January 31

Here are some things you should know:

1) Today is the final day for priority enrollment for next fall- returning students and siblings only.
Turn in your enrollment form to secure a spot for next fall.
Open enrollment begins in February and is open to the general community.

2) Science fair projects for 3-5 graders should be underway.
There are 2 student projects that need permission for students to be involved-
one is a taste test (food only of course) and the other is an obstacle course.
Please sign and return slips if you will allow your student to participate.

If you are doing a project at home- please let us know if you need any assistance.

3) The Steering Committee is NOT meeting today-
we will meet next Monday at 6:00.
The agenda will include review of the Single Plan for Student Achievement
and the fiscal stability of Aftercare.
Committee members- please read over the Single Plan in advance-
all parents are welcome to attend this meeting.

4) This Wednesday, February 2nd, the K-2 class is going on a tour of the Arcata Coop.
This is a fun tour of all the departments and includes snacks.
Please sign up to drive/chaperone in the kitchen.

5) Our gardening committee- headed by Meka and Suzie,
has been awarded 2 gardening grants totaling $1200- yea!

Thursday afternoons are garden days with outside activities from 2-3,
and aftercare has been making and serving food from the garden every week.
If you would like to help out- please join us.
If you are not available at those times but want to help let us know.

This is a very exciting extension of our science program and we encourage everyone to get involved.
We are also accepting donations of seeds. plants, soil amendments, garden tools & gloves, and lumber for planter boxes.
Please talk to Meka or Marianne if you would like to make a donation.

6) This is your last chance to order school pictures.
The order will go out on Friday, Feb. 4th.
If you already ordered a class picture -they are also part of this order.
Order forms are in the library.

Coming up next month:

3-5 class to Flips for Kids on Thursday 2/10,
K-2 class to Flips for Kids on Friday 2/18.
We will need drivers for these trips.

Don't forget to put Science Night on your calendar- Thursday, February 17th at 6:30.
This is an all-school event.

That's all for now.

Happy 2011!

Now that we are back from our long break
it is Science Fair time.!

3-5 grade students will all be doing science experiments
about a topic of their choice.

Please talk to your child about their project-
it will help them organize their thoughts and stay engaged in the scientific process.
Let us know if you need any supplies or guidance on how to help your student.

Science Night is Thursday February 17th, which gives us one month to complete projects.
This event is always a huge success- please put it on your calendar.

Remember- next Monday is Martin Luther King Day
and school is closed (1/17/11).
Also- the following Monday is a teacher duty day
and there is no school for students.


We recently received some sad news regarding our Aftercare program
that will potentially effect our entire school community.

The program is not financially solvent and is losing money.
Sadly, the only reason for this deficit is that people are using care
but they are not paying their bills.

There are currently over $4000 in outstanding bills,
and without this revenue we cannot continue the program.
So, we are taking action to try and save our beloved Aftercare program.

If your current bill is over $100, you also received a letter requesting a $50.00 payment by January 31.
This is a required payment, and if it is not made
your child will no longer be able to attend Aftercare.

Those students will have to wait for pick-up in a designated area
while parents are called to come pick them up.

This situation will be reported to our governing board
at the next Steering Committee meeting (Jan. 31 at 6:00),
and we will have to consider the possibility of discontinuing the program.

Please do your part to keep Aftercare available at Trillium
by paying down your bill.
If you cannot afford the cost, then please pick your children up at 3:10.

We enjoy your children and wish it did not have to be this way,
but Aftercare cannot continue to pay for snacks, supplies, and staff
without sufficient revenue coming in.

Feel free to attend the next Steering Committee meeting and join in the discussion.
Possibly you have a great idea for grant funding or fundraising
to help subsidize the program?
We welcome all ideas!

And for those of you who have been consistently paying your bills
or making your scheduled payments- thank you!
We appreciate your ongoing support.