Farley Middle School PTSA Email: farleymiddleschoolptsa@gmail.com August 2019 Volume 1, Issue 1 Welcome Back to School WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT for 2019/2020 school year DEAR FARLEY COMMUNITY, As hard as it is to believe we are now in the countdown mode to the beginning of the new school year. Summer has flown by so quickly and I truly hope this summer has given you time together as a family. I hope you have had time to rest, and time – precious time – with your children. As we prepare for the controlled chaos of a school year, please know that your PTSA, administration, faculty, and staff have been diligently preparing the facilities, classrooms, resources, curriculum, and most importantly themselves for the year. Our PTSA Board has met several times this summer and attended LAUNCH Conference in order to bring you a spectacular year! It is going to be a great year to be a member of Hippo Nation! I would like to ask you to join together as a community in preparation for the coming year by lifting our faculty and PTSA in a moment of reflection. We have two weeks before classes begin and my hopes are that nearly 900 students, 1800 parents, and thousands of siblings and grandparents will lift up our educators who will be bringing not only the academics for life’s lessons to your children, but also the inspiring perspective of intellectual development. Let us all share the lesson of kindness and responsibilities of middle school with our children. Please find a listing of upcoming planned PTSA events for the Fall Semester page 2. The goal of the PTSA this year is to deliver: Increased Parent Participation Increased Student Participation Increased Teacher Participation To become a National PTA School of Excellence Program School give back: To deliver to FMS one cart of 35 Chrome laptops Outdoor picnic tables for outside lunches and classroom time on a beautiful fall day Outdoor awnings to cover the picnic tables for really HOT days The bar is set high; but with our Farley community, these goals can be achieved! YOU matter most: family, students and our community matter most. The PTSA will support students and families throughout the year in various activities for family gatherings and teacher appreciation. Together, we CAN work towards these goals for OUR children, grandchildren, teachers and staff. Your involvement in the PTSA will be crucial for the success of your student, your school and community. We want to create learning opportunities for children, support for our teachers and a community of kindness and support. Again, we can’t wait to see you on campus and at our PTSA events. Soon you will begin to receive e-mails about PTSA events, athletic events, the arts and so many exciting things. But the most exciting thing of all is that your child will soon be learning even more in a community which cares about their wellbeing, education, safety and having fun! Enjoy your remaining summer. We are Hippo Nation! The Farley Middle School PTSA Elizabeth Castillo – PTSA – President 2019-2020 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Why Join the PTSA ................. 2 Events Planned for the Year ... 2 Meet Y our New PTSA Board .. 3 Meet The Principal.................. 3 School Supply Program .......... 4 School Supply List 6, 7, 8 ....... 4 Transportation and School drop off information ........................ 5 SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST School Supply Program, we get 50% back for our kids!!! What events are planned and how you can help this year. www.FarleyMS-PTA.com
WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN THE PTSA ... Your Child Benefits...When parents get connected to their school, kids do better! Research shows children whose parents are involved get better grades, do better on tests, and have fewer discipline problems at school. These days, our schools are asked to do more with less, our help makes a true impact on our student’s and teacher’s lives! We Are About Involvement, Not Fundraising - And There's A LOT To Be Done! In these times of tight budgets, parent groups everywhere are having to fill in gaps, and so are we! But our number one goal is to get more parents connected to Farley. That's because more than 300 independent research studies show that building parent involvement in education is the number one thing we can do to create a great school and improve student success. Schools are asked to do more with less these days, and our help and involvement is needed! The work we do covers a broad spectrum, filing and creating documents, planning and executing events, writing and editing, working directly with students and teachers, managing a budget and cash flow and so much more! We encourage creative ideas and we’re thrilled to have people take on tasks that meet their skills, interests, and time constraints. We won't push you to commit to more than you want or are able. We Make A Difference Our mission is to create the kind of school community where our teachers and administrators can do their best work—and so can our Farley students! We provide support for teachers in and out of the classroom, we provide resources they need. We help create learning opportunities for our children, and we try to build the kind of supportive, caring atmosphere that makes learning fun! “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller EVENTS PLANNED FOR THE YEAR... LET US KOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP! Membership Drive @ Meet the Teacher Night: August 14th (bring your cash and /or cards to join the PTSA and join in on the raffle (Raffle will be drawn at the first PTSA General Meeting): Family Fun Basket – Raffle Samsung Chrome Book-Raffle VOLUNTEERING & MENTORING MORE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN BECOME AN ON CAMPUS VOLUNTEER WILL BE PROVIDED SOON… Membership is $15.50 for parents, $5.00 for students All proceeds are returned back to the school in various PTSA sponsored events Recruiting Parent Volunteers for the PTSA committees – September (see FB-FMS PTSA site) Teacher Back to School Breakfast – August 20th Donations needed see (FB-FMS PTSA site) Back to School Dance- TBD-(Save the date-September 6th) Picture Day – September – Volunteers will be needed PTSA General Meeting – September 10th from 6-7pm —Membership Drive & Raffle Selection Family Fun Basket – Raffle Samsung Chrome Book--Raffle Spirit Night – Chipotle – Stonehill Pflugerville-September 24th, 5-8pm Fall Festival – October-Volunteers will be needed PTSA – Sponsored Speaker – October – Farley Middle School – Cafeteria General Meeting – November Fall Field Day – November Pies for Teachers-November Christmas Event – December-Volunteers needed FIRST ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT – April, 2020—Volunteers and Golfers needed! 2
WHEN THE TEACHERS ARE IN NEED THE PTSA IS THERE INDEED ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE… THE TEACHERS AT FARLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL LOVE COFFEE, SO THE FARLEY PTSA DONATED 2 KEURIG COFFEE MAKERS SO THE TEACHERS CAN START THEIR DAY OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. WE WILL TAKE REQUESTS LIKE THIS ALL THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR AND DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THE TEACHERS HAVE WHAT THEY WANT AND NEED TO MAKE IT THE BEST YEAR EVER! MEET YOUR FARLEY PTSA EXECUTIVE BOARD FOR 2019/2020 President Elizabeth Castillo - Hello, my name is Elizabeth Castillo and I moved to Hutto in 2006. I have a son, who will be entering into the 7th grade. I served as the Secretary for the FMS-PTSA in 201819. It is my goal to see Farley be number one in the Hutto community and to help and implement fun filled and educational activities our children will remember and cherish as “middle school memories”. I will be advocating for our school to be a “School of Excellence” and pursue open communications with students, families, administrators and parents. It is my desire that our students, parents, and teachers will become active in the PTSA and experience an exciting year! We are… “Hippo Nation” Vice President, Program & Events Jaclyn Alcoser - Hi! My name is Jaclyn Alcoser. My daughter is an 8th grader at Farley. I volunteered for events at school last year and this year is my first year on a PTSA board. I hope to make this year positive and memorable for parents and students. I look forward to another great year at Farley! Vice President, Membership Karmon Hill - Greetings, FMS Hippos! My name is Karmon Hill, and I am your 2019-20 Vice President, Membership. As a PTSA Board member, my goal is to support FMS's teachers, students, administration, and programs. As your VP of Membership, I want to connect with you so you feel engaged, empowered, and informed. Our charge is to make Farley a premier campus for excellence in education. Are you ready? Join PTSA today! Secretary Christina Garza - My name is Christina Garza and I am the Secretary of the PTSA. You can usually find me bouncing around all our school events with smile. I am usually described as peppy and approachable. Although I tend to be running a little late, I make up the time by staying organized and completing tasks like a small whirlwind. Talkative, caring, and open to suggestions, means I want to be a point of contact for all parents, teachers, students, and staff. Don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation with this stay at home mom. Treasurer Alison Barajas - I have lived in Hutto since 2007, my son has attended HISD schools since Kindergarten, and we have 2 dogs. In my professional life I am an Administrative Assistant, I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Texas State University, and enjoy reading and traveling. Parliamentarian Elizabeth Howell - My name is Elizabeth Howell and I will be serving as the Parliamentarian for the 20192020 school year. I’m happily married with 6 kiddos. I have one in college, one in High School, one in Middle, one in Elementary and 2 toddlers. I’m also the Farley campus representative, for The Special Education Parent Advisory Council. I’m looking forward to a great school year! Historian Andrea Velasquez - Hi, my name is Andrea Velasquez; I have lived in Hutto since 2006 and quickly fell in love with it. I have an 11 year old who will be starting 6th grade and an 8 month old who we are teaching the Hippo way. I have served and volunteered with the Ray and Howard Norman PTA’s for the past several years and I look forward to working with all of the Farley Families to make this a great year! MEET PRINCAPAL MARK WILLOUGHBY Mr. Willoughby joined Hutto ISD in the fall of 2018 as the Hutto High School Assistant principal and then moved on to take on the Principal position at Farley Middle that Sept. A native of Killeen, Willoughby is a 1991 graduate of Howard Payne University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and English. Prior to joining Hutto ISD, Willoughby served as an assistant principal at Bastrop High School for five years and as an assistant principal at both Bastrop Intermediate and Bastrop Middle School. He also served as the District Coordinator of Athletics and Student Services for Bastrop ISD. In addition, Willoughby has 16 years’ experience as a head baseball coach and English teacher. Willoughby has been married for 26 years to Nicole, who is counselor at Mina Elementary in Bastrop ISD. The Couple has two childrendaughter Alicia, a junior at the University of Texas, and son Mark Edward, Jr., who will be a freshman at Howard Payne University. “It is an honor to be a part of the FMS Family and the Principal of this outstanding campus! I look forward to meeting and working with you throughout the year so we can inspire excellence in academics, character, and community! Please join me in recognizing our students, staff, and faculty for a job well done!! “ 3
FARLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA SCHOOL SUPPLY PROGRAM Our school is participating in a school supply program through Yubbler.com this year. When your purchase your school supplies on Yubler.com our school will receive 50% of the profits! One click ordering makes back to school shopping simple! Parents can customize orders (buy only what you need). Shipping to your home or personal address. The school gets half the profits! Visit https:// www.yubbler.com/Yub/Details/32013 What you need to do: • Find the supply list for your child’s grade • Click on the purchase button (“Full List”) then enter your shipping and billing information • You can customize your cart in checkout by removing or adding items You will find the Ear Buds and Headsets are listed under additional items, you will need to ADD that item if you do not already have one your child will use. • You’re done!
SCHOOL BELL INFORMATION: FIRST BELL 8:35 A.M. LET OUT 4:00 P.M. THERE ARE TWO LANES FOR PICK UP AND DROP OFF. THE LANE CLOSEST TO THE SCHOOL IS FOR DROP OFF AND THE SECOND LANE IS THE PASSING THROUGH LANE. PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL DURING PICK UP AND DROP OFF. Although the Speed limit around our school is 25 during school and designated before and after school times, a speed of 10-15 mph is safer during drop off and pick up times. Please refrain from using your cell phone while driving through our school parking lot and in school zones around our school. You will not be allowed to pick up your child behind the school. Be ready to provide proper identification when checking out students early or if you plan to visit during lunch or teacher conferences/meetings. SAFE WALK/BIKE TO SCHOOL ZONES HTTPS://WWW.HIPPONATION.ORG/CMS/LIB/ TX02215449/CENTRICITY/DOMAIN/144/16-17%20FARLEY% 20MS%20WALK%20ZONE.PDF STUDENTS ATTENDING FARLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE CREEKBEND AND GLENWOOD SUBDIVISIONS HAVE BEEN DECLARED AS BEING WITHIN THE TWO MILE STATE OF TEXAS MANDATED WALK ZONE. STUDENTS RESIDING ON FISHBAUGH LANE AND MCCOY LANE IN THE GLENWOOD SUBDIVISION WILL RECEIVE TRANSPORTATION, AS THIS AREA LIES OUTSIDE THE WALK ZONE. BUS ROUTE INFORMATION HTTPS://WWW.HIPPONATION.ORG/ DOMAIN/144 HTTP://WWW.INFOFINDERI.COM/IFI/? CID=HI3PC59K0XJ 5
PARENT ONLINE RESOURCES FARLEY PTSA MISSION TO MAKE EVERY CHILD’S POTENTIAL A REALITY BY ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL CHILDREN. Farley Middle PTSA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ Farley Middle School Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ Hutto ISD Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HuttoISD/ The Farley Middle School Website https://www.hipponation.org/fms The Farley PTSA Website www.FarleyMS-PTA.com PTSA Email: farleymiddleschoolptsa@gmail.com Farley Middle School 2019/2020 Vision: Hutto ISD aspires to be the premier choice in education through innovation, leadership, and diversity. Mission: Hippo Nation inspires excellence in academics, character, and community. Farley Middle School 303 CR 137 Hutto, TX 78634 Phone: (512) 759-2050 Thank you to our sponsors... Farley Middle @farleymiddle
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