State PTA Supports Props 24 and 25

Election Day is Tuesday, November 2nd.  The California State PTA has taken positions on 2 propositions, Yes on 25 (Simple Majority Vote for State Budget) and Yes on 24 (Tax Fairness Act).

For more information and a detailed analysis of these propositions and the candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidates, go to http://www.capta.org/sections/tools/whatsnew-review.cfm?WhatsNewID=1452

The California State PTA has taken a SUPPORT position on Proposition 24, an initiative statute, repealing recent legislation that would allow businesses to lower their tax liability, which will appear on the November 2010 general election ballot.

When California has cut billions from public schools, colleges and services for poor children, and when the state is facing more budget deficits, it is not the time to grant huge tax breaks to a small number of large corporations. In these tough economic times, everyone must pay his or her fair share.

Every year, budget gridlock and political games hurt schools, threaten vital services and cost taxpayers millions. Prop 25 reforms this broken system, holding legislators accountable when they fail to pass the budget on time.

Proposition 25 does 3 things:
1.      Reforms California's broken budget process by requiring a majority vote on the state budget – like 47 other states.
2.      Hold legislators accountable for failing to do their jobs. If they fail to pass a budget on time, they don't get paid. And they can't pay themselves back later.
3.      Preserves the two-thirds vote required to raise taxes.

For more nonparisan election information and online polling place look-up, CA PTA suggests the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund's Smart voter Guide, at http://smartvoter.org/
 

Help Celebrate Veterans Day!

McGaugh Elementary School, along with the Los Alamitos American Legion Auxiliary, will be collecting toiletry and other items for homeless veterans in the area.

Please read the attached notice to see how you can help, too!

Teacher Donation Raffle Winners

Attached is a list of the winners of the Teacher Donation Raffle.  Your child will receive a certificate in their class on Monday, October 25th notifying them that they have won.  Thank you for supporting McGaugh PTA!

Dining for McGaugh

Join us for a fun night out

Dining For McGaugh

Starting Tuesday, October 26th through Saturday, October 30th, THE MAIN STREET WINE CELLAR 302 Main St., will give 20% back to our school. Just stop by for some tasty food and/or wine and let your server know you are from McGaugh. (No flyer needed)
Some of the favorite foods from the menu are swordfish tacos, the crimini mushroom sandwich, sliders and the crab po-boy sandwich. Tell your friends and your significant other. It's sure to be a fun and relaxing week at the Wine Cellar!

WEEKLY SPECIALS
TUESDAY- Grilled Cheese Night ( Extensive grilled cheese menu all $5)
WEDNESDAY- 2 for 1 Wine Flights ( That's 6 Half Glasses for $15)
THURSDAY- Winery Sponsored Tastings from 6:30- 8:30p  Just $5
FRIDAY- All $8 glasses just $5 from 12-6p
SATURDAY- Live Music or DJ from 7:30p

Halloween at McGaugh

HALLOWEEN

IS COMING TO MC GAUGH

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 8:15 on the flag deck area

The ghosts and goblins of McGaugh School will parade their finery for Halloween.  The community is invited to view this fun, exciting, and spectacular event.

To participate in the parade, students need to follow these simple rules.

1.    Students should wear their costumes to school with clothes underneath.

2.   Each child should bring a clearly labeled bag in which to place his/her costume after the parade for the remainder of the day.

3.   Costumes should be simple and easy to put on and take off.

4.   No make-up is to be worn, this includes coloring put in hair.  Students may not bring inappropriate "props" (i.e. toy guns, swords, Dracula's blood, etc.) to school.

SHARE YOUR TREATS!

As you know, Halloween is always a big day for elementary students.  Many children collect more candy and treats than they can eat, so we are hoping students will "share their treats."  We are collecting portions of candy from our students to donate to the Rossmoor Woman's Club project for disadvantaged youth/families.

The treat is included in "care" type packages that also includes items that families may need. "Share Your Treats Week" is  Monday, Nov. 1^nd - Friday, Nov. 5^th.   Students should bring wrapped candy and other wrapped treats in a bag; there will be a container in the office.  Thank you very much for sharing.

Cyber Bullying and Internet Safety Class

Dear Parent/Guardian:
As many of you already know, the Internet can be a challenging place for any student to negotiate.  In fact, providing the appropriate balance in cyberspace can also be one of the most challenging issues for parents.  Many parents ask, How do I protect my student from the dangers and distractions on the Internet, and still reap the benefits it provides? 
The Los Alamitos Unified School District is pleased to present a parent/guardian education night on Cyber Bullying and Internet Safety.  This night promises to provide information and strategies to help your student safely use the Internet and is designed for parents and students who are in the fifth grade and above.

Daryle A. Palmer

Principal, McGaugh Elementary School

H.U.G.S. For All

The October H.U.G.S. Newsletter is attached and contains information for and about the McGaugh Elementary School special needs students and programs.
 

HELP * UNDERSTANDING * GROWTH * SUPPORT

Carnival is Saturday!

The Carnival is Saturday October 23rd from 10:00 to 4:00.

Great Food including zpizza, Chronic Taco, Lions Club with O'Malley's and Hennessey's BBQ, Bogarts coffee, Javatinis Gelato, Funnel of Love Funnel Cake, Kettle Corn, Dippin Dots, Hawaiian Shaved Ice
Great Games featuring all the old favorites, plus new ones like a GIANT slide, Boom Blasters, and inflatable skeeball and baseball
Great Prizes - even more than last year
Greatest Memories to last for years!

Celebrate the Magic of Storytelling

**Available for bid this weekend at the Silent Auction**

Baker B     Buttons    Disco     Knock Knock     Taps

Summons a McGaugh Jester to

your home or special event

Celebrate a birthday party or

Get into the spirit of the holidays

Cuddle up to a special bedtime story

This magical experience will include:

·      The Jester of your choice

·      A book with a personal dedication as a keepsake

·      A reading of up to three stories to captivate your audience

Time and place based on Jester availability

Silent Auction is Coming

Silent Auction is Almost Here!

Join us Friday, October 22nd at 12:30 in the gym to browse through a selection of over 500 items available for purchase.  We will be open all day Saturday during the Carnival as well! Remember, 100% of money raised goes back to the McGaugh PTA!

We have LA Kings and LA Lakers tickets, beautiful jewelry, tickets to museums, concerts, Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and a chance to spend a week at a luxurious ski chalet in Whistler, British Columbia!

The Silent Auction catalog is available for preview on the McGaugh website.

See you on Friday and Saturday!

Tickets to the Fun

It's Here! Ticket Pre Sale!

We will be offering a very special rate of $25.00 worth of tickets for just $20.00

You may take advantage of this great deal on
Thursday, October 21
and
Friday, October 22

Before school- 7:45am-8:30am
After school - 2:00pm-2:30pm
Kindergarten pick up- 1:00pm-1:30pm

You may buy tickets at 3 locations: Flag Pole, Pool Parking Lot, and West Gate
**Please note that you may only take advantage of the pre sale price on the above dates and locations**
If you have any questions please contact Kristi Weissinger

Red Ribbon Week

Dear McGaugh Parents and Families,

We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week October 25th through the 29th.  There will be an assembly on Friday October 22nd 8AM-11am on the McGaugh field that all students will be attending, and we welcome parents and families to join us.  This assembly will be presented by the Seal Beach Police Department, along with SWAT units, mobile command, and possibly a visit from the LBPD helicopter, discussing the importance of this celebration.

For those who are not aware of what Red Ribbon Week stands for, here is a little history,

     Red Ribbon Week is a very important tradition for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as well as our drug prevention community.  It was launched in 1985 to honor U.S. DEA agent Enrique (Kiki) Camerena who spent years risking his life to stop drug related crime in the U.S and in Mexico.  As the story goes, Kiki had just exposed one of Mexico's largest Marijuana dealers and seized their crops.  Because of this, there was a hit put out for him and on an afternoon in February, five men were seen shoving Kiki into a beige Volkswagen in Guadalajara, Mexico.   One month later, his body was discovered in a shallow grave.
     Within weeks of his death, in March of 1985, Camerena's fellow DEA agent and High school friend, Henry Lozano, and his congressman, Duncan Hunter, launched Camerena clubs in Imperial Valley California, Camerena's home.  Hundreds of club members pledged to lead a drug free life to honor the sacrifices made by Camerena and others on behalf of all Americans.

Today, millions of people, young and old, across the nation celebrate Red Ribbon Week, the last week in October, helping preserve the efforts of Kiki Camerena to make our communities free from drugs and crime.

For our celebration, we will be focusing on "Making Better Choices".   Please use these opportunities to speak to your children about making good choices, to eat healthy, to respect others, and to work together to make their surroundings safe and healthy.  We will be asking the kids to share in our celebration by dressing as their schoolmates do through the week to honor our school and community.  Attached is a calendar of events to remind you and your children what to wear each day to be a part of this celebration.   For those who have questions or concern, please contact Anjie Whitman, PTA Health & Wellness Chair

Teacher Donation Raffle

Here's your opportunity to save a bit of time!   Purchase Teacher Donation Raffle Tickets Now!

Every year, the PTA holds a "teacher donation raffle" during Carnival.  Check out our cool selections – Principal for the Day!  Ice Cream Trips! Lunch Bunch Parties! Take a look and see what creative adventure your child's teacher has donated!

Attached are the Raffle Rules, Teacher Donation Summary and Raffle Ticket Order Form for your paperless review! Parents need only print out the attached Raffle Ticket Order Form, fill it out and return to their teacher or the PTA box in the main office, along with their check made payable to "McGaugh PTA"!

Pre-Carnival Tickets must be purchased no later Wednesday, October 20th.  But don't worry if you miss the pre-carnival sale – come by and check out our display of teacher pictures on each raffle box and buy your tickets in the gym during the Silent Auction on October 22nd and 23rd!

If you should have any questions, feel free to email Sue Dunbar

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our new School Site Council Members: Kosta Duncan, Terry Krieger, and Dr. Leland Ronningen who were elected by parents to be our parent representatives on our School Site Council.

Michele DeVivo, Stefanie Haering, and Mike Remland are our alternative representatives, who are welcome to join the Council for all meetings, however, they may only vote if a parent representative is not in attendance at the meeting.

Thank all of you for volunteering for representing parents on our School Site Council. Our first meeting will be on Thursday, October 21^st at 2:30 in the MediaCenter. I greatly appreciate all of your support.

Daryle A. Palmer

Principal, McGaugh Elementary School

PTA Reflections Submissions

PTA Reflections due soon!

Monday, October 18^th, is the date of submission for "Reflections" art program.  The theme for 2010 is "Together We Can".

Please submit your artwork in the school office from 7:35-8 am or 2:15-2:30 pm.

Any questions?  Contact Michelle Samuelson.

More information can be found at the PTA Reflections website at CA PTA.

PTA Meeting Reminder, Agenda and Handouts

Hello PTA Members - just a quick reminder that our general meeting is tomorrow at 8:15 in the McGaugh Auditorium.  There will be plenty of good information including updates on the Carnival and Silent Auction, now just two weeks away!

The agenda and other relevant handouts are attached. On behalf of the board, we hope to see you tomorrow morning!

Best Regards,

Tom Motter, President

J. H. McGaugh PTA

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere

Remember McGaugh Families, there will be PUMPKINS AT OUR CARNIVAL!

Along with the other fun stuff to do at Carnival on October 23rd, you can also buy pumpkins for your Fall decorating.  Our "Pumpkin Patch" boasts pumpkins that will be Priced to Sell!  Pumpkins were donated by a McGaugh father, so we guarantee bargain prices. 100% of proceeds go to McGaugh School of course!

Thanks

Kimberly Haber

Carnival Shirts are Selling Out

Get them while you can!

  There are only a limited amount of our awesome carnival t-shirts ordered each year.  Due to an overwhelming rush to get shirts this year, we have sold out our inventory for a second time and we are about to place one final order.  If you would like to guarantee your chance at owning one, get your order form and money turned in to the office no later than Friday morning, October 8th.  The order is being placed ON FRIDAY.  Attached is the order form for anyone that needs it.  Forms are also available in the Main Office.  Once this order is sold out, only the red J.H. McGaugh shirts and sweatshirts will be available for the rest of the year.

See you at Carnival on Saturday, October 23rd!

It's Silent Auction Time

IT'S PTA SILENT AUCTION TIME!

We need you to ensure a successful Silent Auction on October 22nd and 23rd!

*  Donate items to be sold at the Silent Auction! Here are some ideas:

·     Do you enjoy entertaining?  Donate a party at your home
·     Buy a gift card to a local business and donate it in your family's name!
·     Do you have a corporate connection?  We love donated products!
·     Get some friends together and buy a bike, electronics, surfing items, or other big ticket item to donate
·     Do you have a condo or cabin to share? Donate a week
·     Do you have a spa connection?
·     You name it…it can be sold to raise much-needed money!

Complete the attached donation form; donation deadline is October 8th!  Remember, every donation is tax deductible!

Contact us with questions or donations:

        Michelle Gillespie                          
               Liz Dubin