The Horseshoe Review
The Copeland PTO Newsletter - March 6, 2020
President’s Corner By Amanda Ball
I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun Spring Break. When we return we will only have 52 days of school left. It is passing by so quickly, but we still have lots of fun and exciting things planned.
Our Mother & Son Ultimate Tailgate was a big success. A big thanks to Rebecca Bintcliffe, Robin Sovie & Shyesha Cloud for organizing everything. A special thank you to Handley Dental for sponsoring the pizza for the event! And thank you to all the Mom & Sons that came out to enjoy all the games & food. It was a beautiful day to be with friends!
Do you have some special skills that you use in your everyday life and are ready to share them with Copeland? We will be recruiting chairmen positions soon, so click this link, Chairmen List PTO, to see if there is something that fits into your special skills. Please let me know if you are interested in something or have more questions.
Our community Movie Night and Silent Auction is on Friday, March 27, starting at 6:30 pm. Come out and join us for this fun annual event. We will show Frozen 2, have our silent auction, concession stand & games. We are currently seeking donations from businesses to include in our silent auction. If you know a business owner or frequent an establishment, please ask if they would be interested in donating to our silent auction. As a parent, do you have something you would like to donate to our auction? All donations are welcome and will help raise money for our Copeland Colts!
Thanks again for all you do to make our school such a success! We rely on our volunteers a lot and could not do any of this without you! As always, if you have questions/concerns/ideas regarding PTO, please feel free to contact me at copelandptopresident@gmail.com.
STAY CONNECTED & GET ALL THE LATEST INFORMATION
Copeland PTO Facebook - @CopelandElementaryPTO
Copeland PTO Instagram- @CopelandElementaryPTO
Remind App Copeland PTO Volunteers – Text @2868g4 to 81010
Remind App Copeland PTO Events – Text @aeb664 to 81010
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Congrats to Tracy Reynolds, our March Volunteer of the Month!
Who will it be next month??? Log your hours now. If you need to know how, see the bottom of this newsletter for step by step directions on how to use Raptor, our volunteer hour recording system for CyFair ISD.
Volunteer Shout Out to Rebecca Bintcliffe and the Mother/Son Tailgate Committee
Volunteer Shout Out to our Multicultural Day Volunteers
Today was an awesome day for our 3rd graders! They had a blast learning about seven different countries' cultures, food, life, and artifacts. We want to give a big thank you to all those who donated items for today. These items allowed the kids to experience different countries, not just read or listen about them.
We couldn't have done it without Valerie Effinger and Jillana O'Dell, our chairmen for Multicultural day and the many volunteers that came yesterday to help set up, stayed all day today to be field guides to each class and help clean up afterward.
So thank you, thank you, thank you....
Danielle Smith
LaKishia Edwards
Melissa Rathbun
Kristen Sanchez
Stephanie Cardoso
Melanie Ablack
Ursula Meza
Jeana Handley
Rocio Salgado
Jessenia Flores
Amanda Ball
Shout out to the 3rd grade teachers for putting on a wonderful learning experience for our Colts!
Spirit Night March 19
Volunteer Opportunities by Deepa Ozarkar
We continue to appreciate the time and efforts our volunteers put forward. If you have been considering volunteering, we have the perfect spot for you! We could use your skills and talents, whether you have one hour a month, one hour a week, or might even consider chairing a school event!
We know life is so busy. Between juggling jobs, caring for our children and household responsibilities, there never seems to be enough time in the day, and it can feel like there’s no more time to give. But volunteering isn’t just another thing on the “To Do” list. There are so many important benefits to volunteering at school—both for you and your child.
Here are a few I’d like to share:
1. Volunteering Makes a Difference in your Child’s Education
Children whose parents are involved in their schools do better. Research has shown that children of parents who volunteer make better grades and perform better on tests. They’re also better behaved, have better attendance, and are more likely to graduate and continue their education. The more parents participate at school, the more successful their children will be.
2. Volunteering Allows You to Spend More Time with Your Child
Our children spend A LOT of time at school. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to share in school-related experiences. It gives you more in common. It also allows you to be a fly on the wall and see your children in a different environment. It’s rewarding to watch them as they put all the skills you’ve taught them into action.
3. Volunteering Helps Create Community
I know it sounds cliché, but raising children takes a village. Volunteering at school is a great way to connect with other parents and create a circle of adult friends. Over time, these friends grow to know and love your children. Never underestimate the power of community in raising children.
4. Volunteering Allows You to Get to Know Teachers and Staff
Your child’s teacher and school staff are your teammates in parenting during the school year. They have a tremendous impact on children both academically and socially. Having a presence at school is a great way to get to know them better and show them your support.
5. Volunteering Makes Schools Better
Schools that have a strong volunteer base perform better. There are so many demands placed on schools with limited financial resources. Any volunteer effort can help bridge that gap at no additional cost to the school. Taking things off the plate of teachers, administration, and staff frees them up to do what they do best—educate our children.
6. Volunteering Allows You to Use Your Strengths
Volunteering is a great way to showcase your strengths. Look for opportunities that are within your wheelhouse. Using the skills that come naturally to you makes things easier (and often more enjoyable) and your natural talents will be appreciated.
7. Volunteering is Good for Your Health
I can’t share the benefits of volunteering without mentioning that it’s good for your health. Research shows that people who volunteer live longer, have lower stress levels, and are generally healthier. You can’t beat an opportunity that allows you to spend more time with your children AND decreases your stress.
If for no other reason than to spend more time with your children, I hope you’ll take the time to volunteer. There are no tasks too small, and every little bit helps to make the school better. And I have a feeling you’ll have a lot of fun along the way.
Art Volunteers Needed
Mrs. Krengel is looking for art class volunteers! If you love art and would like to help please signup with the link above.
She is so grateful for all the donations this year. The art room is still in need of the following supplies:
-plastic quart-size juice containers plastic bottle type
-cornstarch, paper plates-any size
-buttons
-yarn
-ribbons
-magazines
-old t-shirts (for smocks)
-paper towels
-paper plates
-flour
-Alum (spice)
-Newspapers
Have your student bring them to the art room or you can bring them to the front desk. Thanks for your donations!
Nurse Kane needs donations for the Clinic
We are in need of clean, gently used pants in size 6/8/10 for girls and boys.
If you can contribute send them with your students with a note saying it's donations for the nurse or drop them off at the front desk.
Thank you in advance!
The Garden by Tracy Reynolds
The 3rd grade garden would love to have 4 hay bales donated to the garden. The 3rd graders will be growing cucumbers in the hay bales. Bales can be dropped off anytime near the picnic table. We would love to have the bales by our next garden date March 19.
Also, the 3rd graders are still selling bluebonnet seeds to help fund the supplies needed for the garden. The garden needs help with watering. If you are interested please email me at tracy.b.reynolds@gmail.com
Science Resource Center
Spirit Gear SALE!!!
We are having a sale on our V-Neck shirts! They have been reduced to $12. Please go online to copelandpto.org, click fundraising from the menu to place your order. You can always choose the pay later option if you would like.
We still have a limited number of sizes available for all of our other spirit shirts and hoodies if you are interested in showing your school spirit! If you have any questions please email copelandspiritwear@gmail.com.
Help us get FREE MONEY for Our Kids!!!!
Link your Kroger Rewards card to Copeland Elem at www.KrogerCommunityRewards.com.
Are you a big Amazon shopper? Start using Smile.Amazon.com or go to account settings in the Amazon App and select Copeland Elementary as your charity.
Download Shoparoo App and snap a picture of your receipts from any store and they will make a donation to Copeland Elem.
BoxTops is switching to digital. Just scan your receipts on their app from any store and they give a donation to Copeland Elem. There are a few products that you can still clip the BoxTops for. Send these to the school and they can feed the shark in the front office!
Does the company you, or your spouse, work for match donations or pay for hours you volunteer at Copeland Elem? These companies do: Shell, BP & Microsoft. If you don’t know if your company does, please ask your HR Dept.
Birthday Marquee
Support your Copeland PTO and wish your Copeland Colt a HAPPY BIRTHDAY by featuring them on the Copeland Elementary Marquee the week of their birthday.
It's Simple and Easy...
- Choose the week you want to feature your Copeland Colt
- Complete the Birthday Marquee Form
- Submit the $20 Birthday Marquee Fee
- Watch the look on their face when they see their name
Spots are limited to 5 listings per week. You must submit the form and payment by noon on the Friday prior to the week selected. So sign up your Copeland Colt TODAY!
Does your student have a summer birthday or is the week of their birthday already filled up? You can choose any week that is still available.
Due to processing, payments must be made online or by cash to guarantee your spot on the birthday marquee. If you are paying by cash; complete this online form, choose the "pay later" option then submit the payment within two business days to the school, either to the front office or send it in with your student.
P.E. Twitter Page Fun
Check out our Twitter page @CopelandPE3 for P.E. fun photos.
Log your Volunteer Hours to get more money for our school!
Working for our kids as a volunteer is both rewarding and important. Please log your volunteer hours in our Raptor Portal. The more volunteer hours we log the more money we get from the state.
CFISD has provided an online program to make it easier on volunteers to log and track their
volunteer hours. This program is called Raptor, which is part of the V-Soft security software
that helps keep our schools safe.
Copeland does not have logbooks in the front office to record your hours. So, in order to
log your hours, you will need to establish a raptor account. This is quite easy and will allow
you to log your hours at home.
The steps to register online are as follows:
1. Go to https://www.cfisd.net/en/community-involvement/community-engagement/volunteer/# or click on the "New to Raptor" button below.
2. Complete this form in its entirety and submit (you must have an email address to do this)
3. You will receive an email from support@raptorware.com with your account information and password.
4. Once you receive the email use the button below to log in to your account.
5. Add this website to your favorites (this is where you will log hours)
6. Log in with email and password
7. Select campus
8. Select the tabs you will need
This program will be used to determine volunteer of the month and reporting our total volunteer hours to the district, enabling them to apply for various grants and programs.