Families for Stevenson needs your support!
If you would like to help, then we want to hear from you!

GRANT WRITING COMMITTEE

We hope that grant writing will become a key part of our fundraising efforts. A successful grant writing team could make a huge difference to our school.

We have already had some success. If you would like to be involved in researching or writing grants, we want to hear from you.

Kelly Bashar
kelly@familiesforstevenson.org

Dear Parents,

It is important for home and school to work together to build strong character in our children. Clearly, when it comes to character building, the family is the key. There is simply no substitute for a mother and/or father who form a loving and supportive circle around the child, providing guidance and defining for their child, both by word and deed, standards of good conduct.

Schools have a strong supportive role to play in character building. Schools must not only help children become literate and well informed, they must also help them develop the capacity to be responsible and demonstrate good problem solving skills in situations of ethical conflict. Schools can reinforce those universal values we all cherish and hope our children will demonstrate when we are not around. When they are on their own we want them to demonstrate universal character traits in their daily lives, such as:

Responsibility
Honesty
Respect
Kindness
Perseverance
Tolerance
Cooperation
Initiative
Caring

Each month at Stevenson School we select an important attribute to recognize and reinforce with our students. Students are selected by their teachers as “student of the month” based on how well they demonstrate specific character building traits. Student of the Month recipients earn a bumper sticker, “reward tag”, and certificate. They have their picture taken for the “Hall of Fame” Office bulletin board. Our Student of the Month Themes are:

September – Friendship
February – Compassion
October – Cooperation
March – Self-Discipline
November – Honesty
April – Respect
December – Generosity
May – Acceptance/Perseverance
January – Responsibility

To help our children learn about these attributes it is important that we, as adults, identify for our children the behaviors that we expect, through both teaching and modeling.

Sincerely,
Debbie Ginnetti, Principal

Last year in Burbank, The Holiday Basket Program aided 500 families including over 1,400 children. Stevenson is proud to be part of that program every year.

This year, our school has “adopted” four families through the Burbank Coordinating Council. We hope to fulfill everything on their wish lists and have enough over-flow to donate extra items for any unfulfilled needs.

The purpose of the Holiday Basket Program is to provide holiday meals for one full day; breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as gifts for each member of the adopted families. If possible, shop for groceries at Fresh & Easy, save your receipts and put them in the box in the office to benefit our PTA.

Toys or clothing must be new. Gift certificates and gift cards (which you can purchase through the Stevenson web site) are always welcomed. If each one of us would bring in one item, we could help so many who have so little this holiday season.

All gift certificates/cards should be placed in an envelope addressed to Jennifer Jesperson and left in the office.

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer at Jennifer.jesperson@mac.com or (818)415-9025.

Please see below for specific instructions.

Collection boxes will be in the school office and at the gate during drop off. We’ll also have boxes at the Holiday Boutique.

Donations will be accepted until December 15th.

We’re asking each grade level to donate for a specific need.

Kindergarten: Breakfast items

• Pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal, dry cereal, grits, juice, gift cards

1st Grade: Lunch items

• Peanut butter, jelly, macaroni & cheese, pasta & sauce, soup, beans, rice, canned tomatoes, canned fruits, gift cards

2nd Grade: Dinner items

• Canned ham, instant mashed potatoes, canned gravy, stuffing mix, canned vegetables, canned cranberry sauce, cake mix, gift cards

3rd Grade: Adult family members

• One female – Size large
• Two females – Size medium
• One female – Size small
• Two males – Size medium
• One male – Size 32
• One male – Size 36
• One male – Size extra large
• Gift ideas adult – male: Shirts, jackets, gloves, cosmetics, toothbrushes, toothpaste & floss, gift cards, restaurant gift certificates, movie tickets
• Gift ideas adult – female: Shirts, pajamas, scarves, hats, gloves, cosmetics, toothbrushes, toothpaste & floss, candles, cooking/kitchen items, bath sets, gift cards, restaurant gift certificates, movie tickets

4th & 5th Grades: Boys & Girls

Girls

Boys

• Gift ideas – teenage children: T-shirts, dress shirts, jackets, pajamas, gift cards, movie tickets, music players, toothbrushes, toothpaste & floss sticks
• Gift ideas – young children: Toys, games, stuffed animals, books, gift cards, clothing, toothbrushes, toothpaste & floss sticks

The Cookie Dough Fundraiser benefitting the 5th grade Out- door Science School trip will begin on Monday, October 31st and orders are due on Monday, November 14th. Delivery day will be on Wednesday, November 30th after school.

Children will be bringing home the order forms and booklet in their Monday folders. This fundraiser is coordinated through Families for Stevenson, but all proceeds go toward the 5th grade Outdoor Science School event in January. This is an ex- cellent way to help offset your contribution to the trip if you have a 5th grader attending.

We encourage all students to par-ticipate in the fundraiser because if you don’t have one yet, one day you will have a 5th grader too. Please make any checks payable to Families for Stevenson (FFS).

Questions?? Contact Renee – renee@familiesforstevenson.org

Emma and Madeline

Dear Stevenson Families,

This school year has been off to a fantastic start. Our FFS sponsorship drive is now over $6,100 and as promised we are planning a school-wide party for the students at lunch time on Friday, November 4th. We will have music, snacks, fun things to do and some giveaways. Thanks to everyone for their support and if you want to donate to our sponsorship drive, you still have until the end of December. Remember it also makes a great gift for grandparents.

The Red Chair Dance program is going well and the kids are having a great time. They are moving into the character/national dances segment. The children will “travel the world”

Renée, and kids

dancing to music from Spain, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Hungary and learning about traditional costumes and attire. The Red Chair is introducing a second dance assistant, Katie Rose, who will be working with all the classes in addition to the primary dance instructor. Katie is a Master Ballet Teacher at the Red Chair. This will ensure a smaller teacher to student ratio that is comparable to outside lessons at a dance studio.Jennifer Bosco, owner and director of the Red Chair, is coming in weekly to personallywork with the SH class.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who came out to our FFS Chipotle dine-out on Monday, October 17th. Chipotle gave us 50% of the proceeds and we received $556.

Emma Clarkson & Renee Kregler, FFS Co-Presidents

FFS ALL SCHOOL PARTY Friday, November 4th