Grandparents and Volunteers are Great!

The school is celebrating Grandparents' Day on September 11th. Invite a grandparent, grandparents, or an elderly friend to lunch with your child, they will love it!

On Wednesday is the MISD Volunteers in Public Schools Breakfast at the First Baptist Church Life Center from 9-10. This is for anyone who does any amount of volunteering from helping out in your child's class room to PTO/PTA events. There will also be sessions afterwards if you would like to stay. They include affordable travel destinations, products that help you stay organized, how to protect your family from the swine flu and quick and healthy breakfast options presented by Market Street There are 2 sets of sessions, one from 10-11 and another from 11-12. It's a great way to get psyched of the school year!

Cell Phone Use in School Zones.

This is from the City of McKinney's website. I suppose everyone has heard it by now.

Use of a mobile communication device on city streets is prohibited when the school zone
hours are in effect in the morning and afternoon for drivers of any vehicle if the car is in
motion. Hands-free devices are allowed when using a mobile communications device in
a school zone, and cell phone use is allowed in a vehicle when it is stopped. It is
permissible for passengers in the cars to use cell phones. There are exceptions for
medical, fire or police related emergencies.

Drivers caught using a cell phone to place calls or send text messages in a school zone
or in the public street without using a hands free device while operating a vehicle could
get warning the first time or up to a $200 fine. Signs will be posted warning drivers of the
new ordinance.

The whole document can be found at :
http://www3.mckinneytexas.org/www/uploadedFiles/Departments/Communications_and_Marketing/Press_Releases/CellPhoneOrdinance080709.pdf

Roll out the Red Carpet

Students returning to Burks this morning got a super red carpet weclome. Most children strode up like stars, some made a detour around the fuss and a few looked like they were being dragged back to school. And then there were those that had to be carried- the first day of Kindergarten can be tough.
There will be lots of tears shed today, some sad ones and some for joy. Mine will be both. Sad that my boys seem so independent that they don't need me to walk them to class and happy because my house will remain quiet and undisturbed for 7 hours in a row.

For your to-do list this week:
1.Give your child a giant hug and tell them they will have a great school year.
2.Fill out all the paperwork and return it to school ASAP. This really helps the teachers and the staff.
3.Don't forget to complete your volunteer application form (link on the left hand side of this page). Doing it the night before a field trip is too late!

Have a great year!

Can't make it Thursday?

Burks is the place to be this Thursday night, but what if you can't make it?
The teacher's list is usually posted on the windows of the front office so that you can check the list at any time. You can also call the school that Friday if you are so inclined.

And if you are waiting for the tax-free weekend and haven't bought your supplies by Thursday, you are still more than welcome to come on Meet the Teacher night. Just don't forget to bring your supplies on Monday!

Hot dog! 3 weeks until school!

Mark your calendar for the most exciting day before the start of school- meeting your new teacher- at Burks' Meet the Teacher and Hot Dog Supper, Thursday August 20th. Actually, the hot dog supper comes first between 6 and 7 and then from 7 to 8 you can meet your teacher and drop off school supplies.

Cooking is not one of my favorite things so I'm happy to say the school will be making the hot dogs and PTO will be sitting pretty at tables giving out the pre-ordered school supplies and handing out information about volunteering. We have a few extra pre-ordered school supplies for each grade that are first come first served. If you realized that you do not want to step out in this heat to buy a single pencil and are interested in one of our extra packages, send me an email and we'll see what we can do : burkspto@yahoo.com.

Other items for your back to school checklist:

• Fill out MISD's volunteer form (links to the new and returning forms are midway down on the left handside of this page under Links)
  

• Make a copy of a current utility bill or housing contract or rental agreement to prove your proof of residency