Meet & Greet roundup, T-shirt order forms and new Lucas staff

Meet & Greet

New kindergartner Adi Driscoll, with mom Stacey and dad Cam.

Thanks to everyone who showed up at the Lucas Meet & Greet and Popsicles with the Principal event Tuesday! It was a huge success, and we were grateful for the chance to see lots of new and returning families, including some new parents interested in volunteering with PTO. We look forward to talking with you more about how you can help in the coming school year. Thanks, too, to the PTO volunteers and Lucas staff who helped run Tuesday’s event.

 Principal  Burton and Family Resource Center Director Yolanda Spears

We especially got a kick out of seeing some of the new kindergartners walking around with their school supply kits and “Class of 2023” T-shirts (provided by PTO) and beaming as they shared the names of their very first teachers and anticipation of the first day of school. Their excitement, and huge grins, were infectious and reminded us how fortunate we are to be part of a school like Robert Lucas Elementary.

T-Shirts

We know many of you are anxious to show your Mighty Hawk pride by buying our new Lucas T-shirts. If you didn’t place an advance order on a shirt at Meet & Greet, your student will be bringing home an order form with his or her school materials in the next few days (you can also find a copy here and on our Download Center page and print one off at home). The deadline to order is September 3. Not only can you buy a T-shirt, but you can order cool Mighty Hawk water bottles and decals (we bear one proudly on our own minivan back windshield). We’ll also be selling the new shirts at upcoming PTO events, including the September 17 Big Blast Fall Festival. If you still have questions about the shirts, shoot PTO member Heather Lowry an email at chlowry@mchsi.com

New Lucas Staff

PTO wants to give a big welcome to the eight new staff members joining Lucas this fall. While many of you may have had a chance to meet our new principal, Julia Burton, during Popsicles with the Principal Tuesday, there are seven other staff members who will be working with our students this coming year. They are:

Lisa Collier, Reading Teacher
Elise Denniston, School Secretary
Travis Mead, Sixth Grade Teacher
Cheryl McCoskey, Reading Teacher
Kirk Ryan, Reading Intervention Teacher
Lauren Trolley, Orchestra Teacher

Helene Volkert, Language Arts Resource Specialist and Reading Teacher

Learn more about each of them in the printed Robert Lucas Newsletter (produced by PTO member Emily Spellman) coming home in your child’s folders next week, including which one has a dog named “Peanut,” which one enjoys windsurfing, which one was born in a car while his parents rushed to the hospital and which one spent 15 years living in China.

Save the Dates

Here are a few upcoming events that you’ll want to keep on your radar:

• Sunday, August 22: Lucas Day at Kernels Game, Gates open 1:05 p.m., Veterans Memorial Stadium, Cedar Rapids 
• Friday, September 3: DEED Family Tailgate, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Our Redeemer Lutheran Church parking lot 
• Monday, September 13: PTO Meeting, 7 p.m. 
• Friday, September 17: Big Blast Fall Festival
• Saturday, September 18: Dads Engaged in Engineering Dreams (DEED) meeting, 8 a.m., First Avenue Hy-Vee cafeteria

As always, be sure to check back on the PTO blog for other updates and information. And if you aren’t already subscribed to receive updates by email, we encourage you do so – that way, you’ll know right away if there’s new information up there.

Thanks, and we hope everyone has a successful first day of school Thursday!

Stephen and Melinda Pradarelli

PTO Co-Presidents