And, just like that it's November!
Wow, a lot has happened since August! We are heading into the holiday season and are excited about what's ahead! Here's a look at what's happened recently.
1). Thanks for supporting our Seminole County & Orlando Coupon Book Fundraiser! We raised $1,565.00!
2). We are still in our 100 days challenge for Safari Pediatrics. Scroll down for details.
3). It was tough saying goodbye to Ms. Mallory. She's pursuing a lifelong dream and we wish her the best of luck. But, we want to welcome Mr. Jordan who will be replacing her!
4). Fall Festival / Trunk or Treat was a big hit - until the rain. Hopefully next year it will be rain free but congratulations to SGA for putting on a great event and thank you to all the parents who came out and participated in our Trunk or Treat!
5). We wanted to send a thank you to David Hardison for helping us make our lunch order forms fillable! I know a lot of parents have been asking for this. It will be available for Quarter 3!
6). Meet your new PTO Officers:
President Donna Steinfeld (Leo's mother)
Vice President - Monica Donaldson (Declan's mother)
Treasurer - Kelly Wilson (Nate W's mother)
Secretary - Judy Cushing (Lauren's mother)
We are all looking forward to new and exciting adventures in PTO!
7). We have a Facebook Group! It's called Socrates Prep PTO. Be on the lookout for an email invite or check us out on Facebook.
As you can see, PTO has been very busy this year. We hope you can join us on our November zoom meeting.
November Calendar:
1 - Chess Club (must have previously signed up)
2 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser - hand out flyer in car line
8 - Chess Club
10 - PTO Meeting @ 7:00 pm
15 - Chess Club
22-26 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
29 - Chess Club
Here's a few important dates and events for your information:
1).
PTO Chess Club - Grades 6+
Chess Club - 3:30 - 4:30 pm Every Monday (yes, starting Monday the 8th we are starting at 3:30 to allow students to dismiss). You must have previously signed up. We are at capacity but if slots become available we will advertise it.
2).
Cookie Dough Fundraiser
Looking for a great gift for the holidays, well we have it. Cookie Dough. Be on the lookout for information shortly. Guaranteed deliver before we leave for Christmas break.
Click HERE for the flyer.
3)
. 
PTO Meeting
Our next PTO meeting is Wednesday, November 10th @ 7:00 pm. Be on the lookout for a zoom invite email.
4)
. 
Thanksgiving Break
November 22-26th - No School
5).
New PTO Facebook Group
Shout out to Judy Cushing for putting our FB group together. The group is called
Socrates Prep PTO. Check us out and join in!
Take a note:
We hope you've received a Remind Invitation to join our PTO text message. If you haven't your can click on this link to join:
https://www.remind.com/join/socratesp
With the holidays just around the corner, please remember to use
AmazonSmile so every dollar you spend, a small portion is donated to the school. Look for Epic Youth Educations, Inc.(that's Socrates)
.
Amazon Smile.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Socrates Preparatory every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Socrates Preparatory.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile and support Socrates Preparatory?
To shop at AmazonSmile, select Epic Youth Education, Inc. (aka Socrates Preparatory) to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation to Socrates Preparatory.
Talking about getting ready for the holidays:
Teacher's Favorite Things - Click HERE for a list of your favorite teachers' favorite things!
Teacher/Admin Birthdays:
Ms. Bridget - November 21
Ms. Lesli - November 29
Ms. Nada - December 3
Ms. Sarah - February 13
Ms. Faten - March 23
Ms. Cathy - March 31
Ms. Vicki - May 7
Ms. Salma - May 14
Ms. Joanne - June 14
Ms. Janine - June 28
Ms. Manny - June 18
Ms. Erin - July 22
Ms. Anne - August 21
Ms. Smruti - September 29
If you missed their birthdays, it's never too late to wish them a belated birthday.
December 17 - Early Dismissal - Student Holiday Party
December 20 - January 4 - Winter Break - No School
January 5 - Back to School
January 17 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School
Ways to Volunteer / Help With or Without Going to School
Hello Socrates Families,
We know how much Socrates Prep has changed your child! They've changed our children, too. You probably have the same story as we do - my child wasn't doing very well in school, he/she wasn't engaged, etc and now that they are at Socrates, they've come out of their shell. They're thriving! They've found great friends and you've seen them blossom. We know you want to help the school that has enhanced your child's life so here's a few ways you can do just that:
Ways to Volunteer WITHOUT Leaving Your House
Yes there are ways you can help the school without going on campus:
1). Help us in our next Fundraiser - Cookie Dough. You can download the form
HERE and we will also be handing them out in the carline.
2). Donate to our Playground Fund. We've been raising funds so we can add some new playground equipment. If you want to donate, you can send us a check. We can even provide you with an IRS Form 1096 so you can use it on your upcoming taxes. If you know of a company who is looking for great charitable opportunities, well you've found one for them! Make your checks payable to Socrates PTO and we will provide you with the rest.
3). Donate to Ms. Janine's Morning Cafe. Every morning, Ms. Janine provides breakfast items (each cost a $1) just in case a child needs some breakfast and couldn't get it in the morning. She's always looking for fruits (that don't need to be refrigerated), protein shakes, breakfast bars, you name it she wants it. If you want to donate fruit, please do so on Monday or Tuesday so it will last the week.
4). Donate to the School Store with non-food items. We've heard that you want more healthy options for your child, well you can donate any food or non food item. Here's a list of some other alternatives, besides food, that your child can use or save their points on:
* Shoe Lace Grips
* Animals or Figurines that can be attached to a backpack
* Pop Fidget Toys
* Party Toys - think things you would give out at a party
* Plastic Slinkys
* Fidget Spinners
* Small Lego sets
* Mini Figurines (Star Wars, My Little Pony, mini Animals, mini Lego figurines, Super Hero figurines (may you have a few gently used figurines that your child has outgrown!)
These are only a few examples. I'm sure you can think of other things as well.
All these things can be purchased through Amazon - just make sure you log into Amazon Smile so the school can receive a small % from your purchases. It's easy:
1) Go to https://smile.amazon.com
2). Choose - Epic Youth Education, Inc.as your charitable organization (hint - that's Socrates Prep)
3). Start purchasing and remember to always log into Amazon using www.AmazonSmile.com
4). Have your items delivered straight tot the school. Just add a "gift note" to your purchase!
Can't get any easier than that!
5). Donate healthy food items to the School Store so the children can use their points for healthier options:
* Bananas
* Oranges (cuties are a good choice)
* Healthy Organic Real Fruit Roll Ups
* Annie's Organic Snack Variety Packs
* GoGO Squeeze Applesauce Packs
* "Fuel for Fire KIDS!" Fruit and Protein Smoothie Squeeze pouches
* Organic Protein Shakes
These are only a few. Let your imagination go wild. FYI - it's been our experience that kids don't like Cliff bars. We've had to throw them out because no one wanted them. You can find plenty of healthy food items to donate to the school. To make it more convenient, you can purchase these items on Amazon (see above for Amazon Smile instructions) and deliver them straight to the school along with a gift note so they will know who bought it!
6). Encourage your child to eat outside for 100 days:
THIS IS A BIG ONE!
Safari Pediatrics will pay our school $20 for each day if ALL of our students eat lunch outside in the sunshine and fresh air. You read that correctly - $20 a day for 100 days - just to take our lunch outside and enjoy it with our friends and classmates while soaking up a little Vitamin D!
And what will we do with the money earned through this challenge, you might also be asking? Two things:
1). $15/day - a total of $1500 - will be put to use towards a school-wide field trip to someplace really cool (like maybe Kennedy Space Center to go along with our Stellar theme for the year?)
2). The remaining $5/day - a total of $500 will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
https://www.lls.org/ in honor of our Ms. Erin (who is doing really well and whose last chemo treatment is this Wednesday, by the way - yay!).
So as you can see, it's a win-win situation any way you look at it, and we want to offer
a heartfelt "THANK YOU!" to Dr. Jaafar and Safari Pediatrics for making it possible!
7). Use AmazonSmile every time you buy something on Amazon!
It's easy:
a) Go to
www.smile.amazon.com
b). Choose - Epic Youth Education, Inc.as your charitable organization (hint - that's Socrates Prep)
c). Start purchasing and remember to always log into Amazon using www.AmazonSmile.com
8). Box Tops
You can download the Box Tops app and start scanning your receipts and it will automatically apply funds. No need to cut out the box tops. Just pick Socrates Preparatory School and start scanning!
Ways to Volunteer w/ Limited Time at the School
If you can spare an hour here or there, we could use you:
1). Lunch Help / Hall Patrol - PTO is trying to give our teachers a break during the day. If we can have a few volunteers (even if it's only 1 day for the entire year) to come out and help serve food (Mon & Fri - pizza, Tues - subs, Wed - Chick-fil-a) and then stay until 1pm to help patrol the halls, that would help the teachers and Ms. Salma have some time to relax. Fridays are especially needed. Some days it's mandatory for Foundations or Preparatory students to stay outside. They can come back in to use the restroom so we need a parent to make sure they make their way back outside or just to help keep an eye on the students who are inside that day. It really helps the teachers to have some time off. You can RSVP a day or a few days by emailing us at SocratesPTO@gmail.com.
2). Volunteer at other upcoming events. Be on the lookout, we've got a few more events coming your way.
I know you're excited to give back to our wonderful school that has helped your child shine brighter than before. If you can think of any other ways, please email us at SocratesPTO@gmail.com. We could use every families' help to make our school even better!
