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lynneshapiro627@yahoo.com (Elysian)

Are you a drop-off and pick-up parent? At Elysian Charter, we have very few such parents. Almost every single one of you participates in our community activities in some way. Often, parents drop off and pick up their children at school. They usually attend parent-teacher conferences. And, of course, everyone attends graduation.

I have noticed that many of the families at Elysian come to many different school activities. What's important for us, as for all charter schools, is repeated involvement in school activities over and over again to keep us running strong. Tuesday, March 18, 2008 is an important event for everyone to try to attend. It's our Annual Meeting and Election of officers to our Board of Trustees. (6:00 PM, OLG GYM)

Our Board of Trustees meets once a month (at meetings open to all members of the Elysian Charter School community) to run and operate the school. They make budget and policy decisions that directly impact upon your child's current and future education here at Elysian. YOU get to have a say. Board of Trustees members are elected by everyone at the school, including staff and parents. You can make a difference.

In an election year where millions of newly involved voters are during out in droves, make this year the year that our Elysian Charter School voters turn out, too! We have 205 families here at Elysian with an enrollment of about 268 students. We have never had even 150 families show up to vote. LET'S GET OUT THE VOTE. Let's go for a vote from every family.

Please note that the ballot you received in the mail was a sample ballot, not the actual ballot.

While we hope most people will cast their ballot at the Annual Meeting, beginning Monday, March 10^th you may cast an absentee ballots at the Rue office, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Melissa Landera or John Mercado must be present.

Don’t forget the PTSO “Meet the Candidates” Meeting is Tuesday, March 11, 6:00 pm, Pizza and childcare available. This is the best way to hear directly from the candidates and have your questions answered.

Please follow these few steps to see all the fun that was had at our annual Friends of Elysian dinner auction. 1) Log onto www.pictage.com 2) In the "find your

event" section of the home page, type in: Mardi Gras 2008 (press go) 3) Select the event whose location is Elysian Charter School" 4) The event code is 431501

Enjoy the photos. If you wish to purchase any, they will be available until April 1. 10% of all proceeds will be donated to the Friends of Elysian.

Carol invites

4^th and 5^th grade parents

to a

Middle School Night

Wednesday,

April 2, 6PM

Rue Building

Carol says that this is a serious effort to encourage everyone to stay at Elysian through 8th grade.

Note Date Change! Different from what was published last week!

Last week, I wrote about the students who won 3^rd place in the C-Span annual documentary video competition. I wrote that this was the product of a middle school seminar taught by Aaron, but I failed to mention that it was co-taught by our 8^th grade humanities teacher, Joe Golossi.

Three times a year, 7^th and 8^th students have the opportunity to choose from a list of seminars. Seminars, held Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, give students an opportunity for in depth study on a particular topic for approximately 12 weeks each. Thought you might to know some of the other seminars offered earlier in the year: Studies in Inhumanity, Broadway Musicals, Swimming at Stevens, Band of Brothers and World War II, No Name-Calling (and James Howe’s novel, The Misfits), Music Improvisation and Composition, Science Fiction: Literature and Film, Art Around the World, Race and Ethnicity in American Cinema

In case anyone was worrying, I have been in touch with Karson Food, our food vendor, regarding the beef product recall. We have been reassured by the Karson suppliers, that none of their products were obtained through the companies involved in the recall. Most of that meat went into commodity supplies that neither our school nor Karson Food Service use.

Our month long fruit initative was a huge success. Students were given free fruit every day after school if they wanted it. On any given day, approximately three quarters of the school participated. Our goal was to create and instill the habit & taste for fruit as a snack, instead of going for chips or a soda. It was interesting that the younger kids went all out for the treat, while the middle schoolers were not as interested. This goes to show you that eating habits start early - all the more reason for families to get on board with making the change to healthy habits.

Unfortunately, the cost of this program was more than we anticipated. The Lunch Program bore the initial expense but we will not be able to continue the program at this time. This was a much discussed issue at the Wellness Committee Meeting held last Friday. We are still open to discussing the program and will keep the door open for the possible continuation of the program at another time.

The Lunch Program will soon introduce a variety of different veggies, fruits & grains. We will let you know what interesting foods we try each week and provide you with a recipe so you can try it at home. We'll keep you posted!!

The Elysian Wellness Policy involves not only nutrition, but also combines physical activity to promote good health. In order to help our families take steps toward healthier habits the Wellness Committee is going to provide you with a Tip of the Week. This week’s tip involves getting your family active.

TIP: Get moving. Park your car at the supermarket or Target at the farthest place from the entrance lot and walk. Live in an apartment building? Take the stairs or walk around the block. Warm up first walking slowly, then try to pick up speed. Dropping off your child at Elysian? - take the stairs with them! If you live locally, try to get a group together headed up by an adult, and walk to school together, picking up other students as you go along. Don't get overwhelmed by how many things you need to change, just try to change one thing. Get that under your belt and then move on to add something new. Good luck & get moving!

PTSO Seeking Vice President and Secretary for Next Year: Serving as a PTSO officer is a great way to get more involved in your child’s school. Please speak with Tracey Calvanico if interested.

Spring Rummage Sale Around the Corner: The May 10th ECS Rummage Sale will be here before you know it.

We need volunteers to staff the PTSO table and help to make the day go smoothly. Please think about whether or not you or someone you know may want to be a vendor and buy a spot around

the park to sell merchandise.

· Half Day of School, 12:30 dismissal, for Professional Development. After school

April 2^nd – watch student videos The top 27 winning videos will be broadcast beginning April 1. Elysian’s video will be broadcast on April 2^nd.