Grateful

Happy Thanksgiving, Rocket families!  We need only see our little Rockets soaring through the school year to find so much to be thankful for this coming week.

Here are a few recent activities for which we are thankful:

Book Fair

Rowe Lane Elementary School PTO appreciates the amazing volunteers who helped pilot an impressive book fair, earning a galactic $3,758! This money will be used to purchase new books for our school library. Thank you to our Rocket families and friends who came out to help make this possible.  We appreciate you to the moon and back!

Chipotle Spirit Night

As the cosmic dust settles at Chipotle, we see that the whirlwind of commotion and activity this past Monday was none other than an entire fleet of Rocket families enjoying a meal at the local franchise while earning money for the school.  We are thankful for Chipotle for helping us earn $466.08!

The Great Pie Gathering

As the Five Man Electrical Band once said, “Pies, pies, everywhere a pie.”

Thank you, Rocket families, for showing our teachers and administrators so much love - 95 pies worth to be exact, but who’s counting?  They will head home today with a delicious pie knowing that Rocket families think they are out of this world.  

As we do each month, let’s take a look at what is on the orbital horizon.

• Friday-Sunday, November 24-26, 2017 - Five Below in Pflugerville is giving back 10 percent to Rowe Lane Elementary School when you shop at their store during this three-day period, beginning on Black Friday! You MUST have the PRINTED flyer for Rowe Lane Elementary School to get credit for the purchase. Get your copy here: https://cdn.peachjar.com/15107560846356.pdf

• Monday-Thursday, December 11-14, 2017 - This year’s Holiday Shoppe will orbit around December 11-14, 2017.  Holiday Shoppe is an opportunity for our little Rockets to purchase holiday gifts for family and loved ones.  The Holiday Shoppe family night will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2017, and coincide with the fifth grade musical. Come out and enjoy both the musical and a little holiday shopping! Volunteers are still needed for Holiday Shoppe.  For more information or to get involved, contact rlespto@gmail.com.

• Tuesday, December 5, 2017 - The fourth PTO meeting of the year will be held in the school library at 6:30 p.m. Every Rocket parent or guardian (Yes, you!) is encouraged to join the team. In fact, the PTO still has several opportunities to get involved in this year’s activities. As always, free child care will be provide

That’s all for now from Mission Control.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

Double, double toil and trouble,

Rockets burn, and spirit nights bubble!

It was a monster mash and a spirit night smash on October 12, 2017, at Monster Mini Golf.  And while we didn’t see any one-eyed, one-horned flyin’ purple people eaters, we had a great turnout of Rocket families vaporizing video games, mixing it up on the miniature golf course, and blasting their way through laser tag at this new neighborhood attraction. 

Fillet of fenny snakes,

A spooky night the PTO makes.

Despite it being a dark and stormy night, the second PTO meeting of the year was held on October 3, 2017.  The highlight of the meeting was the selection, by majority vote, of Candace Pruitt for the position of PTO vice president.  Most of you have the pleasure of knowing Candace through her active involvement in PTO and Rowe Lane Elementary School activities.  For those that have not met Candace, she is simply amazing!  Congratulations, Candace! Couldn’t make the meeting? No worries! The PTO meets on the first Tuesday of every month and looks forward to meeting you soon!

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Pfall Pfreak Out and tongue of dog.

Pfall Pfreak Out, our school’s carnival, is this Saturday, October 21, 2017!  This is the most spooktacular event in the solar system, so be sure to invite your friends, family, and neighbors.  There will be pumpkin painting, inflatables, games, a petting zoo, a bake walk, a planetarium, a photo booth, a balloon artist, and a fortune teller, as well as several local vendors for those unique, one-of-a-kind gifts. Funds raised help support PTO initiatives for the entire year. Tickets and wristbands can be purchased at the event. Also, it’s not too late to volunteer.  Signup to volunteer here. 

Adder's fork and blind-worm's crawl, 

Lizard's leg and activities this fall.

As we do each month, let’s take a look at what is on the orbital horizon.

• Monday, October 30, 2017 - Spirit night (all day long) at Chick-fil-A. Yum!

• Monday, November 6-10, 2017 - Come to our Fall Book Fair!! Don’t miss the opportunity to stock up on new books and help our library buy more books. For more information or to volunteer, click here. 

    

• Tuesday, November 7, 2017 - The third PTO meeting of the year will be held in the school library at 6:30 p.m. Every Rocket parent or guardian (Yes, you!) is encouraged to join the team. In fact, the PTO has several leadership opportunities. As always, free child care will be provided.

• Monday, November 13, 2017 - Spirit night at Chipotle from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  More yum!

 

One final reminder… get those Box Tops in by November 1, 2017.  Box Tops are an easy way to earn money for Rowe Lane Rockets.  Box Tops can be found on boxes and cans of some of your favorite food products.  Simply clip out the Box Top coupons and have your Rocket return them to his or her teacher. 

 

Leaving Orbit

Leaving Orbit

Rockets are leaving orbit and roaring through the first month of school.  The first PTO meeting of the school year was held on Tuesday, September 4, 2017. Attendance was sky high as the PTO charted its course for the 2017-2018 school year.  Couldn’t make the meeting? No worries! The PTO meets on the first Tuesday of every month and looks forward to meeting you soon!

On Friday, September 8, 2017, Rowe Lane Elementary School celebrated its annual grandparent’s luncheon.  Could anything be more special than eating lunch with a grandparent?  It was out of this world, and smiles filled the school!

   

With enough spirit to take us to the moon and back, Rowe Lane Elementary School held its first spirit night on Monday, September, 11, 2017, hosted by Urban Air.  Spirit nights are a great way for families to spend quality time together, while earning money for the school.  Great times were had by young Rockets emptying their fuel tanks after a day of learning. You can find more information about upcoming spirit nights below.

As we do each month, let’s take a look at what is on the orbital horizon.

• Wednesday, September 20, 2017 – Say cheese!  Picture day!

• Thursday, September 28, 2017 – Spirit night at Panda Express. Yum!

• Tuesday, October 3, 2017 - The second PTO meeting of the year will be held in the school library.  Due to National Night Out activities, the PTO meeting will start at 5:00 p.m., which is earlier than usual.   Every Rocket parent or guardian (Yes, you!) is encouraged to join the team. In fact, the PTO has several leadership opportunities. These opportunities are PTO vice president and co-chair positions for the Book Fair, Cakes of Love, Fun Run, Green Initiatives, School Dance, and Penny War Fundraiser committees. If you are willing to serve or interested in learning more, please send an email to mission control at RLESPTO@gmail.com.  As always, free child care will be provided.

• Wednesday, October 4, 2017– Join students, families, school leaders, community partners and mayors around the country to celebrate the benefits of walking to school during International Walk to School Day. Stellar refreshments will be provided at the school for our walking and biking Rockets. 

• Thursday, October 12, 2017 –Spirit night at Monster Mini Golf from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Boo!  We will be the first school to hold a spirit night at this new local attraction.

• Saturday, October 21, 2017 - Rowe Lane Elementary School’s Pfall Pfreak Out from 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.  This is quite literally the coolest event in the solar system, loaded with costume contests, inflatables, food, and fun.  Invite your friends and neighbors.  Tickets and wristbands for the event will be available for sale beginning September 27, 2017, as well as at the event.  Tell your employer, as well as any business and vendor connections you may have that we are soliciting sponsors and vendors for this event.  For more information, contact rlespto@gmail.com.

• Monday, October 30, 2017 – Spirit night at Chick-Fil-A. More yum!

One final reminder… set your tractor beams for Box Tops.  Box Tops are an easy way to earn money for Rowe Lane Rockets.  Box Tops can be found on boxes and cans of some of your favorite food products.  Simply clip out the Box Top coupons and have your Rocket return them to his or her teacher. 

3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF!

Hey there, Rockets! We are about to blastoff into a new and electrifying school year on Monday, August 28, 2017.  If you are new to Rowe Lane Elementary School, welcome!  As a new Rocket family, I am certain you will quickly feel the embrace of our warm, energetic, and educational environment. 

If you have Kinder Rockets, chances are you have already felt that embrace. Rowe Lane Elementary School held yet another successful Kinder Camp on Tuesday, August 8, hosted by our unmatched kindergarten teachers and exemplary administration.

As we prepare to launch, there are a few dates I want to share with everyone that are just on the orbital horizon, so mark your flight plan.

• Thursday, August 24 - Meet the Teacher event from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. followed by Rowe Lane Elementary School 101 and ice cream social.  The new Rowe Lane Elementary School t-shirts will be available for cash and carry sales for $15 each, while supplies last.  The new design is out of this world!

• Monday, August 28 - The first day of school, and just in time! We will have new playground equipment!

• Tuesday, September 5 - The first PTO meeting of the school year at 6:30 pm in the school library!!!  Every Rocket parent or guardian (That’s you!) is encouraged to join the team.  I need your help to maintain our trajectory of excellence!

• Saturday, October 21 - Rowe Lane Elementary School’s Pfall Pfreak Out from 2:00 p.m and 6:00 p.m.  This is quite literally the coolest event in the solar system, loaded with costume contests, inflatables, food, and fun.  Invite your friends and neighbors.  Tickets and wristbands will be available by presale and onsite at the event.  Tell your employer, as well as any business and vendor connections you may have that we are soliciting sponsors and vendors for this event.  For more information, contact rlespto@gmail.com.

That’s all for now.  See you on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, for our first PTO 
meeting of the year!  I look forward to personally meeting you.

Only Two Months Left?!?!?!

Hey there Rockets! Can you believe that there is only two months left of school? We sure can't! Our next PTO Meeting is on Tuesday April 4th at 6:30 and our end of the year activities are about to kick into high gear!

Our Spring Book Fair is next week. It is a great time to get a jump on getting some books for summer while supporting our school! Student Preview day will be on Monday. Sales will be ongoing throughout the week with Family Night on Thursday. There are still a few volunteer slots available and we'd love to have some help from our amazing community! Please sign up using the link listed below if you are interested:

http://tinyurl.com/RLESSpring2017

On Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, from 9:00 – 11;30a.m., our Green Initiatives team has scheduled work projects to Beautify Rowe Lane. We could use your muscle and hustle to help install some landscaping additions. Also, as a service to the neighborhood and as good citizens of planet Earth, we will collect your hard-to-recycle items so that they can be disposed of or recycled properly (e.g., paint or batteries, but extensive list to come).

As a reminder, all of our fundraising through the end of the year will be supporting our efforts to fund the replacement our aging playground equipment. Our annual Penny Wars will be taking place the week of April 24th! For those of you new to the Rocket Community, each classroom will have their own jar and will try to raise the most pennies. You can sabotage other classes by placing other types of coins or dollar bills in their jars. This is a popular fundraiser among the students and they really become vested in having their class win!

We will be having our first community yard sale on Saturday April 29th. Start saving those Spring Cleaning items that your family doesn't need any more! We will send out more information within the next few weeks regarding how and where to drop off donations. This event will be open to the community from 8:00am until noon, so please invite your friends and neighbors to stop by!

Last but not least, ELECTIONS ARE COMING!!! We cannot be the PTO that we are without your help! We will be having elections for 2017-2018 Board and Committee Chairs at our May meeting. If you are interested in becoming an integral part of the PTO, please drop us a line and let us know!

April
3-Apr Spring Book Fair 4/3-4/7
4-Apr PTO Meeting 6:30
6-Apr Fine Arts Night 6:00
7-Apr Teacher Appreciation: sweet treats day
14-Apr School Holiday
22-Apr Beautify Rowe Lane Day 9:00-11:30am
24-Apr Penny War 4/24-4/28
29-Apr Community Yard Sale 8:00-12:00pm

February Update!

Rocket Families, you continue to amaze us! Our Glow Dance Party was a major success! Everyone had a blast and we raised ~$2500 towards updated playground equipment!!!

With that being said, all of our Spring Fundraising efforts will be contributing towards our goal of raising $10,000. We couldn't do it without the support of our wonderful families so thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Here is our list of upcoming events for February and March:

February
1-Feb	Early Release
3-Feb	100th Day of School
3-Feb	Winter Dance
6-Feb	PTO Meeting 6:30
7-Feb	Choir Winter/Spring Concert @ Cele MS 6:30
20-Feb	Staff Development Day - no school
March
2-Mar	Read Across America Day (dress up!)
3-Mar	Teacher Appreciation: salad bar luncheon
7-Mar	PTO Meeting 6:30
13-Mar	Spring Break - no school 3/13-3/17
tbd	STAAR Writing

Happy New Year Rockets!

Can you believe it's already 2017? We hope that everyone had a safe and joyous holiday break from school.

Thanks to everyone who supported us last month via our Whoville teacher lunch, our giving tree and our annual Holiday Shoppe. We appreciate all of your support that you show for our wonderful Rocket community!

We are starting off 2017 with a bang! Our first meeting of the year is tomorrow night (Tuesday 1/3) at 6:30 pm in the library. Please come and join us! Childcare will be provided. We will be discussing a number of upcoming events that we would love to have support with. If you can't make it to the meeting, please feel free to reach out to us and let us know if you would like to help.

Enjoy your last day of vacation!

Upcoming Events

January
2-Jan	Staff Development Day - no school
3-Jan	School resumes
3-Jan	PTO Meeting 6:30
16-Jan	School Holiday - MLK
18-Jan	Science Night 6:00
tbd	Spring picture day
February
1-Feb	Early Release
3-Feb	Winter Dance
6-Feb	PTO Meeting 6:30
7-Feb	Choir Winter/Spring Concert @ Cele MS 6:30
20-Feb	Staff Development Day - no school
27-Feb	Spring Book Fair 2/27-3/3
tbd	100th Day of School