MARGE KEPES AWARD NOMINATIONS
The Marge Kepes Award Nomination deadline has been extended to Monday, April 7th, 2012. If you know someone who has been an outstanding volunteer for the Homewood PTA, nominate them for this honor by completing this form and sending or emailing it in.



HOMEWOOD PTA WINS AWARDS!
Homewood PTA, the Parent-Teacher Association for Homewood School District 153, walked away with two big awards from the Illinois PTA State Convention, held March 9-12 in Schaumburg.

The local organization was awarded the Illinois PTA Environmental Concerns Award for its efforts to improve landscaping and outdoor education and recreation at Churchill School. The group worked in partnership with the school district on a long-term landscaping plan for the school. Homewood PTA donated hundreds of trees and shrubs and provided the volunteer labor needed to get it all planted last fall.

Homewood PTA also received the “Making It Real for Kids” Award, the Illinois PTA’s legislative advocacy award. The award recognized Homewood PTA’s work on last year’s local property tax referendum and its sponsorship of a follow-up informational meeting for the community last fall.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that ours is one of the best, most active parent organizations in the state. We are truly blessed in this district to have the breadth and depth of support that we do from parents and the community at large. The work of our PTA makes a huge difference for our students and schools, and it shows in our programming, services, and test scores,” said District 153 Superintendent Dr. Dale Mitchell.




Photo Caption: Homewood PTA President Kim O’Lone, on left, accepts the Environmental Concerns Award on behalf of the organization at the Illinois PTA State Convention.





PLEASE NOTE: The upcoming March Kindergarten Registration has been cancelled. Kindergarten parents will now register their students through the normal district registration process instead of on a special date. There will be a Kindergarten Orientation given by the school district on Wednesday, March 14th. For more information, please contact Willow School at (708) 798-3720.



JUST TURKEY OF HOMEWOOD
17947 Halsted Street, Homewood
708-960-0352

JUST TURKEY is delighted to support the Homewood PTA!

Please join us for lunch or dinner
on Monday, February 27th, 2012.

The Homewood PTA will receive 10% of all sales
brought in by family and friends of the PTA,
Dine in or Carry out.

Just Turkey is open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.

Click here for a flyer to bring into the restaurant.
You must bring the flyer or mention PTA when ordering.

This offer is not valid with any other coupons or offers.

Thank you for your support of the Homewood PTA!






HOMEWOOD PTA WINTER MEETING
Thursday, February 2, 2012
7:00 pm
James Hart School
Wood Floor Gym
(Enter on Aberdeen using Sports Complex doors)

Homewood Flossmoor High School principal,
Dr. Ryan Pitcock,
will give an overview
of what 8th graders
can expect when entering HF.
All parents will find this
to be invaluable information,
even those with younger students.

All area junior high parents and students
are welcome to attend.

Co-hosted by the HF Parents Association (HFPA).






COOK'S NIGHT OUT! DISTRICT 153 FUNDRAISER!
On Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
the Homewood PTA,
Homewood Parent Music Association
and Foundation 153
invite you
to come out and dine with
Homewood School District 153
families and friends at Aurelio’s Pizza.

Aurelio’s will be donating 20%
of all the proceeds
from the entire day,
11:30am – 9pm,
for dine-in or carry-out only.

Click here for a flyer
for this event. The flyer will need to be presented at Aurelio’s for the 20% to benefit HSD 153. No flyers will be available at the pizzeria.

The proceeds from the day will be divided between the three organizations supporting HSD 153.

Homewood PTA, Homewood PMA and Foundation 153 would like to thank Aurelio’s for their support and generosity and you for supporting Homewood School District 153!





Due to inclement weather, tonight's PTA meeting featuring HF Principal Ryan Pitcock has been rescheduled to Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.





SAVE THE DATE!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
7:00 pm
James Hart Junior High

Homewood-Flossmoor High School's Principal,
Dr. Ryan Pitcock,
presents:
Continue the Viking Journey
to area 8th grade students and their families.
Ease the transition to high school
by attending this dynamic presentation
on all H-F High School has to offer!
Everyone is welcome!
...

The Book Fair is Here!
We're once again working with Scholastic
who will provide a great variety of books!
These will be available for sale on
Tuesday, November 15th & Wednesday, November 16th.

The Book Fair will be held in all schools
from 8:00AM - 2:00PM Tuesday and Wednesday,
with an opportunity to shop
from 6:00 - 8:00 PM Tuesday evening at Willow
and 6:00 - 8:00 PM Wednesday evening at Millennium/Hart.

As with past Book Fairs, PTA will pay the sales tax!
The only cost to you is the purchase price
of the books your child selects.
Books are non-refundable,
but parent volunteers will be on hand
to assist the students with their purchases.
Funds raised by this event and others sponsored by PTA
help fund programs
like Wheel of Wisdom, Jesse White Tumblers, "Yes, You Can"
and IPO Quintets.

For more information, please contact
Book Fair Chairperson Pam Scanlon-Hutton
or Volunteer Coordinator Carrie Bertz.

Update on School Bonds and Finances
Homewood PTA Special Meeting
For all community members

Monday November 14, 2011
Two sessions with the same program:
9:00 am (light breakfast)
6:00 pm (light dinner)
James Hart/Millennium Cafetorium
18211 Aberdeen Homewood, IL
Enter through Sports Complex doors

Dr. Dale Mitchell will discuss
the results of the bonds School District 153
was able to issue as a result
of last April’s tax referendum
and update us on District finances and state payments.

Kim O’Lone, President
kgolone@aol.com
www.homewoodpta.org

Market Day for the Holidays!
Order your holiday pies from MarketDay now!
Fourteen varieties of frozen pies and desserts are available,
with new flavors that include
peanut butter cup, candy cane, and classic apple.
Three kinds of cheesecake,
as well as carrot cake and red velvet cake are available.

Paper orders are due at school
by Friday October 28, 2011.
Internet orders are due
by 11 pm October 29, 2011.
Pickup is November 2 from 6:15 to 7 pm a James Hart School.
PTA will receive 30 percent of the purchase price
of every pie or dessert!
The more desserts you purchase, the more the PTA earns!
Every purchase helps!
www.marketday.com

Churchill Beautification Committee Needs YOU!

As some of you may know, PTA has been working with the District in a landscaping project. It has been in the works for over a year, but with the help of Jose Magan, landscape architect, we've developed a really exciting plan.

Phase 1, includes updating some of the foundation plantings along the side of the building facing Center street.

When:
Sunday, October 16th from 9-5. (Come for part of the day, stay as long as you are able, any help is appreciated.)

What we need:
Able bodied adults and 7+ graders (service hours anyone?) This is physical work, fun, but physical, I'll write you a gym excuse for Sunday! Below is a link to see when we need bodies! The shifts are broken up into 2 hour time slots, but stay as long as you are comfortable.
What to bring:
Your favorite shovel, gardening gloves and if you are so inclined a wheelbarrow, though the last item is not necessary.
What to wear:
Good shoes and something you don't mind getting dirty.

We will provide:
Coffee, water, light snacks, maybe a sing-a-long. Alright, if I promise not to sing, will you come?

We're trying this electronic sign-up, it will send you a reminder and let me know who is interested.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/churchill3

Thanks in advance for all your help!
If you have questions, email or call me 708-207-9033.

-Rachael Bush Middleton
Homewood PTA, Beautification Chair

Homewood PTA asks that you help our fellow District 153 organization win a grant from the Chicago Sun-Times

We want to remind everyone to vote in the Chicago Sunshine Project—it only takes a minute or two. Foundation 153 is trying to win a $50,000 grant to purchase as many SMART boards as possible for the district. Currently, the Foundation is second place in its category (Youth Education and Literacy) in the number of votes received!

Here is some more information on how to vote if you are new to the site.
1. Visit http://www.chicagosunshineproject.com/ and hit the “Get Started” button.
2. Create an account if you haven’t done so already. If you use your email and a password (vs. Facebook login), you will receive an email to activate your account. Be sure to activate (check your spam folder if it doesn’t show up).
3. Visit the Project Page: http://www.chicagosunshineproject.com/projects and enter “Foundation 153” in the search box.
4. Click on the project name “SMART Boards for Smart Kids” (in red bold font) or the image.
5. Click on the red Vote button on the left hand side which has the “thumbs up” sign.
6. If you have an extra minute, please comment on the project with testimonials of support – just scroll down to the bottom of the project page and you will see a gray text box for you to enter your comments. Please note: You can only vote one time for a specific project, but if you have multiple email addresses you can create an account for each and vote once/per account.
Voting shuts down at 4pm on Sunday, October 9, 2011!



The PTA’s Fall Fundraiser Starts Today!

Shop our Market Day Fundraising Fall Catalog
and help support our schools!

Click here for more information!





Homewood PTA Fall Meeting
Meet your PTA Board, new teachers and staff, get an update on education funding and legislation,
and enjoy the James Hart Choir Ensemble!
You can also join PTA, get your calendar,
and enjoy light refreshments after the meeting!

September 27, 2011
at 7 P.M.
Millennium School Wood Floor Gym
1211 Aberdeen Street
Homewood, IL
Enter through the Sports Complex doors.



CALENDARS
Calendars are Here!

Pick up your calendar at any of the open houses. We will also be sending home calendars in your child's backpack. If you still do not receive yours, please email us at 153HomewoodPTA@gmail.com, and we will get you one right away.

Calendar corrections:
* Susan Barrows phone number is 708-922-2411
* James Hart Nurse is Mrs. Eileen Nickoloau
* Immediate Past President is Becky Wenckus

A Message from your PTA!
99 Homewood PTA Services
It has been 99 years since Mrs. O. T. Bright
organized the Homewood PTA.
Here are 99 things we did last year
for students in District 153 PTA:
•1 to 57: held parties and gave art presentations in 57 classrooms
•58 to 64: ran or arranged TV Turnoff week, book fairs, Reflections, school supply kits, bus buttons, class pictures and a DVD of the 8th grade graduation ceremony
•64 to 74: rode the Kindergarten bus for the first 10 days of school
•75 to 77: planned to redesign the Churchill playground and thanked school staff and volunteers
•78 to 84: funded PBIS. Rainbows, Chain Links, Bee Healthy Bee Smart, Snowflake and Snowflurry, and Storytelling Programs
•85 to 95. Brought to the District the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra *, the Shedd Aquarium, reptiles, authors and Rachel’s Challenge and other presentations
•96 to 97. Helped send 7th graders to Springfield and 5th graders to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra*
•99. Represented our members in the debate over passing last year’s District property tax referendum
*With help from the District and PMA.

MARGE KEPES AWARD
NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED!
Click here for a form! Forms are due by March 31, 2012.

Our membership form is now ONLINE! Click on the JOIN PTA link to the right to join with our ONLINE FORM and PAYPAL!


MARKET DAY ORDERS: Check out our fundraising page to order from Market Day!


Come to the Book Fair Luau!
Join us on April 10th & 11th
for the Spring Book Fairs.
Look for information
on dates and volunteer opportunities
to reach you soon!