Callison PTA Newsletter
March 2017
Executive Board
President: Katrena Plummer callisonptapresident@gmail.com
VP of Membership: Perla Knudstrup callisonvpmembership@gmail.com
VP of Programs: Sara Gandaría-Escamilla callisonptaprograms@gmail.com
VP of Fundraising: VACANT
Treasurer: Jessica Arceneaux callisonptatreasurer@gmail.com
Secretary: Lisa Scholsz callisonptasecretary@gmail.com
Parliamentarian: Tiffany Johnson callisonptaparliamentarian@gmail.com
Forms are available in the front office or by clicking "Become a PTA Member Today" above.
Any member in the community is welcome to join!
Upcoming PTA Events
Spring Carnival and Silent Auction
Saturday, Mar 4, 2017, 10:00 AM
Neysa Callison Elementary School, Thompson Trail, Round Rock, TX, United States
Kindergarten Round Up
Wednesday, Mar 8, 2017, 09:00 AM
Neysa Callison Elementary School, Thompson Trail, Round Rock, TX, United States
Nature Club
Saturday, Mar 11, 2017, 09:00 AM
Neysa Callison Elementary School, Thompson Trail, Round Rock, TX, United States
2017-2018 PTA Board Nominations Due
Friday, Mar 31, 2017, 03:00 PM
Neysa Callison Elementary School, Thompson Trail, Round Rock, TX, United States
Letter From Your PTA Treasurer
Hello! I am Jessica Molina Arceneaux and I’m the Callison PTA Treasurer. My husband and I have 2 boys: Evan is 6 years old and in 1st grade and Bradley is 3 years old and will be a kindergartner in 2018.
I have to begin by saying I am so proud of our school this year. The extra time and effort the teachers and staff have dedicated to our kids has given them and us, as parents, so many wonderful events and opportunities. Some of these include STEM Night, Science Fair and just recently Black History Night. I was especially moved and inspired by the Black History Night program. I am so grateful for the teachers and parents who spent extra time coordinating this event. The students demonstrated the importance of knowing your history and learning from mistakes. I left with a great sense of HOPE for our kids, our future.
Now, getting back to PTA…. I joined the Callison PTA in Nov. 2016. I’ll be honest. I really didn’t know what it was or what was expected of me. I did know that I wanted to get involved in some way with the school so I joined. What I learned: PTA stands for “Parent Teacher Association” but ANYONE can join. That includes kids, grandma, grandpa, a friend out of state and even a business or community member! If you choose to volunteer, you do what you feel comfortable doing. You are not obligated to put in any set number of hours.
I learned that PTA is a non-profit that raises money through donations, memberships and fundraisers and the money goes right back into the school. How do we do that? Many ways! Just to name a few – PTA helps pay for field trips, items for the nurse’s closet, books/supplies for the Little Free Libraries. Money is even budgeted for the school library, PE, Art and Music department. Money is also budgeted to help maintain our butterfly gardens. And of course money goes towards paying for all of the family engagement events we sponsor such as the Back to School Bash, Trunk or Treat, Breakfast with Santa, and our Spring Carnival that is just around the corner! Your PTA membership dues are only $7, and it helps pay for all these things and more. Become a PTA member to support your school and if you can find some time, volunteers, board members and event chairs are always needed.
The PTA is for all of us at the school. It is for your kids, the teachers and staff and for the parents. If you have a suggestion, solution or comment on how we can help the school, contact any of the PTA board members. We want to enrich the lives of our kids and give support to our school.
I look forward to seeing you this Saturday, 3/4 at the Spring Carnival LUAU. I hope you have a great time with our Callison Family!
Jessica Arceneaux
Treasurer
Select PTA Texas Congress Callison PTA as your charity and we will receive 0.5% of your purchase price at no extra cost to you!
Featured Member
Rebecca Fairweather Haskins, PTA Member and Volunteer
How many of your children attend Callison, and in what grade?
I have a daughter in second grade, a daughter in first grade, and my third daughter will be in kindergarten next year.
How long have you been a member of the Callison PTA?
I joined when my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, but I started volunteering about a year ago.
Why do you like being a part of Callison PTA?
I went to a small elementary school, and I still remember how much it meant to me that I knew almost everyone there. I loved feeling surrounded by a community that cared about me and my educational success. I want my kids and their classmates to know that they are important to their school and their neighborhood. I also want the teachers and administration to know how much we appreciate them by helping however I can.
What is your favorite PTA sponsored event or activity?
The PTA has done many amazing programs this year, but my favorite so far was the Trunk or Treat. I love Halloween, and I thought it was a fantastic way to celebrate: safe, family-friendly, and exciting without being gross or gory. I'm looking forward to the Spring Carnival!
What advice do you have for other parents about getting involved at Callison?
Don't be scared! Any and all help is appreciated by the PTA board and the teachers. If you haven't yet volunteered, I know you can feel like you're an outsider at the school. The best way to start feeling like a part of the community is just to volunteer an hour or two at an event. You'll meet lots of other parents and teachers (beyond your own students' classrooms), and best of all, you'll get to meet all the amazing kids at Callison. And trust me - the kids will remember you next time!
Featured Sponsor
Our featured Sponsor is Sing Orthodontics. Located at 1500 A.W. Grimes Blvd Ste. #190.
Sing Orthodontics just gave Callison PTA a very generous donation and also participated in our 1st Annual Trunk or Treat. If you need orthodontic services please consider them for your needs. They can be reached at 512.255.5900 or on the web at www.singortho.com.
Thank you Sing Orthodontics for your support of Callison PTA!
Callison PTA is funded by sponsors, donors, fundraisers and memberships! Your yearly member dues of $7 helps us to produce events and activities for all our Cougar families and staff to enjoy. Please become a member today! http://www.joinpta.org/
If you have a business or would personally like to sponsor your PTA with a donation or gift, please contact Jessica Arceneaux at512-431-3386 callisonptatreasurer@gmail.com.
We thank you for your support!
Spring Carnival and Silent Auction
Our Spring Carnival is fast Approaching. We have lots of fun planned. Come on out and enjoy free activies like bounce houses, wheel barrow train rides, a petting zoo, games and lots more.
Bring your cash to buy food from Girl Scout Troop #535 , to get your picture taken at our Luau photo booth, and to bid on some of the great items in our Silent Auction. A Big Callison Cougar Thank You goes our to the following business that made donations for the Auction:
- Fleet Feet Sports of Round Rock
- Pure Barre of Round Rock
- Urban Picnic
- Camp Gladiator (Laurie Snyder)
- Round Rock Express
- Master Yang's Tae Kwan Do
- Little Haircuts
- Arbonne (Leslie Dadidakis)
- Lei and Kae Creations
- Claudia Pompa Cakes
- Chuy's
- All Star Unlimited
- The Yoga Room
- Simply Divine Nails
- Greater Austin Dance Academy
- Proper Touch Jewlary
- Great Clips
- Cordovan Art Camp
- And much more.....
There will also be an opportunity to buy tickets for raffle items. Thank you to the following businesses for their generous donations:
- Lei and Kae Creations
- Best Buy
- Mt. Playmore
Congratulations Ms. Escajeda Teacher of the Year
Stay Fit and Healthy With C.A.L. Fit
by Nurse Linda Hughes, Health and Wellness Chair
Everyday Preventive Actions That Can Help Fight the Flu
CDC recommends a three-step approach to fighting the flu.
The first and most important step is to get a flu vaccination each year. However, if you get the flu, there are prescription antiviral drugs that can treat your illness. Finally, everyday preventive actions may slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory (nose, throat, and lungs) illnesses, like flu.
How is the flu spread?
Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Flu viruses also may spread when people touch something with the flu virus on it and then touch their mouth, eyes, or nose. People infected with flu may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. That means you may be able to spread the flu to someone else before you know you are sick as well as while you are sick.
What are everyday preventive actions?
Everyday preventive actions are steps that people can take to help slow the spread of germs that cause the flu. These include the following personal and community actions:
Cover your nose and mouth with the crook of your elbow or upper arm when you cough or sneeze. This will block the spread of droplets from your mouth or nose that could contain the flu virus.
Proper and consistent hand washing is essential. Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet if it is not automatic. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer; apply to palm of one hand; rub hands together covering all surfaces until dry.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth as germs spread this way.
Avoid sharing objects. If an activity requires the passing around of an
object, be sure to wash hands afterwards.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you or your child gets sick with a respiratory illness, like flu, limit contact with others as much as possible to help prevent spreading the illness. Stay home (or keep your child home) for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to seek medical care. RRISD protocol is that a fever free means a person's body temperature should be less than 100 degrees without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
Disinfect common surfaces.
If an outbreak of flu occurs, follow public health advice. This may include information about how to increase distance between people and other measures.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov
If you any questions email Nurse Linda : linda_hughes2@roundrockisd.org
Nature Club
Spring is coming! Our gardens will soon be in full bloom. The agarita in the front entrance bed has started blooming (look for the yellow flowers in the middle of the bed). The anacacho orchid tree won't be far behind. Keep and eye our for early Spring butterflies, bees and other pollinators visiting the new flowers.
Callison Nature Club
March 11 at 9 am
Start Spring Break off with the Callison Nature Club! After spending some time picking up litter and weeding the gardens, we'll look at the different kids of flowers and watch to see which pollinators are visiting them.
For more information please visit the Callison Elementary PTA website or email Charlotte at creemts@tnc.org.
Little Free Library Corner
by Sara Gandaria-Escamilla
Are you wondering where you children can find something good to read? The Little Free Libraries can meet your reading needs 24/7. Not only do we have the two at our school but there are 6 others very close by. To find Little Free Libraries near you go to www.littlefreelibrary.org. If you travel anywhere this Spring Break make sure to check the map on the website to see if any of the over 50,000 libraries are near your destination.
Black History Night
Texas PTA Rally Day
Working on the Carnival
Callison PTA Sponsors
Connect With Us
Email: callisonptapresident@gmail.com
Website: www.callisonpta.org
Phone: 5127040700
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CallisonElementaryPTA