Past PTA News for 2004-05

Avona Student Art Show
Posted: April 20, 2005

Avona's Student Art Show will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2005 at the elementary school directly after the Spring Music Concert. The school will be open to view the student's work immediately after the morning show until 11:30 am and following the afternoon concert until 3:00 pm. The school will also be opened from 6:00 until 8:00 at night.

The students created some wonderful pieces of art. This year, the work is displayed according to technique and grade and some according to the artist they studied. The children have done a great job. Please come and support these talented artists.

Skateaway Family Fun Night April 12
Posted: March 27, 2005

Family Fun Night at the Skateaway on Tuesday, April 12th from 6pm until 8pm. All parents, guardians, grandparents and children are welcome. NO DROP OFF's ALLOWED! All children must be accompanied by an adult.  For all the details check the EVENTS PAGE by clicking HERE.

March Box Tops Contest Over
Posted: March 27, 2005

The winners of the Box Tops contest that ended on March 2 will be announced at ShopFest 2005. 

Keep Collecting! There is one more contest to finish up the year!  Looking back, Avona Elementary School has earned $4337.04 in all from collecting Box Tops for Education. This money has been used towards class trips, assemblies, planners, folders and many other items to benefit the students of Avona.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Seniors can apply for PTA Scholarship
Posted: March 27, 2005

Graduating Wilson High School Seniors who attended Avona Elementary School may now apply for one of two $500 scholarships being offered.

Wilson High School class of 2005 students who attended Avona Elementary for at least three years should read the Guidelines and fill out an Application.  Check the carousel holder in the main hallway of the high school for other scholarships.

Science Assembly is Shocking Fun
Posted: March 12, 2005  

A vat of liquid nitrogen, a hot air gun, some balloons and a Van de Graaf Generator helped make for a very fun and educational evening.  As part of our Family Fun Nights, The Discovery Center of Bethlehem came to Avona on Friday evening, March 11, 2004 for two hours.  The attending students became familiar with matter and hopefully picked up some tips that might help them with the April science fair. 

Bubblemania a Big Hit
Posted: March 2, 2005

Casey Carle, Bubble Artist, performed Bubblemania at Avona today.  His performance was delayed a day due to the snow storm closing school yesterday.  The students thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Casey Carle enclosed one student volunteer in a gigantic bubble.

Mr. Carle is an author of a science book titled Bubbleology. The Bubbleology book is a hands on kit approach to bubble artistry. An autographed book was available for purchase.  More copies are still available.  For more information on Casey Carle and Bubblemania, please visit www.bubblemania.com.

Chocolate Contest Winners
Posted: March 1, 2005

Thank you to all who sold Chocolates on Broadway!  All participants will receive a chocolate bunny pop. Top sellers are Megan C. - First Place, Isaiah G. - Second Place, Jimmie A. - Third Place.  They will receive baskets full of goodies and chocolates. Also, the highest sales person per class will receive a solid chocolate bunny. Pick up for the chocolate fundraiser is Tuesday, March 15, 2005 from 3pm until 5pm. Great Job everyone! 

Avona Shop Fest 2005
Posted: February 26, 2005

April 1, 2005, Avona PTA will host its' first ever evening of demonstrators. Shop Fest 2005 will consist of demonstrators from Tastefully Simple, Avon, Longaberger, Tupperware, Custom Beaded Jewelry, Stampin' Up, Creative Memories and Pampered Chef. The demonstrators have donated prizes for a raffle to be held that evening. Baked goods, food and a 50/50 drawing will also be available. Come on out between 6p and 8p on April 1, 2005 to support the demonstrators who are parents of students in Avona as well as Avona PTA For details, click HERE.
  Click Here: Demonstrators Needed !

Next PTA Meeting March 17, 2005
Posted: February 26, 2005

Next PTA meeting: March 17th, 2005 at 7pm in the library.  Our Guest Speaker will be Mr. Wagner, the Wilson Area School District Superintendent. 

Choc. Fundraiser Pickup March 15
Posted: February 26, 2005

The Chocolates on Broadway spring fundraiser pick up is Tuesday, March 15, 2005 from 3pm until 5pm.  Please stop by and pick up your orders. 

Jump Rope for Heart Earns $3150.61!
Posted: February 18, 2005

The Avona All Stars participated in Jump Rope for Heart on February 14th and 15th, 2005. Thanks to the students, teachers and volunteers, $3150.61 was raised for the American Heart Association! 

We would like to thank all parent volunteers who helped turn ropes and have fun with the kids. The students had a blast!  The PTA provided all participants with a pencil, a pretzel snack and a bottle of water. They also earned prizes such as T-Shirts and Toys through the American Heart Association! Thank you again to all! 

PTA Awarded $250 Membership Prize
Posted: February 18, 2005

Congratulations for our membership drive. The Avona PTA has been recognized by the PA State PTA with a $250 gift card for Office Depot for its' increase in membership for the 2004 - 2005 school year. Thank you for all your support!

February's Meeting Notes
Posted: February 18, 2005

The Incredibles was voted as the movie we will show in May for Family Movie Night.
The Avona 5^th grade students voted to have their swim party at PLMS with just the students of Avona. Harrisburg for 4th grade and Philadelphia for 5th grade have been approved by t
The Book Fair's theme is Read a Great Tale for the buy one get one event.  Bubblemania is set for Read Across America, but the PTA is still working on procuring quantities of the book Bubbleology for sale.  The distributor changed creating a problem.
All Avona students received a valentine treat of a Little Debbie's heart cupcake packet.
To date 107 yearbooks have been ordered.
The chocolates on Broadway sale is underway.
Vendors have been contacted for Shop Fest 2005.
The PTA Membership drive earned the Avona PTA a $250 gift card for largest increase in membership.
High School scholarship applications must be submitted by March 31, 2005.

Night Without Mom A Hit
Posted: February 9, 2005

Night without Mom brought out the craftiness in Dads, Grandpa's and many others. Glue dots were the talk of the evening. We have made a note to order triple the amount we had this year.

Cards were created and cupcakes were being decorated. Some did not make it home to mom but I'm sure they were not wasted!  Overall seeing the kids having this experience with their fathers was truly one of the many reasons the PTA is working hard at Avona.

Avona T-Shirt Sale Left-Over Sale
Posted: February 1, 2005

The Avona School Spirit T-Shirt sale is complete for the school year, however there are a few extra shirts still available.  If interested, contact the PTA via e-mail at .  School Spirit at Avona Rocks!

School Store Schedule Change
Posted: February 1, 2005

The School Store schedule will now be 3rd, 4th and 5th grades on the second Wednesday of the month and 1st & 2nd grades will be on the fourth Wednesday of the month. The students can visit the store from 8:40am to 9:05am. If anyone is interesting in helping with this committee please e-mail us at .

Box Tops Contest Still Underway!
Posted: January 24, 2005

Keep Collecting! The next contest does not end until March 4th, 2005. Looking back, Avona Elementary School has earned $4337.04 in all from collecting Box Tops for Education. This money has been used towards class trips, assemblies, planners, folders and many other items to benefit the students of Avona.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Campbell's Labels for Education
Posted: January 23, 2005

Campbell's is running a promotion to earn extra points for labels collected. Campbell's will give Avona School 5 points for each label collected from their Kitchen Classic Soups, Select Soups and Soup At Hand varieties. Also we can earn 2 points on 64 oz V8 Splash and 46 oz V8 Splash Smoothies. Keep sending in those labels.

Bubblemania Coming to Avona
Posted: January 23, 2005

Tuesday, March 1 at 2pm Casey Carle, Bubble Artist, will be coming to Avona to perform Bubblemania. Mr. Carle is an author of a science book titled Bubbleology. Bubbleology is a hands on approach to bubble artistry. An autographed book will be available to purchase for $10.00. A flyer will be going home as the date gets closer. For more information on Casey Carle and Bubblemania, please visit www.bubblemania.com.

Our Spring Fundraiser will kick off on Friday, February 4^th. All money is due on Tuesday, February 22. Please make any checks payable to Avona PTA, Inc. The orders are expected to be delivered on March 15th. Pick up will be in the library from 3 to 5pm.

Yearbook orders are being taken now through February 14, 2005. The total cost for each yearbook is $10.00. Please make checks payable to Avona PTA Inc. New this year: The yearbook will be printed all in color. Don't delay and order now! It makes a great keepsake gift. As always, the PTA will be purchasing one yearbook per 5th grade student as our keepsake gift to remind them of their last year at Avona.

Night Without Mom is Tuesday, February 8th, 2005 from 6pm to 7:30pm. Craft Night is designed for the students of Avona to come with dad, a grandparent, aunt or uncle to give mom a night of rest.  The students can create crafts for their loved ones for Valentines Day. Refreshments will be served. Snow date is February 10th. Come and enjoy a night of creativity!

We would like to thank Mr. Fred Bartosh, Assistant Superintendent, for his very informative presentation on the PSSA test scores. His presentation included both third grade and fifth grade results.

Avona is continuing to meet its' AYP, Adequate Yearly Progress. Avona is continuing to show signs of improvement. Mr. Bartosh also shared how the district as a whole is meeting Pennsylvania state standards in all areas except at the high school in their graduation rate. Currently, there is a plan in place to improve upon this percentage and guide students to remain in school.

During the open meeting, class trips reported 4th grade will be going to Harrisburg and 5th grade will be going to Philadelphia pending approval from the school board at February 7th's meeting. Book fair reported the spring buy 1 get 1 will be held the week of April 15th to April 22. Family night for book fair
will be Friday, April 22nd during the science fair. The theme is Read a Great Tail. Family Nights reported expenses and that there is a lot of positive feedback and great attendance. Fundraising discussed a fourth fundraiser to be a night of
demonstrations in the all purpose room.

Health and Safety reported on the Mitten Tree. Holiday Shoppe reported expenses and that the children were very excited about the items. Additional items had to be purchased at the Dollar
Store for makeup day. Room mother reported expenses for Winterfest. Also last days theme will be Hawaiian. Fourth grade chaperones were picked in a lottery. School Store ordered pencils for Student of the Week and things went well consolidated 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.

Special Programs reported check was received from Box Tops for Education. Yearbook reported they are receiving orders.  Yearbooks are on sale for $10 each. The yearbook will be in all color. New business mentioned that Kids Pics is interested in
coming to one of Avona's Open PTA meeting to do id cards for any student interested in doing this. Cathy Smyth will be contacting Christmas City to see if this is a program they do and to check pricing.

Family Game Night in January was a great success. Over 40 families came out and played games. Yahtzee, Twister, Monopoly and Chess were among the games being played. The night went very well and the kids especially enjoyed the door prize giveaways. There were 11 prizes in all. The winners are as follows:

Avona students donated 68 pairs of mittens, 27 hats, 8 scarves and 1 pair of mitten fasteners to Third Street Alliance in Easton. The PTA would like to thank you for your generosity and kindness. We look forward to this annually to help others who are in need and appreciate your help in making it happen.

Box Tops for Education is running a new promotion. For every 5 new Box Tops Visa Cardholders, Avona School will receive a $50 prepaid Visa Card to be used towards anything we choose.

In addition to this, the cardmembers who signs up, are approved and make any purchases totaling $25 will receive a bonus of 50 Box Tops for your child to submit in the schools contests.

If you are looking to have a new Visa Card why not try for Box Tops for Education and choose Avona as your school to support.

Mr. Wright, the Teachers and Faculty of Avona would like to start a used book store for the students. In order to get this off the ground and running, a supply of books are needed.  Any books you can donate would be much appreciated.

The basic concept of the program is that you bring a book and you get a book.

All students will receive one voucher to kick off the program. With this voucher they can select a book. Once finished with that book, they would bring it back in exchange for another book.

Reading is fundamental to a child's education. With this program, making reading be about what the child wants to read will encourage them to do more of it.

Get School Closing Alerts
Posted: September 20, 2004

School closings can be found at the WFMZ web site, http://www.wfmz.com/stormcenter.  Click on the bold blue words to visit the WFMZ site.  You can also sign up here at the WFMZ site to have school delays and closings sent to your e-mail and/or cell phone. 

To find out the e-mail address for you cell phone, check with your cell carrier.  You may need to have it activated and there may be fee's.  For example, my Verizon plan includes the service, but charges $.02 to receive and $.10 to send a message.  Your plan may vary.

December 2^nd PTA Meeting News
Posted: December 4, 2004

Some of the teachers at Avona presented what our children are learning in math prior to the meeting.

 Please see the Meeting Agenda to see what was discussed by clicking HERE.  I hope to have more details about what was discussed posted here late Monday evening.  Please check back Tuesday.

Congratulations to Mr. Schneck's class and the Avona Elementary School in their food drive efforts. Overall the school collected in excess of 800 cans of food. The PTA donated enough money to purchase eight turkeys, one for every 100 cans collected. The food was delivered the Project Easton Food Bank the day before Thanksgiving. 

Fall Fundraiser Delivered!
Posted: November 23, 2004

The Fall Fundraiser was delivered to the school today, November 23.  Items were available for pickup between 3 & 6pm.  Everyone with an order that did not pick up their order has been called.  Students raised just over six thousand dollars!  Way to go!

November Meeting Date Change
Updated: November 23, 2004 - Posted: September 16, 2004

The PTA meeting scheduled for November 18th has been changed to December 2nd, 2004.  Avona will have a half day of school on the 18th. 

There is normally no meeting held in December with the holidays being so close. This meeting will cover both November and December.

Some of the items to be discussed include the Fall Festival, Book Bingo and the Fall Fundraiser to name a few. Do you have any questions regarding your child’s math lessons or homework? Teachers will be on hand to answer any of your questions as well as go over what the students of Avona are learning in Math.

Sportswear Delivered!
Posted: November 12, 2004

School Spirit has hit Avona!  Over 150 pieces of Avona Sportswear have been delivered and the halls are filled with the school spirit of the Avona All Stars!

The Wilson Area School District held an Open House on Saturday November 6th between 10am and Noon.  All schools were open for the community to visit with free shuttle busses running between all five schools.

My sons and I visited Avona, Phillip Lauer and the High School.  We found all of the tours fun and interesting.  Staff and PTA led the tours at Avona and the Phillip Lauer Middle School.  At the High School, we received a students view as we were led by Seniors proud to be attending WAHS.  All of our tour guides were friendly and open to all of our questions. 

Turnout seemed light, perhaps due to the bonfire the night before and the game later in the day.  This did provide a calm relaxed atmosphere for the tours.  We hope the district looks to promote this more and that this becomes an annual event.  Students transitioning to the middle or high school would no doubt find the open house of particular interest. 

We would like to thank the school district, staff and PTA for volunteering their time to open the schools for us. 

October 21^st PTA Meeting
Posted: October 24, 2004

The October meeting is started an hour late due to the FAMILIES Program being held.  All committee reports were submitted in writing.

Cathy Smyth, President asked for volunteers for the community open house on November 6th. She also asked if anyone is interested in serving on the Health Advisory Council the district is assembling.

The Christmas present the children will be receiving was voted on as well. It is a surprise and will not be posted in the meeting minutes until after the presents are distributed.

Michele Benes offered information regarding the Chartwell’s school lunch committee meeting the she and Cathy Smyth attended.   

Our guest speaker, Principal Wright, explained the new report cards that all students will be receiving at their November conferences.  These new cards provide greater detail on the students proficiency in various aspects of each subject. 

The proposed Meeting Minutes are available.  They will be presented for approval at the December 2^nd PTA meeting.  You can click HERE to go to the meeting Minutes page,

Tax Relief via Act 72
Posted: October 24, 2004

Did you receive your ACT 72 Homeowner / Farmstead Tax Relief Form?  If you pay property taxes, you should submit this form. Gambling revenue earned by the state will be distributed only to those that submit an ACT 72 form. 

More information can be found at:
   http://www.wilsonareasd.org/Business%20
   Office/Tax%20Information/ACT72.htm

District Wide Open House
Posted: October 24, 2004

On Saturday November 6th, 2004 between 10am and Noon the Wilson Area School District will host a district wide Open House!  All schools will be open for the community to visit.  Shuttle busses will run between the five schools and refreshments will be provided..  Come see your child's school as well as the other schools. 

Box Top Winners - Fall 2004 - 2005
Posted: October 27, 2004

The Top Contributor was Kianna U. with 273 BoxTops.  Congratulations Kianna! 

Other Winners include:

Mrs. Golden’s 2nd Grade Class won the Top Class Award for turning in the most BoxTops. Mrs. Golden is receiving a gift certificate from Don Pablo’s.  The class will be scheduling an ice cream party for bringing in 780 BoxTops!

Total BoxTops collected were 3771 raising $377.10 for the Avona PTA.  A box top is worth ten cents.

Fall Book Fair 2004 Contest Winners
Posted: October 27, 2004

Winners from the Read, White and Blue Count the Candy Jar contest who won a poster include:

Our school nurse, Mrs. Grube, won the jar of Mike and Ike’s Red, White and Blue Candy with the winning total of 272 exactly! 
Congratulations to all our winners!


October 21^st PTA Meeting @ 8pm
Posted: October 2, 2004

The October meeting is starting an hour late due to the FAMILIES Program being held before the meeting.

We will host guest speaker Mr. Wright, Principal. Mr. Wright will be discussing the new report cards that all students will be receiving at their November conferences.
 

Open House Sept. 27
Posted: September 28, 2004

Early visitors to Open House were treated to a slide show on the big screen showing students and staff in action.  Visitors were also able to view what is available at the Student School Store, sample upcoming fund raiser and Holiday Shop items that will be available.  The Student Book Fair was open throughout the evening for parents to visit with their children.

After a brief introduction, Mr. Wright introduced the staff at Avona and encouraged every parent to read to their child each day.  Two sessions followed where parents could meet their child's teachers and learn what is going on in their class. 

Open house was postponed a week late due to hurricane Ivan the prior weekend.  Some local roads were washed out by Ivan forcing schools to remain closed last Monday.  

Ivan Postpones Sept. 20 Open House
Posted: September 20, 2004

Due to damage caused by hurricane Ivan over the weekend, all district schools including Avona were closed.  As a result of the school closing, Open House could not be held. 

Whenever the school is closed, any evening functions for the school are thereby cancelled.  Please check your child's backpack or here for the rescheduled date.

New Design for the T-Shirt Sale
Posted: September 18, 2004

After some eight years we have a new graphic for this years T-Shirt sale!  Check it out by clicking HERE!

PTA Meeting September 16^th at 7pm
Posted: September 17, 2004

This budget proposed at the September 9^th meeting was approved. You can review it on the Budget page HERE.  The new Sportswear Logo was voted on.  Book Fair plans were discussed. Some class trips and assemblies were decided on. More ideas were proposed for the student Christmas present. Reports were given for Fundraising and Membership.  More details will follow in the Meeting Minutes.

 Also this evening, information was given out on “Taking the Tears Out of Homework”. Parents shared their ideas and tips that work. A travel book bag filled with items to do homework including a clipboard, pencils, crayons, scissors, paper and sharpener was raffled off and won by Ellen Cintron. Congratulations!

Juggling Scarves Sale
Posted: September 14, 2004

The PTA has arranged for the purchase of scarves if you would like a set for home. The order form can be found by clicking HERE.
Print a copy and send it with your child to school.  Orders must be in by September 27th.  A set of 3 scarves are $3, Shipping is free!

All students received a set of scarves from the PTA.  These must be kept at school for use during the school day throughout the year. 

Juggling for Success Evening Assembly
Posted: September 14, 2004

On Monday, September 13^th from 6 to 7pm we learned to juggle (some more than others...) with our children.  The kids had their own assembly during school and were able to get a head start on us.  And did it show!  They were awesome!!  

If you missed it, you missed out one of the best evening programs held at Avona.  You can read more about it on the Assemblies Page and more HERE.

Why juggle?  Juggling helps improve concentration, behavior, reading, writing, patience and persistence.  It's also allot of fun!

PTA Meeting; September 9^th at 7pm
Posted: September 10, 2004

The proposed budget was read and will be voted on at next meeting. 

After much deliberation, members voted to continue running the Harvest Festival for Avona students instead of a joint festival with Wilson Elementary as was proposed by the Wilson Elementary PTA.

Avona 5th grade students currently have a Pool Party in May at the indoor Middle School.  A joint Pool Party with Wilson Elementary in July at the Wilson Borough Public Pool instead was proposed.  The PTA voted to let the 5th grade students decide which pool party they would prefer.  Student voting will take place later in the school year. 

Two new graphics for the Avona T-Shirt sale were reviewed.  One graphic could be the winner with some minor changes.  The graphic artist is going to make the change and the New graphics will be voted on at the September 16th meeting.  This may delay the T-Shirt sale.  Check this News page for the latest updates.

September PTA Meetings Scheduled
August 28, 2004

There will be two meetings in September.  Both meetings will be held in the library.  Details are:

Thursday, September 9^th at 7pm

This meeting features the Reading of the Budget as well as other business. 

Thursday, September 16^th at 7pm

This meeting will approve or reject the Budget proposed at the September 9^th meeting and review other business.  PTA meetings are held in the library.

For the first time ever, FREE Child Care will be available for this meeting in the All Purpose Room

Membership Drive Underway!
Posted: August 28, 2004

Family PTA dues have been reduced $7.00 for a family (2 members).  Individual dues were and continue to be $4/year.  Of this $1.75 goes to the Pennsylvania PTA, $1.75 goes to the National PTA. 

The state PTA is offering these incentives to increase membership:

• 4 tickets to see the 76er’s play for the PTA who has the highest male participation.

• 7 free tubs of Joe Corbi’s pizza dough to the first five PTA’s in each district who pledges to increase their membership by 10 percent.

• A pizza party to include parents, faculty and students to the 7 highest PTA’s with largest overall increase in membership.
• Thousands of discounts at retailers and on-line stores such as Barnes & Noble among others.

Joining and supporting the PTA shows your support in your child's school, education and the special programs PTA sponsors.  Click HERE to find out what the PTA does for the students and school, or visit the PTA Membership page under the Business menu above. 

The PTA Membership Drive is underway.  Hurry and JOIN NOW to help the kids and your family win prizes!

Juggling for Success Evening Assembly
Posted: August 16, 2004

Find out how easy it is to juggle with you children!  Juggle with us on Monday, September 13^th from 6 to 7pm.  Learn and have fun with your children. 

Why juggle?  Juggling helps improve concentration, behavior, reading, writing, patience and persistence.  It's also allot of fun! 

The Juggling for Success program emphasizes students' emotional, psychological, and physical health needs, and it reinforces academic success. 

You can find out much more at:

Summer Box Tops Contest Underway!
Posted: June 11, 2004

Before school ended this year, students were provided with a flyer explaining the Summer Box Top contest and a bag to collect them. 

Students must turn in their Box Tops by Friday, September 24^th.  The student with the most box tops will win a prize.

Volunteers Needed!
Posted: May 28, 2004

Volunteers are still needed by the PTA to fill some executive board positions for the 2004 – 2005 school year. Please consider volunteering to chair or co-chair a committee.

No special skills are needed.  Please review the list of committees under the Organization menu to see what interests you. Please click HERE to contact the PTA on how you can help. 

All PTA meetings for the 2004 – 2005 school year will be open to everyone. Babysitting will be offered for several of the meetings. The high school Keys club will be supplying the PTA with at least two high school students for these meetings. Volunteering has just been made more simple and convenient.

Volunteering can provide the opportunity to interact with other parents and your child's teachers. Studies show students do better in school when their parents are involved.  You can help ensure that your child's events are successful by volunteering your time, baked goods or other items for our special events.