Please join us for a used book sale, and collectible book auction, to benefit a fund established in the memory of Burns Park parent Karen Thomas.

The Burns Park PTO and the AAPS Educational Foundation are working together to organize this used book sale and online auction of collectible books from the collection of Karen and Andy Thomas. The sale itself will take place at the Burns Park school Auditorium this Saturday, October 18, from 9 am to 1 pm.

In addition to the used books, thirty lots of first editions and other rare and collectible books will be on display during the book sale. These books are being auctioned on our PTO’s auction site (http://www.burnsparkpto.org/auction), and the auctions will remain open at least until midnight, October 31st.

All proceeds from the rare book auction will benefit the Karen Thomas Memorial Fund at the AAPSEF, which is dedicated to help fund literacy programs for at-risk children in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Proceeds from the used book sale will be shared between the Karen Thomas Fund and the Burns Park media center (library).

Please note that contributions to the Karen Thomas Memorial Fund made by the end of this year will be matched up to a total of $25,000. Here is how the Educational Foundation describes the fund:

The Karen Thomas Memorial Fund of the AAPSEF was established by her husband, Andy, in early 2008. The Fund honors Karen’s profound love of reading, and her belief that literacy is essential to a successful and fulfilling life. The Fund will sponsor literacy and academic retention programs for children at the elementary level with an emphasis on academically at risk students. Karen loved to read, and especially loved reading aloud to children. On just about any school morning, you could find her sitting on the bench outside the office at Burns Park Elementary, reading to her son Jonathan. She never missed an opportunity to volunteer as a reader during “March is Reading Month” — even while undergoing chemotherapy.

It’s audition time for the Burns Park Players! Initial auditions will be held on Monday, October 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the Tappan auditorium with callbacks held on Tuesday, October 16th. If you would like to audition but are unable to make the audition day, please notify Susan Hurwitz, susanh22@aol.com or call 994-3508.

The Burns Park Press is the monthly newsletter of the PTO, distributed to all families, faculty and staff in electronic and paper format. The Press is our regular way of communicating as a community, and carries news, an events calendar, and regular contributions from PTO officers and our principal. All families receive the electronic version of the press, and can get a paper copy sent home upon request.

Please select from our available issues below:

2008-09

Do you have a GREAT idea for an enrichment assembly, a cool project, a fantastic speaker or something else, but don’t know how you would fund it?

This note comes to us from Wendy Correll of the AAPS Education Foundation, by way of the PTO Council list:

The educational foundation has given scores of grants of up to $1000 to teachers over the past 15 or so years. The deadline for AAPSEF grant submissions is Friday, October 4, at 4:00 pm. Grant applications can be found on their web-site at:

http://www.supportannarborschools.org/

Many thanks,

Wendy Correll
Executive Director
Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation
734-994-1969

Please join us for the Special Interest Fair!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Hey parents – it’s time again for the Special Interest Fair! The fair is a Burns Park tradition, and we hope you’ll encourage your student(s) to participate. Last year approximately 80 students shared special interest projects with their classmates, teachers, and families.

All students from kindergarten through 5th grade are encouraged to submit a project! The purpose of the fair is to encourage students to pursue a topic of their interest and provide a showcase for their efforts. The fair is non-competitive, and children may work alone or in a group.

Dear AAPS Parents and Guardians,

This past weekend the USDA issued a recall on meat products that were distributed as a commodity item through the United States Department of Education’s school lunch program.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools does have some of this meat product (beef patties and taco meat) in our possession but it has never been served to any student in this district.

Andy Thomas, the Burns Park rep to the city-wide PTO Council, reports on their September meeting in the attached file.

School Announcements:

Fall Festival – Come to the flag pole area this Wednesday, September 24th from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. for Fall Festival! Bring a blanket, a picnic dinner and a dessert to share! The 5th graders will be selling drinks to raise money for their end of the year graduation activities, and the Pioneer High School Jazz Band will provide entertainment! This is a fun Burns Park tradition, so be sure to join us!

We hope everyone had a great first week of school! The PTO Weekly Notes are sent out at the beginning of each week, and contain important information and announcements about our school and community. If you are a PTO committee member and want to announce something about your committee, or anyone that has something to share with the school community, please send it to Elizabeth DeRose at ederose (at) comcast (dot) net by Sunday at noon of each week. The following are the Weekly Notes for this week: