November New and Activities!

It is hard to believe it is November! A busy week of activities and deadlines ahead. Don't forget to get out and vote!

Senior Grad Knight Poinsettia Fundraiser
Arsenic and Old Lace - School Play
Volunteers Needed - Ski Swap & BSF Phone-A-thon
Next PTSA Meeting
Yearbook Photos needed
2011 Class Sweats
Sports News
Magazines for Dawn Appel
PTSA Membership

Julie Rooney
http://newport-ptsa-2011.blogspot.com

This email is sent to all parents of Newport's Class of 2011. Requests for removal promptly honored. All names put in the BCC line to protect your privacy. Past messages available at the blog address in my signature line. Messages are a service of our PTSA.
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Senior Party/Grad Knight Poinsettias – Deadline this Friday
Don't delay, the deadline for ordering the poinsettias is this Fri, Nov 7th. For $15 each you will receive beautiful poinsettias while supporting the Newport seniors (we'll want others to support us next year!) Go to the website to orderhttp://nhsgradknight2009.myevent.com/
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Who is buried in the cellar?
Come find out as you watch the hilarious production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." Performances are this Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 in the Newport Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at lunch or at the door before the performance. Tickets are $5.00 dollars for students and $6.00 for adults.
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PTSA Volunteers Needed!
Ski Swap
The annual Ski Swap at Newport is Saturday, November 8, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, November 9, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. If you have something to sell, go to school on Friday, November 7, between 3:30 to 6:00. All unsold gear must be picked up Sunday evening.
Students who would like to earn some Community Service hours or to get first pick of gear should go to http://skiswap.info and sign up for whatever shifts and jobs they want. Parent volunteers are also welcome and needed!

BSF Phonathon
There is a dire need of volunteers for the Bellevue Schools Foundation Phonathon on Tuesday November 11th and Wednesday November 12th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM. Students will receive up to 5 hours of community service (and everyone gets free pizza)! For more information, and to sign up as a volunteer, contact Karen Tokita at (425) 277-1707 oratkaren@yahoo.com . You may also sign up in the office. Volunteers who can speak more than one language are particularly valuable. Please consider helping out if you can speak a second language. Parent volunteers are also welcome!

BSF funds a variety of programs to increase rigor and support students throughout the district. This year, BSF has paid for the new K-5 math curriculum and the new science curriculum in grades 6-10. BSF also funds "Bridging the Achievement Gap" grants for students who need extra academic support in schools with high poverty and significant English language learner populations. BSF also funds National Board certification for teachers so that our students learn from highly qualified teachers. The Bellevue School District has twice as many National Board Certified teachers as the district with the next highest number. Let's help BSF continue these remarkable programs.
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Next PTSA Board Meeting
Next board meeting (open to all): Monday, November 24 at 7:00. Please mark your calendars NOW.
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Yearbook Photo Emergency
The Yearbook still needs photos submissions for community service, club sports, extreme sports and homecoming Night! The deadline has passed and they need photos now! Send photos or contact Kim Driscoll driscollk@bsd405.org
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2011 Class Sweats still available!
We have limited inventory available for purchase (first come, first serve). Great idea for gifts for the holidays! Please let me know if you are interested and we can make arrangements for pick up:
Sweatshirts $35: 2-SM, 2-MED
Sweatpants $24: 1-SM, 6 MED, 2-LG, 4-XL
T-Shirts $18: 3-MED, 1-LG, 1-XXL
Shorts $25: 2-LG, 1-XL
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Sports News!
Winter Sport Packets – Due this Friday!
First time gray packets (if this is the first time you have played a sport this year) and yellow "repeat" packets (if you are were already in a fall sport this year) are available outside the ASB secretary's office. They are due back by Fri, Nov 7th.

Boys Basketball
Mandatory Boys Basketball meeting this Thursday, November 6th after school at 3:05 in the Boys Locker Room!!

Newport Fastpitch
Attention all softball players! For those interested in trying out for the 2009 Spring season, there will be an informational meeting on Friday, November 14th in the Commons at 3:00.

PE Waivers
The NHS sports website http://schools.bsd405.org/nhs/homepage/sports/P.E.%20Waiver%20and%20Form.pdf has all the details for using a sport in place of a PE credit. The form your student will need is attached.
Winter sports athletes take note: it must be given to the coach by the second week of the sport.

Winter Sports Kickoff
Tuesday, November 25th at 7pm NHS Main Gym. Anna Cummins Mickelson, Olympic Gold Medalist and Newport Graduate will be speaking. Parents, Athletes and Coaches are encouraged to attend.
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Magazines for Dawn Appel
From our Staff:
In the mailroom you may notice a blue box on the table labeled "Magazines for Appel." To which you may ask, "What is this box?"
Dawn, my wife, was diagnosed with leukemia a touch over a year ago. She's in bed for a big chunk of the day. She passes time by reading a lot of magazines. If you have any that you're done with feel free to drop them in the box. I'll bring them home to her. If you'd like them back just put a note on them and I'll bring 'em back. If you see some magazines in there that you'd like just shoot me an e-mail. When she's done I'll bring it to you. (I chuckled last year when I saw a People magazine in there, forgot to bring it home and then it was gone the next day.) She'll be going in for a bone marrow transplant sometime in the near future (maybe in a month) and that might include 100 days in the hospital, so she'll definitely need a bunch o' magazines. If you'd like to check on her progress we've set up a blog for her. It is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dawnappel
Thanks so much for all of the magazines last year and all of the magazines this year.

Casey (Physics teacher)
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PTSA Membership
The emails I send you are a service provided by Newport's PTSA. The Class Liaisons are happy to provide this service whether or not parents become members of our PTSA. We want everyone to be informed and feel welcome in our Newport community.

Besides sending these emails, our PTSA provides the newsletter, Knightline, which is mailed to your home seven times each school year. We sponsor the Knight Valor program, which encourages students to complete 100 hours of Community Service before graduation. We also give classroom grants to teachers, assist students in need, manage the annual Reflections arts program, publish a student phone directory, coordinate staff appreciation events, and work with the other schools in Bellevue to support the staff and students of Robinswood. Membership fees ensure that our volunteers receive training specific to their committee work and that our leaders are fully prepared to successfully manage a large non-profit here in the State of Washington.

Membership is also one way of quantifying Newport's parent involvement. Right now we have 912 members and about 1642 students. That's a membership rate of about 56%. Wouldn't it be great to say we have 100%? Because we know we have 100% parent involvement! Please take time now to consider joining Newport's PTSA to support all the great services it provides. I have attached the membership form to this email. You may drop the completed membership form at the office with your check, or mail it to the Newport PTSA at the address on the form.

Thank you very much for your support of Newport's PTSA.