Art Walk, Book Fair and Food Donations, Oh My!

Tomorrow, Thursday May 22, is a big day at Bagley! If you play your cards right, you can participate in not 1, but 3 great events - the Art Walk, the Book Fair and collecting food for Greenwood Food bank.

Coming to Art Walk?   Please consider bringing a grocery bag of non-perishable food for the Greenwood Food Bank!  They are gearing up for the summer months when school is not in session and more children go hungry. 

In the past two years, Art Walk has collected 1,461 pounds of food for the Greenwood Food Bank:  509 pounds last year, and a whopping 952 pounds in 2012.  Let's beat our 2012 record, and aim for collecting 1,000 pounds of food for hungry kids!

Some ideas for what to put in your bag:

• peanut butter and other nut butters
• jelly
• honey
• canned tuna
• mixed nuts packages
• trail mix
• 100% juice boxes
• single serving applesauce
• single serving instant oatmeal
• pudding cups
• soups and stews
• beef sticks and turkey jerky
• granola bars
• 100% fruit rolls
• small cans of fruit
• cup of noodles
• cereal
• crackers
• raisin boxes and other dried fruits
• small cans of pork & beans
• pretzels
• shelf-stable cow's milk, soy milk, or rice milk

Any donation is greatly appreciated, and will help feed hungry kids in our community this summer!

Cynthia Cantrill is the new Program Supervisor a the Greenwood Food Bank.  She will be on hand to thank you for your donation and answer questions about the food bank's operations.  You can also find out about Daniel Bagley's summer partnership with the food bank.  Did you know that Bagley volunteers harvest organic produce from the school garden throughout the summer and donate it to the Greenwood Food Bank?  Stay tuned for more information on how you can be involved in the school garden's summer watering and harvesting program!

Thanks for helping!

Jogathon is coming!

Mark your calendars for Friday, September 28, 10:30-11:30 at Lower Woodland for the annual Daniel Bagley Jogathon!



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The Jogathon is the biggest fundraiser of the year, and one where kids really feel connected to the campaign, since they're doing the work.

Adult volunteers are needed to help, too:  setting up, cleaning up, transporting supplies to and from Woodland Park track, making sure kids get on buses, cheering, punching cards after each lap, directing, and more.  If you can take the morning off work, it's a great way to get connected to the school and see the kids in action.

Get involved right from the start of the year - kids, too

Bagley could use some helpers to kick off the school year with a few easy activities. It's a great way to meet other parents and get into the swing of things. From our fearless PTA co-presidents:

Hi DBE families,

We're recruiting help in making the start of the school year successful. A short amount of time by a few of you will make all the difference. Here are a few of the opportunities:

Thursday, August 23: Back to School Packets: Join a few parents for an hour or two to collate the August mailer to our families. You'll get the inside scoop on the August Buzz and time to socialize with other parents. Children are welcome. We'll meet in the cafeteria at 10 a.m. 

Tuesday, August 28: First Day Packets: In preparation for the first day, our fabulous secretary, Randi Olson, needs help collating the packets that go home with families on the first day of school. Again, this is a great time to socialize with other parents. Children are welcome. We'll meet in the cafeteria at 10 a.m. 

Wednesday, September 5: First Morning of School and Welcome Coffee:

Your questions, answered!

One of the kindergarten parents emailed me with SIX questions (thank you!), so I thought I'd post for all to see.  Please excuse any weird formatting.  I'm not even going to bother to try to fix it.


Scrip:  Can we pay for scrip with a credit card? 


The PTA isn't totally set up for electronic payments yet (looking into smartphone payments such as Square, but no action at this time), and the old-school credit card swiper is pretty cumbersome, so in-person scrip must be purchased cash or check only.

You survived the first day of school! Now what?

The kids have found their desks and lockers, have made best friends after just one day, heard the *actual tune* to the Bagley song, and have partied on the playground.  So, what should you do next?

Daily:

• Check backpacks for kidmail (the forms you got today need to go back to your teacher with your student by Monday - wade through 'em, figure out what you really need to return, and muddle through the whole privacy opt-out form)

How can I help to make our school even better?

Especially in the wake of BIG budget cuts, there is a tremendous need for community support in order to ensure the successful education of our kids.  Our school relies on parents to fill any needs not funded by SPS, to keep Daniel Bagley top-ranked in the state.

Some of the ways we can help include:

• Joining the PTA
• Donating/fundraising/collecting receipts to fund all the PTA-supported programs (previously discussed)
• Stocking up the classrooms with supplies that otherwise would be paid for out of the teachers' wallets or PTA funds
• Communicating regularly with the teachers about your child's progress, or any concerns
• Helping your student to learn at home
• Volunteering in the classroom
• Coming on field trips as a chaperone
• Joining one of the many PTA committees to create a vibrant, healthy Bagley community