20 bonus box tops

Box top news.. Meijers is offering 20 bonus box tops ( printed at the register) when you purchase 4 boxes of general mills cereal. offer ends 10-7



Keep up to date on the box top facebook page: HERE

2nd ANNUAL CONCORD OX BOW JOG-A-THON

During the school day on Friday, October 7th , 2011, your student will be participating in the second annual OX BOW JOG-A-THON. It was a great day last year promoting health and exercise, and a lot of fun for the students. This year we are making a few changes that we hope will make it even more of a success! Each student will again raise funds by asking family and friends to sponsor them based on the number of laps they complete in a specified amount of time. The money raised from this event will go to help your student directly for field trips, assemblies, and many other fun and educational “extras” that they normally would not be able to have the chance to be a part of or use without the PTO funds that are raised each year. For example, this year we were able to purchase several IPOD TOUCHES and IPADs for several of our teachers with the money raised from last year. Our goal for this event is to get at least 75% of students to turn in their pledge form with AT LEAST $10 in sponsorships. Please help and encourage your student to ask friends, family, neighbors, and your co-workers to sponsor your child. Sponsors can pledge per lap (minimum pledge $.25 per lap) or with a flat donation should they prefer. The average student will complete 10-20 laps so pledge accordingly. EVERY little bit counts -whether you collect $10 in pledges or $200… so please do your part and help to make this event a success! When the minimum pledge of $10 is met on your student’s pledge sheet, be sure to send into your child’s classroom teacher the completed blue ticket that is attached to this form so we can track your child’s classroom progress toward our goal of 75% pledge form participation. If the goal is attained by October 14th, your child‘s class will get a popsicle party for reaching their participation goal! But, don’t stop there! Continue to get pledges and have a chance to win the IPOD TOUCH!

VOLUNTEERS are NEEDED! Parents are encouraged to volunteer and have the opportunity to cheer on your student. We are looking forward to a healthy, fun-filled time, with music, exercise, and healthy snacks the day of the event, as well as prizes to strive for through pledges and laps completed. You won’t want to miss the fun! Volunteers are needed for lap counters, snack tables, tally tables, etc. Grade participation times are on the back of this paper. Please contact Lynn Schrock (575-4013 OR schrocks5@gmail.com) if you wish to help with this event.

DRESS ACCORDINGLY to the weather that day. Athletic shoes and comfy clothes that match the temperature of your students’ jog time would be a great choice!

PRIZES are based on both participation, and pledges collected:
1.) The class per grade level that completes the most cumulative laps gets the title of “OX BOW Jog-A-Thon class CHAMPION”! These classes will have bragging rights and will receive a trophy to be displayed in their classroom for that entire year. This honor, however, will again be up for grabs next year and for the years to come.
2.) Every student that gets at least $10 in pledges will receive a free OX BOW spirit wear wristband to wear proudly to support our school.
3.) Every student will get a healthy snack and heap full of fun on the day of the event.
4.) For every $20 in pledges collected, each student will receive a raffle ticket that will be entered into a drawing for an IPOD TOUCH! (EX: $100 collected in pledges=5 raffle tickets)
5.) For every classroom that has at least a 75% participation rate turning in their pledge forms with a minimum of $10 worth of pledges on it, that entire class will receive a POPSICLE PARTY! If the class exceeds the 75% participation rate, they will also get an EXTRA RECESS! Progress toward this goal will be closely followed during your student’s lunch period for the next couple of weeks, so be sure to send your signed blue ticket into your child’s teacher as soon as your minimum goal of $10 is reached.

Pledge forms (sheets only) will be due on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5th, which gives you approximately 2 weeks to sign up your sponsors. We will redistribute the pledge forms with an envelope after the event to collect your pledges. Pledge sheet forms along with money collected are due FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14th. All winners will be announced on or before WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19th.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF OUR GREAT SCHOOL!

New Box Top Contest

New Box Top Program for his month:


Concord Ox Bow Box top program
This month only, all first time buyer on the Box top market place get 20 bonus box tops!! check out the website: www.btfe.com

School Fundraisers - Box Tops for Education
www.boxtops4education.com
Help support your school & child education by clipping Box Tops! Learn more about school fundraisers and school fundraising ideas

Why getting involved matters....

WHY PTO MATTERS
Being involved in PTO matters. It's one of those "should-do's" that you really should do.

Why?  Studies show:
Students who have parents involved in PTO:

- earn better grades
- score higher on tests
- pass their classes
- attend school regularly
- have better social skills
- show improved behavior
- be more positive in their attitude toward school
- complete homework assignments
- graduate and continue their education

And when dads are involved:

- succeed academically
- participate in extracurricular activities
- enjoy school

They are less likely to:

- have to repeat a grade
- be suspended or expelled

Schools with involved parents enjoy:


- better morale among teachers
- higher ratings of teachers by parents
- more support from families
- a better reputation in the community

When parents become involved in their children's education, the parents are more likely to:

- be more confident at school
- be more confident in themselves as parents and their ability to help their children learn
- be held in higher esteem by teachers and have teachers expect more from their children
- enroll in continuing education to advance their own schooling

*Information taken from Involvement Matters: What to Tell Parents at PTOToday.com



Come make a difference . . . Together we can achieve more.

Welcome Back

Welcome to the start of the 2011-2012 school year at Ox Bow Elementary! On behalf of The Concord Ox Bow PTO, I would like to extend a warm HELLO to those of you who are new to Ox Bow, and a “WELCOME BACK” to all of you who are returning.

I would like to take a moment and give a quick overview about Ox Bow’s PTO. Our PTO is a strong group of individuals committed to enriching the lives of students, teachers and parents of Ox Bow School. We are so much more than just an organization that does fundraising. We are a group of parents who help sponsor school assemblies, put on red ribbon week and fall harvest night. Fundraising is really just a necessary evil. As school budgets require more and more cuts, it is our privilege to provide the supplies, equipment and activities that our school community budgets can no longer cover. We are only able to do this because of your support and willingness to participate in our fundraisers like Exercise for Education and the Ox Bow Zaar.

Due to your tremendous support of last year’s events, PTO was able to purchase, a pulse oxmeter for the nurse, new wagons for the office, and more supplies for minds in motion room. We also bought weekly readers for the entire Kindergarten and 3rd grade classes, as well as donate money towards each grades study trips. Also watch for your child to bring home a birthday book that we as a PTO purchased, and look for a new summer reading program we are helping to launch. With your support of our fundraisers, we were also able to donate money to help improve the courtyard. And thanks to your support we will also be launching new programs such as poetry club, leadership team and a new PTO sponsored tutoring program.

We are looking to revamp grandparents day, spirit wear and the Jog-A-Thon this school year. We are even continuing on with Tower Tuesdays and adding a program called Pennies for Patients. Watch for most Family Event Nights to happen the 2nd Tuesday of every month.

As you may have noticed, there was again no ice cream social this fall. PTO is happy to announce that Fall Harvest Night is going to permanently stay in the place of the ice cream social. This evening will be a wonderful opportunity to enter Ox Bow, see the classrooms, walk around the school, deposit money into lunch accounts, pay book rentals, and learn more about school wide programs like Box Tops. We will once again be pre-selling Chicken BBQ and "pit"atoes tickets so families can grab a quick, delicious dinner on their way home. Watch for more info on this evening. This will also be our first Family Dinner Night for the school year.

Life is filled with many day to day tasks that consume so much of our time, but one thing will always remain the same, and that is the need for parental involvement at school. Statistics show that when parents become involved, students achieve more. I encourage you to find an hour or two to give of your time or talents to our wonderful school.

I invite you to come learn more about Ox Bow’s PTO. We meet the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm. Membership is free. Whether you are new to Ox Bow or a seasoned pro, we gladly welcome you. PTO is a wonderful way for adults to meet new people, reconnect with old friends, and build lasting friendships all while having a voice in your child’s school. Make sure to Follow us on Facebook at Ox Bow Elementary PTO (Concord Community Schools). All you have to do is hit the like button and you will receive updates from the PTO.

No amount of time devoted to your child’s school goes unnoticed or unappreciated! Come make a difference. Please join us for our next meeting,Tuesday, October 4th. 7pm.  You won’t regret it.

Courtney Sponseller
PTO President