As you know, the 5K Brookhaven Bolt is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 beginning at 8 a.m. One hundred percent of the proceeds come to Ashford Park School. Last year, we had more than 600 runners and raised $19,000 which has gone towards the purchase of new technology systems, software, and curriculum, as well as other needs.

This year we anticipate even more runners, and we need between 50 and 75 volunteers to make the day go smoothly. Most jobs are very small and quick - handing out t-shirts or showing people where to park, for example. To volunteer, contact Nancy Douglas at dnndouglas@mindspring.com.

We will have Volunteer Orientation on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at Verde Taqueria restaurant in the new Village Place at Brookhaven on Dresden Dr. (directions at http://www.villageplacebrookhaven.com/).

Our Volunteer Captains will be on hand to describe the duties involved and answer any questions. Verde Taqueria is offering 20% off any food and drink orders for attendees!

Wonderful things are happening in APS and with our community! We have much to share. Please make time to participate in one of the following events and take note of the news items below.

Tuesday March 31 - Math and Science / ArtsNow Night. 6-7 p.m. in the cafeteria. "Are You Smarter Than Your APS Student?" Come participate in activities that integrate ArtsNow genres into the subjects of math and science, learn ways to support your child with real-world applications, and leave with resources to help your child at home.

Friday April 3 - Career Day. If you are willing to share your career or interest with students, please contact Ashley Meeks, School Counselor, Ashley_L_Meeks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us immediately. If you know someone else who might speak, please forward this to them.

Monday April 6 - Friday April 10 - Spring Break!

Wednesday April 15 - PTA Planning and Information Social, 9:00 a.m. in the Media Center. Come enjoy a light breakfast and learn about our PTA  network, vision, goals, and role in advocating for our children. Even if you don't plan to lead or serve on a PTA committee next year, we need you to bring your strengths and ideas to this gathering to help our PTA continue to grow and meet the needs of our students and teachers!

Friday April 17 - Nominations due for Chamblee Middle School's PTSA Executive Board. If you have a rising middle schooler, please see the two attached documents - one is the nominating form for CMS PTSA Executive Board and the other is important information about how you can be involved in the active and vibrant CMS PTSA.

Saturday April 18 - Brookhaven Bolt Publicity Blitz! All hands needed! Come by the school at 9:00 a.m. to pick up your stack of Brookhaven Bolt flyers to distribute in your neighborhood. Coffee and donuts provided!

The results are in for the 2008-2009 Recycling Challenge sponsored by Sewell Recycling LLC. Congratulations to our APS students and families for collecting 1.14 pounds per student of PET 1 plastic water bottles and aluminum cans! Nods to the winning school, Warren T. Jackson Primary, with 3.61 pounds per student. APS is well on our way to placing in the next round. Way to go, students, families, and PTA Green Committee, chaired by Pam Irvin!

Finally, Dekalb County School System invites the community to celebrate the opening of Arabia Mountain High School, its first high school certified to Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED):

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Events/Activities to include:

• Fun, Food and Festivities! Rain or Shine!

• Student Activities

• BioBus

• Wild Animal Rescue

• Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Displays and Information

• Natural Forestry

• Fernbank Science Center

• Moonwalk

• Compass Nature Walk (Begins at noon in front of the gym)

• 7-Mile Family Fun

March may be going out like a lamb, but we're still going strong at APS! Be sure to note these upcoming events:

Wednesday, 3/25 - Donuts for Dads (and Other Cool Guys) at the Book Fair, 7-8 a.m. in the Media Center. Book Fair remains open through noon.

Thursday, 3/26 - Last Day to Shop the Book Fair! 7 a.m. - Noon in the Media Center.

Tuesday, 3/31, 6:00 p.m.  - Are You Smarter Than Your APS Student? In the Cafeteria. Come experience how your child is learning and see how you can help!

Friday, 4/3 - Career Day! We invite members of our community to share with our students about their careers and special interests. We are looking for speakers from all walks of life - the more diverse, the better! Speakers can be community members, neighbors of the school, coworkers of parents, or parents themselves. If you are able to speak, please contact Ashley Meeks, School Counselor, Ashley_L_Meeks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. If you know someone else who might speak, please forward this to them.

Monday 4/6 through Friday 4/10 - Spring Break! Enjoy yourselves and be safe.

Wednesday, 4/15, 9 a.m. - PTA Planning and Information Social in the Media Center. Come meet our PTA leaders for 2009-2010, learn how the national, state, and school PTA memberships advocate for our children, and find where you belong!

Recycling News - We are thrilled that we received our first check from the aluminum and plastic recycling project! The nearly $77 raised goes into the Classroom Enrichment fund which helps our teachers purchase special curriculum and teaching tools. As we continue to collect aluminum cans and PET 1 water bottles, please remember to keep plastic bags, milk jugs, soft drink bottles and glass out of the collection bin. We also recently learned that cardboard should not go in the paper recycling bin. Thanks for your support!

Lights! Camera! Book Fair!

The APS Spring Scholastic Book Fair launches this Thursday, March 19 in the Media Center. Regular hours are weekdays from 7 AM – Noon through March 26.

Special events are:

Thursday, March 19: Family Night! 5 – 7 PM (except during the PTA meeting and Discovery Players skit). Come for family fun and door prizes!

Friday, March 20: Goodies for Grands! 7 – 9 AM. Bring in your favorite “grand” person – grammas, granddads, aunts, uncles, and beloved neighbors for some special goodies and special reading time together.

Monday, March 23: Muffins for Moms! 7 – 9 AM. All moms, grandmoms, aunts and special caregivers are invited to shop the Book Fair with their students while nibbling on breakfast goodies.

Wednesday, March 25: Donuts for Dads! 7 – 9 AM. This is a special time for the important men in our lives to munch on some breakfast treats and help students read and pick out books.

Thursday, March 26: Last day to shop!

One for Books - Once again, we are participating in Scholastic's incredible outreach program, One for Books. Look for donation slips at the Book Fair checkout. Students making donations of $1 or more will get to post their donation slip on our Wall of Fame. All of the money collected goes directly to purchasing more books for our school. Scholastic will match monetary donations raised with a donation of up to one million books to three non-profit organizations dedicated to helping kids and families in need. They include: Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., National Center for Family Literacy, and Toys for Tots. During the Fall Book Fair, we raised $70 for One for Books – help us top this!

Get a sneak peek at our Book Fair offerings and help your student start a wish list at our home page - http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/aps. Remember, volunteers who help with the Book Fair receive 10% off their purchases. To sign up, click on the volunteer link on our home page or email Michele Huff at mrayhuff@yahoo.com.

We’ve rolled out the red carpet for you – see you at the Book Fair!

The general PTA membership will vote on its 2009-2010 Executive Board at the March 19 PTA Meeting at 6:00 p.m., just prior to the Discovery Players’ performance of "The Rattletrap Car". Our PTA Nomination Committee has worked diligently over the past month to solicit nominations from you. They have put together the following slate of nominees, and all have confirmed they are willing to serve. We would like to introduce your nominees here. They are:

Co-President: Tiffany Black-Wilson. Tiffany is a native Atlantan and has lived in the Ashford Park neighborhood for eight years. She attended The Lovett School from pre-k to 12th grade and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. She has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. Tiffany taught in the Fulton Co. Public School System for 11 years before becoming a mom of one, and two more years at Cliff Valley School before becoming a mom of two. Tiffany's children are Cade (1st) and Tallulah (future Pre-K class of 2011). She currently serves as APS PTA Co-Vice President and has volunteered with numerous PTA programs including Arts in Education, Valentine lollipop sales, Family Dance, Book Fair, Open House, and classroom support. 

Co-President: Dianna Williams. Dianna has lived in Atlanta for five years, and she and husband Keith have two children at APS, Mei Mei (K) and Ellen (1st). She works part time as a corporate communications specialist for Jacobs Engineering, and is a former college instructor of writing and literature. Dianna received a BA and MA in English from the University of Alabama (1988, 1990). She comes from a family of educators and passionately supports public education. Dianna has served as PTA Co-Vice President (2008-2009), Corresponding Secretary (2007-2008), Book Fair co-chair (2007-2009), and is a parent representative on the APS School Council.

Co-Vice President: Matt Blankenship. Matt has lived in Atlanta for 28 years, 27 of them as a Dekalb County resident.  He and his wife, Whitney (aka “Mrs. Sally Foster”), are graduates of Dunwoody High School (1989).  They have two children, Amelia Mae (Pre-K) and Harper (2nd).  Matt has been a mortgage broker in Atlanta for more than 13 years and stays busy “creating customers for life.”  He is a firm believer in building lasting relationships between the school and the community it serves. He is currently serving his last year of a two-year term as President of the APS School Council.  He is also a member of the planning committee for the annual Brookhaven Bolt 5k run, APS’s largest fundraising event.

Co-Vice President: Lisa Engle. Lisa is the mother of five children, and has lived in the Ashford Park neighborhood for nearly 20 years. She has one child currently at APS, son Zeke (3rd). While serving as Picture Day Chair (1992-1999), Lisa fell in love with this great neighborhood school and decided to commit to seeing it reach its fullest potential. Lisa served as PTA President in 2006-2007, and serves currently as Co-President. She has also been at different times the Teacher Appreciation Chair, Box Tops Coordinator, and an ever-present classroom volunteer. 

Secretary: Jenny Sercer. Jenny has lived in Atlanta for 14 years, 10 years in Brookhaven Fields. She and her husband, Nick, have three children, George (1st), Phoebe (Pre-K) and Audrey (3 years old).  Jenny spent 12 years in the advertising and publishing field and is now an assistant teacher at Oglethorpe Presbyterian Preschool. She currently serves APS PTA as Picture Day Chair and in several other volunteer capacities.

Treasurer: Diane Allers. Diane has lived in Atlanta for 10 years, eight of them in Ashford Park. She and her husband, Mike, have two children, Finnian (K) and Dempsey (3 years old).  Diane has more than 10 years of bookkeeping/accounting experience and formerly was Director of Educational Services for VeriSign, Inc. She first began volunteer tutoring at APS several years ago as a supportive member of the neighborhood. Diane has increased her support over the past two years, serving as PTA Treasurer (2008-2009) and active member of several committees including Fall Festival and Open House.

This coming Thursday, March 19 is a big day in the life of our school. Make plans to participate in these events!

 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Spring Book Fair opens! In the Media Center. Shop great Scholastic titles for your special student or fulfill a wish for a favorite teacher.

 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Pre-K Lottery registration! In the Media Center. Bring your child's certified birth certificate (not a copy) and proof of residence (power or gas bill, copy of lease, etc.). Registration will close at 1:00 and the names will be drawn immediately after. The names will be posted on the school's front door. You do not have to be present at the drawing. (After you register, visit our Book Fair for 10% off!)

 5 - 7 p.m. - Book Fair Family Night (closed during PTA meeting). In the Media Center. Family fun activities and door prizes! We still need a couple of volunteers - please contact Michele Huff at mrayhuff@yahoo.com

 6 p.m. - PTA General Meeting: Election of officers for 2009-2010 PTA Executive Board. In the cafeteria. It is extremely important that all PTA members attend and make their voices heard in the choosing of our leadership for the coming year. Please make plans to attend!

 Immediately following PTA Meeting - "The Rattletrap Car," a fun-for-all-ages skit performed by the Discovery Players!

Ashford Park Elementary School will hold Career Day on Friday, April 3^rd! On this day, we invite members of our community to share with our students about their careers and special interests. We are looking for speakers from all walks of life - corporate, medical, retail, arts and entertainment, maintenance, animal care, military, security, civic service, volunteerism - the more diverse, the better! Speakers can be community members, neighbors of the school, coworkers of parents, or parents themselves.

 If you are able to speak, please fill out the attached form and return it to Ashley Meeks, School Counselor, at 2968 Cravenridge Dr. NE, 30319 or by email at Ashley_L_Meeks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. If you know someone else who might speak, please forward this to them.

Career Day will kick off with a light breakfast at 7:45A.M., and end by 11:00 A.M. Speakers do not have to stay the entire time, although we would like for them to speak to as many classes as possible, 20 minutes each.

If you have questions, please feel free to call Ms. Meeks at (678) 676-6716. She will contact speakers with their classroom schedules before April 3rd.

Thank you for helping us make Career Day exciting and meaningful for our students!

Hello APS families and friends! It’s hard to believe it’s March already! Be sure these events are on your calendars:

Thursday, March 5 – Deadline for nominating PTA leadership for 2009-2010 school year. Forms came home in backpacks last week. You can also pick them up from the school office. Return them to the box on the green hutch outside the office.

Tuesday, March 10 – APS Night at Elwood’s! Meet at Elwood’s for a slice, a sandwich or a salad. 10% of all sales will be given back to APS for much-needed office and cleaning supplies! Elwood’s is at 3883 Peachtree Road (in the Kroger plaza behind Starbuck’s).

Saturday, March 14 – DCSS and Office of School Improvement’s Spring Conference: Mission Possible…Building Bridges for a Better Tomorrow.” 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Avondale Middle School, 3131 Old Rockbridge Rd, Avondale Estates. For information, call 678-676-0376.

Tuesday, March 17 – APS Night at Galla’s! Mention APS when you eat in, take out, or order delivery, and 20% comes back to our school for operating expenses. Galla's is located at 4849 Peachtree Road in Chamblee.

Thursday, March 19 – Pre-K Lottery registration, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Drawing at 1:15. For more information, visit http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/about/schoolchoice/prek.html or call the Pre-K Lottery help line: 678-676-0370.

Thursday, March 19 – PTA General Meeting, 6 p.m., to nominate and elect officers for 2009-2010, followed by an entertaining skit from the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grade Discovery students! Book Fair Family Night hours will be before and after the meeting and skit (exact times to be announced soon).

The following announcement comes from the Georgia PTA. We encourage you to take a minute to review it and take action. Visit www.georgiapta.org for more information and links:

Voucher Legislation SB 90: Time for Action!

The Senate Education committee passed the voucher bill and it could be considered as early as this week by the full Senate. Call your legislator today and tell them to vote NO on SB 90.

• We support the provisions in the bill that allow for public school choice but oppose using taxpayer dollars to fund vouchers to send students to private schools.
• Private schools choose the student, not the other way around.
  • Private schools may discriminate based on gender, religion, economic status, family background, intelligence, academic success or behavior. Public schools take everyone; private schools exclude those whom they don’t choose to serve.
  • In a US DOE survey of private inner city schools, 68% stated they definitely or probably would not accept vouchered students with learning disabilities, limited English or low academic achievement.
• Studies show that private schools do not do a better job educating youth than public schools
• Private school teachers do not have to be certified to teach; public school teachers not only must be certified to teach but must be certified in the subject matter they are teaching
• No fiscal or academic accountability is attached to the public tax payer dollars spent on private schools
  • Incidents in private schools accepting vouchers with no accountability have shown abuses of those dollars
  • Private schools do not have to demonstrate that students are making academic improvements through measures such as norm referenced tests nor do they have to publish the results of any tests that are given
  • In every other department, program or taxpayer funded service transparency is being demanded and reported yet we would accept less for our students?
• Vouchers fail to serve those who need them most, the economically disadvantaged
  • Cost of most private schools exceeds the amount of the voucher so only those who can make up the difference can take advantage of them
  • Transportation is not provided so only those who can get themselves to the private school can go
• Vouchers drain critical dollars from public education and remove the focus on improving public education

Our APS PTA Nominating Committee is working diligently to establish nominations for the PTA Executive Board for the 2009-2010 school year. One of our responsibilities is to be sure we reach out to the APS population for any nominations you may have for these positions:

• President
• Vice President
• Corresponding Secretary
• Recording Secretary
• Treasurer

We are looking for qualified, diverse and dedicated individuals to join our fabulous PTA Executive Board. Please see the attached form to submit any one you feel we should contact to serve in this capacity. A form will also come home in your child's school bag. Forms are due back on Thursday, March 5.