Volume 11, Issue 2 - December 2014

2014-2015 PTA

Executive

Officers

Because of the amazing support of our FEM family the PTA has raised

almost $28,000 through our fall fundraiser, spirit nights, and direct

donation drive! We will be able to do so many wonderful things for our

school, and it’s all due to YOU!

The Xtreme BMX Show was held on November 19th as a thank you for

sellers who reached certain sales goals, and it was a huge success! Kids and

parents alike enjoyed watching the BMX riders jump and flip, and our TOP

5 sellers had a meet and greet with the riders.

We still have several spirit nights scheduled through the end of the school

year, so please continue to show your support for our school by patronizing

the restaurants that have so generously offered to give back to the

community by supporting FEM!

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to the many volunteers who

work hard to make our fundraisers a success! It really does take a village,

and we absolutely could not do it without you!

Fairfield Elementary Magnet

December 2014 Volume 11, Issue 2

Fall Fundraising Flies High!

Laura Gooszen,

President

Amy Simon,

Membership/1st VP

Emily Hobson,

Membership Co-Chair

Carrie Rainey,

Fundraising/2nd VP

Heather Howard,

Fundraising Co-Chair

Christie Rust,

Hospitality/3rd VP

Rebecca Welborn,

Hospitality Co-Chair

Pamela Graham,

Principal/4th VP

Melanie Peacock,

Treasurer

Amy Randall,

Recording Secretary

See the back cover to

meet your PTA

Committee Chairs!

Wow! What a great school year we have had so far. It is hard to believe that the second

nine weeks is about to wrap up. This means PTA has been in full swing. With

Thanksgiving just behind us, I would like to thank a few people for their hard work and

dedication so far this year:

* Christie Rust and Rebecca Welborn for providing refreshments and a few extra

tissues for our new Kindergarten parents at the Tears and Cheers Breakfast. Also, for

their smiling faces and yummy bulldog cookies at our Open House for prospective new

families.

* Carrie Rainey and Heather Howard for managing a phenomenal fundraiser,

handing out all those bears to our eager sellers, and scheduling spirit nights for our

families.

* Wendy Vincent and Laura Weego for heading up a wonderful Grandparents’ Day.

* Amy Juneau and Kelley Jones for organizing lunch for our faculty and staff to enjoy.

* Ashli and Jack Davis for working hard to clean up and make our school grounds look beautiful.

* Chris Mangin and Clay Walker for putting on an outstanding Run 4 FUNds as well as our first Team Trail 10K.

* Michelle Basco and Jennifer Sawyer for putting in countless hours to make Carnival a fun day for our families.

* Kate Green for taking thousands of pictures of all our events this school year and helping Emily Parratt and

Lauren Brown produce our fabulous yearbook.

* Alana Faktor and Marjorie Bowen for selling spirit wear to our amazing families and Bulldog supporters.

* Tracie Smith for guiding our room parents as they support our teachers.

* Mary Ritcher and Christina Laing for assisting Mrs. Kelly with her fall book fair.

* Joanne Black and Lindsey Lewis for heading up our class projects.

* Allison Manning and Lacey McCollum for helping our 5th graders have a special year.

* Angie Jackson and Kami Tais for encouraging our children to express themselves through their art as they

participate in our PTA contests.

* Amy Simon, Teri and Macy Flash for producing an excellent and handy PTA directory.

* Amy Randall for taking minutes at all our meetings.

* Sue Bowden for counting, sorting and mailing Box Tops for our school.

* Melanie Peacock for working VERY hard as treasurer to keep up with our funds and budget.

* Kate Pedrotty for creating our informative newsletter for our families.

These committees could not have prospered without the many volunteers that helped make our PTA events successful.

Thank you for your hard work! Looking ahead, PTA plans to use our currents funds to help the school with many items

needed. Plans are being made to add new iPads to the school along with other items that have been requested by our

faculty.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. Enjoy your upcoming break with your family and

friends.

Laura Gooszen

A Note from the President—Laura Gooszen


On October 30th, the District PTA held its annual Principal’s Luncheon at East

Ridge Country Club. It was a nice event that honored principals in Caddo

Parish. Mrs. Graham was treated to a delicious lunch and entertainment by the

Magnet High Jazz Band. Superintendent Goree, along with Transformation and

Innovation Officer Billy Snow, spoke on exciting happenings in our district.

District PTA Principal’s Luncheon—Thursday, October 30

Save the Date—2015 Silent Auction and Spring Fling!

Volume 11, Issue 2

This year’s Silent Auction and Spring Fling will be held

at the Shreveport Country Club on Friday March 20th.

This event starts at 6pm and goes until 9pm. Our theme

this year is...

Fairfield Night on the Red Carpet!

5th Graders will be presented on the red carpet, so make

plans to attend. There will be food, dancing, face

painting, and lots of items to bid on throughout the

evening. This is a family-friendly event, so bring the whole family and your neighbors too.

Dress is casual to sparkle formal-your choice!

Watch for our announcements in the spring about big items to be auctioned at the event .

Please remember while you are out shopping this holiday to ask for donations to our Auction.

We have donation letters for your businesses in the office, or contact the Auction committee.

Also, if you are interested in helping with the Dance or Auction committee please contact

Holli Mangin at [email protected], Sherry Walker at [email protected] or

Meb Tujague at [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

Run for FUNds: A Great Day for Bulldog Nation


October 22nd was a perfect day for a run and our Bulldogs came prepared for the

fun. As the sun began to rise and slowly warm the day, the classes came out with

a great attitude and an interest in raising money for the school.

This year, they ran 768 miles as a school and

raised nearly $11,000, all to be given to the

school. As you can see from the pictures, the kids

had a great time and we enjoyed giving them the

chance to show their Bulldog pride.

Top Grand Prize winners Mary Michael

Gardner and Abby Weego both received bikes

this year. Ben Muslow won the Kindle from top

donations drawing. The prizes were awarded at

the school pep rally. What a great event and a

healthy way to raise money for our school while

reinforcing the importance of exercise!

PTA Reflections Winners for Fairfield, 2014-2015

Volume 11, Issue 2

The top winners for each category at the school level are listed below!

Intermediate Visual Arts

1 - Cole Jackson, 4th Kliebert

2 - Mary Margaret Juneau,

4th Pettigrew

Intermediate Photography

1 - Will Grieder, 3rd Woody

1 - Jack Randall, 3rd Guy

2 - Cole Jackson, 4th Kliebert

3 - Ella Grace Grieder, 5th Benson

Intermediate Literature

1 - Mary Margaret Juneau, 4th

Pettigrew

2 - Kingson Wills, 5th Benson

3 - Jenny Jin, 4th Kliebert

4 - Anne Marie Kemper, 4th Horne

Primary Music Composition

1 - Landry Hobson,

2nd Horton

Primary Visual Arts

1 - Hope Juneau, 1st Scott

2 - Jai Koticha, 1st Scott

3 - Ryann Jackson, 2nd Eseman

4 - Fiona Stevens, 2nd Eseman

Primary Photography

1 - Jashan Ahuja,

1st Hillidge

Primary Literature

1 - Clayton Sonnenfeld, 2nd

Granberry

2 - Hope Juneau, 1st Scott

2014 Grandparents’ Day


This year’s Grandparents’ Day was the best yet! So many VIPs came out to show support for our

Fairfield Bulldogs! First, our guests were treated to a performance by Fairfield’s Junior Varsity

cheerleaders. VIPs then visited the classrooms and met our wonderful teachers.

Grandparents’ Day ended with donuts and coffee provided by PTA in the

cafeteria. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this year’s

Grandparents’ Day such an overwhelming success!

L to R: Ivory Willis (3rd), Hope Juneau (1st),

Mary Margaret Juneau (4th), Patrick Gooszen (Back

Cover), John Gamble (Front Cover),

Sabrina Baidas (K), Emma Doyal (2nd)

PTA Directory

Artwork

Contest

Winners!

Team Trail 10K: Great Times for All!

5th Grade Bulldog News!

Volume 11, Issue 2

After a few brief instructions, teams from

Fairfield and other schools set out on an

adventure like no other. The first runners from

each team took off at 8 am and within 6

minutes, you could hear the roar as their

teammates saw them rounding the corner in

the distance.

Cheering was replaced with a rush to start

their challenge (build a human pyramid,

wheelbarrow races as a team, limbo, etc). Then

the next runner was off while his/her team

waited for the mile to be over and their friend

to come back through to compete in the next

challenge. By 9:15, all of the teams were done,

the kids and the parents were exhausted and

there were smiles everywhere. It was a great event. Look for the next one coming in the Spring. We

promise that you’ll have fun and we’ll have new challenges in store for the participants.

On November 1st, the FEM 5th grade Bulldogs got together for their annual fall party. Mrs. Blue

welcomed the kids out to her home and pasture in South Bossier. The party was fun-filled with food, a

hayride, bonfire, and roasting marshmallows. Mr. Peacock led the hayride where the kids had a blast

riding around and around the pasture, never tiring. The boys enjoyed playing football together, and

parents had a chance to visit, while staying warm around the bonfire. It was a special time for the kids,

as they enjoy their last year as Bulldogs. A huge thank you goes out to the Blues for hosting the party!!!

And, thank you to all the parents who helped out at the party, or by bringing something for the party.

We couldn’t do it without you!

Congratulations to our Summer Box Tops Winners!

1st Place: Carter Gabucci

2nd Place: Christopher Peyton

3rd Place: Matthew Nix

4th Place: Mason McCormick Each winner received a gift certificate to the Book Fair.

Way to go, and keep on clipping!

Teacher of the Year and Students of the Year


Rebecca Kliebert

Fairfield Teacher of the Year,

2014-2015

2014-2015 Student of the Year Finalists

L to R: Russell Peacock, Logan Mayo,

Andrew Black, Kenna Pettigrew,

Addy Jackson

Way to Go!

Fall Carnival (or should we say Winter Carnival?)

Volume 11, Issue 2

Okay, it wasn’t THAT cold, just a bit nippy! But the weather didn’t

keep our families from having a fabulous time.

The Stage Area was full of excitement. We started with Professional

Hula Hoopers who gave us a great show, then taught anyone willing

to become a Hula-Expert. Next up, we had a visit from the Caddo

Middle Magnet Cheerleaders. Then, none other than our very own

Fairfield Cheerleaders, who have spirit, YES they do! Great Scott

Illusions wrapped up our stage show by literally pulling a bunny out

of a hat! We even had an emcee keeping everyone informed of the

happenings.

The children wore themselves out on the inflatables! Anyone willing to wait in the line was able to get a

balloon animal from Great Scott. And although the Helicopter was diverted, the Pie in the Face booth

was a BIG HIT! Other activities included do-nut on a string, 3-legged and potato sack racing, face

painting, plinko, mural painting, and spin art. Don’t forget about the Cake Walk which had so many

wonderful choices! The Library Book Fair provided a wonderful oasis from the cold.

And food! Our food trucks provided more food than we could consume, but PTA had to make a run to the

store to refill our Hot Chocolate!

Michelle Basco and Jennifer Sawyer want to truly thank our Fairfield Family who came together and

made our Carnival such a success. Our inflatables were fully manned and Duval’s never threatened to

shut one down (this is a first in our experience.) We can’t say enough about those who took a Pie in the

Face for the team! The kids LOVED that!

Did y’all see the mountain of treats that were donated to the cake walk?

What about the wall of drinks? We had so many drinks donated that the

extra waters will be donated to the 4th grade Leap Academy and the Lounge

will have a soda-stocked fridge for a while. We have no way of truly

deciding which class had the most participation, so EVERY CLASS will

receive a popsicle party when the weather warms up! All in all, we had a

wonderful day at “Fall Fair Fun with our Fairfield Family” and are

looking forward to next year!

Dear Bulldogs,

This holiday got me thinking that it would be awesome if our school system would have a

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale. This could help schools like ours stretch our dollars to

purchase needed items for our schools.

After eating our Thanksgiving meals, principals could rush to the school board to get items for

50%-70% off. I would stand in the technology line to get iPads for our school. Last year Caddo

conducted a technology inventory to determine if schools were ready for the PARCC

assessment. Many of Caddo’s neighborhood schools were prepared because they received Title

I funds to purchase technology but most of the elementary magnet schools did not have

enough computers, laptops, or iPads. After completing the survey for our school and having

several visitors come to Fairfield to count computers and iPads, Caddo determined that we

weren’t prepared; so at the end of last year we received 30 iPads along with an iPad cart from

the school board. This year the state assessment will be paper and pencil; but we began using

the technology in the classroom to support instruction. The teachers love having a device for

students to use in a small group or to complete individual assignments. Having technology in

the classroom provides students with endless access to valuable information. The only

problem with the iPads and the cart is that we need more of them.

Currently teachers have to sign-up to use the one (1) iPad cart for the entire school. If we had

an iPad cart for each grade, teachers could use it more than once a week in their classrooms. This would give students the

opportunity to complete their assignments in a variety of ways instead of the traditional paper and pencil reports.

On Cyber Monday, I could go online to purchase desktop computers, projectors, and projector bulbs at half the cost. Currently

our school board does not purchase technology for schools in the district. It is up to the school to purchase, repair, and replace

all technology except for what is located in the library. Technology is a necessary tool to support learning in the 21 century and

it would be nice to have more for all our boys and girls at Fairfield.

Yes, it would be awesome if the school board provided a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale but until they do, we have to be

creative in raising money to purchase needed technology. Because of your support with our Run for Funds, Jeans and Jerseys

Day, and pizza-by-the-slice, we have been able to purchase additional laptops, iPads, projectors and projector bulbs, and printer

ink for teachers. We will continue to think outside the box to raise money to purchase items needed for our students’ success. I

am thankful that our Bulldog families support us and our endeavors to prepare our students for the next step.

Thank you Bulldogs and have a great holiday,

Pam Graham

Principal’s Letter

2014-2015 PTA Committee

Chairs!

Artbreak Co-Chairs:

Mary Droddy, Laura Grieder

Auction/Spring Fling Cg-

Chairs:

Holly Mangin, Meb Tujague,

Sherry Walker

Box Tops:

Sue Bowden

Building & Grounds Co-

Chairs:

Ashli and Jack Davis

Carnival Co-Chairs:

Michelle Basco, Jennifer

Sawyer

Class Projects Co-Chairs:

Joanne Black, Lindsey Lewis

Faculty/Staff Appreciation

Co-Chairs:

Kelley Jones, Amy Juneau

Field Day:

Angela Mayo

Field Day Co-Chair:

Jamey Droddy

Fifth Grade Coordinators:

Allison Manning, Lacey

McCollum

Grandparents Day Chair:

Wendy Vincent

Grandparents Day Co-

Chair:

Laura Weego

Healthy Habits Chair:

Chris Mangin

Healthy Habits Co-Chair:

Clay Walker

Library Coordinator:

Christina Laing

Library Co-Chair:

Mary Richter

Newsletter/Website:

Kate Pedrotty

PTA Contests Co-Chairs:

Angie Jackson, Kami Tais

Room Parent Coordinator:

Tracie Smith

Room Parent Coordinator

Co-Chair:

Brenda Scott

Room Parent Faculty

Advisor:

Beth Allen

Spirit Wear Chair:

Alana Faktor

Spirit Wear Co-Chair:

Marjorie Bowen

Yearbook Co-Chairs:

Lauren Brown, Kate Green,

Emily Parratt

Yearbook Faculty Advisor:

Terri Pettigrew

Volume 11, Issue 2 - December 2014

Documents

Transcript of Volume 11, Issue 2 - December 2014