Red Ribbon Week: October 24-28th

Del Cerro is celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 24-28th.
The 23rd annual Mission Viejo Drug Walk will be held on Saturday, October 22nd. The day will begin at 8am with a rally at Mission Viejo High School. Participants are encouraged to arrive by 7:30am to register and grab
their free t-shirt and a seat. Come and join the fun! Please see the Mission Viejo City website for additional
details.
Please look for a flyer to be sent home with the following theme days:
Monday: “Team Up Against Drugs!” Kids will wear team jerseys.
Tuesday: "Sock it to Drugs!" Crazy sock day.
Wednesday: "Turn your Back on Drugs!" Backwards Day.

Thursday: “Use Your Head, Don't do Drugs!" Crazy Hair Day
Friday: “We Pledge to be, Drug Free!" Kids wear anything RED.
Also there will be a classroom poster contest and the winning classes will have a Popsicle party the following
week.
Thanks for participating!

Spirit Night at Chuck E. Cheese

Spirit Night at Chuck E. Cheese is Wednesday, October 19, 2011 from 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm. 

26538-H Moulton Pkwy, Laguna Hills

Corner of La Paz & Moulton Pkwy, Laguna Hills.

Be sure to mention Del Cerro! 15% of your food, drink and token purchase goes to Del Cerro’s students! Flyers will be sent out via classrooms as well as on the website as soon as they come from CEC corporate office. Bring your friends and family! Questions? Please contact Lesley.

Holiday Boutique Vendors Needed

Our annual Del Cerro Elementary Holiday Boutique is around the corner taking place from November 29th to December 2nd. We have a few spots still available for more vendors. Here are the requirements:

• All items must be priced under $7 (except Friday evening when we will open to the public).
• Set up is between 3-5pm on November 28th and clean up is December 2nd between 8-9pm.
• Each vendor is required to work 2 – 3 hour shifts during the boutique.

The table cost is $30 and 10% of total sales will be donated to the school. No sales tax will be taken.
If you are interested in becoming a vendor please e-mail Stephanie Blohm.
Please include descriptions of what you would like to sell as well as pictures. We have a limited space so please contact us ASAP as they will go quickly.
We look forward to our happy shoppers this year!
Abby LeBoff
Holiday Boutique Chair

Reflections Reminder - “Diversity is…”

All artwork the Reflections Program must be turned in on Thursday, October 13 and Friday, October 14 in the MPR between 8am-8:30am. Please be sure that your artwork follows the rules as stated in the Rules Packet. If you need a copy of the rules, please contact Christy Henry. 
Don't forget to properly attach the completed entry form to your art. The entry form must include a title for
your work and artist's statement. We had very successful Work Shops and look forward to seeing all the
completed entries!

Fall Fundraiser - Kids Are First

The KICK Off for the Fall Fundraiser featuring "Kids Are First" is Friday, October 7th and will run for two (2) weeks.
There are great prizes for all!!! Affordable Pricing for Everyone! Turn in your coupons to earn Kid Power Bracelets!
Classrooms with higher class participation will get more playground balls. There will be daily prizes for those students who turn in their coupons and students with the
highest items sold will be invited to a special Game Truck video party!!!
There’s something for
Everyone in the catalog:

• Gifts for Mom, Dad, Kids and Pets
• Items for the Kitchen & Home
• Magazines and Gift Wrap

There’s also Online Ordering Available. Just go to: www.kidsarefirst.com where parents can register their child/children for a sellers code.

Box Tops for Education

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Every Box Top collected is 10¢ for our school.
Proceeds from BOX TOPS could be one of the biggest sources of fundraising for our school. The proceeds from this fundraising goes directly back to your kids, so please start clipping box tops today!  Last year we raised $200.00 from Box Tops for Education. This year, We have set our sights on a much higher goal. Let’s see what we can do if we all work together. At the moment, I am planning a reward system that will encourage and motivate our students to bring in box tops for our school. Stay tuned for details. It’s easy to earn cash for our school.

1. When shopping at the store look for items that have a box top. There are over 200 brands with box tops to clip, so it’s really easy to find one. (Ziploc Bags, Go-GURT, Kleenex, Hefty, Gen Mills Cereal, & More) Before recycling or throwing away your empty container clip out the box top along the dotted lines. Save them to staple or glue to a box top collection sheet to make it easier to send to school. Need collection sheets? We will send one home or you can print one out online at www.btfe.com.

2. Register online today by going to www.btfe.com and signing up. (Don’t Forget to Select Del Cerro Elementary as the school that you are supporting)

3. There are extra ways online at www.btfe.com to earn box tops for our school.
No clipping required here - Just register and get some box tops added to our account!
a. Marketplace: Over 100 select retailers (Gap, Target, Oriental Trading, Barnes and Noble, etc.) will give e-Box Tops to our school when you shop online at the Marketplace! Plus you can become an Online Power Earner and can earn Bonus Box Tops.

b. Bonus Box Tops: Bonus Box Tops are an easy way for 1 to make a big difference. Each month, you’ll find special promotions and sweepstakes where you can enter for a chance to win thousands of Bonus Box Tops. Check back often for the latest bonus opportunities and remember to spread the word! The more people who enter, the greater our school’s chance of winning.

c. Reading Room: Barnes & Noble and Box Tops have teamed up to make it easy to earn cash for your school. Earn up to 6 e-Box Tops with every qualified $10 purchase you make at America’s #1 bookstore, just by starting here at the Reading Room.

Should you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Harmon.   Happy clipping!

Fresh & Easy Fundraising

Del Cerro is participating in the Fresh & Easy Fundraising Programs. Please see the Fresh & Easy website for additional details.  Please note that flyers regarding the program were sent home.
From Sept 15-Dec 31,2011, Del Cerro will get $1 for every $20 spent. All families have to do is bring in their receipt and drop it in the box in the front office.
We also have a shop night scheduled Monday, November 14 from 4pm-8pm. Anyone who shops then will help us earn money for Del Cerro.
Don’t forget that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This is a great opportunity to get some of your food shopping done and help our school at the same time.

Message from PTA President - October 2011

Greetings Del Cerro Families!
We are barely a month into the school year, and already so much has happened! On September 1st, before school even started, an army of helpers appeared at the school to copy flyers, and stuff those 1st Day Packets that every student received. There was such a showing of support that over 600 packets were stuffed with carefully collated information within just a few short hours. On September13th, a PTA board-cateredsmorgasbord- potluck was organized for our Teachers and Staff by Lesley Jackson with the help of many of our Board Members, much to the delight of our Teachers and Staff. September 15th was our 1st General meeting of this year, and we approved our budget and renewed our commitment to continue to support Library, Science, Art and Advocacy.
The very next day, Abby Leboff and Amy Cortez organized a wonderful evening of great food and community at our Back to School Picnic. The Reflections team, under the leadership of Christy Henry, hosted some art workshops to help inspire young artists to be part of the annual Reflections contest. September 28th
was the day of our 1st Wacky Wednesday, and the student body lined up across the playground to buy their ice cream and frozen fruit bars for $1 each. Friday, September 30th will be our first Lunch with the Principal, hosted this year by Maria Alarcon. This is a special treat for students selected by their teachers to
have some special time with our Principal. The flow of membership and orders forms has slowed to a trickle, and the processing of all that information is in the works.
October will bring us the beginning of our Art Masters Program, organized by Caysi Bull. This month the artist will be Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Students will first learn about his life and style, and then will be tutored on creating a piece of the own art in his style. October will also bring us our fall gift wrap fundraiser, organized by our VP of Way’s and Means, Virginie Bevacqua. Look for your “Kids are First” envelopes to come home with your student. October also brings us Red Ribbon week – a time to focus attention on living a healthy, drugfree life. Shannon Craycraft, our Chairman of Health and Safety has planned some thoughtful and creative activities to help get this message to our kids. During Red Ribbon week, we will also be sponsoring a Food Drive in conjunction with some local scout troops.
Please take a moment and stop by to say “Hello” to our new Librarian, Linda Bergstrom, and while you are there, you can sign up to give her a hand in our wonderful library. No experience necessary!
Our next General PTA meeting will be October 20th, at 7pm, in room 19. Signs will be posted to assist in locating that room. Please join us. To echo the theme our Council has as adopted this year, “We Are Better Together”. We look forward to meeting you at Back to School Night. We will be in the MPR at the beginning of the
evening. Please take a moment to stop by. Thank you for all your support.
Sincerely,
Cindy Back
Del Cerro PTA President
2011-2012

Pincipal's Message - October, 2011

Dear Parents,
Back-to-school night is coming this week. It is a great time to become familiar with your child’s classroom, his/her teacher, and the exciting activities planned for the year. You will have the opportunity to look at all of the textbooks that will be used during the year, any special activities or fieldtrips that are planned, and general classroom procedures. This is a great time to ask about homework, testing schedule, and areas of emphasis to include subjects like art, music, P.E. and Social Studies. You can also discover the best ways to keep communication open between the home and the school. Parent Conferences are scheduled for November 14 – 18 so this is not a good time to expect teachers to talk with you about your child’s specific issues. It is a great time to schedule an appointment with the teacher for another moment when they can give you their full attention and not be distracted by the evenings demands.
This is also a special night for your PTA. They will be reviewing their accomplishments for last year and their goals for the 2011 – 12 school year. They will be introducing this year’s officers and committee chairpersons and welcoming you to another exciting year. They will also be inviting all of our parents to join the PTA. We are all “Better Together” our theme for this year.
Please consider joining the PTA both with your time and resources. This is the one place where every penny donated goes directly to the students with no “middle” costs. Schools are always more successful when we have parents and teachers working together to offer quality educational experiences to our students. You make the difference in the education of your children. Their success is based on your support, guidance, and  involvement.
Help us make this the best year ever for your children at Del Cerro!
See you at Back-to-School Night…
Larry Callison, Principal