CHAPS” for the appropriate amount.
Step 3: Return a check to your child’s teacher or drop off at front office.
Basic Thanksgiving Dinner: $42.00
10-11 pound turkey
Cornbread dressing
Festival 2 0 1 0
To all of you who worked tirelessly on the amazing festival -
thank you!! Your contributions to our school are what make
us such a wonderful community. Each of you made the festival
terrific. Every single detail was taken care of beautifully.
THANK YOU!
Deluxe Thanksgiving Dinner: $53.00
10-11 pound turkey, Cornbread dressing
Gravy, Broccoli casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
DEADLINE: Wednesday, November 17th
Thank you for all of your support! If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Benfield or Mrs. Luckett at 654-1795.
Student Name: _______________________________ Teacher: _______________________________ Grade:________
Thanksgiving Turkey Donation (please circle): Basic or Deluxe
Scholastic Bo ok Fai r!
The Scholastic Book Fair will be open for parents
and students on November 8,9,10, and 12 (closed
on Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day). Please stop by the
Estes Media Center between the hours of 7:30 a.m.
and 3:00 p.m. to make your purchases. Cash, checks
or credit cards will be accepted. The Fair will also
be open from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. on November 9, the
evening of the Fall PTA Program.
Reminders:
Students should come to the book fair on their
assigned day prepared to shop.
Checks must be made payable to Estes Elementary
School.
State sales tax of 7.75% will be added to the
cost of the books.
See you at the fair!
Linda Barefoot, Media Coordinator
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November 2010
We are proud to announce that the students of Estes Elementary have surpassed our wildest imagina-
tions! They read a total of 352,159 pages during this year’s Read-O-Ram-A and raised more than ever for our school
bringing in a total of $26,521.16 !!! We would like to thank EVERYONE who contributed to Read-O-Ram-A 2010, our
largest fundraiser of the year! It was an overwhelming success! Winners and prizes were awarded at the October 29th
Read-O-Ram-A Awards Assembly.
Our grand prize winner for being the top fundraiser in the entire school and winning a gift card to use for a new bike donated
by Liberty Bicycles was: W V a 5th grader from Mrs. Burchfiel’s class
Barnes & Noble gift cards were awarded to the student in
each grade that read the most pages:
L K – Kindergarten (Motley)
S L – 1st grade (Clark)
Q M – 2nd grade (Schultz)
F A – 3rd grade (Schmitt)
C N – 4th grade (Byerly)
M G – 5th grade (Reese)
We had AWESOME reading participation this year by all
classrooms! And even had 4 classes with 100% of their students
read and turn in reading logs! These classes win a
special classroom surprise prize:
Ms. Beckman’s 2nd grade class
Ms. Albert’s 3rd grade class
Mrs. Gunn’s 3rd grade class
Mrs. Lory’s 3rd grade class
Thank you once again to our community sponsors:
Liberty Bicycles
Stony Point & the Glass Foundation
TCBY
BOX TOP UPDATE
Thank you for a great fall collection; as of printing
time, we are still counting. Remember, as
you do your holiday baking, look for Box
Tops—especially on those Pillsbury items. If you are visiting friends
and family during the holidays, ask if you can check their pantries
for Box Tops. Our next turn-in date will be late February. Let’s
make it a big one too!
For raising the most money in their grade these students won a
Cozy Back Rest Reading Pillow:
C L – Kindergarten (Carroll)
K S – 1st grade (Autrey)
T S – 2nd grade (Schultz)
G B – 3rd grade (Albert)
H S – 4th grade (DeGrave)
M C – 5th grade (Burchfiel)
Classes with 75% reading participation and winning an extra PE
class were as follows:
Mrs. Sluder – 1st grade
Ms. Beckman – 2nd grade
Mrs. Harrison – 2nd grade
Ms. Martin – 2nd grade
Ms. Albert – 3rd grade
Mrs. Lory – 3rd grade
Mrs. Gunn – 3rd grade
Mrs. Schmitt – 3rd grade
Ms. Katz – 4th grade
Mrs. Byerly – 4th grade
Mrs. Burchfiel – 5th grade
In addition to all the prizes awarded at the Awards Assembly, students were treated to a with Mr. Barbour and Mr.
Miller each captaining a team of students! A special thank you goes out to these gentlemen for their continued support of Read-O-
Ram-A!
Campus Clean- Up A special thank
you for those who helped with Campus clean-up,
especially Bill Hascher, a parent volunteer and
professional Arborist. We had our jobs cut out
for us. No pun intended!!! Thank you. Thank
you. Thank you so much!
PTA Membership Drive Results
Congratulations to Mrs. Barkowitz’s class who has
won a Pizza party for the highest percentage of PTA
memberships! Thanks to everyone who joined the
PTA. This is a wonderful way to get involved with
the school and show support for your children.
Don’t be left out. If you haven’t joined we will continue
to take memberships throughout the year. To
join just provide cash or a check (made payable to
Estes Elementary PTA) for $6.00 per membership
through your child’s teacher.
Thank you. Leslie Thrasher 545-2089
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November Events to Remember:
11/2 Teacher Workday: No PTA Meeting this month.
11/9 Fall PTA Program
11/11 Veteran’s Day: No School
11/5-12 Scholastic Book Fair
11/15 Chick-Fil-A
11/24-26 Thanksgiving Holiday: No School
Important December Events:
Watch for more details in the next Highlights…
12/2 Cici’s Pizza Night
12/7 PTA Night: Everyone is welcome
12/8 Early Release
12/20 Chick-Fil-A Night
12/22-31 Holiday: No school
Important January Events:
1/3 Teacher Workday: No School
1/4 PTA Night: Everyone is welcome
4
T e c h n o lo g y 4 T e a c her s
Thanks to the wonderful support of local businesses
and parents we were able to deliver document
cameras and projectors to each classroom at the
end of last September. We expected the teachers
to be excited, but the reaction of the students was
amazing. They were thrilled to have a document
camera in their classroom. These cameras have
been put to immediate use and additional staff training
has followed.
Now the next phase of improving technology at Estes
begins. Going forward we will be raising funds to
purchase laptops, notebooks, and smart boards.
These items are integral to providing Estes teachers
the latest tools to educate our children.
If you would like to MAKE A DONATION please contact:
Tad Dixon, taddixon@beverly-hanks.com,
Melissa Murray, MMurray@BranditsNow.com or
Kelly Wade Arnel, karnel@naroofing.com
Readying document cameras and projectors for
delivery.
ZETTABYTE: Above $4,000
Ryan and Amy Haldeman
EXABYTE: $4,000
PETABYTE: $2,000
GE Aviation
Tad and Ellen Dixon
TERABYTE: $1,000
Andy and Patty Champion
Tony and Karen Spake
Scott and Jenny Pritchard
Kevin and Olga Mahoney
Dan and Jennifer Loizzo
Henry and Sarah Garbee
David and Donna Graham
Jack and Beth Teague
Scott and Jan MacGregor
Charles and Paula Vasey
GIGABYTE: $500
William and Lisa Bridges
Brad and Kathlyn Caldwell
Wyatt and Kim Stevens
Brian Asbill and Sarah Warren
Chang and Hannah Lim
Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night
Mark your calendars:
Monday, November 15
5-8p.m.
Have dinner with your family and friends and
support Estes Elementary! Win at the Chance Game
and get a homework pass.
Power Up With Breakfast...
Breakfast gives you energy to grow, go, and glow. A
healthy breakfast is important for everyone, especially
for growing children.
Eat breakfast with kids to start a lifelong healthy habit.
Plan—To set out bowls and cereals the night before to make the morning meal
quick and easy. Keep sliced fruit or hard cooked eggs in the refrigerator.
Prepare—To feed kids on the go. Keep 100% juice, dried or
fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, bagels, or breakfast bars handy. Kids can grab
these as they rush out the door.
Dare—Kids to try something different like a burrito or other leftovers, such as a
stuffed baked potato or pizza.
Change the pace—Have a breakfast picnic on the weekend. Celebrate a special
Source:
http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/EatSmart/powerupwithbreakfastbrochure.pdf
Thank you to our Sponsors
$29,000 has been raised for technology at Estes!
Richard and Lynette Sills
John and Deb Luckett
George and Lisa Wood
Tim and Betsy Gillespie
Volvo
MEGABYTE: $250
Surain and Erica Subramaniam
Roger and Joanne Moss
April Cook
Matthew Cook
Jim and Melissa Murray
Bobby and Kathy Soule
Lowell and Sally Pearlman
BYTE: Contributions below $250
Erskine and Leslie Thrasher
John and Heather Gordon
Hunter and Julia Goosman
Kelly Wade-Arnell
Scott and Tory Link
Brian and Mary Lewis
Yu Family
William and Kathleen Hembree
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