ONLINE ORDERING ENDS
Thursday, October 6 at midnight
NO EXCEPTIONS
Sep
25
Don’t Miss Back to School Night!
Floris Back to School Night Is This Week!
This is a time for parents to find out more about what’s happening in your child’s classroom, and what to expect for the upcoming year.
Grades K-3 will meet Tuesday, September 27, at 6:30 – 7:30pm.
Grades 4-6 will have Back to School Night on Thursday, September 29, also at 6:30 – 7:30pm.
On both evenings, parents are encouraged to visit the cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. for the annual PTA Share Fair. There, you will have an opportunity to order Floris spirit wear, sign up for volunteer opportunities, and learn more about before and after school programs. The school’s technology specialist, Jason Covey, will also be on hand to allow parents to explore our new STEAM Lab.
Sep
19
Announcements From the Communications Secretary- 9.19.16
Monday, September 19, 2016
Happy Monday Floris!
We have lots of activities on the horizon (and tons of opportunities for parents to get involved) so get ready to mark your calendars!
1. Our first PTA meeting of the 2016-17 school year is this TUESDAY 9/20 at 6pm. There will be free pizza and childcare. The meetings are only an hour so please come out and join in the discussion about the budget, the audit, before & after school programs, a new art assembly, social events, and there will even be time for Q & A for those of you who might have questions. If I might add a quick shameless plug, we would LOVE to have you as a member of the PTA. Consider signing up by using this link.
2. Our Friends of Floris campaign has started. For those of you new to Floris, here’s what it is. FoF is our major fundraiser as a PTA. We’re not going to bother you throughout the year to sell wrapping paper or cookie dough or pizzas. We just do this campaign. And the money goes for a good cause. We used FoF dollars to fund the STEAM lab, educational supplies, enrichment activities, assemblies, social events, etc etc. Suggested donations are $80 per kid or $150 per family. Any amount helps though. Please sign up here. I can personally say I was new to Floris last year so the FoF campaign was a new concept for our family. I was really amazed at how far those funds go to enrich the lives of our students, and really create the sense of community that makes Floris great. Please help us meet our goal.
3. Registration is underway for our before and after school programs! Signups close on September 30 and classes are already filling up fast. Take a look at the catalog and then go here to register.
4. Spiritwear sales have started — please support us! You can order online; just make sure you use the case sensitive password weareEAGLES to enter the site.
5. Volunteers are needed for the flu shot clinic for teachers (1 volunteer on 9/26 from 11 to 1). Also, 6 volunteers are needed for the vision and hearing test on October 19th from 9 to 4. You can do shifts. Please email our school health aide, Ms. Sue Waldeck at swaldeck@fcps.edu, if you are available to assist.
6. Go ahead and mark your calendars for Back to School Night. Grades K-3 will be Sept. 27 at 6:30 and Grades 4-6 will be Sept. 29 at 6:30. At each Back to School night, the PTA will be set up at 5:30 pm as part of our Share Fair; that’s when program chairs are available to answer your questions about PTA programs and courses.
That’s it for now. Make it an outstanding week Floris!
Janelle Brevard
PTA Communications Secretary
Sep
16
Fall 2016 Class Registration Open NOW
CHESS * RUNNING * GAME DESIGN * JAVA PROGRAMMING * FOOTBALL * ZUMBA * ACTING * DEBATE * MATH ENRICHMENT * LEGOS * SPANISH
Have you taken a look at our Fall 2016 before and after school program offerings? They can be found here.
Registration is open NOW. Click on this link for more details on how to sign your child up.
Classes fill up quickly so don’t delay!
Sep
16
Competitive Jump Rope Team
Have you considered competitive jump rope for your daughter? Two Floris students participated last year and made it to the national level at the AAU Junior Olympics!
Sep
16
PTA Meeting This Tuesday At 6 pm
Our first PTA Meeting of the new school year is this Tuesday!
We need your time and your talents so please come out! You can find us Tuesday at 6 pm in the school’s Little Theater.
And while we’re at it, we hope you considering joining the PTA. It’s only $10 for the year, and the registration form is here.
Or better still, consider signing up for our Friends of Floris campaign. It includes a PTA membership and helps pay for all sorts of cool things for the kids throughout the year. No extra fundraisers. No wrapping paper or cookie dough sales. Friends of Floris is $80 for one student or $150 for a family. You can sign up here.
Sep
15
Learn More About Odyssey of the Mind
By Srikanth Yelimati and Sudha Penumatcha
What is Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They also prepare for a spontaneous part of the competition where they have to think on their feet and answer or make a solution on site. They then bring their solutions and skills to the main competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program. Odyssey of the Mind is meeting STEM and Common Core, and 21st Century Skills through Creative Problem Solving.
How Can You and Your Child Get Involved?
The process begins with registering your kids via the florispta.org website (no fees at this time) while indicating problem interest and volunteer commitment. The parent can volunteer to be a coach (2 hrs per week), co-coach (same) or judge (1 day of duty and 1 day training) in order of time commitment. The team selection is led by the coach, and he or she can select a majority of team if possible or backfill with similar grade kids who have registered on a first come basis. The number of teams formed is usually limited by number of parents volunteering for coach roles. Without a coach we cannot form teams, and so we give the coach leeway in team selection and planning. The other six sets of parents pitch in various tasks every week, like taking turns preparing for few spontaneous problems every week or shopping for materials. We encourage phone based social group chats to expedite coordinating.
Here are tentative dates for the meetings:
| Parent meeting | October 3rd at 730pm, Little Theatre, Floris ES |
| Initial Registration | October 7th through October 16th at florispta.org |
| Team Formation (by PTA) | October 18th |
| Coaches Training (novasouth.org) | October 29th (Tentative) |
We would like to encourage parents to volunteer to be a coach; it is an easy role that starts with six hrs. training. The training given by regional OOTM organization (http://novasouth.org/) is a comprehensive six hour course at a local school on the general and specific aspects if you know which problem you want. Being coach or co-coach is a lot about scheduling meetings, ensuring discipline and encouraging results. It is the easy way to guarantee a slot for your child, otherwise it is first come first serve in regular registration.
We provide guidance to first time coaches throughout the year especially their first few meetings. We also coordinate all OOTM events and milestones throughout the year. Please feel free to talk to Michele Bolos or Meenal Rajbanshi; they are prime examples of a first time coaches who got hooked on OOTM and the fun of spending productive time with kids. Both of their teams won regionals and went to State finals last year, affording the kids additional exposure to participation and competition.
For more information, email floris.ootm@gmail.com. We will also be available to answer questions at next week’s Share Fair or the OOTM parent meeting.
Sep
12
Announcements from the PTA President – 9.12.2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
Welcome, all, to the PTA’s weekly posting of announcements! I’ve never been one to scoff at a little ado, but perhaps I’ll minimize it in the interest of time…
1. PROGRAM REGISTRATIONS go live on Friday. “Dude, how do we figure out what’s offered, when, how and all the rest?” Easy — check out our comprehensive programming guide here: http://florispta.org/2016/09/1
Remember, registrations don’t start ’till Friday, so take advantage of this time to read through the guide and see what appeals. AND, we should be up to v1.7 at least, by the time you read this message. The version number is located on the cover page, and things will be moving around a little between now and Friday, so don’t hold me to it :)
2. SPIRIT WEAR is available for sale right now. What’s Spirit Wear? It’s all the fun, Floris-themed clothes that everybody’s always wearing. Wanda Brown has worked really hard to pick out designs and logos and all the rest — we have some really fantastic options this year. Please head over to our website at http://orderschoolstuff.com/fl
The password is weareEAGLES and notice that it’s case-sensitive.
3. PTA Meeting, Tuesday Sept 20 @ 6pm. This is an important meeting — please come out and enjoy the FREE PIZZA (courtesy of us) and FREE CHILDCARE (courtesy of Ms. Dowling), as we discuss and approve the year’s operating budget, the results of our audit (we passed), invite a round-table discussion of after-programs, my idea for an art-themed evening-event later in the year, our fundraising plans, and any other topics folks would like to address.
You don’t have to be a PTA member to attend, but if you DO wish to attend, please notify me at florispta.pres@gmail.com so I can make sure we have enough pizza.
Also, for those who are new to the school and terrified that I’m going to trap you in a room and talk you half to death, I’d like to point out that I don’t believe in meetings that last over an hour. If we hit the 60 minute mark, we can all sneak out together.
NOTE — if any committee chairs would like to attend and take a moment to address the group about after-school programs or other committee-work, please feel welcome.
4. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at florispta.pres@gmail.com .
Unless they’re hard questions, in which case, please contact Pavan Mamillipalli at florispta.vpschool@gmail.com :)
David Whiting
PTA President
New STEAM Lab at Floris!
Be a part of the TEAM – Volunteer!
Amazon Smile – Easy way to raise money for PTA
