Please come to the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 16 at 8pm.  The meeting is scheduled to take place at 8pm at South High School, 31 Demarest Mill Road East, West Nyack.  The 2011-12 school budget will be presented for public comment by the Superintendent.  This is an essential step in the budget planning and adoption process, as the community members will have the opportunity to review and question the proposal.

Additionally, there are potential changes that may be presented regarding the future of our District and its leadership.  It is important for the Board of Education members to see that we have an active and concerned community that is willing to listen to the facts presented and comment publicly, on the record. Please make every effort to come to the meeting and learn about and speak about the decisions that may be presented and the impact on our community, families, and children.

Please check www.ccsd.edu before you leave the house to confirm the location of the meeting.

TAKE NOTE: A recent article appeared in Executive Education Magazine, a national publication, featuring our CCSD Superintendent Dr. Keller-Cogan. The article (also can be found in the BOE Info section of this web site) is focused on how Dr. Keller-Cogan has used her strong fiscal management skills to maintain academic excellence for our school district.

Link is proud to announce that the Used Book Store is officially opening this week. Every Wednesday students and families will have the opportunity to raise money for local organizations. This time proceeds will benefit People to People.  If you have books to donate to the store, they can be sent in at anytime and given to room 118.  Please see below for more information about hours of operation and location.

Where: Link, Room 118

When: Every Wednesday Morning from 7:45-8:00.

The store will also be opened during various family events at school (more information to come)

What: Books for Children and Adults

Cost: Softcover Books –   $ .50

Hardcover Books – $1.00

ALL Adult Books – $1.00

Bookbag Rule: All bookbags must be placed neatly ALONG THE WALL, outside the book store before entering.

In an effort to keep all Link PTA parents aware of events and activities surrounding The Clarkstown Board of Education and budget related matters, we will be periodically posting relevant information for your reference. As always, it is important that we attend these meetings when we can to listen, learn and when appropriate voice our concerns, perspectives and preferences on behalf of our children.

The BOE has scheduled an Executive Session to be held on Monday, 3/14/11 at 9:00 a.m. @ Chestnut Grove. There is some information recently printed in an article that appeared in the Journal News that may indicate the nature of this meeting. You can read the article here.

For further information visit the BOE web page.

MOTHER-SON ACTIVITY NIGHT – March 18th Hey Moms…bring your boys out for a fun night of laser tag, sports, games, food, and more! The event will take place on Friday, March 18th at the New York Sports Club in the Palisades Center. Due to safety concerns and space constraints, we will be staggering the times for different grade levels. For details, please see the flyer on our website. The final deadline for registration is March 11th.

PARP (PARENTS AS READING PARTNERS) BEGINS ON MARCH 14th PARP is a National PTA program designed to engage and involve parents in the essential task of fostering the love of reading in children. Studies have shown that children who read at home are better prepared to succeed in formal education. PARP encourages parents to participate in some type of reading experience with their children for at least fifteen minutes per day. You will be receiving a reading and activity log on Monday, March 14. We hope you will participate in this worthwhile program with your children.

BETH CAPUANO PHOTOGRAPHY – PORTRAIT FUNDRAISER What a great way to get that beautiful family portrait you have always wanted! Your voucher can be used for holiday photos, a baby session, the grandchildren, the kids……the possibilities are endless! The $45 fee entitles you to a 30-minute sitting session and one 11” x 14” portrait (this is a $235 value!) and is valid for one full year. The flyer is under the All Forms section of the Web site.

FOUNDERS DAY NOMINATIONS – HONOR DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS AT LINK Once again, it is time for the Link PTA to plan its Founders Day celebration. Founders Day honors individuals who have made an outstanding contribution, above and beyond the classroom, to the Link community. Honorees are recognized for their dedication to the welfare of the children and youth in our community. Please take some time to nominate those who serve Link. The nomination form is under the All Forms section of the Web site and is due by March 15th.

CEF CHILI FESTIVAL AND BAKE-OFF – March 19th Please come out to support the Clarkstown Education Foundation’s Annual Chili Festival and PTA Bake-off on Saturday, March 19th at Felix Festa. The school with the highest number of participants at CEF events can win SMART Boards for their school – come show Link’s great school spirit! For information, see the flyer under the All Forms section of the Web site.

FIND THE INVENTOR WITHIN The Clarkstown Central School District presents the 2011 Nick Serra Invention and Design Convention. It is a home-based project designed to help students’ problem solving skills through the invention and design process. For information, see the flyer under the All Forms section of the Web site.

Please join us on Friday, March 4th for our annual International Night. Enjoy international cuisine, multicultural art and entertainment.  If you haven’t signed up yet you can still bring a dish. If that is not possible, then just bring you and your family…all are welcome.  Please note that while there are many fun things to enjoy and see at International Night, we do not have designated supervision for the children.

International Night is supported by Link PTA and sponsored by a grant from the Clarkstown Family Resource Center Partnership, Inc.

Sign up your child for junior golf! They will learn the basics of golf and will be grouped according to their age. Equipment is provided.  To learn more about the program, visit the All Forms section of the website and download the form about the program.

Join us on Tuesday, February 15 at 9:15 am to hear from Dianne Basso, Principal of Felix Fiesta Middle School as she presents “World Language at the Elementary School: Then What?”  Link has been working with the school district and middle school administrators to provide continuity of Spanish-language instruction for students learning the language at Link to when they arrive at FFMS. Link students have been receiving Spanish-language instruction for the last three years. This will be the first of several informational sessions on this topic.

Dear Link Families,

We have a lot of great events and fundraisers planned for the coming weeks!  We hope that you will come out and join the fun for the:

• 5th grade’s annual Tricky Tray Night (February 11th) – ticket pages form can be found on our All Forms section of the site and the deadlines has been extended to February 4th
• the first annual Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance (February 18th),
• Link’s now-famous International Night Celebration (March 4th).

All forms for these events can be found under the All Forms section of the Web site.

PAKULA’S PIZZA FUNDRAISER
From February 5th through February 9th, Pakula’s Pizza (257 South Little Tor Road – 709-6609) will be donating 15% of your total purchases to the Link PTA.  Pakula’s has been a great supporter of Link all year long.  Don’t forget to think of Pakula’s for your Super Bowl party needs – the PTA will receive 15% of all orders – big and small!  You must present the Link form – it will be distributed in backpacks this week and is available in the All Forms section of the Web site and here.

Join us for a night of food, fun and raffles! Friday, Feburary 11 at 7:00 pm at Patriot Hills. The cost is $45 per person.  Dance the night away with DJ Chris as you eat and try to win your favorite baskets.  There will also be a big 50/50 drawing. Please return the Tricky Tray form found in the All Forms section of the Web site by Friday, January 28 and make checks out to the Link PTA.   Remember you must pre-pay for the event. So come out and support Link’s 5th grade class!

Link’s annual International Night is fast approaching on Friday, March 4th and we are looking for students and families to participate in several ways, such as:

1) signing up your 2nd and 4th graders to participate in our International Chorus. Please note the response form is due Tuesday, January 18th.

2) participating in our popular ethnic costume show and individual performances to represent various cultures from around the world and feature different customs through singing, dancing, and poetry reading. Please note that the sign up form is due Monday, January 24th.

3) providing an ethnic dish and/or a foreign language book to donate to the Link library. The book should be suitable for children reflecting the language of your country of origin.  Please note that the response form is due Friday, February 11.

Look for the flyers being sent home with your child or visit our All Forms section of the website to download the forms and  join in on the festivities!