[MeriwetherMatters] April 1, 2008

Tue Apr 1 21:40:39 EDT 2008

MLS MATTERS:  April 1, 2008

In this Issue....

- Calendar
- Soccer Donations - THIS WEEK!
- MLS Silent Auction
- Fun Fair Fun House
- Wethervane Submissions
- Meriwether Marketplace
- Budget Hearing
- Parent Council
- Petition
- PTO Classroom Fund
- Teen Health Night

Calendar:

March 31 - April 4: Soccer Equipment Donations Taken
April 2 - Public Budget Hearing, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors
April 7 - 11 - Spring Break - No School!
April 18 (Friday): MLS Silent Auction and Fun Fair

Soccer Donation Service Project:

Time to clean out your closets! Bring all of your old soccer equipment -- shoes, shin guards,
jerseys, shorts, socks, and soccer balls (must be deflated) -- to Meriwether Lewis during the week
of March 31st - April 4th. All of the equipment will be donated to underprivileged children at La
Pedrera School in Guatemala. Did you know that 52% of the population of Guatemala is living below
the poverty line? That's a lot of people and with your help we can make a difference in the lives
of these children. A box will be outside the Meriwether Lewis office for your donations. For more
information, call MLS Alumni Adam and Ben Schiller at (434) 970-7997. Thank you. 

Have You Ever Dreamt about.......

Wearing a UVA Jersey signed by Chris Long (priceless); hosting an event or office party at the
Carriage House at King Family Vineyards (value $6,000); going to a Dave Mathews Concert; owning a
pineapple finial to place on your barn or rooftop (value $2,000); or spending a long weekend in a
Cambridge, MA townhouse ($500).   Bid on these items and more at the MLS Silent Auction/Fun Fair
on Friday, April 18th.   Beautiful Copper Finial can be viewed now in the school display case
across from school library.

Want to bid early?  Contact Wendi Ruschmann at wruschmann at comcast.net if you would like to help
set-up or assist with sales at 8:00 p.m..  If weather is nice we'll be in the school by 12:00 p.m.
setting up.   

Fun Fair Fun House:

Calling all FUN  HOUSE  SUPPORTERS !  Remember Mark Lorenzoni's (5th grade parent extraordinaire)
fabulous fun house during MLS' annual Spring Fun Fair ?  

Construction of the Fun House is scheduled:
MONDAY,  APRIL  14th - 6:30-9:30pm
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16th - 6:30-9:30pm

People are needed to help put the Fun House together during these times.  All you need is a
flashlight, box cutters, and knee pads (if your knees need a little TLC).
CAN  YOU  HELP ?  Please let Mary Huffard Kegley Scott know:
maryhuffard at yahoo.com, 293-8587

Wethervane Submissions:

Please send submissions for the monthly PTO newsletter Wethervane to Liz Ratcliffe at
lizratcliffe at gmail.com by April 10.

Meriwether Marketplace:

Have a business you want to advertise?  Want to start a French conversation group?  Got an
elliptical collecting dust, or a babysitter looking for more work than you can provide? 
Classified listings are FREE in the Meriwether Marketplace, published the third Friday of each
month with the Wethervane. Local businesses can also place a display ad for a whole year for $200,
all of which benefits the PTO’s Community Outreach Committee, providing assistance to MLS families
in need. 
Email Anne Burroughs at burroughsanne at hotmail.com 

Final Public Hearing for the 2008-09 Budget:

Reminder:   The Board of Supervisors' final Public Hearing on the Board's Proposed Budget and the
2008 Calendar Year Tax Rate (the advertised rate is $0.71) is Wednesday, April 2nd, 6:00pm, Lane
Auditorium, County Office Building (COB).  The Albemarle County Schools Parent Council will
partner with the Albemarle Education Association to provide pizza, sides, drinks prior to the
public hearing in the room directly across from Lane Auditorium in the COB at 5:30 PM.  The Board
of Supervisors will decide after the April 2nd public hearing on its final tax rate, either $0.71
or below.

If you cannot attend the Public Hearing please take the time to contact the Board of Supervisors. 
You will find all of the contact information below.  You can email, call, fax or write but they
need to hear from you !!

Albemarle County FY 08/09 Budget Information  
http://www.albemarle.org/budget/

 To contact the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, you may use the
following group email:  bos at albemarle.org
BOARD MEMBERS:
Lindsay  G. Dorrier, Jr.  (Scottsville District) 
Dennis S. Rooker  (Jack Jouett District) 
Sally H. Thomas  (Samuel Miller District) 
David Slutzky   (Rio District) 
Ann H. Mallek  (White Hall District)
Kenneth C. Boyd  (Rivanna District) 

Info, contact:  Mary Huffard Kegley Scott, maryhuffard at yahoo.com

Parent Council:

ACPS  Parent Council meets Tuesday, April 1st in Room 320 of the County Office Building.  All are
welcome, and please share issues or concerns you wish to bring forward to Parent Council to Mary
Huffard Kegley Scott, ACPS Parent Council President, maryhuffard at yahoo.com

Do you have your STRONG  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS = STRONG  COMMUNITIES  ALBEMARLE  COUNTY car magnet ??
This is the message Parent Council hopes to spread throughout our community.  The car magnets are
provided by Parent Council at no cost (although a voluntary donation would be appreciated.)
Contact Mary Huffard Kegley Scott, maryhuffard at yahoo.com

Online Petition in Support of Education:

An online petition in support of education funding via the Internet is available, thanks to Sally
Cushing's (Brownsville) efforts.  As of Monday morning 3/24, there are 283 signatures, let's UP
that number !
Residents of Albemarle County, show your support for the School Board's proposed funding request,
as outlined on the Albemarle County Public School website, by signing a petition to be presented
to the Board of Supervisors' public hearing on Wednesday, April 2.  The final public hearing on
the county's proposed budget and the 2009 fiscal year tax rate will be on Wednesday, April 2 at
6:00 pm at the Albemarle County Office Building's Lane Auditorium.

Petition:
We, the undersigned, value strong public schools and support the School Board's 2008-2009 proposed
funding request for Albemarle County's public schools. 
We ask our Board of Supervisors to provide the necessary means to finance this request in full.
http://www.gopetition.com/online/17674

PTO Classroom Fund:

Class/homeroom parents are reminded of the PTO's reimbursement fund for classroom supplies
provided for parties, projects, etc. of $50 per classroom.  If your class has more than 1
class/homeroom parent, please coordinate your reimbursement with receipts submitted to MLS PTO
Treasurer Laurie Strucko ljs7a at virginia.edu  973-3815.  Reimbursement requests (with receipts)
should be placed in the Treasurer's PTO mailbox in the office at MLS.

Teen Health Night This Thursday, April 3 beginning at 5:30 PM:

Please make plans to attend Teen Health Night this Thursday at Burley Middle School. 1/2-hour
Information sessions will begin at 6:00, come for a little or as long as you like.  Here are a few
topics:
Safe Surfing on the Internet - Deputy Kevin M. Sprouse, Albemarle County Sheriff's Office 
Poison Awareness for Parents and Teens - Sue Kell, PhD, Education Director of the Blue Ridge
Poison Center 
Teens and Sleep - Gabriele Ford, RN, MSN, FNP-C, with the Pediatric UVA Children's Hospital Sleep
Disorders Program 
Acne: Truths and Myths - Brett D. Krasner, M.D., Board Certified Dermatologist, Family Dermatology
of Albemarle 
How to Talk to Your Child About Sexuality - Mary A. Sullivan, M.Ed., UVA Teen Health Center 
Proper Weightlifting Techniques - Trish Phillips, Director of Fitness, Glenmore Country Club 
Yoga, Heidi Johnson, Fitness Instructor, Glenmore Country Club 
Making Healthy Food Choices, Vicki King, Albemarle County Public Schools 
Adolescent Healthcare, Kelly Vincel, Pediatric Associates Teen Health Center 

This event is open to all parents in the community, not just Burley Middle School.  Also feel free
to bring your teens and tweens, too!

      ____________________________________________________________________________________
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.  
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com