FREE PREP Conference and Resource Fair

Free! Live and Learn... 1st Annual Parent Conference and Resource Fair

Sponsored by PREP/Parent Resource Center (www.prep-prc.org) and the Special Education Advisory Committees (SEAC) of Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Madison

WHEN - Saturday, March 8, 2008, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
WHERE - PREP/Parent Resource Center (Ivy Creek School Building) 225 Lambs Lane, Charlottesville

Join your friends, neighbors, and colleagues for a day of learning, sharing, and fun. All free, with food and childcare*.

Topics include parent advocacy, sensory strategies, family dynamics, assistive technology and more.

For more information and to register:Sarah Blech, Coordinator, PREP/Parent Resource Center
(434) 975-9400 ext. 2342 or sblech@k12albemarle.org

* Childcare is limited. Please register early if you need childcare.

Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Parents, Educators, and Community Agencies:
Partners in the Education of All Children

The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee is composed of parents of students who require special education services, other interested persons from the community, and educators in the field who have an interest in special education. This committee provides advice concerning unmet needs in the education of children with disabilities and assists in the formulation and development of long-range plans for these children. Any parent who is interested is encouraged to attend the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee meetings. For more information contact your Director of Special Education.

Safe Surfing on the Internet

My fourth grader is becoming increasingly Internet savvy. I want to install an Internet filter on our computer to prevent my kids from accessing inappropriate material. We use Google as our search engine and I have it set to "strict filtering" but I fear that my kids will soon find other ways to navigate the Internet.

Does anyone have software suggestions or know of good sites that review this type of software? I'm wondering if I install something if it's going to make the Internet a pain for me to use.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Willa Neale

Living Wage for Charlottesville City Schools

The Virginia Organizing Project is working with other local groups to encourage the Charlottesville School Board to pay all employees a living wage. Let's take care of those who serve our children warm meals and who keep our schools clean and healthy every day.


The city of Charlottesville has already committed to paying all employees a living wage of $11.44 per hour. Call your school board representatives and ask them to follow the city's lead and raise all employees to a living wage of at least $11.44 per hour for all school employees! In this next budget cycle they need to raise all employees up to this level and help these valuable employees adequately support their families.


Please call your school board members or attend the next public comment at one of their meetings and let them know you support a living wage for all school employees.


Log on to http://www.ccs.k12.va.us/board_members.html for school board contact information.


Thanks,
Sarah Cooper

Principal Search Update

The following is an update from Dr. Giglio at Central Office about the search for a new principal for Greenbrier:

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We have over 26 applications that we are reviewing. Our plan is to select the best candidates and conduct reference checks before we interview.

The selected applicants will be invited in for a panel interview. The interview panel will narrow the group to a few finalists who will be asked to attend and present at the school parent/staff forum. Definite dates are not yet set but we want to allow enough time for any out of state applicants to make travel arrangements.

As you may recall, at the forum, every parent and staff member has an opportunity to present questions and provide feedback to the superintendent who will make a final recommendation to the School Board.

The interview panel will be a diverse group consisting of some Central Office staff members, two parents, two staff members and another elementary principal.

We are asking the PTO to select one parent. A second parent will be selected by the Central Office administration to provide diversity on the panel. (We are asking the same of staff.)
We are also asking the PTO to provide a list of 4 or 5 topics they would like covered in the interview process.

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If you have a topic you would like covered in the interview process please email Willa (willaneale@hotmail.com) or Lorie (lorie1963@aol.com).

Thanks for keeping up with the PTO.

Cell Tower Concerns

Hello,

I would like to start a thread about the cell phone tower issue.

From what I understand, there is some exposure to the power frequency electromagnetic fields that come from the towers. I did some research and saw an article from the World Health Organization that has made me feel a bit unsure about it all.(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs263/en/) In the article,it is stated that the ELF's (power frequency electromagnetic fields) are "possibly carcinogenic to humans" and they link a possibility between exposure to them and childhood leukemia.

I really don't know much about the issue but I have read of many schools protesting the use of towers. If some people can talk to either side, then perhaps we, as parents, can be educated about the matter.

It seems like putting them up closer to the gas stations and railroad tracks might be a safer bet. Granted, I am sure that the school could use the $10,000 a year it would be paid, but not at the expense of the children's health.

From what I understand, once that contract is signed, it is very hard to get the company to take the towers down.

Thanks! Lindsay Diamond

Greenbrier Principal Search

The Greenbrier PTO has been advised that the Charlottesville City Schools division will begin advertising for the position of Greenbrier Principal in late November with a January deadline for applications. It is our understanding that CCS presently hopes to have the next "Super STAR" hired in February or March.

School Board Candidate Q&A

On Tuesday, October 16, the Greenbrier PTO will host a City School Board candidate question and answer session. Our PTO meeting will be from 7:30 - 8:00 p.m. (please note the new, later time) and the Q&A session will be from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Please send an e-mail Willa, Lorie, or the PTO mail box now and let us know what topics you would like covered. You should also post your suggestions here as a comment so that others can see what's on your mind. We will spend the first half of the session asking the candidates to address certain topics and then we’ll open the second half to questions.

Please come and learn more about the people whose potential decisions will impact all our children.

Thanks,
Willa and Lorie

City Council Candidate Forum

This Wednesday, October 10th, the Greenbrier Neighborhood Association is sponsoring a forum for all five City Council candidates (two of whom live in our neighborhood) . Three seats are open in November, which means that a majority of our future City Council for the next 4 years will be at Greenbrier Elementary School's auditorium at 7:30 pm -- 9:30 pm to respond to any questions or comments you have. Please be sure to come and hear from and about the individuals whose decisions will be affecting our daily lives much more than any state or national office holder. The forum is of course open to anyone, so feel free to invite or bring others as well.

Clothes Closet

Ms. Parmar, Greenbrier's guidance counselor, is seeking donations for the Greenbrier clothes closet. If you have any of the following, please drop the items off at the main office:

• Pants sizes 5-12 (especially sweatpants or pants made of stretchy material).
• Shirts sizes 5-12 (anything easy to slip on).
• A few lightweight sweatshirts or sweaters.

Please no

• ponchos,
• capes,
• tank tops,
• button-up shirts,
• socks,
• shoes,
• underwear,
• pajamas,
• winter coats (yet anyway), or
• adult size items.

It is helpful if families only send us a few carefully chosen items. If we are given large bags or boxes of stuff, we quickly run out of room to store it. It also really helps if things are freshly laundered and free of stains and rips.

Thanks for your help!

Change to 10/11 PTO Council Meeting

The PTO Council will hold a meeting Thursday October 11th at 7:00 PM in the Walker Media Center. Rosa Atkins (Superintendent) and James Henderson (Assistant Superintendent for Administration) will attend. The meeting will allow PTO representatives and members of the school community to talk about school issues in an informal setting.

Previously, our PTO received an agenda announcement for the meeting listing the topic of middle school configuration. This subject has been debated for many years in this community and continues to be of interest to all in the community. We've been advised that school officials are continuing their study of the subject but would prefer to defer discussions on this till later in the year.

Please still feel free to come to the meeting if you'd like a chance to hear from Ms. Atkins and Mr. Henderson in an informal setting.

Thanks,
Willa and Lorie

Suggestion - Water Fountain?

Yes, it's been hot the past few days, and it won't be long before cooler weather is here for the long haul, but how would you feel about adding a water fountain or two to the playground. It seems the kids spend a good bit of time running around out there and yet there's no water available until they go back into the building (if it's P.E. or recess) or until they get some at home (if it's after school). Does anyone think adding water fountains to the playground (or under the overhang) would be worthwhile?

PTO Meeting Speaker

At last night's meeting it was suggested that the PTO extend an invitation to speaker to make a short presentation at the monthly PTO business meetings. Suggestions were: a nutritionist or a reading specialist. Is there someone you'd like to hear from? Would you like to make a presentation? Post your suggestions here!

Reminder- Charlottesville City School Board Candidates' Forum

Please plan to attend the Charlottesville City School Board Candidates' Forum

WHEN: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 @ 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: City Council Chambers

Open to the public -- questions from the community are welcomed and encouraged. All of the certified candidates have confirmed participation.

Sponsored by:
The League of Women Voters Charlottesville/Albemarle
Quality Community Council
Center for Freedom of Expression
Virginia Organizing Project

This event will also be televised and broadcast on public access TV.

For more information, contact Carol Hogg at (434) 974-7592.

You Can't Get Enough Pizza! The Return of CiCi's Night!

Mark you calendars: The first CiCi's Pizza night of this new school year will be on Thursday, Sept. 27. Thereafter we'll have Cici's pizza nights on the fourth Thursdays of each month for the remainder of the school year (with the probable exception of November - we'll keep you posted). If you haven't been before, come on out and support a good cause - CiCi’s donates 10% of the evening’s sales to Greenbrier, plus it’s lots of fun for the kids. CiCi's is at 240 Zan Road, in the Seminole Square Shopping Center. See you there!

Another Easy Way to Help Raise Money for Greenbrier

Vocelli Pizza, located in the Woodbrook Shopping Center near Kohr Brothers, will donate $1.00 to Greenbrier for each logo collected from one of their home delivery or carry out pizza boxes. Simply cut out the green logo on the front of a large or extra large pizza and place it in the plastic bin outside the Greenbrier office or in one of the “box tops” boxes near the school entrances on Kerry Lane or Greenbrier Drive. They will be redeemed with proceeds benefiting Greenbrier. To order a pizza, call Vocelli’s at 800-707-1111.

School Board Candidates Forum

There will be a Charlottesville School Board Candidates Forum at 6 p.m. on September 19 at City Council Chamber. School board candidates will answer 3 questions from the Forum sponsors and then from audience members. Sponsored by the Charlottesville League of Women Voters, Charlottesville Quality Community Council, and the Virginia Organizing Project.

Greetings from Alaska!

The Steddums (formerly of Greenbrier, now in Alaska) wanted to write something for the school blog because their children miss their friends so much....

Alaska is the most beautiful place we have lived in our 20 years with the Army. There are mountains everywhere, and we even have a moose family that lives in our yard. That is real cool. Right now the temperature is 48* and our high today is 61*. The warmest it's been this summer is 72* and that felt pretty warm to us. At 48* people wear shorts and no jackets, not something we would have done down there. Right now we have 14 hours of daylight but when we arrived in June, there was 20 hours. We lose 5 minutes of daylight each day so pretty soon we will only have daylight for 4 hours each day. We are told it is supposed to start snowing in about 4 weeks. Kimo and LeiLani love their school and are making new friends quickly. Though I must say that school-wise, Greenbrier is way more advanced than they are up here.

It has been a shock and adjustment but I do believe it's going well. We miss all of our friends from the area and I personally miss walking into the school and having everyone know my name. Greenbrier was more than our school, everyone became our family and during our year without the kids' dad, everyone made us feel like they were there if we needed anything and I do thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Be on the lookout for an Alaskan basket at the silent auction and bid bid bid. You may even find a note in there from us.

Take care and have a wonderful school year. We miss you all very much and hope to hear from you soon.

The Steddums

PTO Mailing List

Lorie and Willa have done a great job building and maintaining the PTO's e-mail list, but updating it to reflect its members' changing e-mail addresses can be a challenge. We think it is time to take another step forward and migrate the mailing list to avenue.org. This will help simplify the management of the list and ensure that all PTO mailings are always sent to the same group of addresses.

Soon you will begin receiving PTO-related mailings through avenue.org courtesy of the "Greenbrier PTO Mailing List" (a/k/a pto.frogblog@gmail.com). Be on the look-out for the new messages! Occasionally, users have reported that these messages wind up in their "spam" folder, so check there occasionally for PTO messages. If you find a PTO message in your spam folder, just add the sender to your "approved" list or otherwise identify us as non-spammers. Don't worry, we won't try to sell you cut rate pharmaceuticals, approve your loan application, or wire the king of Nigeria's money to you - ha ha. All kidding aside, though, the new list will not be used for commercial purposes, and avenue.org will not share your e-mail address with anyone else.

For safety reasons we have established the list as a "closed" mailing list - meaning that the PTO must approve additions to the list and address changes. If you need to update the e-mail address you have on file with the PTO, please e-mail pto.frogblog@gmail.com with the new information. If you have any other questions about the new mailing list, please get in touch with Lorie, Willa, Sabra Timmins or me, and we can give you more information.

Fun Fair Silent Auction

Last year, the PTO doubled the proceeds of the Fall Fun Fair by adding a Silent Auction. We're looking for your help this year to make this year's auction even better. Please begin thinking about something fun that your family could donate to the auction.

Popular items last year included theme baskets (movie night, arts and crafts, books etc.), gift certificates, lessons (knitting, yoga, etc.), artwork, and baked goods. Some generous parents also donated their time and talents, such as an afternoon riding along with a horse vet or a kitchen design consultation.

The sky's the limit, and we'd love to use this blog as a place where people can suggest and discuss donation ideas. Maybe you've got tons of ideas, but limited time and budget. A less creative soul might appreciate your suggestion! Anyone?

Please have your donation turned in by Friday, September 28 so that we can get organized in time for the Fun Fair on October 5th.

Please contact the Silent Auction co-chairs if you have any questions or to make a donation. Donations can also be placed in the PTO mailbox in the Greenbrier office.

Beth Gehle
Kristy Amacker
PTO Silent Auction Co-Chairs
elizabeth.gehle@ccs.k12.va.us

Minutes 8/28 PTO Meeting

The minutes of the August 28 PTO meeting were e-mailed out this afternoon. If you did not receive a copy, please send an e-mail to pto.frogblog@gmail.com and we will get you one.