Dear Stevenson families:

I’m usually not at a loss for words, but I’m having trouble writing my last FFS President’s article. I guess it’s because I’m a mixture of emotions right now — relief, pride, appreciation, sadness, and excitement.

Relief – that the school year is almost over and our biggest fundraiser of the year, Stevenson Rocks!, was a huge success. Whew!!!

Pride – I am so very proud of all of our accomplishments this year. We funded a wonderful dance instruction program and an arts instruction program that not only gave our students access to various types of artistic expression, but also provided our staff with development and curriculum-based projects that could be integrated into their classrooms.

Appreciation – We really have a wonderful community here at Stevenson and I am so grateful to all of our dedicated, creative, and DETERMINED volunteers. I can’t list all of you, but I must thank a few special people…

· The FFS board: Debbie Collura-Kalisz, Renee Kregler, Jennifer Jesperson and Vickie Whitecotton. You welcomed me with open arms at the beginning of the school year and truly did whatever it took to achieve our goals. I also have to thank our former FFS president, Jessica Good, for her unfailing support and encouragement this year.

· The PTA board: TOGETHER, we have developed a strong, united team of parent volunteers that rises to any challenge. There is no longer an “us/them” approach to our two groups, it’s simply “we.”

· Miss Ginnetti, Joyce, Deidre, Bev, Yvonne and our amazing staff: your support of our efforts is truly immeasurable.

· Our community sponsors & supporters: we needed your help and support this year more than ever and you rose to the occasion. If you haven’t had a chance, please take a look at our new sponsor’s page on our Stevenson Pirates website (http://stevensonpirates.net/f/sponsors/ ), and help us say “thank you” to these companies and individuals by supporting their businesses.

· Our parents: For everyone who has ever chaired or served on a committee, baked cakes (or 60+ of them), made copies, flipped burgers, sold pizza, donated beverages, volunteered in a classroom, written checks, or simply walked up to me the day of an event and asked, “what can I do to help?,” bless you, bless you, bless you.

· Our Stevenson Rocks! Event & Silent Auction Committees, and EVERYONE who supported this huge event: Our co-chairs, De Eldridge & Jennifer Jesperson took on this event this year and did an absolutely outstanding job. Our new silent auction committee brought in over 50 more silent auction & raffle items this year. (And they looked beautiful thanks to the hours & hours of wrapping by Debbie Collura-Kalisz and a some other helpers who pitched in when needed.) Our decorating diva, Tiffany Bakas and her team of volunteers and Room Reps transformed our school into a rockin’ venue. Plus our grillin’ dads, security dads, booth volunteers, stage crew & more. TOGETHER we brought in over $14,000 in one night – a feat we should all be proud of at our little elementary school! (See De & Jennifer’s article for more.)

Sadness & Excitement – It’s hard to say goodbye to a community you’ve been an active member of for six years. When FFS started over five years ago, we were holding bake sales & “Friday Fun Shacks” to bring in whatever money we could. Now, we’re producing successful concerts and silent auction fundraisers. We have come a long way and it is so incredible to have been a part of this journey.

I’m also sad that the state budget cuts have put even more pressure on our staff & teachers to do more with less, and more pressure on our parents and community to support our education efforts. It shouldn’t have to be this hard – but, in the face of adversity, the human spirit can do remarkable things. Community builds, friendships develop, hands are held, and creative ideas can flourish. And this is the exciting part. Yes, I’m sad to be moving on, but I know that I will always be a part of this community. Together we have had a lasting impact on the education of our children. We have provided them with lasting memories of elementary school. We have provided them with opportunities to express themselves through art and performance. We have demonstrated the importance of education, the importance of community, the importance of art, and, most importantly, how important they are to each of us.

So much for being at a loss for words! If some of my ramblings sound foreign to some of you, then I encourage you to get involved next year and experience this for yourself. This school needs you, your community needs you, and your child needs you. You have a wonderful new FFS & PTA board in place for next year. Please help them as they continue the important work of supporting our school, especially in the face of the budget crisis.

Have a great summer, everyone, and a great 2009-2010 school year! Stevenson Rocks!

Gratefully,

Carrie Brown

FFS President

Wendy and Colleen

It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of another school year and have concluded our lunchtime sports program at Stevenson for the 2008/09 season. We played a lot of football and softball and had a lot of fun while we embraced the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. Thanks to the parent volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to come out and play with the kids while teaching some valuable sport skills along the way. I am particularly indebted to Jena Van Loo and Jason Burks who were there on a weekly basis and shared their exceptional athletic talents with the kids. Jena and Jason are both excellent coaches in the Burbank Parks & Rec system and our Stevenson kids were truly fortunate to have had access to their talents over the entire year. I would also like to thank Stevenson Dads Earl Brown and Mike Malone for coming out to help when their schedules allowed and for being such positive role models on the field. Special thanks to Wendy Pennings for keeping the dugout running smoothly and for jumping in for catching duty from time to time!

Coach Mike

While it will be sad to leave the Wellness Committee at the end of the school year, I have every confidence that new parents will step in and keep this program running smoothly for years to come. I strongly encourage any returning parents interested in health and fitness to attend PTA meetings in the fall when a new chairman will be selected. At a time when shoestring budgets are stripping away programs that keep our kids physically active, it is more important than ever for parents to step in and fill the gaps. The health and happiness of our kids depends upon it. You just might make yourself a little healthier too! Have a wonderful summer break.

Be Well.

Paul Bond           (The Wellness Committee…..since 2006)

We just wanted to send a note of thanks for all you have done to make this year so successful for your child and your child’s teacher.

Thank you for your wondrous support of
Stevenson Elementary School and all the children it serves.

Thank you for demonstrating to your child how important school is by taking the time
off from your important work and busy schedule to volunteer in a classroom,
helping at a school event, and working with our students.

Thank you for making our jobs easier, not harder.

Thank you for wonderful words of encouragement to your child and to us.

Thank you for understanding when things are crazy on our end and for communicating when things are crazy on your end.

Thank you for investing in your child’s future.

Thank you for being a partner in instilling a love of reading and learning that will hopefully be a part of your child throughout their life.

Most of all, thank you for lending us your incredible child to work with everyday!
Not many people can say that they look forward to coming to work each morning.
Due to these wonderful children, we have been excited to come to work:  to see how they will respond to a story, to watch them interact with each other, to see concepts take root and imaginations blossom.  The amazing progress and changes we have seen in your child
throughout the year could not have happened without your immense help.

We value you!  We appreciate you!  We thank you!

Sincerely,
Miss Ginnetti and the Stevenson staff

It’s hard to believe that Stevenson Rocks! is almost here. Our planning and silent auction committees have been working tons of hours to put together a fun, rockin’ evening for our Stevenson community. This is an important night for us — it’s our biggest fundraising event of the year and it has taken a small army of people planning for months to pull it off – all volunteering their time and money to make it something special. (Thank you all!!!)

I could go on and on about why it is so important for our families and community to support this event during these tough economic times and our state budget crisis. Simply put, we need money. But more importantly, we need to rally together as a community and celebrate our kids, our awesome staff, and our dedicated volunteers. Instead of wringing our hands and worrying, let’s all come together on Friday night, May 8th and laugh, dance, and, yes, rock out. For the money it would cost you to take your family out for dinner and the movies, you can come to a big party, eat BBQ prepared by our Grillin’ Dads, hear some great music, and still have some money left over to purchase a few (or several) raffle tickets – or bid on a silent auction item.

Yes, I hope we raise a ton of money at our event, but more importantly, I hope it’s a rockin’ and rollin’ celebration for our beloved elementary school and this awesome community we have supporting it!

Party on, pirates!
Carrie Brown
President, FFS

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Miss Debbie Ginnetti

Each year about this time we begin receiving calls from a few parents/guardians requesting that their children be placed in certain classrooms for the following year. It seems timely, therefore, that our school’s policy on the matter be reviewed and emphasized.
There are several criteria that our staff applies in order to create an effective, well-balanced class. Among them are:

1. Equal class size in relation to other classes.
2. A well balanced classroom population in terms of gender.
3. A heterogeneous grouping in terms of achievement.
4. A workable blend of student personalities.
5. A fair distribution among classes of high achievers and low achievers with special needs.
6. A fair distribution of “behavior challenges.”
7. An effective clustering of limited or non-English speaking children.

If we were to honor a parent/guardian request then other parents/guardians would be encouraged to do the same. The merits of these requests are so indistinguishable that there is no basis for being selective with any degree of objectivity. Therefore, to honor one is to honor them all, creating such a volume of requests that the staff is prohibited from applying the criteria above, and our flexibility to design the most effective classroom grouping for your children is greatly impaired.
The school’s policy is to plan thoughtfully the placement of children in classes to maximize the educational advantage for each child. This ensures a workable classroom environment by design and not by chance.

Your continued support and cooperation is always appreciated.

Sincerely,

Miss Ginnetti