2009 Fundraiser

We are currently underway with our annual fundraiser, so if you see a little one with a fundraising packet, be prepared to help them win some great prizes and to earn money for our school!! We have found an entirely new company that is based out of Lubbock and has a local representative in Abilene. She has been great so far and we expect a much better experience this year.

Smencils & Gym Bags

The PTO currently has Smencils and Gym Bags for sale. For those of you who are not familiar with Smencils, they are a #2 pencil made from recylced newspaper and scented in one of ten different "flavors." The available scents are:

**Cotton Candy
**Root Beer
**Very Berry
**Bubble Gum
**Grape
**Tropical Blast
**Cinnamon
**Black Cherry
**Orange
**Watermelon

They come in a biodegradable container and cost $1.00 per pencil.


The gym bags are great for PE shoes or other small items and can be purchased plain or with the CP logo. The cost is $3.50 for the plain, and $8.00 with the logo. If you purchase a plain bag, Pancake's Home Stitchin' will be happy to custom emroider your bag starting at only $5.00.

If you would like to purchase either of these items, we will be set up at the Elementary Building on Friday the 28th and Monday the 31st. You may also contact Sarah Buchanan at 725-4469 or Suzi in the Elementary Office.

Time for School

School starts on Monday - are you ready? We are!! Be on the lookout for membership and volunteer forms some time around the second week of school. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer your time and/or talents and your involvement is sure to better your child's education!

Back To School / Prepackaged Supplies

It is almost time for students to return to school, and with that, PTO will be up and active. We have many activities planned for this year, but we are always looking for new ideas, opinions, or comments. We look forward to working with all members, teachers, parents, etc...!!!

For those who ordered the pre-packaged school supplies for the 2009-2010 school year - the supplies are here and ready. We will have two pickup days: Tuesday, August 18th from 3-5:30 pm and Thursday, August 20th, from 10am - 1pm. If you are unable to come at either of these times, please feel free to contact us and we will arrange for pickup.

Meet The Teacher / Open House is also scheduled for Tueday, August 18th from 5-7 pm -come get involved and make a difference in your child's education!!

This week, May 3 - 9, is Teacher Appreciation Week. We always appreciate our teachers and all the hard work they put into their jobs, but this week is a special week to show it! Take the time to send a note or a token of your appreciation!!

Thank you to all teachers for EVERYTHING that you do for our kids!!

Moms & Muffins

Moms & Muffins was a HUGE success. We appreciate Jamie Wootton and Jack Shepard for serving all of the Moms and kids, and letting the other officer Moms have the morning off!! Our apologies go out to anyone who came after we ran out of muffins - we had such a great turn out, we were not prepared to serve so many.

Thank you for being involved in your child's education and showing them that you care!!

2009-2010 PTO Officers

Officers for the next school year were elected at last week's meeting on Thursday, April 23, 2009. Congratulations to each of you, we look forward to another great year!!

President - Sarah Buchanan

Vice-President - Heather Lee

Secretary - Tabitha Sutton

Treasurer - Amy King

Reporter - Heather Edmonds

April 23, 2009 Meeting

We had a successful meeting last Thursday, despite the many scheduling conflicts!! We appreciate all those who were able to attend! Mrs. Sowell also conducted the annual Title I parent meeting, so for those of you who were unable to attend - if you have any questions regarding the school's Title I status, please see Mrs. Sowell.

The meeting agenda and details were as follows:

*Discuss TAKS Schedule - PTO provided goody bags to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade last month when they were testing, and TAKS pencils were provided to the 6th grade this week.

*Discuss Scheduled Field Trips - please contact your childs teacher for specific details
PTO will provide drinks as requested by teachers for the field trips.

*Discuss scheduling a play for next year - for the past several years, we have had a professional theatrical event performed at the school, we are looking at possibly taking the students to the Paramount Theater in Abilene this year

*Discuss Teacher Appreciation Week - May 3-9 - provide daily snacks and a teacher gift

*Discuss Awards Day - Elementary awards day is May 12, High School awards day is May 22, Teacher of the Year will be announced at the Elementary Awards Day

*Discuss Leftover Cookie Dough - we have several boxes of food items remaining from the recent fundraiser - we will use to provide various snacks for different events

*Moms & Muffins - Friday, April 24, 2009, 7:15 am in the Elementary Foyer

*Election of Officers

*Door Prize - backpack/gym bag w/ CP logo - won by Angela Bogart

Meeting - March 10, 2009

Growing Graduates: Texas Public Schools Plant Seeds for Success

This is the theme of this year's Texas Public School Week, March 9-13, as well the theme of our open house and meeting.

Tuesday's meeting had a great turnout and the kids singing program was great - Thank You Mr. Sowell!! Items on the agenda included:

*Pre-packaged school supply order forms will go home after Spring Break. Please place your order by the deadline, as NO EXTRA PACKAGES WILL BE ORDERED.

*Moms and Muffins will be coming up in late April - watch for details to be sent home with your child.

*Survey cards were passed out looking for ideas for one big gift PTO could give to the school, as well as to nominate yourself or someone else for a position as a PTO officer for next school year. (If you were unable to attend the meeting, please feel free to give ideas to any current PTO officer, or leave a note at the elementary office.)

*PTO Monthly Meetings - we have begun to have monthly meetings for ALL members to attend. If you have not been attending, we would love to have you and your input!! Notices are sent home with the kids as to when these meetings are held.

*Teacher of the Year ballots were passed out.

*School Board Meeting - March 23, 2009, 6:00PM

Everyone who attended the meeting was offered packages of Texas Wildflower Seeds to go along with the theme of "Planting Seeds of Success." These were donated courtesy of:

***Lawrence Farm & Ranch Supply
***Turner Seed - Breckenridge

We were also able to give out several door prizes, thanks to the generosity of these local businesses:

***Connie's Cuts & Curls
***Subway
***J&S Ag Fabrication
***Kimmy's Rustic to Rhinestone

We would like to thank everyone who has volunteered to assist the school and PTO in so many areas. Your work is noticed and appreciated by the officers, as well as the teachers and principal, Margie Sowell.

If you ever have any questions, concerns, comments, or ideas, let one of the officers know. You can come to us in person, by phone, or now by email at crossplainspto@yahoo.com

Finally........a website!!

We have finally been able to get a website set up, and look forward to being able to keep everyone updated on a regular basis. We will post details of Tuesday's meeting and other information soon!!