[MeriwetherMatters] March 25, 2008

Tue Mar 25 20:31:45 EDT 2008

MLS MATTERS:  March 25, 2008

In this Issue....

- Calendar
- Soccer Equipment Donations
- MLS Silent Auction
- Fun Fair Fun House
- Meriwether Marketplace
- Budget Hearing
- Parent Council
- Online Petition
- Community Forum

Calendar:

March 16 - March 29: Fine Arts Festival at Fashion Square Mall
March 31 - April 4: Soccer Equipment Donations Taken
April 2 - Public Budget Hearing, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors
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. 

MLS Silent Auction:

Deadline for Silent Auction Donation is This Week!!!

Don't forget to bring/send in your silent auction donation to the PTO Office Center this week. 
The Silent Auction brochure is going to press shortly and we would like to receive your donation
or business card prior to publication.

Silent Auction and Fun Fair "Go Green" is Friday, April 18th.  Don't forget to check out the
display case in the school foyer for items you may want to bid on.

Download a Silent Auction donation form.
http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=9117

Any questions, contact Barbara Congdon at bqcongdon at embarqmail.com or Wendi Ruschmann at 977-7522,
Silent Auction co-chairs.
Thanks for your support.

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

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 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 wishes 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 210 signatures on the
petition.  Please up that number !
Description/History:
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

Community Forum on Preventing Underage Drinking:

APRIL IS ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH!
MONDAY, MARCH 31ST
6:30PM – Refreshments and Displays
7:00PM – Community Forum
Lane Auditorium – Albemarle County Office Building

Invited Guests and Panelists: Representatives from the Charlottesville and Albemarle Public
Schools, Charlottesville and Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorneys Offices, Albemarle County Law
Enforcement, elected officials, substance abuse prevention and mental health services community,
University of Virginia, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and Thomas Jefferson
Area Community Corrections. All representatives will be available after the panel for an
interactive question and answer session with the audience.
Intended Audience: Parents, educators, prevention specialists, government officials, health
professionals, social
workers, law enforcement, faith-based groups, local businesses, the University community, and
anyone else working with youth at risk for underage drinking! Students are welcome!

Information Contact: Laura Anderson, (434) 972-1881, lauraa at regionten.org.

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