The next Hauser PTO meeting will be Friday, February 3, 2012, at 10 a.m., in the LRC (Library). The agenda is available here: Hauser PTO Mtg Agenda – Feb 2012.

There will be reports on several exciting, upcoming events, as well as news on the PTO Nominating Committee for next year’s PTO Board.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

In our small, close-knit community of Riverside, the dangers of the world can often seem far away … until you go online. According to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office:

• 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online — more than 40% say it happened more than once.
• 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online — more than 1 in 3 have done so more than once.
• 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

Cyberbullying – through cell phones, social media, e-mail, or Web sites — can have a serious impact on a child’s life and behavior. To learn how to deal with cyberbullying and other Internet safety issues, don’t miss the District 96 PTA/O’s 2012 Guest Speaker Sarah Migas, an Internet Safety Specialist from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, on Tuesday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m., at Blythe Park School’s auditorium, 735 Leesley Rd, Riverside.

Download the event notice.

The January meeting of the Hauser PTO has been moved to Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at 7 p.m., in the library. It was originally slated for the Wed., Jan. 11, at 6 p.m. The All-District speaker scheduled for that same evening also has been postponed, to a date still to be confirmed.

See you on January 19th.

Central School’s KidsCare program was organized to promote the importance and impact of charity. This year, KidsCare has the opportunity to help up to 30 families, more than ever before, but Central needs your help. While the number of Riverside families in need has risen this year, donations have dropped.

If you can find it in your heart this holiday season to make a donation, of any size, please put it in an envelope marked “KidsCare c/o Central PTO” and drop it off in the Hauser office, by Friday, Dec. 16. If you have any questions about how this money will be used, please contact Cheryl Dowling at chdowling@aol.com

Thank you very much for your generosity.

This year, in order to better inform parents who are not able to make each PTO meeting, it is our goal to post a brief summary within a week of the meeting’s conclusion. Please note that these are NOT official meeting minutes. Official meeting minutes will be posted after acceptance by the membership the month following the meeting at which they were taken by the recording secretary. These summaries are simply meant to inform those not in attendance of meeting highlights in a more timely manner. Any questions about these summaries can be directed to VP of Communications, Lisa Aulerich-Marciniak, or the officer or committee chair to whom the question pertains.

The second PTO meeting of the new school year was held in the Hauser Library at 7 pm. The following took place at the meeting:

• Superintendent, Dr. Jon Lamberson reported on district matters.
  - Current enrollment stands at 1,565. This is the highest enrollment since the 1967-8 school year, when the district peaked at 1,572.
  - Hauser’s 6th and 8th grade classes are large, but the 7th grade class is the smallest in the district. The 4th grade class is one of the largest. This means that within a year and a half, the population of Hauser could be up by 12%. Down the road, if demographic data continues to trend as expected, District 96 could have 600 kids at the junior high.
  - Despite rapid growth, test scores continue to be extremely strong. Last year, one of every two 8th graders exceeded expectations in mathematics. As recently as five years ago, only one in every four Hauser 8th graders was exceeding expectations in math. Hauser will again be receiving the Academic Excellence Award from the state of Illinois.
  - The school board has decided to start a series of capital projects on the schools in order to bring infrastructure up to date with an eye toward no additional major work needing to be done until 2040. The work will be done over the next several summers and will include projects including the installation of air conditioning and the updating of major systems such as plumbing, heating, lighting, and electrical. This work will be completed without going to the community for a referendum.
• Principal, Ms. Leslie Berman reported on the beginning of the school year at Hauser.
  - The school year opened smoothly, with many staff and faculty members taking pieces of assistant principal, Ms. Stacy Westin’s duties, until she returned from maternity leave.
  - The biggest opportunities and challenges for the year have been linked to the “Laptops for Learning” program in the 6th grade. Ms. Berman reports that teachers are excited about the possibilities open to them now that students have laptops in class, but bumps in the road are still being worked out. Parents have voiced concerns about the need to transport laptops home every night for charging due to the weight added to what students are already carrying (backpacks and instruments, etc.). Teachers and administrators are exploring solutions.
  - A memorial for Ms. Jeanie Kustock will be held on October 28 at 4pm on the lawn at Central School. Families who would like to design a scrapbook page with memories of Ms. Kustok are encouraged to contribute to the book that will be given to her children. For more information, please contact Central Principal, Janice Limperis.
• 6th Grade Teacher and administrative intern, Amanda Johnson gave a presentation on this year’s Lorado Taft trip. About 150 students participated and had a great time, even enjoying the downpour that they were caught in during one of their outdoor activities. 6th grader Ellie C. read us a poem she wrote about her assigned dining hall table at Lorado Taft and how much fun she had with old friends and new at her table. Ms. Johnson wrapped up with a slide show of photos taken on the trip.
• PTO Treasurer Jane Wilhelm reported that the IRS has approved our organization’s tax exempt status. This will be filed with the state as the last piece of our PTO conversion. Jane’s report reflected that calendar sales were low, but directory sales were on target with budgeted predictions. Copies of both are still available for sale in the school office for $5 each. A check was received from Target for their Red Card Program for $792.01.
• President Fran Sitkiewicz reminded us of the goals of our monthly meetings. Meetings are to be where we conduct the business of the PTO in general (not the individual committees, although committees should give brief reports to keep the membership up to date on important committee work). Another goal of the PTO meeting is to foster communication between parents and the school, thus we will have visits from teachers (sometimes involving their students) and administrators who will keep us up to date on what is happening in the school.
• Lisa Aulerich-Marciniak, VP of Communications reported that guidelines for Hauser PTO communications are being developed and will be e-mailed to committee chairs as well as posted in the reference section of the Hauser PTO website as soon as they are finished. Any questions about communications can be directed to Lisa. If committee chairs would like any information included in the first edition of this year’s Hauser Highlines (the school newsletter) that will be out on November 17, please send it to Lisa by Wednesday, October 27, as she needs to put together the PTA page to submit to Ms. Berman by November 1.
• We are still in need of someone to chair the Arts and Enrichment Committee. This person will serve as the Hauser representative on the District Little Symphony Committee and will research options for speakers and programs for parents and students. If you are interested or would like more information on responsibilities, please contact Michelle Hejna or Fran Sitkiewicz.
• Kathy Dudek reminded people about the Target Red Card Program. Not only will the school of your choice (hopefully, HAUSER!) receive 1% of your purchases, but every time you use your card at a Target store or at Target.com, you receive a 5% discount on your purchases. See redcard.target.com/redcard/content/rcw_tck_application for more information on this program.
• Some background and explanation of our tradition of giving a framed print to the school in honor of each teacher who reaches 10 years of service was given, and why it is not feasible to continue this. A discussion began on what we might do to replace this tradition. It was decided that a committee should be formed to explore options. If you would like to serve on this committee, please contact Fran Sitkiewicz.
• Upcoming activities include Parent Teacher Conferences (and Teacher Conference dinner), Red Ribbon Week Speaker and Freaky Friday Dance (see www.hauserpto.org/2010/10/15/freaky-friday-october-29/ for more information).
• Handouts available at this meeting included:
  - Minutes from the September meeting (Rosita Griggs)
  - Financial documents for the Treasurer’s report (Jane Wilhelm)
  - Magazine Drive information (Allyn Pilewski)
  - Target Red Card information (Kathy Dudek)
  - Spiritwear Order Form (Kim Michl)
  - Red Ribbon Week Speaker flyer (Mr. Wolf)

Welcome back to school and to the new, Hauser Parent Teacher Organization — Hauser PTO. What’s the difference? Our disassociation from the National and State PTA allows us more flexibility to run our organization in the ways we see most fit for our school and the school community. The biggest change we’ve made is that we will no longer be charging dues to join our group. If you are the parent or guardian of a Hauser student or are a staff or faculty member, you are now automatically considered a member. We hope that you will take advantage of your membership by attending educational programs, fun events, and meetings where you will be able to stay informed and help make decisions that will guide our organization.

Because there are no membership dues, you will not need to fill out a membership form. However, we need everyone to fill out a Directory Information Form to make sure that we have accurate information and are only publishing the contact info you want published. Directories will be available for purchase after publication. The earlier we receive your info, the earlier we publish. We are also hoping that everyone will fill out a volunteer form. The PTO continues to provide the school with assistance and parents and students with programs and events. We are always in need of volunteers to lend a hand. We have jobs waiting for those who can give us a lot of time or just a little. Every minute you volunteer makes a difference.

We also invite you to browse the Hauser PTO website at www.hauserpto.org. At this site you will find all relevant forms and information regarding our PTO.

Your participation in PTO provides benefits not only to the organization, and in turn the school, but it also benefits you and your child. You bring your unique talents and opinions to each PTO event you are part of. That is something that no one else can contribute, and everyone’s gifts and perspectives collectively help make our PTO stronger. As a strong organization, we are able to support our students by providing finances and manpower to the school. We are also able to support our parents through events designed to educate and/or promote healthy communication with our school.

Attending events not only allows you to take advantage of this education and communication, but it provides opportunities to meet other parents and teachers, express your opinions, and feel part of the District 96 and Hauser community.

Most importantly, your time and effort sends a message to your child that school matters. Countless studies have shown that students whose parents are involved feel more positive about school and have greater success in this arena.

Whether you’ve been active in parent teacher organizations in the past or not, we hope you’ll give us a try this year. Eliminating membership dues is only one change we’re making. We tried some new things last year, and will be trying more this year. We’re keeping what’s good, and tweaking things all the time in an effort to make everything better. Time is in short supply for all of us, and we’re aiming to make PTO worth yours.

Here’s to a great school year!
The 2010-2011 Hauser PTO Executive Committee

The printed Calendar for all District 96 events will be available for purchase for $5. You can buy the calendar at Hauser after school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Parents may wish to send money with your student with instructions to purchase a calendar on one of these days. Calendars will also be available for purchase at the Open House/PTO meeting on Thursday, September 2. (The elementary schools will also have the calendars available.)

The Hauser PTO Directory for the 2010-2011 school year will be available for distribution around September 21. To order a directory, please fill out an order form and return the form to the Hauser Office with cash or a check for $5 (payable to “Hauser PTO”) by Friday, September 10, 2010. Please write “Directory” on the envelope.

If you haven’t submitted information about your child/children for the directory, please send it in as soon as possible. Your child/children will not be listed in the directory unless we receive the information. The information form is available here.

Tonight is our final PTA meeting of the year. Join us in the library. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. with the vote on whether to dissolve the PTA and become an independent PTO. Be part of this important decision.

May is a busy time of the school year when we wrap up 2009-2010 and start planning for 2010-2011. Don’t let these things get lost in the shuffle:

• If you were a committee chair this year, please fill out your event/project summary and give your folder to Lisa Aulerich-Marciniak, or put it in the PTA mailbox in the office. Review the on-line job description for your committee and let us know if it needs to be updated.
• If you are interested in chairing a committee for next year, please contact Lisa Aulerich-Marciniak, Fran Sitkiewicz, or Michelle Hejna.
• If you have any receipts for PTA reimbursement, turn them in ASAP to Mary Lescher or the PTA mailbox.
  Please remember that the May PTA meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 25. It is important that we have as many PTA members in attendance as possible as we take our final vote to dissolve our association with the State and National PTA and become an independent PTO. Our new officers will be installed that evening also. Mark your calendar. We’ll see you in the Hauser Library at 7 p.m.

Check your school calendar. May is full of end-of-the-year events that you and/or your child won’t want to miss!