Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade!

We have so much to look forward to!

Families For Stevenson has a full schedule planned for the New Year. We couldn’t be more excited about it! Our goal remains constant – funding for The Arts, maintaining the library, the garden and coordination our After School Enrichment Program. Our ideas continue to evolve as more and more people join our team. We welcome the input!
We’ll kick off our annual donation drive on January 26th, as FFS celebrates our fifth birthday with a mixer at the amazing Cartoon Network building. You’ll hear more about that in the coming weeks, but save the date. We’re really looking forward to it!

As you’ve already heard, we are continuing with the aforementioned After School Enrichment Program. The first half of the year went exceptionally well with guitar, art and Mad Science. This half we’re offering keyboard, Spanish, Mad Science and later, an on-camera acting class. We’re so fortunate to be able to bring these programs to our school.
In February, we’ll have our Barnes & Noble Book Fair and Dine-out. We’ll have guest readers, really cool games and a couple of new restaurants to experience either before or after your trip to the book store. Stevenson makes money from this fun, family event, so please come out!
Stevenson will ‘go to the movies’ March 6th and 7th with our annual talent show. It’s going to be hard to beat last year’s show, but with the amazing Jessica Good running the show again, I have no doubts that the show will exceed our expectations!

May 7th is Stevenson Rocks! This year, we’re stepping back in time and going with a retro theme. Stevenson Rocks! 50’s style! We’ve already started talking about it and would welcome any suggestions. If you’d like to be involved with the planning, please contact De or myself. We’d love to have some fresh ideas! This event is our biggest money raiser of the year mainly through our extraordinary silent auction. Because of the funds we raise that night, our children are able to continue studying The Arts at Stevenson.

It was a wonderful year here at Stevenson. I’m constantly reminded how lucky we are to have our children attend such an exceptional school. We have a wonderful staff at the helm and a group of sensational parents who give their time endlessly to assure that our children’s lives are enriched. I am constantly aware of the fact that Stevenson does indeed ROCK!
Here’s to a great year!

Jennifer Jesperson & De Eldridge Families For Stevenson Co-Presidents

The Families For Stevenson Booster Association Invites you to a celebration of The Arts at Stevenson.

Cartoon Network has made a generous donation that will allow us to create an Outdoor Classroom here at Stevenson. We are planning on a building a pair of large concrete work tables that will sit outside under our lovely trees. Between 25 and 30 kids would be able to sit or stand around these workspaces and study or create art!
The tables have already been designed and we have a budget to cover all of the materials. They are rather large tables and it will be an ambitious project. We have the man power to build them. What we need now is professional who is familiar with concrete construction to volunteer their time to supervise the project.
If you know of somebody or are interested yourself, please contact us.

Much obliged,

Felix Chamberlain & Tiffany Bakas
Stevenson Green Team

lixsan@earthlink.net
818-601-2829 cell

One of the fantastic opportunities that FFS provides for our children is a 10-week dance class. If your kids haven’t told you about it, you’ll have a chance to see it first hand! On December 10th, we’ll be putting on two shows in the Stevenson Auditorium. You’ll be receiving a flyer telling you which performance your child(ren) will be dancing in. The two shows are at 9:00am and 10:30am:

9:00am – Classes:
Mrs. Torres, Mrs. Rotunno, Mrs. Boulais, Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Rondinella, Mrs. Baade, Mrs. Clarke, Mrs. Hill
10:30am – Classes:
Mrs. Almeida, Friends from Ms. Shraga’s Class, Miss Carillo, Ms. Diamond, Ms. Lavitt, Mrs. Anderson,
Mr. Lukehart, Mrs. Flores, Miss Goulding, Mr. Blank
In the auditorium

This incredible program brings the talented Megan Baade, the director/owner of the #1 rated dance studio in Burbank, Garri Dance. Megan spends two days per week teaching our children during school hours. Each class at Stevenson gets 30 minutes with Miss Megan. This year they learned about dance from all over the world and have been rehearsing hard for the upcoming Winter Wonderland recital.

I had a chance to visit a couple of the classes this month. The children were having such a great time! After a brief warm up, Miss Megan worked with them on the choreographed steps for the upcoming performance. The smiles on their faces won’t be forgotten any time soon.

I was fortunate enough to “interview” a few children – here’s what they had to say about the dance program:

“I think it’s a good experience to learn something that gets you up and doing things.” – Bennett Andrews 4th Grade

“I think it’s very creative of Miss Megan. I feel energetic, and sometimes amazing and sophisticated.” – Sasha Calderon 4th Grade

“It’s fun because we get to dance!” – Bella Boulais 1st Grade

“We get to dance around. It makes me feel happy. I like to dance.” – Michael Kregler 1st Grade

Dance is more then just a hobby. It’s been around for as long as there were human beings. Dance is important for so many reasons. It can be a way of expression, a safe place for those who need to simply “get away.” It’s a way to clear your mind and it’s exercise! Obesity in children has quadrupled in 10 years. Almost a third of all of our children in America are overweight. Dance can help!

Dance is for the mind, body and soul. Not just for entertainment. It represents so much more then that. Freedom, hope, courage, bravery, strength, and grace are all represented by dance. Every dancer has these qualities no matter who they are or where they’re from. Confidence grows in those that need it.

We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Wonderland dance recital on December 10th. FFS thanks YOU for your support. Without you, we would not be able to bring this wonderful program to our children.

And can you add – Pre-Order the Winter Wonderland DVD for $12 each. Download Order Form Here!

Jennifer Jesperson

“What is FFS?”

…I nearly fainted as I heard these words come out of a parent’s mouth last month. Nevertheless, I recovered quickly and realized that we need to broadcast our message even louder than ever!

The mission of Families for Stevenson (FFS) is to enrich the education of our children by providing Art, Music, Dance and other specialty programs to Stevenson Elementary.

Without the Families for Stevenson (FFS) booster association, Stevenson Elementary’s art and dance programs would cease to exist!

It is the super fun 10 weeks of dance taught during school hours by Garri Dance studio every year. We get to watch our kids entertain us with an annual dance recital because of this program, with tears in our eyes because they are so precious. Please SAVE THE DATE for our upcoming dance recital on Dec 10th – this spectacular winter-themed event is one you don’t want to miss! We are also going to pre-sell DVD’s of the event so you can cherish that moment forever. Drop by the FFS table outside the holiday boutique Monday November 30th – Thursday December 4th, 1:30 – 3:30 pm to place your order.

It is also the wonderful 8 weeks of art classes taught in the classroom by Barbara Eisner every year to help our kids meet an art curriculum no longer covered by our state and local government funding.

FFS also coordinates the after school enrichment programs which provide new opportunities for your children – including guitar lessons, cooking, international art, and the Mad Science Program (which we hear is a HUGE hit with the kids). We manage fundraisers that keep art in the forefront of our family’s minds like the recent Original Works Program. Other programs FFS initiates and supports include the library renovation project and the ongoing purchasing of new books, and supporting our school’s Green Team by funding the Garden Project with donations made by our partners in the entertainment industry.

So what is FFS? It is the parents and businesses in our community who want to ensure that every child gets to experience The Arts in school. We live in the entertainment capital of the world. Our children are the future of the entertainment industry.

The goal of FFS is to make a difference in our children’s lives by bringing The Arts to Stevenson. We support and work hand-in-hand with PTA and help them with their needs and activities throughout the year. Please join us at the monthly FFS & PTA meetings to get more involved!`

If you work for, or own a business that can help us meet our mission by writing a check to support one of these programs, or would like to donate an item or service for our spring 2010 Stevenson Rocks! silent auction, we have kicked off our Corporate Donation Drive a bit early this year. We want to give those businesses an opportunity for an additional tax write-off for the 2009 year. Contact Katie Parker at 916-367-9933 or send an email to donations@stevensonpirates.net . We’ll hook you up!

I want to extend a warm thank you to Kym Wheeler who ran the Original Works program this year and to the families who participated. You have helped us raise over $1,600 for The Arts this year!

De Eldridge & Jennifer Jesperson
Co-presidents, Families for Stevenson (FFS)
ffs@stevensonpirates.net

FFS enriches the education of our children by providing Art, Music, Dance and other specialty programs to Stevenson Elementary.

Dear Parents,

There is always something very special about this time of year. There is a spirit in the air. Regardless of one’s religious affiliation and regardless of the commercialism in our streets and stores, a spirit of joy and sharing always seems to prevail during the holiday season.

The holiday season provides a rich opportunity for sensory experiences—the taste of traditional dishes; the smell of spices used in cookies, pies, and other goodies; the sight of beautiful lights, candles, cards, and longed for gifts to give and receive; the sound of bells, music, fires crackling and popcorn popping, and the special feeling of being close to loved ones and appreciating our heritage.
Our children brings us a special joy during this season, as we share meals with friends and relatives, share gifts with our loved ones and share time together as a family. As the year draws to an end, nearly all of us in most occupations receive some extra time off. The best thing to spend on your children is time.

The gifts we give provide momentary pleasures that fade over time and are insignificant compared to the time and love we give each and every day throughout the year. That is the foundation we build in shaping the kind of adults our children will become. Children bring us their special gifts and we can build their confidence and self esteem during those crucial formative years if we as adults:

Remember people, not things, matter most.
Love and accept our children from the day they are born.
Respect our children’s individual differences and appreciate each child’s unique capabilities.
When we think good thoughts about our children, tell them.

Cherish the moments of the season of joy with your children, family, and friends. These are the experiences that give richness and meaning to our lives and are to be treasured and fondly remembered in years to come.
With warm wishes for the holiday season,

Miss Ginnetti