Time to Make Your 2011 AZ Tax Credit Contribution

Next PTA General Meeting Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 9:00 AM!

PTA’s $1-a-Day Family Pledge Update: If you’ve been waiting to turn yours in, please don’t wait any longer!

Bring in Your Box Tops

Safeway eScrip Totals & Thanks

Taste of the Farm Harvest Festival – Hosted by U of A’s Tucson Village Farm

Special note on 2011-12 Firebird Hoodies

Learn How Your Holiday Shopping can Benefit Fruchthendler

A special thank you to our Fall Carnival Committee and Volunteers…and Andrea Winkle
Thanks to all of our families for donating cakes, prizes, candy and most importantly…your time!  Whether you volunteered to plan, set up, operate a booth, or clean up, your contribution is greatly appreciated.

A special thank you to the members of the 2011 Fall Carnival Committee:

Lynn Johnson
Mike Monroe
Keli Ann Lawton
Linda McCraley
Lori Coffee
Kirsten Janey
Sharon Ares
Terry Delgado

A big thank you to the Junior High and High School students who helped run the booths. Couldn't have done it without them!

Andrea Winkle, Carnival Chair

A most sincere thank you from our entire Fruchthendler community to Andrea Winkle for the countless hours she has given to our school over the years planning, promoting, and orchestrating all of the moving parts to the Fall Carnival. Year after year, her enthusiasm and energy have made the carnival the signature event of the school year. Andrea, your dedication, drive, and moxie are the epitome of what makes Fruchthendler such an amazing community…and what makes you greatly appreciated by us all. We love you!

From all of our Fruchthendler Families

Please join us for the next PTA General Meeting on Tuesday, November 8 at 9:00 AM. These meetings are great opportunities to hear what’s coming up at our school, as well as meet a few new faces. Please join us on November 8.

Thank you to everybody who has been sending in Box Tops.  We recently mailed off the first package and got a credit for $674.40!!  They really add up!!  Continue to check those kitchen drawers and drop off your Box Tops in the container right outside the front office. This is such an easy way to help the PTA support our great programs at Fruchthendler.

The receipts have been tallied and the totals are in: We collected over $6700!  Thank you to all the members of the eScript Committee for all of your time and help coordinating this fundraising effort:

Tammy Snow
Eb Kamp
Michelle Langan
Steffi Stine
Rachel Lyman
Missy Root

To all of our volunteers who signed up to work doors at different Safeway stores across town, thank you all so much for your time and your support of this program and our school!

This promotion may return after the first of the year, so we’ll keep you posted! 

Thank you again for all you do to keep Fruchthendler…Fruchthendler! 

Deb Evens, Special Fundraisers Chair

The month of November signals the race to the holiday finish line! Shopping online to avoid long lines and crabby crowds?  Whether you’re shopping to fill stockings for loved ones, bring a little extra magic on Chanukah, or just want to fluff your winter nests with some cozy finds, shopping from the helpful links below will stretch your hard-earned dollars even farther by bringing cash back to our school!

Amazon
Type in: http://www.amazon.com/?$tag=fruchthendler-20 BEFORE you start shopping and a percentage of your purchases will come back to our school!

Ebates
Join Ebates for free at www.ebates.com for the best price online from all of your favorite stores! Plus Fruchthendler can earn up to 25% cash back when you shop some of your favorite stores/brands on Ebates! When asked where you want “your big fat check” sent to, please enter:

Fruchthendler PTA
7470 East Cloud Road
Tucson, AZ 857501

And don’t forget to use your Target REDcard! So far there are 36 REDcards registered with Target that benefit Fruchthendler. If you haven’t yet, please register your card today! Don’t have a REDcard? Visit your local Target for more information on the “Take Charge of Education” program, or visit: https://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contendId=PRD03-005174.

Deb Evans, Special Fundraisers Chair

Thank you to all of our Fruchthendler families who have already turned in their $1-a-Day pledges! We have raised $26,155 toward our goal of $54,000! But we still have a ways to go.
Our goal of $54,000 is not inflated. It is a line in the budget that we must meet in order to provide vital educational programs and safety services that benefit all of our students such as:

• Library tech
• Technology
• Playground monitors
• Substitute teachers
• Classroom and teaching supplies
• Professional development

These areas are not paid for by the state or by our school district.

The funds raised from the $1-a-Day Family Pledge Campaign will benefit 100% of our students. That’s why we need 100% participation from our families.

Extended family members can also make a tax-deductible pledge in addition to your own pledge or on your behalf.  Additionally, we are happy to set up a payment plan for those who would prefer to break their pledge into monthly or quarterly installments.

If you’ve been waiting to make your pledge, please don’t wait any longer! Please submit your family’s pledge today!

For more information on the $1-a-Day Family Pledge Campaign and/or to set up payment plans, please contact Fundraising Chair, MaryLynn St.Germaine at 349-8694 or email her at indenyl@hotmail.com.

And thank you again for helping to keep Fruchthendler…Fruchthendler.

The Families Helping Families program began at Fruchthendler in 1989 with 8 families.  Since then, the Fruchthendler community has helped 290 area families have a more joyous holiday season.  We get our referrals from TUSD social workers, who thoughtfully hand pick families within our school district who have fallen on difficult financial times.  These social workers and the families we help are amazed every year by the level of generosity and commitment Fruchthendler families have to this heartwarming program.  Fruchthendler is the only school in Tucson that provides a service of this magnitude.

Profiles of the families are compiled and each class is assigned a family.  Fruchthendler students and their families donate clothing, household items, non-perishable foods, and presents to their class family.  These donations are placed in large, decorated boxes outside your child's classroom.  Volunteers will sort and pack the gifts for delivery day.  On delivery day, we strongly encourage volunteers to allow their children to accompany them to make the deliveries.  Children can learn the first hand joy of giving and helping others.

Please be on the lookout for the Families Helping Families flyer that will be going home with your child in early November.

Thank you for your generous support of those in need in our community!

Brenda Moore, Families Helping Families Co-Chair

Our Fruchthendler Kindergarteners recently were treated to a fun and educational field trip over to Tucson Village Farm. It’s a great place for any of you to take your family for a day of fun and to learn more about growing and preparing fresh food.

Here’s what TVF has to say about who they are:

Tucson Village Farm (TVF) is a working urban farm built by and for the youth of our community. A program of the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona, TVF is a seed-to-table program designed to reconnect young people to a healthy food system, teach them how to grow and prepare fresh food, and empower them to make healthy life choices. To accomplish this, Tucson Village Farm offers year-round, instructional, hands-on programs for youth of all ages. We target urban youth from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The farm, located at 4210 N. Campbell Ave., serves as a safe urban location where youth can come to be out of doors and engage in physical activity while contributing to and participating in local food production, preparation, and consumption.

They also host functions throughout the year, one of which is coming up very soon:
 
2nd Annual Harvest Festival on November 5th  
10 AM – 2 PM
Learn how to grow, prepare, and eat fresh foods.
Free fun for the whole family! There is no charge to sample. Produce and plants will be available for purchase.

To check out other events being held go to this link:
http://www.tucsonvillagefarm.org/events/

And to learn more about Tucson Village Farm in general:
http://www.tucsonvillagefarm.org/

Stephanie Duston, Healthy Lifestyles Committee Member

With the weather finally turning cooler here in Tucson, we can all start turning our minds to the holidays and many of the yummy comfort foods that come along with the lower temps.
Even better if we can use some of our own or locally grown fresh produce to create delicious and healthy dishes for our families.

This recipe is taken from one of my favorite recipe gals at www.ohsheglows.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 pears, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
5 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons maple syrup, or to taste
2 teaspoons lime juice, or to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

In a pot, heat margarine on medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, pears and thyme and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add paprika and veggie broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until sweet potato is soft.
Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pot. Add coconut milk, maple syrup and lime juice. Simmer for 5 minutes. If soup is too thick add a little extra broth.
Season with salt and pepper, adding more syrup or lime juice as needed. Drizzle with maple syrup if preferred. Can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
Total Prep time: 30 minutes. Cook time: 30 minutes

Adapted from Food & Drink Magazine

Stephanie Duston, Healthy Lifestyles Committee Member