Evergreen Elementary Community Club

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, May 4, 2010.  The following is a summary of the information provided at that meeting.

Principal’s Report: 

• Dr. Trimmer received the long awaited call from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, advising that Evergreen had been designated as a California Distinguished School.  This distinction places Evergreen in the top 2% of all elementary schools in the state.  This award is a huge honor for our school, and Dr. Trimmer is very excited about it.  Dr. Trimmer wanted to express his sincere gratitude to all the teachers, students, and parents — since as he pointed out, it takes all of those groups working hard together to reach a goal with this much significance, and each of those groups should be proud of the good work they have done at Evergreen.
• Last Sunday was the District’s 5K/1K Run/Walk.  This was the kickoff event to mark the 40th Anniversary of the WVUSD.  It was a great event, and it was wonderful to see so many people from the community come out to make it such a success.  The number of participants was estimated at 2000, which far exceeded the expectations of the planning committee, but will translate into a lot of money raised for the district.  Evergreen was awarded the Spirit Cup for being the school with the most participants.  We also had the most staff members and parents working the event.  Evergreen was very well represented and Dr. Trimmer was proud of our presence at the event.  As “Team Gretz” met the goal of 100+ participants, the water gun fight will be scheduled for May 14th.  A separate water gun fight will be held with the Kindergarten participants. 
• CST Testing has been mostly completed, and went well.
• This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  It has been heartwarming to see so many students participating — carrying flowers and other small gifts to show their appreciation to their teachers.  The Parent Appreciation tea was held a couple of weeks back, and that went very well also.
• As the school year comes to an end, there are still a lot of events on the horizon.  Everyone is very much looking forward to the end of the year activities.

Teacher’s Report: 

• There are 21 days of school left this year, and a lot of activities planned for that time.  Kindergarten still has a couple of field trips planned, and other grades have events as well, such as the 3rd grade County Fair and the 5th Grade picnic.
• The teachers have completed their contract negotiations with the district and have come to an agreement on several new stipulations, including:
  • The teachers agreed to take 5 furlough days for the 2010/2011 school year
  • The teachers agreed to take 4 furlough days for the 2011/2012 school year
  • Representatives from each school will be meeting together to decide when these furlough days will be scheduled.  All schools in the district will take furlough at the same time.  These furlough days will be removed if the district should receive more budget money from the State
  • We will be keeping the PE program at the elementary level, although the music program will be cut
  • Class size will not be increased as much as previously projected.  Based on current enrollment, the Kindergarten classes are expected to be at 24.5 students.  We have lost the funding for extended day kindergarten, but we will be retaining the extended day schedule. 
  • The library will stay open, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that it stays open as close to the current 30 hours/per week schedule as possible. 

Spring Book Fair:  The book fair will be held May 10th – 14th, including the evening of the 13th during Open House.  We are in need of volunteers to work the book fair.  Shifts are as little as 30 minutes each.  We have a special need for help in the morning from 9:40am – 10am.  Contact Amanda Wong if you can help.

Hospitality:  The committee will be holding the Staff Appreciation luncheon on Friday of this week.  

Website:  A new category of “Pictures” has been added to the website.  There are currently photos of the Walk A Thon posted.  If parents have photos of other school functions that they wish to have posted, please provide them to Carrie Yee either by email or on a CD.  

Treasurer Update: When the treasurer reports were submitted for review, our treasurer pointed out that as we head into the end of the school year, the Community Club has exceeded their fundraising goals (113% of projected goal), while only spending about half of our anticipated expenses (54% of projected expenses).  This will put the Community Club in very good financial standing going into the 2010/2011  and 2011/2012 school years, when we know we will be called upon more than ever to help the school close the financial gap created by the district budget crisis. 

Room Parent Coordinator: Teacher Appreciation is this week.  Newsletters went out to all Room Parents to give them ideas about how classes might show appreciation to their teachers.   

Open House: We are bringing in a vendor to provide pizza to parents wanting to purchase dinner at Open House.  We are in need of volunteers to act as cashiers and to help serve.  If you can help, please contact Ling Yeung.

Box Tops: We are still collecting Box Tops.  Please keep sending them in.  We just received a check from Box Tops for $614, so this is an important fund raiser for us.  Please be sure to send them in neatly trimmed, so that the job of trimming of thousands of box tops does not fall on the Box Top Coordinator alone.

New Board Positions:  A list of the Board Positions for the 2010-2011 school year is now being circulated.  There are plenty of opportunities for parents to help — some big, and some small.  Also, most positions are open to the possibility of having multiple committee members, so feel free to add your name, even if someone else has already signed up.  Anyone interested in serving in these positions need simply sign up on the list, or contact Joanna Flores or Yara Sands.  We will also try and get the list of positions up on the website as soon as possible so interested parties can see what is available.

California Distinguished School Award:  As previously stated, Evergreen has been designated as a California Distinguished School — which is a very prestigious award and a major accomplishment for our school.  Dr. Trimmer advised that the Student Council has offered to pay for the official California Distinguished School logo to be painted on the exterior of the school.  However, Dr. Trimmer asked the Community Club to consider paying for some additional items to honor this accomplishment.  Specifically, he asked the Community Club to consider paying for two 6 foot banners, t-shirts for the staff members, and tickets for three staff members to attend the official awards banquet.  Much discussion about the request was held, and arguments on both sides of the issue were presented.  In the end, the majority of the Community Club members voted to approve Dr. Trimmer’s request, agreeing to pay for the specified items (not to exceed $1500). 

This was the final Community Club meeting scheduled for the 2009/2010 school year.  We hope to see you all when we reconvene our general session meetings in September 2010!

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, April 13 2, 2010.  The following is a summary of the information provided at that meeting.

Principal’s Report: 

• Dr. Trimmer first expressed his appreciation to the Community Club for putting on a great Talent Show.  He said that it was much enjoyed by everyone. 
• Next week Evergreen begins CST (California Standards Test, previously known as STAR Testing) testing for grades 2-5.  It is important that the students do their best on these tests, so please be sure that they are well rested, well fed, and that they arrive on time. 
• With regard to the District budget, the District was able to submit a balanced budget for the 2010-2011 school budget.  Now, the District has until June 30th to submit to the State a balanced budget for the 2011-2012 school year.  We’ll have to be prepared for additional cuts to be able to do that. 
• The District 5K/1K  Run/Walk is coming up on May 2.  We are hoping for a large level of participation from Evergreen.  This event will be an important fundraiser for the District. 
• Regarding the California Distinguished School status, we are still waiting to hear whether this will be awarded to Evergreen.  The calls will be going out to the affected schools in the next two weeks, so we should know soon.

Teacher’s Report:  Our Teacher Representative, Mrs. Gorsuch, was unable to be present at this month’s meeting.

Coordinating Council: 

• This month information was presented on the District Budget.  Many rumors were addressed, including rumors that 3 schools in the district will be closing (false), and that the high school seniors will be released early to save money (also false). 
• Also addressed were questions about why remodeling is still occuring at the schools in the midst of this budget crisis.  The answer is because the funds for the remodeling/upgrades came from bond money, which was specified by the voters for this use.  The funds from these bonds can only be spent for their approved use and cannot be reallocated for other purposes.
• Coming up on April 24th is the Teddy Bear Tea, in which themed Teddy Bears are auctioned off to provide “mini-grants” to the teachers.  It will be held at the Royal Vista Golf Course.  Anyone interested in decorating a bear for auction should contact Ann Withers.

Walk-A-Thon:  The Walk-A-Thon was held on April 2, 2010, and went really well.  Today was the first count of sponsorship money, and we have already collected $8200.  We are hopeful that we will be able to meet our goal of $20,000 raised for the school.

Hospitality:  The committee is in the process of planning activities for Teacher Appreciation week, which is coming up May 3-7.

Website:  A solution for the email problem previously identified has been found, and is in the process of being implemented.  As always, parents can also go to the website directly for updates.

Bank Accounts:  We are now actively using the new Bank of America account for ECC business.  We have a small number of checks outstanding from the Chase account.  The treasurer has contacted the payees and asked them to please deposit those checks, but so far they have not been cashed.  As soon as those checks are resolved, we can permanently close the Chase account.  

Yearbook:  The yearbook is completed and has gone to press.  The photo CD’s submitted will be returned once the printing is complete.

New Board Positions:  A list of the Board Positions for the 2010-2011 school year is now being distributed.  Anyone interested in serving in these positions need simply sign up on the list, or contact Joanna Flores or Yara Sands. 

The next Community Club meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4th.  We hope to see you all there!

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.  The following is a summary of the information provided at that meeting.

Principal’s Report:  Dr. Trimmer expressed that there is a lot of excitement among the students over the upcoming talent show.  Everyone is looking forward to a great show this year. 

Dr. Trimmer then turned to a more somber subject — that of the impending district budget cuts.  Because the State has reduced educational funding, the District will be forced to make additional cuts to the operating budget for the next school year.  There is a School Board meeting being held on Wednesday, March 3rd.  By the end of that meeting the Board will have to decide how to cut $4 million from the budget, with an additional $7 million in cuts needing to be determined by mid-June.  Here are some of the possibilities currently being considered:

• Increasing class size to 30 students per classroom (grades K-3)
• Elimination of full-day Kindergarten, and returning to a traditional half-day format.
• Elimination of the P.E. program at the elementary level
• Elimination of the Music program at the elementary level
• Cutbacks in clerical staffing in the administration office
• Loss of funding for our school library
• Elimination of the District Transportation Department.  All transportation will be contracted out to private companies.
• Elimination of IB program at the High School level
• Elimination of the PYB program at the Elementary level
• Most of Ron Hockwalt Academy to be shut down
• The increase in class size means fewer teachers will be needed.  70-80 layoff notices will be going out to teachers before March 15th.  While the teachers at Evergreen have enough tenure to retain their jobs, there will be some who will have to be reassigned to other positions within the district.  It is likely that we will lose 3-4 teachers from Evergreen.
• Due to declining enrollment in Diamond Bar, the elementary schools will only be at half capacity.  One option being considered is whether shutting down one elementary school will be financially prudent, and if so, which school should be selected for elimination.

Additional detail can be found on this Budget Concept Chart.  The items found in the center box (Class Size through Eliminate Report Card Prep) are actions that have already been decided upon and will definately occur.  The items in the surrounding boxes are still up for consideration. 

Teacher’s Report:  Mrs. Gorsuch also spoke about how urgent the budget crisis is becoming.  She urged parents to contact their representatives in Congress to express their opinions in support of school funding.  She expressed that while all the teachers are concerned about this matter, that they remain in good spirts, considering the severity of the situation.  On another topic, Mrs. Gorsuch thanked the Community Club for the Snowy Day we funded at the end of January.  She said it was the best one she can remember, and that the kids loved it.  She closed by saying how excited the kids are to perform at the Barnes and Noble Bookfair on March 3rd and is hoping everyone can make it out to support them.

Barnes & Noble Book Fair/CPK:  On March 3rd, Evergreen will be holding a book fair at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Chino Hills.   Special performances are planned, including the Kindergarten classes singing while accompanied by Dr. Trimmer playing the banjo.  There will also be Storytime, with books read aloud by many of our own Evergreen teachers.  Evergreen will receive a portion of all the sales from throughout the store — books, movies, music, and even the cafe — for the day of March 3rd and for 6 days after.  This offer is good at ANY Barnes and Noble location, as well as for online orders — as long as the buyer specifies that the credit should go toward Evergreen’s book fair.  Following the book fair activities, we are hoping families will head over to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) for dinner, as they have also agreed to give us a portion of their proceeds (20%) that evening.   Flyers (which need to be presented in order for the school to get credit) for both events are available at both the school’s website and the Community Club website. 

Coordinating Council:  This month the Coordinating Council held the President’s Luncheon for all the Presidents of the various Community Clubs throughout the District.  There was also a presentation on Netbooks – how to use them in the schools and about free educational software for them.  Coming up is the Teddy Bear Tea, in which themed Teddy Bears are auctioned off to provide “mini-grants” to the teachers.  Anyone interested in decorating a bear for auction should contact Ann Withers.

Talent Show:  The Talent Show preparations are underway.  On March 12 there will be two performances — one during the day for the students, and one at night for the parents and other friends and family members.  Tickets for the evening performance will be sold at the door.  Committee Chairperson, Tama Anderson wishes to thank all the volunteers who have worked so hard getting the Talent Show underway this year.  

Walk-A-Thon:  The Walk-A-Thon event will be held on April 2, 2010.  We will need many volunteers to work the day of the event.   If you are available to help, please contact Kathleen Strudwick. 

Website:  The email problem previously identified still remains, although a “work around” solution has been identified that will enable communications to be sent out until the problem can be properly resolved.  As always, parents can also go to the website directly for updates.

Bank Accounts:  As discussed during a prior meeting, we have made the decision to leave Chase Bank and open an account at another bank to avoid bank fees.  That action has been initiated.  We have opened two accounts at Bank of America.  The first is a business checking account.  The second is an Interest Maximizer account which should enable us to make some interest on our funds.  Once all outstanding checks from the Chase account have cleared, that account will be closed.

District 5K Run:  The date of the event is Sunday, May 2, 2010.  It will be held from 8am – 11am and will begin at Diamond Bar High School.  The Committee is actively looking for sponsors for this event.  Since this will be a fundraiser for the District, they are hoping all families will come out to participate.  Individuals will be able to register for the event using Active.com, or through their school. 

New Board Positions:  A list of the Board Positions for the 2010-2011 school year will be available at our next Community Club meeting.  Anyone interested in serving in these positions need simply sign up on the list. 

Box Tops For Education:  In the past few months, Chairperson Beronica O’Barr has put great efforts into urging our Evergreen parents to turn in Box Tops.  That effort has paid off!  We recently learned that we have earned another $610 through this program.  The Box Tops For Education funds are earmarked for the purchase of new playground equipment for all our students.  Great job — and keep those Box Tops coming in!

California Distinguished School:  At last month’s meeting, Dr. Trimmer advised that Evergreen is being considered for designation as a “California Distinguished School”.  As part of the application process, a review team was sent out to visit the school, observe classes, and speak with students, teachers, and parents.  That visitation occured in February, and it went very well.  The review team was very complimentary, and has submitted their recommendation for Evergreen’s approval as a California Distinguished School.  We are now awaiting final determination from the State. 

The next Community Club meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13th.  Please note that this is a change from our regular “first Tuesday of the month” format since that date falls during Spring Break.  We hope to see you all there!

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.  The following is a summary of the information provided at that meeting.

Principal’s Report:  Dr. Trimmer announced that the date for the District’s 5K Run/Walk has tentatively been set for May 1st.  This event will be a fundraising opportunity for the District, and we are hopeful that many of the Evergreen families will participate.  Dr. Trimmer further advised that Evergreen is in the process of registering students for the 2010-2011 school year.  Finally, Dr. Trimmer announced that Evergreen has been nominated to be designated as a California Distinguished School.  Our application has been submitted in response to the nomination, and the next step will be for a County representative to come out and interview parents and other members of the community about the school.  The award winners will be announced in March. 

Teacher’s Report:  Mrs. Gorsuch reported that the week started out well with the Jamba Jump event.  All the kids had a great time.  Today they celebrated the 100th Day of School.  The rest of the month promises to be busy as well as they prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, and President’s Day. 

Coordinating Council:  This month’s Coordinating Council meeting discussed the District’s 5K Run/Walk, scheduled for May 1, 2010.  They also discussed the upcoming President’s Brunch event, held for the Presidents of the various Community Clubs throughout the District.

Talent Show:  The Talent Show preparations are underway.  Tryouts are this week, and rehearsals will follow once the participating acts have been identified.  The Talent Show will be held on March 12th, with a daytime performance for the school the day before. 

Walk-A-Thon:  The Walk-A-Thon event will be held on April 2, 2010. 

Website:  Although the website itself continues to be updated regularly, we are currently having problems sending out emails to parents to advise them when updates are available.  We are hoping to resolve this problem as soon as possible.  Until then, parents are advised to check the website regularly for updates.

Yearbook:  Flyers for yearbook sales have gone out.  They were only sent out to students who have not yet ordered a yearbook.  Dedications will be sold, with information on dedication sales going out as soon as possible.  Photo CD’s are due from all Room Parents no later than February 17th.

Barnes & Noble Book Fair/CPK:  On March 3rd, Evergreen will be holding a book fair at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Chino Hills.   Special performances are planned, including the Kindergarten classes singing while accompanied by Dr. Trimmer playing the banjo.  There will also be Storytime, with books read aloud by many of our own Evergreen teachers.  Evergreen will receive a portion of all the sales from throughout the store — books, movies, music, and even the cafe — for the day of March 3rd and for 6 days after.  Following the book fair activities, we are hoping families will head over to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) for dinner, as they have also agreed to give us a portion of their proceeds (20%) that evening. 

Cash Registers:  A suggestion was made that the Community Club could benefit from the purchase of 1-2 cash registers for use during our fundraising events such as the Holiday Boutique.  One of the Community Club members has researched register prices, and found that we can find them as low as $99.  She further advised that those same registers could be found as low as $50 when they were on sale during the Christmas season.  The Committee agreed that the registers could be helpful, but felt there was no need to purchase them immediately if we could secure a better price by waiting until they went on sale.  A motion was approved to spend up to $100 on the purchase of 1-2 cash registers.

Paper Cutter:  One of the paper cutters in the school work room is damaged beyond repair.  A motion was approved to purchase a new paper cutter for the school. 

Bank Change:  The Community Club Treasurer advised of problems occuring at our current banking institution.  Specifically, the Community Club account is getting hit with service fees that could be avoided by changing to another bank.  A motion was approved for the researching of alternate banking institutions, and the movement of the Community Club account should a better option be identified. 

Recycling:  During last month’s meeting the decision to end the Be Evergreen recycling program was announced.  This decision was made based on the continued lack of volunteers needed to kep the program running.  Since that time, Dr. Trimmer has identifed two possible options for having our recyclable materials taken off campus.  The first is that the District has agreed to have their Grounds Dept. pickup and recycle the materials for us.  A second option was presented by a Diamond Bar resident who has offered to have senior citizens come to the school to collect the materials and take those materials to be recycled.  The recycling proceeds would be returned to the school in both options. 

Original Works:  Monica Wilson made a presentation for a fundraising opportunity using her company, Original Works.  Original Works takes original student artwork and puts those images on a number of different personal items (keychains, refrigerator magnets, mousepads, sketchbooks, etc).  The parents would have the option of purchasing any items they wished, and Evergreen would receive approximately 33% of the total sales.  Ms. Wilson left brochures with the group to review.  The Community Club will discuss this fundraising idea at a subsequent meeting.

The next Community Club meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2nd.  We hope to see you all there!

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.  The following is a summary of the information provided at that meeting.

Principal’s Report:  Dr. Trimmer thanked the Community Club for the Holiday Boutique, and also wanted to communicate his thanks to all the parents who helped with the holiday classroom parties prior to the Winter Break. 

He reported that the District will be celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this year, and several big events (such as a 5K race) are planned to commemorate the occasion.  The events will be structured as fundraisers designed to raise money for the District. 

Dr. Trimmer further reported that Evergreen is getting ready to begin enrolling students for the 2010-2011 school year.  The District will be providing a Kindergarten prep program designed to ensure Kindergarten readiness for incoming students.   To be eligible, children must be 5 years old and not currently enrolled in Kindergarten.  Dr. Trimmer pointed out that students completing this program will not do so in lieu of Kindergarten, but in addition to it. 

Teachers Report:  Mrs. Gorsuch reported that the first few days back to school following the Holiday Break were a bit rough.  A lot of the kids were very tired and had a difficult time making it through the day. 

Mrs. Gorsuch also announced that this will be her last year at Evergreen.  She has submitted her resignation and will officially retire from teaching at the end of this school year.  Mrs. Gorsuch has worked with the Community Club for many years.  We wish her all the best as she prepares to begin this new chapter of her life! 

Coordinating Council:  Reports were made regarding information presented at the past two Coordinating Council meetings.

November

• Lots of information was provided regarding various fundraising ideas

December

• Ten of the fundraising ideas have gone to committee.  Information on these committees is available if anyone is interested in participating and/or volunteering. 

Holiday Boutique:  The Holiday Boutique was a success.  It generated a lot of excitement for the students, and resulted in over $2000 in fundraising profits.  The Boutique Committee is requesting feedback from parents and teachers regarding the event, so that it can be even better next year.  The Committee suggested that next year we better explore the possibility of donations.  Also, next year will be the last year both Committee members are at Evergreen, so they suggested that anyone interested in taking over future coordination of the event should work closely with them next year. 

Talent Show:  The date of this year’s Talent Show will be March 12th.  More information to follow.

Walk-A-Thon:  No date has yet been set for this year’s Walk-A-Thon.  The Committee will work with the office staff to secure a date on the calendar. 

Yearbooks:  To date, 275 yearbooks have been sold.  Parents are still requesting to purchase yearbooks, so a new sale period will be rolled out.  During this selling period, the cost of the yearbook will be $23.  Order forms will be sent only to those who have not yet ordered a yearbook.  

Yearbook dedications will be available, but space is extremely limited (only 2 pages will be available).  Order forms for dedications will be sent first to parents of 5th graders in order to give them first priority in buying space.  On a related note, 5th grade baby pictures must be received by January 29th.

The room parents will be providing many of the photos for the yearbook.  Parent pictures need to be submitted on a CD, and the return of the CD is not guaranteed.  The Committee cannot accept pictures via email, and no pictures taken from cell phones will be accepted.

Letters & Sounds Workbooks:  Mrs. Gorsuch advised the Community Club that the District will no longer be paying for the Letters & Sounds Workbooks used in the Kindergarten program.  The District will no longer pay for these materials because they are not on the (very limited) state approved materials list.  However, our Kindergarten teachers feel these are an important learning tool and they are asking the Community Club to consider paying for these materials.  A motion was approved to purchase these materials for the school.

Jamba Jump Day 2010:  Physical Education teacher, Judy Ameluxen spoke to the Community Club about an upcoming event called Jamba Jump Day 2010.  On February 1, 2010, students all over California will be jumping rope simultaneously in an effort to break the Guinness World Record currently held by Australia.  This will be a highly publicized event which will enable the students to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience.

However, we do have a problem.  The problem stems from the fact that students from all 9 schools in our district will need to be jumping simultaneously, and the district only has a total of 500 jumpropes — not enough for all students to jump at the same time.  Judy advised that there will be Commemorative jumpropes available for purchase which will include the official Guinness logo.  The Community Club discussed options for resolving this issue.  In the end, a motion was approved to purchase and provide a Commemorative jumprope for each Evergreen student.  The funds will come in part from Boxtops for Education funds (which are earmarked for playground equipment), and in part from our Gifts to School fund. 

We will need to secure many parent volunteers for this event, as 2 parents per classroom will be needed to act as official judges of the Jamba Jump Day. 

Recycling Program:  Due to an inability to find a sufficient amount of volunteers, The Community Club will be unable to continue the recycling program at Evergreen.  We need to identify outside organizations who would be willing to take on the responsibility of sorting the materials and hauling them off the Evergreen campus. 

Upcoming Events:  

• Snowy Day (For Kindergarten):   January 29, 2010

 Our next Community Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.  We hope to see you there!

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.  The following is a summary of the information presented at that meeting. 

Principal’s Report:  Dr. Trimmer shared information about a Community Forum that the District is hosting this month.  The Forum will be held on Saturday, November 14th from 8am to noon at South Pointe Middle School, with the purpose of soliciting opinions and ideas from the Community with regard to next year’s District budget.  The District is looking to have to cut an additional 14 million dollars from the budget for next year. 

Dr. Trimmer also discussed the traffic issues that occur during morning drop-off.  The District has instructed that no parent or staff member is to be on public property directing traffic due to fears of personal liability should a traffic accident occur.  This change has caused some additional traffic issues during drop-off, and alternate solutions are currently being sought to deal with these issues.  Dr. Trimmer had previously spoken with the Walnut Sheriff’s Department about coming out to observe the traffic flow problems we are having.  They have not yet been out to conduct that observation, but Dr. Trimmer will continue to push for this to happen. 

Teacher’s Report:  As the Teacher Representative, Mrs. Gorsuch reported that Kindergarten Parent/Teacher conferences have been completed, and the conferences for the upper grades are scheduled to occur this month.  She reminded the group that the polls were open today (Nov 3rd) to vote on candidates to the School Board, and urged us all to consider wisely which candidates would be most student centered in their focus.  Finally, Mrs. Gorsuch made the group aware of a School Board study scheduled to occur on Wednesday, November 4th to discuss the budget for the 2010-2011 school year.  News has already been heard of at least one planned school closure (Ron Hawkwalt Academies), and of class size increases to 30 students.

Coordinating Council:  Reports were made regarding information presented at the past two Coordinating Council meetings. 

September: 

• Further budget cuts were discussed; moving the cost per student figure down to $258. 
• There will no longer be free soda/water available to the schools for events.
• There is now a District Cafe open in the Transportation Dept.

October: 

• Any vendor hired for school events (i.e. bounce houses, dunk tanks, etc.) must hold at least a $1 million insurance policy, and must sign a form acknowledging that they are insured for this amount.
• Swine Flu Prevention:  Any classroom having 5 or more students out due to fever will receive deep cleaning treatment in an effort to prevent the spread of any virus.
• Coldstone Ice Cream made a presentation to make the schools aware that they offer fundraising opportunities. 
• Next Coordinating Council meeting is scheduled for November 18th.

Family Fun Night:  A huge Thank You goes out to Janeene Stanley for putting on a terrific event.  Family Fun Night was great, and everyone had a wonderful time.  It was also a great fundraiser for us, bringing in over $2400 in profits that we can in turn use to help our students and the school.  This was Janeene’s last year to serve as Family Fun Night planner, so the Community Club is seeking individuals interested in coordinating the event next year.

Family Portrait Night:  Family Portrait Night has been cancelled because we were unable to get enough appointments booked. 

Health and Welfare:  The Health and Welfare Committee has two events coming up in the coming months.  The Food Drive will be held in November, and the Toy Drive will be held in December.  The plan for these events is to first give assistance to Evergreen Families who may be in particular need this holiday season.  Once these families have been helped, any additional food/toys will be distributed to local organizations to help other families in our local communities.  Drop-off stations will be set up in front of the school during both drives to make donations easy.  Gift cards for food/toys are also welcomed in lieu of goods.  Any questions regarding these drives can be directed to Sue Swisher.

Membership Drive:  Our 2009 Membership Drive was a great success.  We exceeded our goal of $20,000, which will enable the Community Club to provide for the school and the students without door-to-door fundraising.  Because our goal was met, all students will receive nylon kites.  An assembly will be held on November 13th to announce the Pizza Party winners, and to hold the Pie Flying event for those students who donated at least $200.  A huge Thank You goes out to Danielle Amaya-Martinez and her committee for doing such a terrific job on the Membership Drive! 

Yearbook:  The original presale resulted in 275 orders for yearbooks, so a second presale will likely be held in February.  Dedications will also be sold at a cost of $10-$15 each.  The Cover Contest went really well.  There were 39 people who submitted artwork, and the 4th graders are voting on their favorites to determine the winner. 

Recycling:  We have been unable to gather enough volunteers to make this program work successfully at the school.  Therefore, the Community Club will now explore options outside of Evergreen to find organizations that might be willing to collect and recycle the materials for us in exchange for a share in the profits. 

Kiln Repair:  The kiln at the school was recently repaired.  The Community Club approved a motion to cover the cost of this repair. 

Cable Bill:  At our September meeting, the Community Club approved a motion to pay to provide basic cable television to the school to be used for educational and emergency purposes.  Since that time, it has been determined that as a part of the Unified School District, Evergreen is eligible for free cable services, so this will no longer be an ongoing expense for the Community Club. 

Upcoming Events:

• Canned Food Drive:  November 16 – 20
• Toy Drive:  December 7 – 11
• Snowy Day (for Kindergarten): January 29

Please note that there will be no Community Club meeting held in December.  The next Community Club meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 5, 2010.  We hope to see you there!

This month’s Community Club meeting was held on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.  The following is a summary of the information presented at that meeting. 

Principal’s Report:  In the Principal’s report, Dr. Trimmer reminded everyone of events coming in October, including Family Fun Night and the Costume Parade.  He also spoke about safety and traffic control which continues to be an ongoing issue during each day’s drop off and pick up routines.  Dr. Trimmer said that the following measures are being taken to try and combat these problems:

• The school will continue to remind parents of traffic safety procedures through newsletters, the website, and other methods of communication.
• Dr. Trimmer met with the City of Diamond Bar and the Walnut Sheriff’s Department to discuss the problems we are having
• The Sheriff’s Department will be coming out to observe the traffic flow problems

Dr. Trimmer reminded us how crucial this issue is.  Sadly, the district has had two deaths occur just in the past three years because of traffic flow issues.  Both were at local elementary schools. 

Finally, Dr. Trimmer touched on the issue of the district budget.  The budget for the current school year is balanced.  However, additional cuts will likely be required in order to balance the budget for the next two years. 

Teachers Report:  Mrs. Gorsuch reported that school is now well underway.  Everyone is getting into their routines, and things are generally going well.  She had no problems or issues to report.

Yearbook Award:  Congratulations to the 2008-09 Yearbook Committee!  Evergreen was voted Yearbook of the Year by Adams Photography.  They have been very impressed, not only by the final product, but by the process and procedures the Committee used to create our Yearbook.  They will be adopting many of Evergreen’s procedures to pass along to other schools.  In appreciation of our cooperation and assistance, Adams Photography will be waiving the “Custom Cover” fee for this year’s edition. 

Family Fun Night:  Preparations are well underway for Family Fun Night, which is scheduled for October 23rd.  The Carl’s Jr. truck will be coming in to cook the night of the event.  Families will be able to pre-purchase tickets for these meals and a portion of the proceeds will be given back to Evergreen.  Other food and snacks will be available that evening as well.  The games for FFN have been revamped to take on the “Evergreen Rocks” theme.  This work was done by the Cub Scouts as a Community Service project.  We will be needing volunteers to work the game and food booths during the evening.  The Room Parents are responsible for gathering these volunteers from their classrooms. 

Membership Drive:  The Membership Drive will be held October 12-16.  The theme is “Fly Our Numbers High”.  There are several levels of prizes and incentives in place to help get the kids excited about bringing in their donations.  Posters will also be displayed at the school displaying the progress status.  The Membership Drive Committee could still use 2-3 volunteers to help during that week. 

Parent Workshop:  The teachers have asked the Parent Workshop to consider taking on the laminating duties as well as the photocopying.  The Workshop volunteers will be doing this on a trial basis to see if it can be absorbed with the current number of team members.

Family Portraits:  Adams Photography will be at Evergreen November 2nd and 3rd to take portraits of Evergreen families.  For a $20 sitting fee, the family will receive (2) 3×5 portraits and (4) wallets.  A proof will be sent home with the student and additional photos will be available for purchase if desired.  Adams Photography will be donating the entire $20 sitting fee to Evergreen, regardless of whether any additional photos are purchased. 

Recycling:  The Recycling Committee is still in need of volunteers.  They need 4-5 more people willing to collect the recycling materials from classrooms on Friday afternoons.   Volunteers would rotate so they would only need to perform this duty on an occasional basis.  The Committee also needs 3-4 more volunteers who would be willing to drive the materials to the recycling facility.  Again, the volunteers would rotate so that each person would only need to perform the duty on an occasional basis. 

The members also reviewed the types of materials that can be brought in for recycling, which consists of any type 1 or type 2 plastics, as well as aluminum cans.  A suggestion was also made to have parents bring in the recycling materials on Fridays to eliminate problems with storing the materials throughout the week. 

Artwork For Education:  The Community Club was asked to consider a fundraiser using a company called “Artwork For Education”.  This company will reproduce the students’ artwork onto greeting cards which the parents would then be able to purchase.  Considerations for and against pursing this opportunity were presented, and the final decision was tabled until more information could be presented at the November meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd.  We hope to see you there!

Our first Community Club meeting of the 2009-2010 school year was held on September 1st.  We had a great turnout and were excited to see so much enthusiasm from members, both new and returning.  The following is a summary of the information presented at that meeting:

Principal’s Report:  In the Principal’s Report, Dr. Trimmer let us know that the school year is off to a great start, and he thanked the Community Club for the luncheon we hosted at the end of August to welcome the teachers and school staff back to school.

Next, Dr. Trimmer advised that there have been several changes to the office staff this year, and explained that as a result, the office is having to operate with less hands than it has in the past.  For this reason, anything the Community Club can do to help things run smoothly will be most appreciated. 

Dr. Trimmer reminded us that the “Goodbye At The Gate” policy has gone into effect, and has been well received.  This policy will help to keep our campus secure by making individuals who should NOT be at the school, more identifiable.

Finally, Dr. Trimmer discussed the state of the budget.  He explained that while this year’s budget is balanced, that balance was achieved only with cuts in staff and a 40% reduction to our overall operating costs.  We are hopeful that no additional cuts will be required, but it is clear that the school needs the assistance of the Community Club more than ever.

Teachers Report:  In the Teacher’s Report, Mrs. Gorsuch thanked the Community Club for the staff luncheon, and expressed pleasure at seeing such a strong show of support from parents at this, the first Community Club meeting of the year. 

Family Fun Night:  Family Fun Night will be held on October 23, 2009.  The theme will be “Evergreen Rocks”, and should be a great chance for the kids to dress up in their rock n’ roll finest and have an evening of great fun.  This year, the food will be provided by the Carl’s Jr. grill truck — which proved to be a great fundraiser for the Community Club at last year’s Open House. 

Membership Drive:  This year’s membership drive will be held October 12-16.  This is the Community Club’s main fundraiser of the year.   The Membership Drive Committee will be looking for assistance in distributing the flyers and collecting/processing donations. 

Hospitality:  The Community Club hosted a luncheon for the Evergreen Staff the last weekend in August.  It was a great event and the staff really appreciated the recognition.  We also hosted a 1st Day of School continental breakfast and mixer for parents in the Multipurpose Room which was very well received.  The Hospitality Committee’s next event will be the Welcome Back Brunch for all Evergreen Parents.  The Welcome Back Brunch will be held September 10th.

Library Committee:  The book fair has been running all this week.  The Library Committee was very pleased with the amount of parents who came forward to volunteer their time to help make the book fair a success.  A portion of every sale from the book fair comes back to Evergreen to help us buy books for our own library.

Parent Workshop:  For the Parent Workshop, Community Club members meet two days a week to photocopy materials for the teachers.  The Committee is still looking for 2-3 additional people to work with the Tuesday group, and 1-2 additional people to work with the Thursday group. 

Room Parent:  The process of selecting and identifying the room parents for each classroom is underway.  The Room Parent Tea is scheduled to be held on September 24th.   Assistance will be needed to help prepare and set up for this event.

Yearbooks:  This year the yearbook will be sold for $20.  Orders for the yearbooks are coming in now.  The Committee is looking for individuals interested in being picture-takers this year. 

Open Committee Positions:  Both the Disaster Prep and Coordinating Council positions have been filled.  We are still looking for individuals to fill the Recycling Committee, as well as someone to head up the Fine Arts Council (Music Mobile). 

Family Portraits:  This year the Community Club will be offering a Family Portrait package to Evergreen Parents which will give families an opportunity to get affordable portraits taken, and which will also serve as a fundraiser for the Community Club. 

Ice Cream Day:  The Community Club is trying to arrange to sell ice cream after school one Friday per month as an ongoing fundraising opportunity.  This will hopefully start in late September or early October.

Additional Issues of Concern:  A Community Club member brought up an issue of concern to the Committee for discussion.  Specifically, it was noted that the dirt filled planters outside the school (on Evergreen Springs) are heavily littered with dog feces and other objectionable materials.  Dr. Trimmer will investigate ways that we might get these planter areas cleaned up for parents and students walking to school. 

The Committee also discussed the traffic problems that occur in front of the school during drop-off time, and how we need to do anything possible to help ensure the safety of our students, parents, and crossing guards while they are walking to the school.  Dr. Trimmer agreed to investigate what additional measures may be taken to address this matter.

Finally, because of the continuing budget cuts, it was determined that the Evergreen Community Club will now cover the costs of providing basic cable to Evergreen.  This technology allows the school to benefit for educational purposes and in emergency situations.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6th.  We hope you can join us there!