The Cougar Courier
The Alta Vista Home & School Club Newsletter
The "Cougar Courier" is our Monthly Alta Vista Home and School Club Newsletter containing announcements, event information, and all of our community updates
...your source for all things AVHSC!
Message from the AVHSC President
Dear Alta Vista Families,
On behalf of the Alta Vista Home and School Club (AVHSC), I would like to welcome you all to our 2021-2022 School Year! We hope everyone is having an amazing first week back to school. It is so exciting to be back in the swing of things!
The AVHSC has a very special role in our Community: Connecting parents, teachers and administrators, as well as supporting critical school needs. Our mission is to make the elementary school experience richer for both students and parents. To accomplish this goal, we need you!
HSC Membership
Every AV parent is a member of the AVHSC, so to be sure that you are kept in the loop with all of our news and happenings, you will need to create an account through Membership Toolkit (MTK). (Returning parents don’t need to create a new account, just update your information.) Through MTK, you will receive AVHSC class email communications, as well as sign up to volunteer for class enrichment programs (Room Parents, Project Cornerstone, etc.), access and update the school directory, and access our online school store. Click on this link to be directed to the MTK website: MTK PARENT PORTAL SIGN UP DIRECT LINK
Fundraising
The AVHSC depends on the generous donations from our families and community sponsors to fund numerous enrichment programs, such as Art, Clay, Music, PE, Library, Project Cornerstone, organized lunchtime activities, assemblies, field trips, just to name a few.
Given the limitations that Covid-19 placed on school activities last year, we decided to postpone our annual fundraising drive, utilizing our AVHSC reserves. This year, we are very hopeful that we will be able to resume a more normal cadence of activities and events, and with that, we are kicking off our Annual Donation Drive, The Cougar C.A.G.E. Program.
You are probably wondering what C.A.G.E. Stands for?
Create
And
Give
Enrichment
This year we have a goal to raise $150,000 during our Donation Drive. Below you will find all of the program details and information on how you can contribute.
Volunteering
Your next question is probably, how can I get involved? (At least I hope it is...) Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our Enrichment Programs. Without volunteers none of this works.
Due to Covid-19 constraints, the District is still working on what the “rules of the road” will be for volunteers on campus. As information develops we will provide updates, and as soon as we can safely resume volunteer activities on site, we will be reaching out for your help!*
You can see what opportunities are available and you can still sign up to volunteer through the MTK: VOLUNTEER SIGN UP DIRECT LINK: https://altavistahsc.membershiptoolkit.com/sign_ups
* Note: For activities that can be done off campus / remotely (room parents, cornerstone, etc), we will be reaching out immediately. For those that need to be done on campus (Clay), we will contact you once we have a plan for on campus volunteer support.
I feel so honored to be part of a community with such a strong commitment to its children. I’m looking forward to a great 2021-2022 school year at Alta Vista!
Best,
Jayme Monroe
Introducing the Cougar C.A.G.E. Annual Donation Drive
Help Create And Give Enrichment to our Children!
Where do my donations go? What do you fund?
The AVHSC funds what is not otherwise funded by the District. This includes everything from PE and Music instruction, to fundamental safety needs like Crossing Guards. Based on the school's spending from 2017 through 2020, on average, the AVHSC Spends $199,500 on Enrichment and other needed programs at the school.
The breakdown for expenses is as follows:
- Grade Level Supplies/Projects (total not per grade level): $12,000
- PE - $56,000
- Music - $30,000
- Field Trips (including Busses) - $45,000
- Crossing Guards - $21,000
- Other Enrichment (Art Vistas, Clay, Cornerstone, Etc) - $20,500
- Technology/S.T.E.A.M: $15,000
We are hoping to raise $150,000 during our campaign this year to ensure we can continue to provide our students with exciting (and hopefully some new) Enrichment programs. This equates to $250.00 per student.
In addition to our normal expenses, this year, we will be faced with incremental costs to fully replenish enrichment supplies that have expired or were ruined due to Covid shut down.
Another way we provide exciting, hands-on, learning experiences is through other fun activities that take place both on and off campus. These activities, of course, include our many amazing class field trips. Assuming we achieve our fundraising goals during the C.A.G.E. Drive, we will devote the funds raised during our annual Walk a Thon (our largest fund raiser) to fund these amazing activities (learning experiences) for our children. This year's WAT is Tentatively planned for Saturday, October 30th, Covid permitting.
There are 3 Membership Levels (Donation Levels are per Student):
Cub: General Donation of any amount
Queen: $250.00
A Donation at this Level covers all AVHSC Expenses as detailed above.
Mountain Lion: $500.00 and above
A Donation at this Level includes an Alta Vista Special Edition Glow-in-the-Dark Youth or Adult T-shirt
The C.A.G.E. is now open!!
Make your donation using the link below. The grade with the highest percentage of participation by donating on or before September 13th, 2021 will WIN A PIZZA PARTY!
DONATIONS DIRECT LINK: https://altavistahsc.membershiptoolkit.com/store
AVHSC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization Tax ID: 77-0293970 Double your donation with Corporate Matching thru an employer, if possible. Use your match to level up to "Mountain Lion" and receive your Glow-in-the-Dark T-Shirt!!!
For more info on company match, please access our FAQ's document linked below. It contains valuable info and links to relevant supporting forms/documents to guide you through the matching process.
Stay Connected with AVHSC
- Be sure to sign up/update your information on MTK (details above)
- Sign up for our Remind. Text @avhsc-news to 81010
- "Like" our Facebook page (linked below)
- Check out our website (also linked below)
- Join us for an AVHSC Meeting. Meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday of each month. Meetings run from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Dates for the 2021-2022 School Year are detailed below.
AVHSC Meeting Dates
August 24, 2021
September 14, 2021
October 5, 2021
November 2, 2021
January 11, 2022
February 8, 2022
March 15, 2022
April 19, 2022
May 10, 2022
Meetings will be held on Zoom until we are given the "all clear" to have volunteers on campus. Zoom details will be provided via email blast and remind prior to the meeting.
HEAR OUR ROAR!
We are ROAR-ING for some help! Please read below and Leap in where you can!
We are so thankful for our amazing AV community and appreciate your contributions and continued support! Thank you!!
DONATIONS NEEDED TO SUPPORT OUR GARDEN SHED MAKE-OVER
Please take a look at the sign up genius link below and donate if you are able. This is an amazing opportunity to vastly improve our AV Garden!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EA5A82BA0F94-avgarden
We greatly appreciate your support!
The Alta Vista Elementary Home and School Club
Email: avhsclg@gmail.com
Website: http://altavistahsc.weebly.com/
Location: 200 Blossom Valley Drive, Los Gatos, CA, USA
Phone: 408-356-6146
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altavistahsc
Twitter: @TeamAltaVista