May Newsletter

If it’s May, is must be SPRING FAIR time!

The annual LPES PTO Spring Fair will be held on Friday, May 16, from 4-8 PM. Games, food, and rides will be there for all of our kids to enjoy – young AND old. If you want to help, we will never turn anyone away. Simply contact a PTO board member, or email the board at LPES.PTO@gmail.com for more information.

At the fair, many of our students will be spending PTO Bucks that they earned as part of the recent school election voting raffle. The PTO has decided that, rather than choosing a select group, ALL children who turned in an “I voted” sticker following the recent election will receive $5 in PTO bucks to be used at the fair. The more than 70 students who turned in the stickers will have their money sent home in an envelope through their classrooms shortly.

Many thanks and praise to the platoon of volunteers who spent countless hours assembling our 2007-08 LPES yearbook! It is over 90 pages of amazing color, capturing the students, staff and memories that will stay with our children for years. If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, don’t delay; orders are still being taken.

Our stencils have arrived, so we will be setting up our “PTO Painting Parents” day later this month. We have six stencils to help decorate our back lot, from maps of New Jersey and the USA to various games. Additional information will be sent home later this month. Save those old clothes!

Finally, please note that our May meeting has been moved up one week. We will now meet on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:00 in the cafeteria. As always, the Girl Scouts will be providing child care.

See you there, and see you at the fair!

Adam Colaizzi
President
LPES PTO
Your PTO… for our children

April Newsletter

Our March meeting saw Superintendent Jim Grube and BOE Business Administrator Jim Tevis give a presentation of the proposed school budget for 2008-2009. In addition, there was an ongoing Q-and-A session regarding different aspects of the budget. For anyone who is interested in reviewing it prior to the April 15 election, it can be found on the Lincoln Park BOE website, as well as on the LPES PTO blog.

Our Book Fair was a smashing success, under the able leadership of Jackie Salazar and Lisa Siebel and their army of eager volunteers. There were books of all types for everyone to choose, as well as merchandise from Jonathan Sprout, who put on a terrific show for the school earlier this year.

The PTO presented all of the bird-watchers in third grade with their own wild bird feeders, so they can continue to observe the many colorful birds of our area in their own backyards.

Our Spring Fair is approaching fast (May 16), and we are ALWAYS looking for volunteers. Want to help out? Be sure to fill out and return the form that was sent home, or contact the PTO to express your interest. We will never say NO to someone who says YES!

Our meetings have been so successful this year that we are taking them on the road! We will be having a joint meeting with the LPMS at the middle school. All meeting information will be forthcoming. There is no truth to the rumor that we are planning a world tour as the opening act for Justin Timberlake, however…

Remember – the school election is April 15. Regardless of who or what you vote for, the most important thing is that you vote! We will send updated information about the election as the time draws closer.

Finally your PTO wants to remind you that, among other things, April is also National Humor Month, so remember to laugh!

Adam Colaizzi
President

March Newsletter

The PTO continues to 'March' on…

Your LPES PTO welcomed Paul Gresko of the LPEMS to the February meeting, where he discussed the First Aid Squad and their need for volunteers. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact the LPEMS, or contact the PTO for more information.

We will be purchasing stencils – a USA map, NJ map, and others – to decorate the rear parking lot for our students. As the weather turns warmer, we will schedule a Saturday morning for parents and friends to volunteer to join our 'painting party' and help to add some fun and color to the school. Stay tuned for more information.

Our Spring Fundraiser – spearheaded by Liz Canning – was wildly successful. Many thanks go out to all who participated to support the PTO. The final numbers will be available shortly.

This month's meeting will feature a returning speaker, as Superintendent Jim Grube will once again speak to the members of the PTO on the upcoming budget and any other relevant issues. Our meeting will be Wednesday, March 19 at 7:00; and yes, the Girl Scouts will be providing child care services.

Coming up next?
The annual Book Fair is March 24-28. Information will be sent home, as well as available on our website. We look forward to the joy in watching the kids shop for their favorite (or soon to be favorite) books. If you have already volunteered to help out, you will be contacted shortly. If you are interested, please email the PTO for more information.

Our Spring Fair is right around the corner – May 16, to be exact. Be forewarned that there will be plenty of flyers going home regarding the activities. Want to help out? Contact your PTO for more information. We will always find a job for anyone who volunteers (or, who volunteers their spouse).

Finally, the PTO board was overwhelmed by the outpouring of charity exhibited by the students of LPES during Kindness Month with the money that they raised for the Montville Pet Parents organization. It was with great pride that I was able to present a check at the assembly on behalf of the PTO to match penny-for-penny the $605.49 raised by these generous boys and girls. In an increasingly cynical world, it is imperative that we encourage our children to choose the right path, and that they are able to see and understand the impact their choices can make. It was a pleasure to supplement their kindness, and all of the credit should go to each child who gave the pennies, nickels and more from their hearts.

Remember, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions don't hesitate to contact the PTO via email at our address below. Or, hey, feel free to stop by our meetings and say hello. We offer free parking!

Adam Colaizzi
President

February Newsletter

Your PTO IS on a roll…
(down the lanes, that is)

The LPES PTO was thrilled to have 36 couples participate in our first ever Super Bowl-ing fundraiser at T-Bowl. Many pins were knocked down – and many more were missed – as PTO members and friends bowled while on their knees, with their feet, through their partner’s legs and backwards through their legs (among other methods). Prizes were awarded for high game as well as low game, and ten additional gifts were raffled off to the participants. If you were there, thanks again for your attendance and enthusiasm (it was anything but a ‘quiet’ night), and for those who missed out, we look forward to seeing you next time.

On the horizon is our Spring Fundraiser; this year we are pleased to announce that we will be going with Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. More information will follow shortly.

Our meeting this month will be on February 16, and as always, all are invited to be our guest. Last month’s meeting was highlighted by BOE President Perry Mayers as our speaker, who gave a great deal of insight on the district and its relationship with Boonton.

Our PTO Points winners for the first half were announced at the meeting as well. They were:
Pre-K: McNabb 860 points
K: Picardi PM 1655 points
1: Pohlman 1875 points
2: Lane 1735 points
3: Kolb 2240 points
4: DeVito 1965

Congratulations to all! Prizes for the winning classrooms will be awarded shortly.

As a quick appeal – if you have taken digital photos of any school-related activities (parties, assemblies, etc.), we’d love to have them for use in our yearbook. If you would like to contribute any pictures, please send them as an attachment to our PTO email address, or send them in to school on a disk (marked “pictures”) and we will upload them to our on-line yearbook website. We appreciate your help!

As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions (believe it or not, we DON’T know it all…), don’t hesitate to contact the PTO via email at our address below. We welcome everyone’s opinions…

Enjoy the extra day this month!

Adam Colaizzi
President
LPES PTO
Your PTO… for our children

January Newsletter

As we flip the calendar to 2008 (while continuing to write 2007 on our checks for at least two more weeks)…

On behalf of the PTO, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the December Toy Drive for the benefit of the Chilton Hospital Pediatric Clinic. We delivered dozens of toys, games, books and clothing for children that otherwise would have gone without during the holiday. We truly appreciate the kindness and generosity of some many families at LPES.

And, thank you so much to Blaise Carey and everyone who helped out during the annual Holiday Shoppe. I'm certain all of us saw the joy in our children's eyes as we opened their carefully chosen gifts – I know I enjoyed BOTH of my cool new coffee mugs from my kids. So, to Blaise and her volunteers, who helped our shoppers select, wrap and label each special present, congratulations to all of you on a job very well done.

So, what's on the horizon for your PTO?

We have our monthly meeting coming up on January 16 – but I'm sure you knew that already.

We have our First Annual LPES PTO "Super Bowl"-ing Night on Saturday, January 26 at T-Bowl, from 6-8:30 PM. Information will follow shortly, and I look forward to seeing everyone model their chic, ever-stylish rented bowling shoes. I am also extending a formal invitation to our administration and teachers to attend our fund-raiser as well, as an 'adult' night out, as well as a chance to earn some 'bragging rights' on the bowling alley.

The winners for each grade in our PTO Points program will be announced shortly – along with their prize - and each class now starts over again at zero in the race for the second-half title.

We look forward to the rest of the school year, and deeply appreciate the support from the parents and the teachers and staff at LPES. It has been an exciting few months so far, and we look forward to the exciting events and activites to come.

See you at our meeting!
Adam Colaizzi
President