WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

One of our favorite mornings is almost here - Walk To School Day! Starting at 7:45am on October 6, the Shorewood High School band will welcome students. It's a fun celebration before school starts.

As September wraps up, the PTO has provided the beginning-of-the-year teacher grants. Full-time teachers received $100, and part-time teachers received $50 to help offset out-of-pocket expenses. It's a small token of our appreciation for Lake Bluff’s wonderful staff. This month, the PTO was also able to purchase copies of "Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom" for the teachers' optional book study.

The PTO also just opened our Annual Education Grants program. Staff can apply for a grant of up to $500 to support items, programs, curriculum, and similar items to support the classroom experience. Your participation in our fundraisers makes these opportunities possible.

Lastly, thank you to the parents who signed up to help at Picture Day and to the Picture Day Committee Chair, Lizzie Howayeck, for keeping the day organized.

Save the Date for Walk to School Day - 10/6

October 6th is Walk to School Day! Lace up those shoes and plan on coming to school a bit early to celebrate how wonderful it is to walk to school at Lake Bluff. We'll have pencils to hand out, selfie stations with the Lake Bluff beagle, and the Shorewood High School band playing starting at 7:45am.

As always, we need a few volunteers to help the event run smoothly. Please sign up here if you are interested!

Dine Out or Take Out at Cloud Red for Lake Bluff PTO - 10/18

Enjoy a dinner with the family or a night out with friends at Cloud Red on Tuesday, October 18. You can order take out on their website or eat in at the restaurant starting at 4pm. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Lake Bluff. It's a win-win for all - a night off from meal planning and a delicious dinner.

Help Create a Delicious and Healthy Snack Buffet that will provide both Dinner and Breakfast for Teachers During Conferences, October 20

Families are asked to consider donating items on the sign-up genius or funds via the website to support the creation of a snack buffet for teachers to enjoy during parent-teacher conferences. The PTO creates a snack buffet that teachers can enjoy Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at their convenience between conferences. Watch your email for a sign-up coming out soon!

Is your child in K4 Young, K5 Griffin, 4th Grade Dean? Room Parents are needed. Many other classrooms still need at least one more room parent.

Being a room parent both aids and celebrates your children's teachers! Room parents are the contact person for class questions, especially for new-to-the-district families. Of course, they aren't expected to know all the answers, but they help find the answer.

They help arrange volunteer signups for class parties, field trips, and end-of-the-year events such as Hot Dog Day and Teacher Appreciation Week, which can be done via emails and/or SignUpGenius. Sixth-grade room parents additionally help organize the graduation celebration.

Room parents buy Holiday (Dec) and end-of-the-year (June) gifts for their teachers. This money comes from the Teacher Gift Fund collection. The PTO treasurer will divide the fund money equally among teachers and get a check to you at the end of November. Sign-up here.

New School Year: Time to update/input your family's information on the PTO website which has the Lake Bluff School Directory

To start the year off, please take a moment to go to the PTO Website, www.LakeBluffBeagle.com.

Within five minutes and a few clicks, you can update your child’s information in the PTO/School Directory, pay your annual contribution to the teacher/staff gift fund, review the volunteer opportunities and sign-up to be a room parent, and more.

The Lake Bluff Directory is the only place to find the names and contact information of Lake Bluff students. It serves as the school directory. Also, by updating/inputting your information, the PTO can send occasional emails regarding upcoming events. Download the free Membership Toolkit app to access the directory on your phone.

Room parents need permission to email you regarding class events! Please click on My Account to add your contact information to their communications.

Volunteers Needed

Please consider donating your time and talents to support the PTO. You can join a committee; sign-up to be an occasional volunteer; join the board, or more. We have an opportunity to fit your availability. Please check our volunteer options here.

Lake Bluff Spirit Wear is now available on the PTO Website

LAKE BLUFF SPIRIT WEAR IS FOR SALE ON THE PTO WEBSITE

The Lake Bluff PTO is excited to introduce a new Spirit Wear T-shirt. The shirt is available on the PTO website. Shirts are $12 each for youth and $14 each for adults. Thank you to community member, Mary Ellen Griffin, for donating your time and talents to creating this design.

If you are looking for more than t-shirts, visit our Spirit Wear partner, 1st Place Spiritwear for sweatpants, sweatshirts, backpacks, athletic wear, and more.

Upcoming Events

Walk To School Day Celebration, October 6
Dine Out at Cloud Red, October 18
Parent Teacher Conferences (No School), October 20 & 21
Teacher Conference Meal Donation Drop Off, October 20 (details coming soon)
PTO Meeting, October 20 at 7pm via Zoom
Original Works Art and Forms Due, October 27 (details in backpacks in early Oct)
Picture Retakes, October 28

Together we are the Lake Buff community!

Questions or suggestions? Email Sarah Keefe at LakeBluffPTOPresident@gmail.com

SUBJECT: PTO Newsletter 9_29_22