A Look Back at 2015 and What's Ahead for the New Year

As we kick off 2016, I wanted to share some of Discovery PTA's accomplishments so far this school year.

We have had a flurry of activities so far, including:

• Our successful Kiss the Pig contest and Farmstead night, which raised more than $1,100;
• Double the entries for our annual Reflections arts competition and a great turnout for our Reflections Gallery and Discovery Donuts in November;
• A lot of support for the staff with our Wishing Garden for classroom supplies, a back-to-school breakfast, lunch for parent-teacher conferences, and side dishes for the holiday luncheon;
• The collection of more than 11,000 Box Tops, earning $1,129.50 for our school (we're almost halfway to our goal of $2,500);
• The smoothie station at Walk to School Day in October;
• The purchase of two steps for the monkey bars on the intermediate side;
• The purchase of Scholastic News and Reading A-Z to many classes;
• Partially funding the fourth-grade field trip to Celebration Park; and
• Helping to provide materials and fund the first-grade craft night in December.

Thank you to all the PTA members, staff, and volunteers who got the school year off to a great start.

There's more work ahead for us, and it's never too late to get involved. In addition to providing funding and support for teachers and classrooms, Discovery PTA will be undertaking a massive challenge in 2016 to add playground equipment to the intermediate side as well as some equipment for our special-needs students on the primary side.

Come to the first meeting of the year at 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5, in the Health Room to find out more about this initiative as well as some other activities that will be planned for 2016.

We need all the help we can get. If you would like to become a PTA member and get involved, come to the meeting or email discoverypta@gmail.com.

Papa Murphy's Fundraiser Slated for Wednesday

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I'm relieved that I can grab a take-and-bake pizza at Papa Murphy's during Discovery's Pizza Night fundraiser Wednesday instead of cooking.

Please show your support of Discovery (and take a night off from cooking) by going to one of five different Papa Murphy's in the area from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Just tell them you are from Discovery, and Papa Murphy's will donate 15% of Discovery pizza purchases to the PTA. The donation will aid Discovery's technology needs, including a projector for the gym. Be sure to invite all of your friends and families to pick up a pizza and support our school!

The participating locations are:

FAIRVIEW AVENUE

1330 E. Fairview Ave.

Meridian

CHERRY LANE

3317 W. Cherry Lane
Meridian

MERIDIAN ROAD

2723 S. Bartlett Ave.
Meridian

EAGLE ROAD

4626 N. Eagle Road
Boise

McMILLAN ROAD

3015 W. McMillan Road
Meridian

Items Still Needed for Discovery Staff Holiday Luncheon

Discovery PTA is helping to provide side dishes and desserts for the holiday staff luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 15. If you would like to make or purchase something for this event, please sign up on the link below and deliver to the school by 11 a.m. on Tuesday. This is a great way to show our staff how much we appreciate them. And the PTA appreciates all of the extra work our members and volunteers do to make Discovery such a great place!

Sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c49aaa72da6f58-dec15.

Holiday Wishes: Here Are a Few of Our Teachers' Favorite Things

Looking for a gift idea for child's teacher this holiday season? Check out some of our teachers' favorite things!

Discovery PTA's Holiday Happenings

It's hard to believe the holidays are already upon us. To help parents out during this busy month, the PTA has planned a few special things to make it a little easier on you!

• Teacher Holiday Wishes: We have asked teachers what some of their favorite things are to help give parents some great ideas for a holiday gift, if you are looking for one. We will be compiling their favorite things and displaying them on the bulletin board outside the library and on this blog in early December. Check back for more details!
• PTA Meeting: The December PTA meeting at 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1, has been canceled. The next one will be at 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5. We hope to see you in the new year!
• Popcorn Friday: If you did not pre-pay for Popcorn Fridays, please send in 50 cents with your child on Friday, Dec. 4, to enjoy a popcorn snack during the day!
• Papa Murphy's Fundraiser: We're giving you the opportunity to have a night off from cooking in December and help raise funds for Discovery's technology needs. Support Discovery by picking up take-and-bake pizzas at several Papa Murphy's locations from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Just say you're with Discovery, and Papa Murphy's will donate 15% of those sales back to the school. Flyers will be coming home in the next two weeks with more details. It's a win-win for all!

Share a Donut and Some Art with Your Student

The PTA will host its second Discovery Donuts from 8 to 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in the cafeteria. This is a great opportunity for students to bring the special adult in their life to share a donut and socialize with other Discovery families.

At the same time, everyone can visit the PTA's Reflections Gallery that will be set up in the gym. This year, we received more than 50 fabulous arts entries from our students that will be on display. Students also can participate in the art, dance, and literature stations that will be set up in the gym.

We hope to see you Friday morning for this fun Discovery event!

Will Mrs. Kalinski's Class Keep the Box Tops Trophy?

Photo by Jamie Muzzana

Photo Along with a smoothie party last week, Mrs. Kalinski and her fifth-grade class were awarded Discovery's brand-new Box Tops for Education trophy (for now)!

Although the next contest is an individual one, with the four students bringing in the most Box Tops by Dec. 4 receiving free passes to JumpTime, our Box Tops coordinators will be tracking by classroom as well. We'll see if Mrs. Kalinski's class can keep the trophy through the end of 2015! You can see how the classrooms are tracking on the bulletin board outside the cafeteria.

Also, parents can enter Discovery for a chance to win 5,000 bonus Box Tops from Scott toilet paper  at https://www.boxtops4education.com/bonus-box-tops/sweepstakes/2015/scott-tube-free.

Thanks again parents for clipping and sending in those Box Tops!