12/2009 Happy Holidays Peterson Families!

The beginning of the school year always seems to fly by, and this year has been no exception. Because of the wonderful parent involvement at our school, 2009 has been very successful. On January 7, 2010, the PTA is excited to host a Muffins with Mom morning. We will be opening the cafeteria doors at 8:15 for Moms and their children to enjoy some coffee/juice and muffins/donuts. Please enjoy some one on one time with your child before walking them to their class lines at 8:45. We want you to know that we appreciate all of the support parents provide to our Parent Teacher Association. Looking ahead to 2010 our school will be affected by additional budget cuts. To be honest with you, it looks bleak. I encourage all parents to keep checking the Huntington Beach City School District web site: www.hbcsd.k12.ca.us, attend board meetings if possible, or read the board meeting minutes. These board meetings discuss the very issues that affect our children in the classroom and at school. Do you find yourself asking "How can I help?" There are several ways you can make a difference. To begin, our school receives state funding for every child sitting in their seat for roll call. By making your child’s doctor appointments later in the school day you ensure that your child is accounted for and our school will get the funding so desperately needed. Attending the school board meetings is another way to help. Parent involvement is key. Our children need our help to secure an educated future. PTA will continue to send out communications via our electronic newsletter, as well as share information at our monthly meetings, as it is made available to us from the school district. The holidays are time to reflect, enjoy and cherish. I wish you all a safe, healthy and happy holiday season. Debbie Helenihi PTA President

Cookie Dough Fundraiser Happy Holidays to you all! I hope that you all celebrate a healthy and happy holiday season. Don't forget our 2nd Annual Cookie Dough Fundraiser will be starting January 15 and will run through January 26. Our top sellers will enjoy a party bus ride to a pizza party. You all did a great job last year so we're looking forward to another successful year! Stacy Di Bernardo PTA Cookie Dough Chairperson click here

"Fun" Raising Updates This year’s school “Fun” Raisers have been a huge success and we want to take a moment to thank everyone who supported them! Thank you to Don Jose’s Restaurant and everyone who attended our Family “Fun” Raiser on November 18th and those who participated in the Bella Terra Shopping Center Barnes & Noble & Johnny Rockets Holiday ‘Fun” Raiser. Despite the rain, many of you attended the eve4nt and we appreciate it! This month we tried a new 1st Friday of the Month Treat. Mustache Mike’s Italian Ice cart came and brought a refreshing treat! Thank you to everyone who supported this event. We hope to continue to bring our families closer together by providing more opportunities to make some new friends and hang out with old ones! Parents, please remember no Peterson staff will be supervising these events, students will not be allowed to purchase a treat or stay on school grounds without a parent or guardian present and you must monitor your children while on campus for these events. Next Month’s Treat: Dippin’ Dots will be here from 2:00-3:30 on January 8th to celebrate the New Year! Hope to see you all there! Got Fruits & Veggies? Start the New Year off with a New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier! It’s not too late to take advantage of the wonderful service offered by Tanaka Farms and Peterson PTA! Our next session sign-up deadline is Wednesday, December 16th and the first delivery will be, Monday January 4th! For just $25 per week, Tanaka Farms will deliver a box of fresh-picked organic produce to our school for your family every Monday! We are requesting that you sign up for an entire 4 week session, for a cost of $100 (of which Tanaka donates back $20 to Peterson PTA). You may subscribe to more than one four week block at a time (ie: send check for $200 for 8 weeks) but blocks cannot be broken up. Several families are even splitting their produce with another family to share the cost and the goodness, ask around to see if any of your friends, family, or neighbors are interested! Once signed up, weekly email reminders will be sent to you. Produce MUST be picked up on Monday after school in room #17, between 2:30 and 3:15! Visit the office today for a form to sign-up for our upcoming sessions! If you have any questions, please contact Deanna Zamiska at 714-378-1515 Looking for any easy way to make money for Peterson? Have you signed up your grocery preferred cards and credit cards? There is a form in the office to start the enrollment process or you can do it yourself! Here’s how: *To register your Albertson’s Card visit: http://www.albertsons.com/cp/ Login with your card # & phone # Click “My Account” to add Peterson as your partner Enter Peterson’s ID # 49000106031 Click Add Partner Enter 100% for Peterson Click Update *To register your Ralph’s Card visit: http://www.Ralphs.com Sign-in to your existing account or create a new one Click on Community Contribution Click on Sign-up in the participation box and complete the information with Peterson’s Organization Number: 82719 *To register your Vons' Cards, various other participating merchant’s and your credit/debit cards visit: escrip.com Enter Peterson’s ID #: 6668729 If you have any questions regarding fundraising, please call Marcela Alban (714) 625-2109. Marcela Alban PTA Fundraising Chair Check out all our fundraising opportunities.

GIFT TO SCHOOL Due to a very successful 2008-09 school year in the fundraising area, the membership agreed to allocate money for the Gift to School Committee to purchase some school wish list items. After receiving input from the teachers, and many PTA members, The Gift to School Committee met and determined that the best use of the allocated money would be to purchase SMART Boards for each of the 4th grade classes as well as to purchase 4-in-1 copiers for the Kindergarten teachers. These were all purchased and delivered/installed by the end of November. Thank you to all of our amazing Peterson students and their families for their continued generous support of Peterson fundraising events that help to support the many programs and activities we have at our school, as well as providing for some really great “gifts” that support our teachers efforts in the classrooms. Shavon Pierce PTA Executive Vice President

Volunteer your services and then spend a day at "the happiest place on Earth" BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2010, when you sign up to volunteer a day of service with a participating organization, and your service is completed and verified, you'll get one day admission to a Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® theme park, FREE! Disney wants to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service. Sign up to receive reminders and exciting updates about the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program by going on the website www.DisneyParks.com. Robin Moses PTA Member

SAVE THE DATE: January 7th 2010 MUFFINS WITH MOM Moms bring your child and enjoy muffins or donuts and a breakfast drink before walking your child to their class line at 8:45. Provided by Peterson PTA

REFLECTIONS Winners eterson's Winners of the Huntington Beach Union Council for Reflections 2009 are: Cassidy Helenihi - Literature, Intermediate Division, Award of Excellence Kayla Tobin - Visual Arts, Primary Division, Award of Excellence Noah Alban - Musical Composition, Primary Divsion, Award of Merit The Award of Excellence winners will go on to the 4th District and be judged with all schools in Orange County. Congratulations to all the winners! Debi Voris PTA Reflections