PTO Newsletter - October 2012 - Conley Elementary School

CONLEY ELEMENTARY
PTO SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Volume 1 October 2012
Mark Your Calendars!
The Conley Yellow Jacket Swarm is buzzing your way!
On Saturday, November 3 rd , Conley Elementary School will host the
2 nd Annual Conley Yellow Jacket Swarm.
This event will feature a 10K certified race, a 5K race, and 1 mile fun run /
walk through the beautiful neighborhood streets of SouthWood.
Registration starts at 7:45 a.m.
Also on November 3 rd , is Conley’s International Celebration.
Join Conley teachers, staff, and all our wonderful families for a day of fun and
games. Our International Celebration starts immediately after the Swarm and
ends at 2:00 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
Important Upcoming Dates:
October -
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 – PBS Store
Monday, October 8, 2012 – Spirit Night at Beef O’Brady’s
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 – PTO Board Meeting
Monday, October 15 th to Friday, October 19 th – Book Fair
Tuesday, October 16 th – PTO General Meeting
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 – Blue Pop Collection
Thursday, October 18, 2012 – Faculty Meeting
Monday, October 22, 2012 – Teacher Planning Day – No School
Thursday, October 25, 2012 – Spirit Night at Chili’s (Apalachee Parkway)
Friday, October 26, 2012 – Classroom Pictures & Picture Retakes
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 – Student Recognition Assembly
Conley has seen a
dramatic decrease
in tardy students
this year so far.
Let’s all keep up
the good work and
get our students to
school on time and
ready to work!
November -
Saturday, November 3, 2012 – Conley Swarm & International Celebration
Thursday, November 8, 2012 – Spirit Night
Monday, November 12, 2012- Veterans’ Day – No School
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 – PTO Meeting
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 – PBS Store
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 – Blue Pops Collection
Thursday, November 15, 2012 – Faculty Meeting
Friday, November 16, 2012 – 4 th /5 th grades Spelling Bee
Monday, November 19, 2012- Spirit Night
Tuesday, November 20, 12 – Progress Alerts
November 21 - 23, 2012 – Thanksgiving Holidays – No School

The Conley Swarm and International
Celebration Page
Register for the Swarm online at https://www.raceit.com/register/?event=13720 or send in
your registration form with check to your child's teacher.
The class in each grade level with the most participation will be invited to attend a
"DANCE PARTY" with Coach Adams!!
The teacher of each winning class will also receive a complimentary race entry!
If you have any questions about the race or would like to be a sponsor of this event, please
contact Jen Turner - turnerjst@gmail.com or 445.3769.
Conley Families:
Thank you to those who participated in last year's International Carnival at Conley Elementary and
to our newcomers who are interested in sharing their cultural heritage through performances or
displays. It is that time of year again and we have begun planning for this year's event to be held on
Saturday, November 3rd. This year the International Carnival will take place following the Conley
Swarm this Fall rather than during the Spring.
We are looking for families willing to share their culture through either a performance, display of
cultural items, or by preparing a traditional dish to be served to attendees. Last year was a huge
success and I know our students learned so much about the world from their fellow students and
families. We are so fortunate to have so many cultures represented at Conley and families who are
excited to share with others!
Additionally, if you have a special talent (singing, dancing, etc.) and would like to participate in this
event, we would love to have you perform. Those interested in participating in a cultural
performance or talent showcase, please send me an email to Michelle Roberts at
mdaddison@hotmail.com.
Thank you for making this event a great family day!

Principal Brooks’ Letter
Dear Conley Families and Friends,
This year we have taken two of our favorite events and put them together for an awesome day for our
school community. On November 3, 2012, our PTO, Faculty, and Staff, will be hosting our Conley
SWARM (10K, 5K, and 1 mile walk/run) AND our International Celebration (Fall Carnival). Last
year was the first year for the Conley SWARM and we had a wonderful turn out. It was such a
beautiful day and so many of our Conley families came out. If felt like the day ended too quickly,
thus the idea to continue it with the International Celebration. At Conley, we talk a lot about making
healthy, good choices. We feel these two events support our efforts.
Exercise and taking care of our health is critical to learning and happy living. Also, respecting each
other and valuing our differences is fundamental to a positive, learning environment and a peaceful
world. We are so fortunate to have great diversity among our Conley families. Please help us
celebrate all the wonderful things we have been given and all the wonderful people that make up
Conley Elementary. There are many opportunities to participate in both events. We will also need
many volunteers. You will find more information about both events in this newsletter. Let's all put
our energy and efforts into making November 3, a wonderful day to remember!
Also in November, we will have the opportunity to participate in one of the most valuable rights
afforded to us as American citizens. November 6 is Election Day. We all will have the opportunity
to vote for those who will lead our city, state, and nation. Another important ballot item for
Tallahassee is the issue of the Half-Penny Sales Tax. You will find information regarding this
important issue on our home page. Please take the time to read the information so you will be able to
make the best, informed decision when you go to the polls to vote. If you do not have access to the
internet and would like information regarding this important issue, please contact the front office at
414-5610, and we will be happy to provide you written copy of the information.
Let's continue to work on arriving at school on time. Remember, as long as all the buses have
arrived by 8:15 a.m., we will open the front gates for parent drop off. Students are dismissed from
holding areas to go to their classrooms at 8:15. If students arrive at 8:15, they should go directly to
their classroom. The second bell rings at 8:25 a.m. Students are tardy if they arrive at or after 8:30
a.m. Parents need to park and escort their children into the school office when they are tardy. Also,
school ends at 2:50 p.m., please be on time for afternoon pickup. At 3:20, students will be taken into
the front office for pick up. If you arrive after 3:20, you will need to park and come into the front
office. At that time you will be asked to sign your child out so that we have record of who has picked
up the child. Thank you for paying attention to these details.
Time is marching on, let's all be sure to make the most of every minute.
L. Brooks

Recycling and Fund Raising
– Conley Needs Your Help
Please collect the following and turn into your
classroom or to the collection boxes in the cafeteria:
‣ Campbell’s Labels
‣ Box Tops for Education
‣ Lays Potato Chip Bags (all sizes)
‣ Capri Suns (empty and clean, please)
All are collected by PTO to raise funds for Conley.
Riddle: What goes
all around the earth
but stays in one
place?
Answer: A stamp!
October Trivia
The first Conley student to give
the correct answer to Mrs.
Abbott, will win 20 Buzz Bucks:
What Florida theme park opened
October 1, 1971? (Yes, it is 40
years old this month!)
[Last months winner isAlex
Arney from Ms.Scarborough’s
class. The answer: Florida has
29 electoral votes]

Thank You’s
Conley’s PTO would like to thank the following:
Little Caesar's and CiCi's Pizza for donating pizza boxes to
our Fourth grade students for a social studies project. They
are creating salt dough maps of Florida!
Bruster's for donating ice cream for our teachers when they
returned for the new school year.
Marco's Pizza for donating food (pizza and cheesy bread)
for our August faculty meeting.
Wharf Express for donating the tea and cups for our August
faculty meeting.
Costco for desserts at our September faculty meeting.
Wharf Express for a great Spirit Night! Conley raised $152
that evening.
Marco’s Pizza for a great Spirit Night!
FSU Credit Union, one of Conley Elementary School’s awesome business partners, has a
community's resource website, TallyConnection.com.
One of the pages has become extremely popular and is a perfect resource for families in
Tallahassee. The resource is a list of local restaurants offering kids eat free specials. The Kids
Eat Free \ Connection page is the most popular page, receiving over 500 visits per week.
Numerous users and outside sources have responded that this is the most useful and well
organized page of its kind and an extremely valuable resource for families with younger
children.
The link is: http://tallyconnection.com/kids-eat-free/
Other family friendly content on TallyConnection.com includes a Community Calendar and a
Family Section Community Blog. All of the site's content is well suited for families.
The FSU Credit Union, as one of our Business Partners, helps man the PBS store four times
during the year and has donated many of the gold coins used by the store. As your child about
the gold coins and the Buzz Bucks Store!

America Recycles Day – Saturday, November 10th
There will be FREE paper shredding at the America Recycles Day event on Saturday,
November 10. This event will take place at the Leon County Solid Waste Management
Facility from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm.
This is a great opportunity for our students to take the recycling pledge (and get to sign our
big, green bin), learn more about recycling, talk to recycling vendors and enjoy live music and
free food! We will also have facility tours for everyone.
There will also be a 5k dash! This year runners will trek over 30 years of buried waste,
around wildlife habitats, and innovative waste management technology demonstrations, and
NEW this year, through Leon County’s Cross Country Course.
Bring all your confidential documents for FREE shredding at the America Recycles Day
event! Collect gently used shoes for our charity shoe drive! Bring aluminum cans for
Recycle4Haiti. Donate sunglasses and prescription eyewear for charitable reuse!
If you have a high school student that needs volunteer hours, this is the perfect opportunity.
Volunteers working all day will receive lunch and a t-shirt. Volunteer form must be returned
by November 1, 2012.
Go to www.LeonCountyFL.gov/recycling for more information, race registration forms, and
volunteer information!
Homework For Parents
Riddle: What
two words have
thousands of
letters in them?
Answer: Post
Office!
Kids who thrive in school have parents who support
learning at home. Here is what you can do:
1. Make it clear it is important to your family that effort is
put into doing well in school.
Good grades are welcome, but hard work is just as valued.
2. Track progress and ask questions.
Not: How was school? (Answer: Fine);
Rather: What did you study in science today?
(Answer: A conversation about what they are learning).
3. Provide quiet, interruption-free space for kids to do
homework. Elementary-schoolers can work supervised at the
kitchen table; middle-schoolers can experiment working solo.
4. Multi-tasking is code for not paying attention. If children are
doing homework on a computer, insist they are logged
out of Facebook and Pandora is turned off.
5. Keep plenty of reading material in the house. Make sure
your children see you reading for work and pleasure.
From USA Weekend, written by Peg Tyre

Don’t forget about the
Conley Clothing Closet
Our mission is to meet
the basic clothing needs
of students within our
school community. As
you clear out your child’s
closet each season, please
consider donating any
unwanted clothing items
to the Conley’s Clothing
Closet.
We are in need of all
school age clothing, age
3, and up. Winter and
summer clothing is
utilized; belts, shoes,
jackets, and pants are
some of the most needed
items. Any donations
can be sent to the office,
please mark to the
attention of Mrs.
Louviere.