National Family Week

Attention all Fox Hollow Families!

This week is national family week and we want you to spend time with them! One of the most important things that you can do with you family is to eat dinner together. During dinner, take time to talk to your kids and find out what is going on with them. Last week we sent home a flier that had several topics you could bring up. We hope that you will take the time to read this and then apply it!

One way that we like to celebrate family week is by providing games to play together as a family. Each day this week we will be holding a drawing where one student per grade, per day, will win a family game! Good Luck to all of our students!

Another important activity is reading together! Join us on Wednesday November 23rd from 8-8:45 for our BFF...Books ~ Family ~ Food. Bring your favorite book, your family and a blanket to sit on. The PTA will provide the donuts! This is a great way to celebrate family week with you family!

Also on Wednesday, Fox 13 will be spotlighting Fox Hollow as their Cool School of the week. Make sure you wear you spirit wear!

Book Fair!

Want to reward your kids for their awesome grades? Take them to the book fair! Fox Hollow PTA will be running a scholastic Book Fair on Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th from 4-8. Stop by a pick up a few books for your kids after your Parent Teacher Conference. Remember, books make great Christmas presents too. Speaking of Christmas presents, I am sure that any teacher would be thrilled to receive a new book for their classroom. Check out the teachers wish list while you are there!

What does your family enjoy doing together?

In honor of National Family Week coming up we want to see what your family likes to do together. We would like to get as many Fox Hollow family photos as possible to display around the school. Either find or take a picture of your family doing what they love and then send it to Nicole Allgrunn at nallgrunn@hotmail.com. We will be printing these pictures up, so please make sure that there are no copyrights on them. Thank you for your help!

Legos Needed

Fox Hollow is in need of any extra legos that you have lying around the house. These will be used for a fun new incentive program at the school. They are also looking for someone who is talented in designing things out of legos. If you or someone you know has this talent, please contact Breanne Stump at Fox Hollow. If you would like to donate legos, please deliver them to the office. Thank you!

Thank You!

A huge thank you to all of you who attended our Uplift Utah Program. I hope that each of you enjoyed watching your kids as much as we did. They did a FANTASTIC job! It was a total payoff for us last night!

This week is Red Ribbon Week at Fox Hollow. We have been focusing on the importance of staying away from drugs and alcohol. Our children are facing a lot of challenges these days. It is our job as parents to talk to them and know what is going on in their lives. They look up to us as parents, and we need to be there for them! They are being taught at school, but they also need that reinforcement at home. I know that the students at Fox Hollow have great parents by the turn out that we had at the program last night! Thank you again for all of your support!

Uplift Utah Families

Please join us Thursday evening for Fox Hollows Uplift Utah Program. This program was put out by Mrs. Herbert, Utah's first lady. This program is designed to help you, as parents, realize how important your role is in your child's life as well as the challenges that your children are facing each day. Your children have been working on songs that they will perform on Thursday night. Each grade will perform 1 song with short video clips in between. The program should be no more then 1 hour. Please set this night aside and join us!

All students will need to be at the school at 6:15. All students will meet in their collaboration areas and we will keep them until the performance is over. We would encourage the students to wear their spirit wear or school colors.

Reflections

Diversity Means....

PTA's annual Reflections contest is now underway. Your child should have received information about it at school. All entries need to be submitted by November 4th. Entry forms can be downloaded at utahpta.org or you can pick them up in the office. This is a great opportunity for students to express themselves in all forms of art. If you have further questions please leave a comment and we will get back to you.

Fundraiser ~ Last Day

Tomorrow is the last day to turn your orders in for the Entertainment Book Fundraiser. I hope that everyone has had success and that you were able to sell your books! Please make sure that you send your money with your child tomorrow. If you need additional books, we will send them home with your child. If you chose not to participate or were unable to sell your books, please send them back with your student tomorrow as well. It is very important that we get those books back! We will need every last book to fill the orders that we have coming in. Thank you so much for your participation in our Fundraiser! We will keep you updated on our success!

Protect your head- Wear a helmet!

Why should I wear a helmet?

• About 800 bicyclists die in the US every year.
• Children ages 5-14 are 5 times more likely to be injured in a bicycle related crash than older riders.
• About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of these, about 67,000 have heard injuries.
• 1 in 8 of the cyclists with reported injuries has a brain injury.
• Two thirds of the deaths here are from traumatic brain injury.
• Up to 88% of cyclist's brain injuries can be prevented by wearing a bicycle helmet.

When purchasing a helmet for bicycling or rollerblading, look for the ASTM, SNELL or CPSC stickers inside. These helmets have been tested for safety.

Safety Tips

1. Protect your head- Wear a helmet.
2. See and be seen- wear proper clothes and be cautious when riding at night.
3. Go with the flow of traffic-the safe way is the right way.
4. Look both ways- be aware of traffic around you.
5. Stay Alert- keep a look out for obstacles in your path.
6. Go off road- follow designated bike routes if available.

More Car Seat Safety!

Did you know that new recommendations are out for car seat safety? Remember being so excited for your child to hit the one year mark or 20 lb mark so you could turn them around in their car seat? Well that is no longer the case. Here are the new recommendations...

Rear Facing

(Birth to at least 2 years old and less than 30 lbs)

Child Safety Seat

• Read your child's safety seat instructions. This will help you know the right way to use and install your car set.
• An "infant Only" or "rear facing convertible" seat can be used for children weighing less than 22-30 lbs.
• Most "infant only" seats can be used with or without the base. Check instructions to see where the carrying handle must be place when used in the vehicle.

Placement

• Face you infant and toddler to the rear of the vehicle until your child is at least two years and 30 lbs
• Never put your infant in the front passenger seat of a vehicle with air bags. The back seat is the safest.

Child Safety Straps

• Fasten the harness straps on your child first. Cover your child with a blanket last. Do not wrap you child in blankets or extra clothing.
• Place harness straps in the slots on the back of the seat, at or below your child's shoulders. Fasten the harness snugly. At you child's collarbone, you should not be able to "pinch" any of the harness strap between your fingers.
• Always use the chest retainer clip to hold the shoulder straps in place. Position the retainer clip at armpit level.

Car Safety Belts

• The child safety seat should not move more than on inch side-to-side and front to back when shaken at anchor points (where the seat belt goes through).
• Seat belts in cars made before 1996 may need a locking clip. Always read the instruction manuals for your vehicle and you child safety seat.
• If your car needs a locking clip, place it on both the lap and shoulder belts 1/2 " to 1" from the latch plate.

Boosters until age 8!

Not only is it important to keep our kids safe when playing outside, but it is also important to keep them safe in the car.

A new law passed in 2008, changes Utah's child restraint law. Now every child up to age 8 must be in a child safety seat or booster seat. The exception to that law is if your child is 57". There is also a $45.00 fine for those not following this law.

When is my child ready for a seat belt?

Your child is ready for a seat belt when they are 8 years old or over 57 inches tall. Before moving your child to an adult safety belt, take the Safety Belt Fit Test.

• Is your child able to sit upright with knees bent at the edge of the seat?
• Does the shoulder belt fit over the middle of the shoulder and the center of the chest?
• Does the lap belt rest on the hips or upper thighs?
• Can your child maintain the correct position for as long as you are in the car?

When should a booster seat not be used?

If you vehicle does not have shoulder belts in the back seat, a booster seat cannot be used. Booster seats must never be used with a lap belt only. If there are no seating position with both lap and shoulder belts available for using a booster seat, a child who has outgrown their regular child restraint may be secured with a properly fitted lap belt. Children should ride in a traditional harness system, which generally occurs at 40 lbs or more, depending on the seat. There are many seats on the market with internal harnesses that can accommodate children weighing more than 40 lbs. These seats are recommended to parents with vehicles that only have lap belts.

More children ages 6-14 die from traffic crashes than from anything else. But even more startling is the fact that over half of the 4-7 year olds who die in crashes are buckled in seat belts. The truth is that these younger children are not safe in seat belts alone. They are not adequately protected by seat belts alone.

Be Safe and Buckle up Properly!

Green Ribbon Week!

It's Green Ribbon Week at Fox Hollow! This week we will focus on safety with the kids. Help us celebrate Green Ribbon Week by showing that you care about safety.

Tuesday: Don't be Crazy-be Safe!

Crazy Hair Day

Wednesday: Sock it to Safety!

Crazy Sock Day

Thursday: Hats off to Safety!

Wear your favorite hat!

Friday: Play it Safe!

Wear Green

It is up to us parents to encourage our kids to be safe. Here are a few tips to help them out.

Helmets are for EVERYONE!

Wear a helmet every time you lace up your roller blades or climb on your bike. skateboard, rip-stick or scooter - no matter what age!

To fit your child's helmet, follow these steps:

1. Place a snug-fitting helmet on your child's head.

2. Adjust the helmet straps so the helmet cannot be moved from side to side or back and forth.

3. There should be about one finger width between the chin straps and the child's chin.

Remember to:

1. Ride your bike on the right-hand side of the street.

2. Obey all traffic laws, signs, and signals

3. Ride skateboards and scooters on the sidewalk.

4. Give cars and pedestrians the right-of-way.

5. Wear a helmet and protective clothing, no matter how slowly you are riding because a fall at any speed can cause sever head injury.

Set an example by wearing a helmet and encourage your friends to wear them!

Remember a helmet only works when you wear it!

Check back each day this week for more safety tips!

Lets Raise some $$$

It is time for our Annual PTA Fundraiser.

This year we have decided on selling the

Entertainment Book aka Happenings Book.

This book is a fabulous deal!

With just a few purchases the book has already paid for itself!

And lets face it, who isn't looking to save a few bucks these days?

Here are some of the great savings you will find in this book

$5.00 off @ Smiths

$5.00 off Papa Murphys Pizza

$5.00 off Classic Skating

$200 off Jazz Tickets

Chick-Fil-A

Arctic Circle

McDonalds

Boondocks

Cold Stone

Santa Monica Pizza

and SOOOO much more!

Each child was sent home with a book. That book can be sold! If your child sells more then their one book, they can bring their order form to school and their additional books will be sent home on Friday the 16th or 23rd. If they choose not to participate, please return the book back to school ASAP. These books are the ones that we will use to fill other orders. Each book sells for $25.00. Our PTA makes $12.50 for each book sold and our goal is to sell 800 books. The money earned from this fundraiser will help pay for the programs that the PTA will sponsor this year. Our fundraiser will run from September 8th-23rd! Your children will earn som fun prizes for selling the books. The class with the most books sold will also win a Pizza Party!

Let's get out and sell those books!!

Thank you for your support with this Fundraiser!!

Are you a member?

If not, sign-up today! At the beginning of each school year we ask each parent to join the PTA! There are many misconceptions about the PTA so hopefully this post will help clear a few things up.

I work full time and don't have time to be a member of the PTA

By joining the PTA you are not signing your life away, in fact, you don't have to even help at the school if you don't want to or don't have the time to. PTA is a great way to get involved in your childs educations but we also understand that jobs and family life may need to come first. You can pay your $5.00 dues and support your local PTA without being tied down to the school.

I have already joined at the JR High or High School, do I need to join here too?

Yes!! Each school has their own run PTA, therefore if you want to be a part and support Fox Hollows PTA you will need to join!

I am a member, but my spouse is not.

Sign them up! We welcome everyone to be a member of the PTA. Your membership helps up fund many of the activities that we do here at Fox Hollow!

I am not sure how to join

It is easy! Your child should have brought home an envelope on the first day of school. All you need to do is fill that out and return it with your $5.00 dues or $10 if your spouse joins. If you did not get an envelope, we have more available in the office.

Our membership drive runs through the 15th of September. By joining you are giving your childs class a chance to win an ICE CREAM PARTY!!! The class with the most membership on September 15th will win!

JOIN TODAY!!!

We've Got Spirit, How 'Bout You?

Every Friday is Spirit Day at Fox Hollow!

Order your childs spirit wear now! Orders will be taken until September 9.

T-shirts are $5.00 and Hoodies are $15.00

Grey shirt in YS, YM, YL, YXL

Girls White T with red ringer neck and sleeves in YS, YM, YL (Run on the smaller size)

Adult plain white T-shirt S, M, L, XL

Black T-shirt S, M, L, XL

Grey Full Zip Hoodie S, M, L, XL

S (6-8) M (10-12) L (14-16) XL (18-20)

Samples available in the office

Did someone say BOGO?

You heard that right! The PTA will be kicking off the year with a Buy one Get one Free Bookfair! Our goal is to get books into the hands of children while assisting the teachers with their classroom libraries! Stop by the book fair and purchase a book for your child and then donate your free book to your childs classroom. The teachers will have books already picked out for you to choose from! This is a Win-Win for everyone! What greater gift can we give to our kids then the gift of reading!!

The bookfair will be open

*Thursday August 25 during back to school night

*Monday August 29

*Tuesday August 30

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Volunteers Needed!!!

Volunteers are not paid -- not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. ~

We are so excited and equally overwhelmed as we embark on this new adventure at Fox Hollow. It has been said that many hands make light work! I find this to be very true! It is with each of your hands that our burdens will be lightened and we will be able to make Fox Hollow the best school around!

Below you will find a list of positions that we are looking to fill on our PTA Board. If you are interested in helping our please contact me at canning_md@hotmail.com.

Red Ribbon Week Coordinator: RRW is towards the end of October. You would be responsible for planning and coordinating all activities for the week. You would have a committee that would help you out and you would work under the Safety Commissioner.

Red Ribbon Week Committee: You would help the Red Ribbon Coordinator plan and follow through with the activities for the week.

Teacher Appreciation: You would work on a committee to help show our teachers how much we appreciate them! (Pretty self explanatory :) ) This runs the first full week in May.

Book Fair: We will be running 3 different book fairs this year. We are looking for people who would be willing to help out in 2-4 hour shifts, and also those who could help set-up and take down the bookfairs.

Volunteer Coordinator: You would be responsible for tracking all of the hours that volunteers/parents give in the classroom and then sending that information to the state PTA. We would also ask that you coordinate room parents for each classroom. This room parent would help organize the classroom parties. This could be a 2 person job!

Room Parents: We are looking for one parent in each classroom to help plan and coordinate other volunteer to help with the Halloween/Valentines party.

Field Day committee: You would be helping plan and carry out the festivities of the day!

Reflections committee: We have a chair person but we are looking for talented individuals to help out with this HUGE job! We would need help with preparation as well as judging

Green Ribbon Week Coordinator: Same as Red Ribbon week but Green Ribbon week is held in September (I think)

Green Ribbon Week Committee: Same as Red Ribbon Week

Breakfast with Books: We would be looking for some parents to pass out donuts and juice and maybe do an activity with the kids while they are there. You would also be in charge of the publicity.

Fundraiser Chair: You would be in charge of coordinating the fundraiser, collecting money and dispersing prizes.

Art Program: More info to come (if funds are available)

School Choir: More info to come (if funds are available)

Jr Achievement : More info to come (if funds are available)

Classroom Volunteers: Volunteering in your childs class is a very important part of PTA! If none of the above committees seem to fit you, please remember that you are contributing to PTA by helping your childs teacher in their classroom!

Many of these areas could use several people! If you don't see something that interests you on this list, check back with us at back to school night. This is a smaller list and I am sure that it will grow as we get going! The PTA is a team effort and it will require many helping hands and willing parents to make it worK! Please remember that you do not have to volunteer your time to be a member of the PTA. Your $5.00 donation helps the PTA out a ton! Please make sure that you sign-up yourself, spouse, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, family pet and anyone else you can think of! You membership is greatly appreciated!! I look forward to working with you this year!

Welcome

Welcome To Fox Hollow PTA's Blog! We hope that through this blog we will be able to keep each one of you up to date! We are so excited for the upcoming school year and we have many things planned to make this the best school in the state! It is our, goal as a PTA, to help the teachers in providing the kids with activities that will enrich their lives! We would encourage each of you to get involved.