Make a Mighty Difference raises $1,500 in one week

A mighty big THANK YOU to everyone who answered the call this week and contributed to our Make a Mighty Difference fundraiser. We added more than $1,500 in just one week! We've now raised  about $6,700 on our way to a goal of $15,000. We are anticipating receiving some additional corporate donations, not yet reflected in the total. If your employer offers a matching program for charitable contributions, we encourage you to make use of this way to stretch your contribution even further.

As you consider the gift you'd like to make, please keep in mind that PTO is merely the funnel through which these funds flow directly to our students and teachers. In the words of fundraising guru and college president G.T. Smith: "Donors don’t give to institutions. They invest in ideas and people in whom they believe." Who is more deserving of our support than our fabulous Lucas teachers and students?

Thanks to these individuals and families who have answered the call.

Make a Mighty Difference 2012 Honor Roll

Alpla, Inc.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

John and Michelle Bacon 

Jennifer & Dawn BarbouRoske 

Brian and Nancy Cassady

Claire Chapnick and Gerald Sorokin

Judy and Ben Clark

Ernest Cox and Samantha Solimeo


Deborah Dickinson
 

Tobi and Damond Drake

Ryan Downing and Jennifer Sherer

Expectations

Dawn Fitzpatrick and Brad McDowell

Crystal and Stan Galloway

Kyle and Sarah Galloway 

Maureen Geraghty
Amy and Dave Greazel
Ronald and Beverly Herman

Ben and Brooke Hill

John and Marilyn Holloway

John and Margaret Holmes


Sarah Holmes and Zara Wanlass 

Diane Johnson

Bill and Holly Kenyon

John and Mary Kenyon

Jenilyn Lewis

Les and Nancy Lipschutz

Der-Fa Lu and Stephen Heywood

Ruthanne Hyduke 

Roger and Jennifer Lusala

Sarah and Andrew Lynch 

Tara and Rod Martin

Jun-Nicole Matsushita and Huy Tong 

Paul and Shelby Myers-Verhage

Ha and Phil Nguyen
 

Tung Nguyen

Susan Nicol and Don Bates

Michelle Norman and Michelle Wikner 

L. Charles and Cathy Novak

Joe Pavelich

Mike and Pat Pavelich


Christine and Jay Phillips

Steve and Nancy Pohlman 

Sara and Erika Riggs 

Bryan and Lisa Ringen

Heather and Damien Roth 

John Shoop 

Eric Siron

Erin Snyder

David Snyder

Barbara Solomon and Jeff Arnold

Renee Speh and Anthony Miller

Suellen and Will Swain 

Norm and Connie Thoreson

Hao Tong 

Andrew and Leslie Veit

Mr. and Mrs. George Veit

Patricia Verhage and James Blanchard

Larry and Marilyn Walberg

Make a Mighty Difference Honor Roll: Your Name Could Be Here

A big thank you to all who have contributed to our Make a Mighty Difference annual fund drive! With only a few days remaining we're still well short of our goal. If you've had this on your "to do" list for a while, now's the time. You can donate online by clicking here, or you may download this form and send in with cash or a check payable to 'Lucas PTO' to:

Lucas PTO c/o ICCSD Foundation
1725 N. Dodge St.
Iowa City, IA 52245

If you have made a donation but don't see your name on this donor list, please contact PTO Co-President Andrea Gugliuzza.

Make a Mighty Difference 2012 Honor Roll

Alpla, Inc.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Brian and Nancy Cassady

Claire Chapnick and Gerald Sorokin

Judy and Ben Clark

Ernest Cox and Samantha Solimeo

Tobi and Damond Drake

Ryan Downing and Jennifer Sherer

Expectations

Dawn Fitzpatrick and Brad McDowell

Crystal and Stan Galloway

Maureen Geraghty

Ronald and Beverly Herman

Ben and Brooke Hill

John and Marilyn Holloway

Diane Johnson

Bill and Holly Kenyon

John and Mary Kenyon

Jenilyn Lewis

Les and Nancy Lipschutz

Der-Fa Lu and Stephen Heywood

Roger and Jennifer Lusala

Tara and Rod Martin

Paul and Shelby Myers-Verhage

Tung Nguyen

Susan Nicol and Don Bates

L. Charles and Cathy Novak

Christine and Jay Phillips

Joe Pavelich

Mike and Pat Pavelich

Bryan and Lisa Ringen

Eric Siron

Erin Snyder

David Snyder

Barbara Solomon and Jeff Arnold

Renee Speh and Anthony Miller

Norm and Connie Thoreson

Andrew and Leslie Veit

Mr. and Mrs. George Veit

Patricia Verhage and James Blanchard

Larry and Marilyn Walberg

School picture re-takes are Friday, Oct. 26

If you missed picture day or weren't happy with the results, you have another shot at it this Friday, Oct. 26, at 10 a.m. Send your child with the prints you received and alert your classroom teacher to your need for a re-take. If you missed picture day entirely, just bring the original order form.

‘Make a Mighty Difference’ for Lucas today!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our “Make a Mighty Difference” fundraising campaign. As of this week, we have raised $5169. Our goal is to raise $15,000 by Nov. 1, which is less than two weeks away!  

Here are some ways of your ‘Make a Mighty Difference’ donation will help make the Lucas Outdoor Playscape a reality:

• $5 buys a wheelbarrow full of wood chips
• $7 buys a 50lb. bag of sand
• $25 removes a 3’ x 3’ square of asphalt
• $50 plants a new shrub on the Lucas playground
• $100 buys a boulder for the natural boulder climber
• $500 buys a storage area for sand play

If you haven't given already, please consider joining our effort. We'd love to have as many families participate as possible, no matter what size your gift may be. As you can see, every dollar makes a difference. 

Also be sure to ask your friends, family and other Lucas supporters (the people you'd be asking to purchase items from a sales-based fundraiser) to consider a tax-deductible donation. You can write a check to the Lucas PTO or donate at www.makeamightydifference.org.

If every Lucas family donates just $60, we’ll reach our goal!

PTO is collecting Box Tops now through Oct. 26

If your family eats Cheerios, drinks Juicy Juice, bakes with Betty Crocker, and thinks Yoplait is yummy, you can help Lucas earn some extra cash through the Box Tops for Education program. Just look for this logo on hundreds of grocery items, (as well as some surprising non-food items, such as Hanes underwear) clip the rectangular logo from the package and save them for Lucas. Each one is worth 10 cents, which can add up to over $1,000 per year when we all work together. A few times a year we'll send a note home asking students to turn them in to their classroom teacher.

If you have any saved up right now, send them to school with your child before Friday, Oct. 26. You can use the "Batty for Boxtops" flyer sent home last week or just put them in an envelope with your child's name and classroom teacher. The class that collects the most will win a cookie party!

You can also participate in the Box Tops program online by shopping for your favorite items through the Box Tops Marketplace and by registering an account at boxtops4education.com where you can earn bonus box tops by spending a minute or two answering an online survey, watching a promotional video, or playing a game.

If you miss this collection, never fear--we'll have another collection later this year.

Chess Club seeks parent volunteers; no chess experience necessary

Lucas Chess Club is looking for a volunteer to help out at our weekly Chess Club on Fridays from 3-4 p.m., when approximately 23 Lucas kids meet to learn and play chess. Volunteers need not play chess. Their chief function is to help introduce and match up children who need a partner, and, as games finish, help children find a new opponent. In general, volunteers guide children to be constructive, polite, and quiet. At the end of each session, volunteers assist children in making sure chess sets are properly put away and chairs placed on the tables.

We currently have a chess teacher and usually two volunteers, but could use another. Interested persons may email lucaschessclub@gmail.com or call Stephen Heywood, Parent Coordinator, at 354-3778.

Get ready for winter with free clothing distribution Saturday, Oct. 13

Families in need of warm children's clothing and outerwear (coats, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, etc.) can visit one of three area locations this Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon, where these items will be distributed FREE. In Iowa City, the distribution site is The Spot, 1030 Cross Park Ave., (between Broadway & Keokuk.)

Items also will be available at Coralville United Methodist Church, 806 13th Ave., and North Liberty Community Pantry/NLFUMC, 85 N. Jones Blvd.

This effort to ensure that all children have the clothes they need to stay warm as the temperatures drop is sponsored by the Consultation of Religious Communities. For more information contact Lucas Family Resource Coordinator Yolanda Spears.

Supt. Murley to share "State of the District" at Oct. 10 DPO meeting

The Districtwide Parents' Organization meets this Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 11:30-1 p.m. at Horace Mann Elementary. Any interested parents are invited to attend. On the agenda this month is a "State of the District" presentation from Superintendent Steve Murley. For more information, see the DPO website or contact Lucas's DPO representative, Shelby Myers-Verhage.

Schools around the district host the DPO for its monthly meetings. Lucas's turn to host will be Jan. 9, 2013.

Knowledge is power: Join us for the next PTO meeting Oct. 8

Did you know there is more to playgrounds than slides and swings? Would you like an update on our Make a Mighty Difference Campaign? How excited would your kids be if you brought home the inside scoop on an exciting upcoming holiday event at school?

All this information and more can be yours at the next PTO meeting, Monday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in the art room (just to the right of the main school entrance.) Free childcare is available in the Kindergarten room. More than 40 of your fellow parents and caregivers were on hand last month as we kicked off our new school year. Don't be left in the dark. We'll see you Monday night! (Agenda)

Can drive and playscape information session are Saturday, Oct. 6

Gather up all those deposit cans and plastic bottles cluttering your basement/garage/designated "deal with it later" space and bring them all to Lucas this Saturday, Oct. 6, between 9-11 a.m. Lucas PTO volunteers will be in the front drive to accept your donation and haul those bottles and cans to The Can Shed to redeem the deposit. Funds will support many PTO projects.

For more information about one of those projects, stick around after you've dropped off your cans to learn about the planned Outdoor Playscape Project. The first of its kind in the Iowa City School District, the vision of the Lucas Elementary Outdoor Playscape project is to utilize the outdoor environment as a learning space, promote healthy lifestyles, expand play offerings and playground accessibility, and incorporate eco-friendly plantings.

Renee Speh from Lucas PTO and Tony Malkusak of Abundant Playscapes will be there from 9-10:30 a.m. to share the designs in progress, listen to ideas and answer any questions. We want to hear from the community so that it is useful for neighbors as well as students.

The Outdoor Playscape project is funded in part by Make a Mighty Difference, the annual Lucas PTO fund drive currently underway until Nov. 1. To learn more visit: www.makeamightydifference.org.