Thank you to all the parents who joined our first ever Parent Mix and Mingle. It was fun meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends.

Winter is Coming and Alamo PTA's sister school program is keeping the tradition of spreading warmth as the weather turns cold. We are collecting new or gently worn clean coats, jackets, rain boots and winter attire for our fellow students and families of Dover Elementary School in San Pablo. The student population of Dover Elementary is 655 and the school serves K-6. This is our second year working with Dover Elementary and they are so appreciative of the support we provide. Collection Bins will be placed in the front alcove near the Alamo School office starting Wednesday, November 3rd, and will be there through Friday, November 12th. Questions? Email Sister School Ambassador Bar Mizne at cooperseyes@gmail.com. Thank you for helping the PTA support students and families in need!

Scouting for Food- The Boys and Girl Scouts of Alamo School annual food drive supports the food bank of Contra Costa County. Bins are in front of the school and in the Livorna Heights and Stonegate neighborhoods until November 12. Here is a list of the most needed items:

• Beans and lentils (dry or canned)

• Rice

• Whole grain cereals

• Whole wheat/grain pasta

• Low-sodium canned vegetables

• Canned tomato products

• Hearty low-sodium soups

• Canned fruit in juice

• Non Perishable ready-to-eat meals (chili, ravioli, etc.)

• Canned tuna or chicken in water

SAVE THE DATES!

Our next Principal Chat is Wednesday, November 3rd from 6:30-7:30 via Zoom. Please join us as we review the grades 3rd-5th Positive Well-Being Survey results, report on SPSA goals (School Plan for Student Achievement), and get the latest Covid updates. Register in advance for this meeting HERE

Our next Family Reading Night is Tuesday, November 16. Zoom details as we get closer. This month's theme is Gratitude.

Alamo School's HOLIDAY SHOP is coming on December 9th from 4 - 6:00 pm at Alamo Elementary in the MPR!!!

This student favorite is put on by the PTA so that our kids can have their own wonderful experience shopping for their friends and family for the Holidays. We transform the MPR into a festive Gift Shop where there are NO adults allowed (with the exception of a few helper elves). Kids love this event because they get to purchase gifts for their loved ones…so mark your calendars and bring your kids, wives and husbands, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, etc…Most gifts are under $10. There will be shopping for everyone!

Most importantly, we need gift donations, help gathering items, decorating, cleaning up, and gift wrapping help the night of the event. Please donate whatever you can in order to make our holiday shop a success. Gift Donations we seek are jewelry, sports items, barbecue stuff, scrunchies, beauty products, you name it! If you can get your company to make any donations whether it’s products or money so that we can purchase items, we need it! Please drop off all donations in the Principal’s office.

We need help with setting up, taking down, registering duties, and wrapping. Please view the sign-up genius and volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4EADAD2CA5FE3-holiday

We appreciate all your help!! Thank you!

In addition to the Holiday Shop, we will have a separate area for kids to set up a table as a vendor and showcase their homemade products. They can set their price point and all proceeds go directly to them. All we ask is that they donate one item to the holiday shop. Vendor tables will be limited, so please don't hesitate to reach out as soon as possible to reserve your spot. The vendor tables are for kids 18 and under. If you would like to participate and secure your vendor table or have any questions, please contact Tara Gilad at taradavina@yahoo.com

Science Night scheduled for November 17th is being postponed until Spring.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We continue to need volunteers for lunch recess. This is a great opportunity to support your kids at school!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D45A8AB28A6F94-lunch.

Volunteers must be cleared only through Level 1 at Be A Mentor. Please check the menu for each day. Picky eaters or those with restricted diets may want to pack a lunch option for their child for the first few weeks while the District works out its kinks. Visit https://www.srvusd.net/childnutrition for more information about the school lunch program and thank you in advance for volunteering!

Kudos

Kudos to all parent volunteers, room parents and all who support their kids during school hours, especially our lunch volunteers. Special kudos to John Loh for his lunchtime volunteering and Karrie Henneman for her work with Harvest of the Month; and to Bar Mizne for her Sister School work. The Alamo School community rocks!!!

Be up to date and in the know!!! Follow us on Facebook @Parents of Alamo Elementary School and on Instagram @alamo.school THANK YOU Doris Tam for keeping us in the social media mix!

Michelle Petersen and Nicole Rocca, PTA Presidents

Restaurant giveback: Take a break from cooking and dine and donate November 1-3 with Hazy BBQ in Danville! Hazy BBQ will donate 10% of all food and alcohol sales from dine in, take out and delivery to the Alamo Ed Fund. For online orders, enter the code AE21 in the promotional field. For dine in orders, let the cashier know you're from Alamo School. This offer can be shared with anyone, so be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to help support our school. See here for details.

Square 1 art: Look for your personalized art catalog coming home this week! This is a chance to see your kiddos’ incredible artwork on all sorts of products and keepsakes. The more orders placed, the higher the % back earned! Check out the Square 1 website for all available items to shop just in time for the holidays. Orders are due November 17th, and items will be delivered in early December.

Auction News: Save the Date! Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Blackhawk Sports Complex. This fun event will include a bocce tournament, cocktail hour and dinner! Come ready to mingle, bid on live auction items, compete for raffle prizes and browse the silent auction items. This is our biggest planned fundraiser of the year after our Annual Giving Campaign to raise critical funds for our school. Interested in helping to plan this important fundraiser? Please contact alamo.edfund@srvef.org.

5 Little Monkeys toy store giveback: Get a head start on your holiday shopping and support a local business! Shop November 1-14 and Five Little Monkeys will donate 15% of the pre-tax total back to the Ed Fund. Use code ALAMOHOLIDAY21 for in-store or online purchases. We must have a minimum of 3 shoppers or $200 in sales to qualify. They have 6 Bay Area stores, so share the code with any local family members or friends! See here for details.

Your Ed Fund Donations Are Hard At Work: Thank you, Alamo School community, for your generous donations. We are currently at 56% of our total projected revenue for the 2021-22 school year. The Ed Fund has several fundraisers, as well as ongoing programs, that will help to raise the remaining funds. All of your support is appreciated! Due to the success of the Annual Giving Campaign and Teacher Treats, we have already approved an additional 19 paraeducator hours. Those funds have not been added into our 2021-22 projected expenses. Below is a breakdown of how much we have raised and what the Ed Fund has paid for to date. As always, if you have any questions, or would like to help the Alamo School Education Fund, you can email us at alamo.edfund@srvef.org. Additionally, answers to many commonly asked questions may be viewed here.

Funds raised for 2021-2022: As of October 27, 2021*

Annual Giving Campaign + Music Donations: $125,960

Art supplies, campus emergency kits, music t-shirts: $6,340

Corporate Match: $9,749.61

ThinkWorks: $3,432.50

Teacher Treats: $10,633

Amazon Smile, retail and restaurant givebacks: $288.55

Other: $625.88

Total current funds raised: $157,029.54

Total projected revenue: $278,250

*We are awaiting additional giveback funds from our Tomatina night, and the 4th installment for annual giving, totaling around $3,500.

Current expenses for the 2021-2022 School Year:

San Ramon Valley Unified School District Bills (Salaries and Benefits (when applicable) for Music Teacher, Chimes Teacher, Art Teacher, 3 Paraprofessionals, Rainbow Room Socio-Emotional Specialist, Instructional Reading Specialists, art supplies and copy machine expenses): $65,479.99

Credit card processing fees: $1,493.91

Tech program (online platforms for fundraising and accounting): $2,336.33

SRVEF Affiliate Dues and Insurance: $1,057

Other: $385.84

Current paid expenses: $70,753.07

Total projected expenses: $201,224.92

*Projected expenses will go up once additional personnel are hired to fill the open paraeducator positions.

• Follow us on Instagram! @alamoedfund

• School Loop Website for all Ed Fund news and events.

Lauren Cymerys
Ed Fund President