S e pt e m b e r 20 1 6

M E E T O U R N E W P R I N C I P A L

Please welcome to Fort Sam Houston

Elementary School our new principal,

Dr. Joseph Cerna! Dr. Cerna joins

us after many years serving as a

teacher, literacy coach, & principal in

the San Antonio area. He remains

committed to meeting the needs of

the military child and building

relationships with parents and the

community.

Dr. Cerna replaces Dr. Tonya Hyde,

who accepted an assistant

superintendent position in the

Lackland ISD. We wish Dr. Hyde all

the best in her new role!

WELCOME !

Whether you’re the new kid just PCSing into our area or you’re a

returning student who already knows the ropes, the Fort Sam

Houston Elementary School Cougar Cub PTO welcomes each of

you. We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer & is ready

for school to start.

We have an exciting year ahead of us! From book fairs and

the Accelerated Reader program to Fall Festival and Science Night, there is

something for everyone to enjoy.

The Cougar Cub Connection is our monthly newsletter keeping you informed of

important dates to remember, informational notes about the PTO & school, and

other exciting news. We look forward to serving you this year!

~The Fort Sam Houston Elementary School Cougar Cub PTO Board

Fort Sam Houston PTO

elemPTO@fshisd.org

www.facebook.com/

FSHECougarCubPTO

President & Fall Festival Chair

Jennifer Griffin

VP Membership

~VACANT~

Secretary

Michelle Grabill

Treasurer

Lisa Brown

Accelerated Reader Chair

~VACANT~

Book Fair Chair

~VACANT~

Box Tops Chair

Angela Tobolski

Cougar Cub Connection /

Publicity Chair

Jennifer Whiteside

Fundraising, Grant Writing, &

Spirit Wear Chairs

Erica McMahon

Penguin Patch Chair

~VACANT~

Science Night Chair

Anna Eldred

Science Night Co-Chair

~VACANT~

Student Awards Chair

Kesha Braxton

Teacher Appreciation Chair

Marla Cervantes

Just what is the

PTO? The Cougar Cub PTO is a community of parents,

teachers, & support staff working together to advance

the education and nurturing of all Fort Sam Houston

Elementary students.

Just why is that important?

By providing support to our student body, we can

be their advocates and represent their best

interests. Lending our time, energy, & talents only

serves to improve their pursuit to a quality

education.

We exist to promote & foster a team environment

among parents, teachers, students & non-

teaching staff. The education of our children is

the responsibility of each & every one of us.

By embracing a scholastic relationship between

educators & parents, we strive to ensure that all

children receive the highest advantages in

physical, mental, & social education.

Working together, we can foster a community

spirit within the FSH Elementary School, the FSH

Independent School District, & the greater FSH

family.

Ok, but what does that really mean? It means we need your help! Whether you’re great at

event organization, have a bit of a crafting bug, or just

looking for ways to get involved, the CC PTO has a

place for you. Read ahead to learn a bit about the

ways we come together to give back to our students.

Our award-winning PTO would not be possible if

not for the help of our families. Your

membership dues help to fund our many

programs & activities, and your volunteerism

helps strengthen the student-parent-teacher

relationship.

Whether you have a little time or a lot, there are

an abundance of volunteer opportunities

available.

The school staff is always in need of help

assembling mass mailings, assisting

students in the library & cafeteria, or

preparing materials for the art, drama, &

music classes.

Teachers appreciate volunteers in the

classroom doing anything from reading

aloud to students, preparing learning

materials, or chaperoning field trips.

The PTO Board needs parents to donate

their time & creativity to successfully run

our committees, work the book fairs &

holiday shop, and assist at special events.

Don’t have that much time? Or nervous

about taking on a big role? Simply attend

one of our monthly PTO meetings. It’s a

great way to learn about all that we do to

better our children’s school experience.

PTO membership is only $5 a year per family

and comes with a 10% discount to all book

fairs & fall festival.

We look forward to seeing you at our next

meeting, Friday, September 9 at 8:30 AM in

the PTO room. Or come see us at our table in

the cafeteria at Parent Orientation.

DID YOU KNOW?

Research shows that when parents are involved in

their children’s education, the children are more

likely to:

• earn better grades.

• score higher on tests.

• pass their classes.

• attend school regularly.

• have better social skills.

• show improved behavior.

• be more positive in their attitude

toward school.

• complete homework assignments.

Thanks to all of your fundraising efforts, Box Tops donations, &

support for our PTO events last year, the PTO was able to

purchase much-needed new gym equipment for the P.E.

department. Thank you for all of your hard work!

join us & together we can! The PTO Board has several committee positions that still need

to be filled. If you are interested in learning more about how

you can serve, please email us!

elemPTO@fshisd.org

VP Membership

Accelerated Reader Chair

Book Fair Chair

Penguin Patch Chair

Science Night Co-Chair

Volunteers Chair

Accelerated Reader Accelerated Reader is the world's most widely used reading software that is designed to encourage &

get students excited about reading. Your child picks a book at his reading level and reads it at his own

pace. When finished, he’ll takes a short quiz on the computer & earn points for his reading

comprehension. AR gives both children & teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the

teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice. Students reaching

the semester reading goals will be invited to participate in the rewards program.

Book Fair For more than 30 years, Scholastic has been providing students, teachers, & parents with access to

thousands of affordable books and educational products. We are excited to host both a fall & spring book

fair with a wide selection of products for all grade levels. Scholastic generously donates a portion of all sales back into our

school.

Box Tops for Education What’s the easiest way to support your PTO program? By searching for box tops you already have in your

pantry! Box Tops for Education are found on thousands of products including yogurts, plastic zipper

bags, boxed & canned goods, even stationary products. Collected box tops are exchanged for money

that can be used to make improvements & purchases for the school. Please send your box tops in a bag

marked clearly with your students’ name, teacher name & grade. At the end of each semester, the top collecting class will

be rewarded. Visit BoxTops4Education.com to register, view participating products, & learn more about the educational

programs.

Fall Festival The PTO Annual Fall Festival will be held on October 20th. Come out for a night of games, activities,

& prizes. Look for a flyer in your child’s folder with information on ticket presale. 100% of the

proceeds go back to our wonderful classrooms.

Penguin Patch Holiday Shoppe The Penguin Patch Holiday Shoppe is the chance for students to shop for their family during

school hours. Parents send in their money and order form with who their child will be buying for

& how much to spend. Then we help your child select gifts for their loved ones. It’s a great way

to teach independence & money sense while thinking of others.

Science Night Science Night, reinvented! You don't want to miss this amazing night filled with learning opportunities

to appeal to every area of science: medical, technological, animals, nutrition & more! It’s a night of

hands-on learning, food, & fun for the whole family. Community leaders will be on hand to regale and

amaze the whole family with scientific knowledge. Food truck vendors will be available for dinner.

Student Awards Each quarter, PTO recognizes those students who have earned their way onto A & A-B Honor Roll

(87 GPA and above) as well as those who have Perfect Attendance.

Teacher Appreciation Throughout the year, we like to honor those who make a lasting impact on the lives of our children. From

the staff Back to School Breakfast to Teacher Appreciation Week, we make sure our teachers know how

much they mean to our families.

Spirit Wear Show off your school spirit with some new Fort Sam Houston Elementary School gear. Be on the lookout

for special Spirit Wear order forms this month at our booth at Parent Orientation or in your child’s take

home folder. We will be offering t-shirts, sweatshirts, and bags.

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Fall Book Fair Fall Book Fair Fall Book Fair

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

SEPTEMBER

Fall Book Fair

- NO SCHOOL - Parent Orientation

Patriot Day

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Constitution Day

Spirit Night

PTO Meeting

Picture Day

September 5th: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL!

September 8th: Parent Orientation

• during grade level conference periods OR

• 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM for those unable to attend

during the day

September 9th, 8:30 AM: PTO Meeting

All parents are encouraged to join us for our first meeting of

the year.

September 12th: Patriot Day

Wear Red, White, & Blue for Patriot Day.

September 15th: Progress Reports sent home

1st-5th Grades will receive their progress reports.

September 16th: Constitution Day

September 19th - 23rd: Fall Book Fair

Order forms will be sent home in the prior week so that you

may help your child with their selection. Volunteer

opportunities are available for those who would like to help.

September 20th, 5 PM - 8 PM: Chick-fil-A Spirit Night

Dine at the Austin Highway Chick-fil-A tonight & they will

donate 10% of the sales back to the school.

September 30th: Individual Fall Picture Day

Lifetouch® school portraits will be taken of the students for

the yearbook. Order forms will be sent home with package

ordering information. All money is due at the time pictures

are taken.

Progress Reports

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