WHSPA AGM Recap

Here are a few items from the AGM last week that may be of interest to everyone:

WE Day, Tuesday, October 27^th @Calgary Stampede Grounds  (15 or 16 students will be attending with Ms. Siska. Thanks to WHSPA for the transportation support.

October 26^th @6:30-8:30om in the Wilma Hansen Library for parents in our community AHS partnership presentation: Respectful Relationships.

Halloween Week October 26 – October 29.

Parent/Teacher/Student conferences – Thursday October 29^th 3-5pm and then 6-8pm first come first serve basis.

Remembrance Day Assembly is on November 10^th at 10:30 am – Parents welcome!

Look for upcoming Purdy’s & Perogies fundraising campaigns from the band parents association.

Congratulations to our new & returning WHSPA executive rock stars:

• Chair - Ardith
• Vice Chair – Kari          
• Treasurer – Cheryl
• Casino Director – Ardith
• Fundraising Director – Brent      
• Secretary - Beverly

Parent Association Meeting: Thursday November 27 @ 7pm

Please add a reminder to your calendar: the upcoming meeting of the Wilma Hansen Parent Association will be held in the library at 7pm on the 27th of November.

One of the important highlights of this meeting will be the vote regarding the 'wish list' for the school. This is the list of items that the school would like the PA to purchase with our hard earned funds. Plan to come out and contribute to this important discussion.

Magazine Fundraiser Extension

Due to on going orders and popularity of this fundraiser the Parent Association has extended the deadline for orders to  November 14th.

Get your Christmas shopping finished up early and support the school at the same time.

Order your magazines today.

Go to: www.QSP.ca

Click on "Shopnow"

Enter our school code : 3698131

Enter your student’s name (great prizes to be won)

Further Fundraising Details

As promised, here are the details concerning the Magazine fundraiser

Great gifts ideas and your help supports our awesome school!

SO EASY: 

Go to: www.QSP.ca

Click on "Shopnow"

Enter our school code : 3698131

Enter your student’s name (great prizes to be won)

Start shopping!!

Thanks again!! 

Wilma Hansen School Parents Association 

For a brochure with full details, please click here. 

Any questions; email info.whparents@gmail.com

Magazine Fundraiser

From our Fundraiser:

Wilma Parents…

Wilma Hansen School Parent Association will be presenting our annual 

 Magazine Subscription Campaign  

and in addition a great new Photo Keepsake program! Create photobooks, Christmas cards, calendars and more!

 

Stay tuned for dates!!

Fundraiser: FundScrip - Where Shopping Is Fundraising

WILMA HANSEN Giftcard Fundraiser

With the Christmas season coming soon this makes gift giving easy! 

Purchase gift cards at no extra cost to you !

When you order $150 in gift cards, you pay $150 and you get gift cards worth $150!

Over 100 different gift cards from gas to groceries to restaurants !

HOW DO I START RAISING MONEY? SIMPLE:

• Check out the order form by clicking here for a full listing of cards available,
• Print out the sheet, 
• Fill in your orders,
• Make out your cheque to Wilma Hansen School Parents Association, 
• Drop off forms at the office.

Please note our final day for orders is FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29th

Fundraiser Information

Magazine Fundraiser: The end of our magazine fundraiser is fast approaching. October 19th will mark the final day you can support this effort. The Canadian Community Reading Plan is owned and operated in Western Canada and is a great way to promote reading and raise funds for our group. Click here to complete your order.

Urgent Request from the Bingo Team

The bingo is tomorrow night! The roster is almost filled up, but we need 3 more (and a few people on the reserve list would be good). Thank you to those who have signed up so far.

If you have been thinking about signing up please do it now.

http://www.volunteersignup.org/TCMW8

Maybe you can sign up other family members (over 18) to help out. Please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in helping out.

Thank you for volunteering!

The Wilma Hansen School Parent Association (WHSPA)  Bingo Team.

The Future or Our Parent Association

As part of the agenda at our last Parent Association meeting, Chairperson Lynn expressed her concern for succession planning for the Association.  Since she won't have children enrolled at Wilma Hansen School, she can no longer sit as Chair in September.  This position, along with Secretary, Vice Chair, and Treasurer needs to be filled.

The Parent Association at Wilma (as at many other schools) is a money manager.  Through volunteer effort, we raise funds at Casinos, Bingos, and other fundraisers like the magazine subscription drive.  As a democratic body representative of each parent in the school and in conjunction with school administration, we create a yearly budget with those funds. The budget is used to fund or subsidize various programs at the school that enrich our student's educational experience.  Without this extra money, parents would be paying more for some programs and some things would need to be dropped altogether. A sampling of the PA contributions:

• Apple ipads for classroom use - $8,000
• Quick Draw Animation Society ( Artist is Residence) – Spring 2013 - $10,000
• Equipment for New Design Suite - $10,000
• Author visit – David Poulson – Last Sam’s Cage - $600
• Pro Tech Breakaway rims for basketball - $600
• Pads for volleyball standards - $1150
• Volleyball uniforms - $3120
• SMART document camera - $900
• Set of GPS devices - $900
• Stoves for Outdoor Ed option - $900
• Academy of Reading literacy software - $5650
• Explorer Idol: Gr 7 musical theatre program - $685
• Bussing for field trips (Calaway Park, Leisure Centre, Drumheller)  - $6800
• Awards and student recognition - $4000
• SALTS subsidy

If we don't fill these executive positions, we can't have a Parent Association, without which there will be no casino or bingos - the primary sources of this money.

If you feel you can help and want to step up, now is a great time to learn about the roles we need to fill. No experience is necessary, there will be people around to help, and there are many guides on how to run a meeting and the PA.  Here is a link to our by-laws, these are the primary guide for the Association.  If you want to help or have questions, please let us know.  You can reach Lynn at jewittj@telus.net or myself at scampsall@gmail.com if you want to know more.

WHSPA Update

The following is an update from Lynn, Chair of the Parent Association - there will be no meeting in December so here is a summary of PA business:
 
Just an update on what is happening with the PA:

1.      At the last meeting, we discussed changing our meeting dates to the 3^rd WEDNESDAY of every month to allow more members to attend.  There were only a few of us there, so please consider if this would work for you and let me know, so we can post the January meeting date to the blog.
2.      We have received our new cheques for only one of our three new CIBC accounts.  Hopefully the other 2 will arrive today or tomorrow.
3.      I have called the AGLC with regards to the approval for our SALTS trip.  Gaming is apparently quite far behind in processing requests and we may not hear back for a few more weeks. 
4.      Along these same lines, we should submit the paperwork for guest artists etc as soon as possible as the AGLC seems to need significant lead time.  Tammy  has offered to co-ordinate this and the school is working on gathering the background information for the applications.
5.      The Alberta Registrar has granted us an extension to revise our bylaws until the end of Jan 2013.  I requested this extra time due to the AGLC reporting and banking business that has taken so much time over the last several weeks and they were very accommodating.
6.      I have made the last Fundscrip deposit so our total receipts from this fundraiser stand at $6825.  Assuming an average of 2-3% profit, we should receive at least $150. Thanks to Kathy and office staff for coordinating this and collecting the orders.
7.      A SALTS letter has gone home with students to notify that the final payment is due at the end of January.  As we will not have the proceeds from our December SALTS bingos until mid-January, we will have only a short time frame to finalize our allocations and notify parents of their discounts for this payment.  Just a heads up that we will need to be on top of this right away.
8.      As we made the motion to continue with Bingos for 2013-2015, we now need to complete the paperwork and submit it to the Bingo Barn – I believe the due date is in February. 

I think that is all for now.  I hope everyone is getting in the holiday spirit.  I know I am after hearing our band perform at the Jubilee last night.   They did very well and the whole concert was amazing! Well done!
Lynn

Important Due Dates for Fundraising

Fundscrip Gift Cards

Dollar for dollar you get your gift cards, and the school benefits.  We all buy groceries and gas so this is an easy way to help the school with your day to day purchases.  Find the order form on the school webpage, in the important dates section http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b685/ or click here to go straight to the order form.  All orders due by noon on Friday, Nov 30. (no exceptions)

Silpada Jewelry

Ordering online is easy, just follow these simple steps:
1. Go to www.mysilpada.ca/dalyn.sjogren
2. Click on Shop Silpada Catalogue to view the jewellery

3. Select Wilma Hansen as the party/fundraiser by clicking on:

Invited to a Party? Find your Hostess Now

THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT TO ENSURE ORDERS ARE PUT TOWARDS THE FUNDRAISER
4. Click on Continue Shopping to view the catalogues and jewellery

5. Add the items to your Shopping Bag and check out when you are ready

Support Wilma Hansen and place your order by December 7^th to guarantee arrival before Christmas!

A Note from Ms. Mallett: Admin Extraordinaire

PTS Conferences

Just a reminder of our upcoming Parent/Teacher/Student conferences to be held this Thursday and Friday.  Please plan to attend with your child to discuss their progress to date and any concerns you may have. Success happens when home and school are working together.

There is an early dismissal at 12:25 p.m. on Thursday and no school for students on Thursday afternoon or all day on Friday.

Interviews take place in the gym with a drop in (no appointment) format. 

            Thursday: 1:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m
                            5:00 p.m. – 7:50 p.m.

            Friday:      9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Results Report cards

Results reporting for Citizenship, Personal Development, and Character were sent home with all students on Monday. This first report represents student voice - where they see their strengths and where they identify areas for growth this year. We will be working as a team to support their goals. Our first full report card will be sent home February 4th. A reminder students should always be on top of their marks in each class through the regular updates emailed home each month. There is still time to complete those missing assignments.  

Book Sale

Wilma Hansen library will be featuring a book sale during our PTS conferences.  Our library assistant has put together a collection of titles at great prices that will be of interest to our students.  This is a great opportunity for some early Christmas Shopping.

Grade 9 Farewell Fundraiser

Our Grade 9 students are fundraising to help off-set the cost of a year end function.  They are selling cookie, brownie and soup mix jars through The Mixing Spoon.  These make great Christmas or hostess gifts.  Please talk to any grade 9 student or call our office for order forms. There will also be a table set-up at conferences for you to place your orders.  Our grade 9 students thank you for your support!

Parent Association Fundscrip Fundraiser: This message is sent on behalf of our Parent Association:

Get a jump on your seasonal shopping and support our Parent Association Fundraiser!  This great fundraiser allows you to purchase gift cards for groceries, restaurants, entertainment, gas and a rebate goes to the fundraising organization.  Click here for the information sheet and here for the order form and all orders must be received at the school by November 30, 2012.  They will have a table set up at PTS conferences to place your orders or answer any questions you may have.

CBE School Sponsors Followup

It appears all the trustees except two (Sheila Taylor and our Trustee Carol Bazinet) would rather not ask our opinion about corporate branding in our schools.  As I posted earlier this week, some rule changes were made that will pave the way for sponsorship money coming to the board:

The CBE recently changed two of its administrative regulations and would allow, under certain conditions, spaces such as classrooms to be named after companies that donate to the school board. - source.

Sheila Taylor wanted the Board to look at commissioning a survey to see how parents feel about the changes. Pat Cochrane (Trustee Chair) says that this isn't the right time for such a survey and that it may be something to look at in the future.

Sponsorship in the Schools?

The CBE's board of trustees meet tonight and a consideration will be raised by Sheila Taylor regarding corporate sponsorship in schools.  Click here to see the proposal. She will ask the board to consider commissioning a survey to parents to see how we feel about it.  The comment boards on all the stories about this are polarized, many suggesting an horrific look at a future filled with tobacco ads in the gym and fast food logos in the cafeteria while many are taking the approach that commercials are ubiquitous anyway so we might as well get some profit from it.

I can't see the harm in asking parents what they think and the survey results may inform the trustee's decisions in the near future. Understanding what their constituents think about possibly contentious issues is always a good thing.

My personal feeling is that if its done discreetly and uses sponsorship that reflects our community values - why not? Its better than milking parents with increasing school fees. How is it different from asking our kids to go door to door selling coupon books or pizza or chocolate bars: same stuff, different pile...

What do you think?  You okay with classroom sponsors?  Would calling the shop class, the "GE Room" or labeling the foods and fashion studies the "Sylvania Centre" be alright with you?  Leave a comment below...

Speaking of Fund Raising...

Wilma Hansen Fundscrip Giftcard Fundraiser

With the Christmas season coming soon this makes gift giving easy!

Purchase gift cards at No extra cost to you!

Fundscrip has hundreds of retailers to choose from!! 

Stay tuned for details – program to be launched mid November.

Wilma Fund Raiser: Magazines

Wilma Hansen Magazine Subscription Fund Raiser

Thanks to all who participated in this event - your participation made it a huge success!

You can still order on-line at any time if you are thinking of Christmas gifts or just a treat for yourself!

It is as easy as:

Go to www.ccrp.ca

Enter our school code : AB633

Start shopping !!!

Fundraiser Information: Magazine Subscription

The magazine fund raiser is starting today.  We are using the Canadian Community Reading Plan magazine subscription plan again this year. There will be packages available after the 3:00 assembly today.  There will be three prize days: September 28, October 5, and October 12. Click here for the official flyer and all the information you need to make this a successful campaign.

For convenience, go straight to the online order form by clicking the banner below. Our campaign code is already inserted; don't forget to give credit to your favourite Wilma Hansen student, they may win a great prize.

Jack Leslie Youth Environment Grant: Leaves and Literature

Mrs. Stiles, Mrs. Leslie, Dominic, and Cameron

Two Wilma Hansen students shone recently in a bid to win a cash grant.  Cameron Edwardson and Dominic Peterson (with guidance from Mrs. Stiles) submitted a proposal to the Jack Leslie Youth Environment Grant committee with the hope of getting some help making the school a better place.  Click here to read the acceptance status and the bid for the grant. Look for the upgrades and additions to the school library garden, its going to be a great place to relax/read/study.  Stay tuned for pictures and updates as the project progresses. 

Join the Parent Association and the school in congratulating these young leaders for their great work.

The following is the write up from the awards banquet

Wilma Hansen School Leaves and Literature - $1000

·         Wilma Hansen School has been undertaking several environmental projects within their school, the latest will be creating an indoor garden in the school library.  Students will design, plant and ultimately care for the garden, all while promoting literacy within their school by encouraging students to use the space.   Wilma Hansen students will research appropriate plants, purchase all of the materials including a fountain to maintain humidity for the plants to survive and will ultimately care for the garden.   Students will learn about eco-friendly spaces, planting and transplanting and the importance of plants in their environment.  

 

As an interesting aside to this post - read about John Clifford (Jack) Leslie: the visionary mayor/veteran/pilot/environmentalist/businessman here.

Grade 9 Farewell Fundraiser

The grade 9 students are raising money for their farewell.

They have decided to sell hanging baskets from Meadowbrook Greenhouses.  Please access/print the order form by clicking here or on the thumbnail on the left.  Fill out the form, bring it to the school with your payment.  Deadline for ordering is April 25, the baskets will be delivered to the school and pickup will be on May 10 (three days before Mother's Day - great gift).

The baskets cost $25 each or get a discount when you buy three for $65.  Help the grade nine's by supporting a memorable Farewell to Wilma Hansen.

WHPA Update from the Chair

Update from the Wilma Hansen Parent Association

Just as many students and staff are suffering from a variety of spring illnesses right now, so is our Parent Association.  We had a smaller than usual turnout to our meeting this week, but many valuable discussions and debates nonetheless.

To start off, we had some wonderful news for those Gr 8 and 9 students planning to head East on the Cultural Trip in mid-April.  The trip has been approved by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, so we can now allocate the fundraising dollars earned by all those parents who participated in the 3 Cultural Trip Bingos.  Check your email over the next few days to find out more about the discounts.  Many thanks to our volunteers!

Our spending is on track with the budget for this year as we wind things up over the next couple months.  There has been lots of activity as the school completes their wish-list of items needed throughout the school.  Some of the latest purchases sponsored by the PA include Soccer Uniforms, Microphones for Drama, Digital Cameras, Woodworking Tools, Artist in Residence for Dance, Robotics Kits, Library Books, and a new Sound System in the gym.  Fantastic!

Our next Bingo is in support of the Band Program and is scheduled for April 22.  Thank you to all the volunteers who have already stepped up to make this event a success.  The Band has a large budget in order to pay for professional clinicians, instrument purchases and repair, sheet music, and to subsidize the cost of sending each student to Band Camp.  The PA is proud to support this wonderful program.

We are in the process of organizing for our Casino coming up next year.  Keep checking the Blog for more information on when, where and how you can take part.

Did you know that volunteering for Bingo and Casino events earns you a voucher for 30 to 50 points that can be used instead of cash and applied directly to fees and other program/extra-curricular costs throughout the year?  Some examples are; field trip entrance and bussing fees, band fees and band camp, and Out-of-Province travel such as the Cultural Trip and SALTS sailing trips.  Vouchers are issued to each volunteer and are valid for one year from the date of issue, so keep them in safe place and don’t forget to use them! 

Please note: AGLC regulations prevent us from redeeming expired vouchers and they may not be redeemed for goods (such as gym strips or school hoodies) or food (such as offered by "Hawks and Stocks" or team pizza parties) - thank you.

The PA is planning on running another spring fundraiser and we are still looking for creative and original ideas.  Please watch for more information to come out in a month or so.

Do you feel a little out of the loop with what is happening in our school and community?  There is, no doubt, a decrease in the amount of time that parents are needed for volunteering within the Junior High setting compared to your experiences with Elementary School.  The Council/PA is one way that you can contribute for the benefit of your Junior High student.  Several of our Parent Association executive and dedicated volunteers are heading into their last year at Wilma Hansen for 2012/2013.  If you would like to be in touch with information and opportunities at Wilma, then get in touch with us!  Look for regular postings on the PA and School Blogs and please, come and join us at a Council/PA meeting!  We generally meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month and you are always welcome.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 7pm in the school library.  Hope to see you there!
Have a restful, safe and healthy Spring Break!

Best Regards,
Lynn Jewitt, chair