Get involved in something wonderful with Girls on the Run.

We need a Site Coordinator for Polaris @ Ebert who would work with the coaches to register girls grades three through five to not only get active twice a week, but to be a part of a great group of girls who can learn all about girl power and how to be the best they can be.

This volunteer opportunity requires very little time, mostly email communications twice a month. The fabulous coaches run the practices and work with the girls to prepare them for a 5k race. If interested, please contact Stephanie at stephaniefinnigan@yahoo.com

Garden work day: Friday, May 17.

No school that day so bring the kids, water, sunscreen, gloves & tools to the garden. We’ll prep and plant in the garden. Bring lunch & we’ll picnic! 10 a.m. to 3-ish.

Please join us on Saturday, May 18, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. to help beautify the school grounds! Bring shovels, brooms, wheelbarrows, flowers/ferns to plant, and people/kid energy! We will supply donuts, coffee, juice, and some directions on what to do.

Questions? Please contact Kirsti Peterson at kirstilpeterson@gmail.com or Judy Harris at jlbloomharris@yahoo.com.

To volunteer please sign up. This will help us track the number of donuts to bring!

Click on the link below for a preview of the great titles that will be available. Please stop by and purchase some summer reading fun.

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/polarisprogatebertes

The fair runs from May 13 to 16. To volunteer, please see the link in the Step Up section.

This is a culminating activity showcasing the performing arts. The following schedule details performance times for each grade level as well as other activities.

5:30        4th Grade

5:40        As You Like It – Act I (Ms. Dodge’s Class)

5:50        Kindergarten

6:00        Honor Choir

6:10        1st Grade

6:20        As You Like It – Act II & III (Ms. Abeyta’s Class)

6:30        2nd Grade

6:40        As You Like It – Act III (Ms. Dodge’s Class)

6:50        Short Break

7:00        Beginning Band

7:10        Violins

7:20        Advanced Band

7:30        As You Like It – Act IV & V (Mr. Lloyd’s Class)

7:40        3rd Grade

7:50        Jump Ropers

As you make your way to the Gala and book fair on Thursday, May 16, stop and grab a delectable bite to eat from our Food Truck sponsors. Biker Jim promises standard hot dogs for the kids plus more exotic offerings for the grownups. Crockspot is bringing a wonderful slow-cooked flavor to the gathering this year. Check out their menu here. Basic Kneads will satisfy even the most picky pizza eater with their wood-fired pies. Clementine, the Cupcake Truck, will be selling several flavors, including vegan and gluten-free options, for dessert, and the scoop-cycle from Little Man Ice Cream may make an appearance. To keep lines down, cash is a good idea. Please support Polaris and local food by eating dinner at the Gala!

Thank you, everyone, for all the Buy-a-Share events and silent auction items that have been donated already. The offerings that are coming in are awesome. They include a dinner of six 1.5 pound Maine lobsters, a round of golf at the Denver Country Club, Pure Barre classes, a parent night out, paddling lessons and more! If you haven’t done so already, please consider hosting a Buy-a-Share either on your own or with another family or donating an item for the silent auction. The more fun events and items that are offered, the better for everyone!  Remember, all your contributions are tax deductible!
Hosts cover all expenses. Buy-a-shares are offered at a fixed price per share.  If an event requires additional money for admission, gambling, etc, please indicate this when you submit your BAS information.

Buy-a-Shares will be offered first-come, first-served at the Gala on May 16, with any remaining shares to be offered via SlyReply for one week following the event.

Please submit BAS or silent auction contributions by Friday, May 10 if at all possible and no later than Tuesday, May 14 to Tammy Chamberlain at tammychamberlain@hotmail.com. The Buy-a-Share forms can also be printed and submitted to the office.  Thank you!

Right after the Gala, it’s time to get ready for Field Day on Friday, May 24.

We need your help all day long (7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) to staff stations and bring supplies (e.g. fruit, paper cups, ice…) to this fun event. The majority of volunteers are needed in the morning. The volunteer time slots are 45 minutes long — feel free to sign up for as many as you’d like.

Polaris’ Field Day is composed of about 10 stations located in the gym, the playground and Benedict Fountain Park (the triangular park to the south of the school).  Each station features a game or activity — e.g. Egg & Spoon relay race, Obstacle Course, Basketball toss, etc…

The children move as a class group from one station to the next.  The K-4th grades are doing this all morning from 9:15-11:30am.  The 5th graders manage all the stations in the morning.

All students (K-5) will be eating their lunch outside on the playground from approximately 11:30 to 12:30.  All cafeteria meals will be sack lunches this day.

In the afternoon, from 12:30pm – 2:45pm, the 5th graders move through the stations themselves.

Please sign up using the two Sly Reply links below.  Signing up early is much appreciated as we need to organize ourselves quickly.

Kindergarten – Fourth grade: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. http://www.slyreply.com/app/sheets/2snmud7qhfa8/
Fifth graders will need help from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.:
http://www.slyreply.com/app/sheets/a1rjducy50cr/

If you have questions, concerns, or problems signing up on line –  please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,
San Ong
(Field day coordinator )

303-250-0038

sanong1720@yahoo.com

We are on the home stretch indeed!  Please see below for a listing of volunteer needs for the final events of the year.

As always, thanks for doing what you can!

Tammy Chamberlain |  Volunteer Coordinator  |  tammychamberlain@hotmail.com |  (303) 831-9518

Current Volunteer Needs:

Book Fair-The annual book fair will begin on Tuesday, May 13th through Thursday, May 16th.  Please sign up below to work this fun event that the kids LOVE so much.

www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4DAEAD2EA46-2013

Gala-Third grade families have primary staffing responsibility for this event and have filled many of the slots.  A little help is needed, though, particularly in the 7:40 time frame as our 3rd grade parents do not want to miss the 3rd grade performance!

www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4DAEAD2EA46-20131

Spring Clean Up-Thanks to the always fastidious Judy Bloom Harris and Kirsti Peterson, the Spring Clean Up will happen on Saturday, May 18^th from 9:00 to 11:30 am.  Here is the sign up:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E044BA8AD2-school

Field Day Co-Coordinator-San Ong and Kimberly Dawkins have been cheerfully heading up Field Day for the past number of years.  They have signed on to do the heavy lifting for the event this year, but would love to get another parent or two to take the reins for next year.  Thank you to Kristen Nadeau who stepped up to help for next year.  We are STILL looking for one more parent to sign on  to learn the ropes with Kristen!   Please contact me if you can help!

Annual Fund Co-Chairs-We STILL need help with this volunteer position as well.  Our school’s very successful Annual Fund, or direct giving program, needs two new chairs for the 2013-2014 school year.  Lisa Mortell has been instrumental in administration of the fund and will continue to provide assistance and consultation.  The current co-chairs who have grown this program to its current level of success, Elisa Canova and Peter Han, are ready to pass on their extensive experience and knowledge of the program to a new set of ambitious parents!

Thank you to those who have stepped up!

NOTE: If you plan to volunteer regularly in a classroom or elsewhere in the school, please complete and turn in a volunteer application and background check to the front office.   This one application will cover you for as long as your child remains at Polaris.  Links to the application and background check are available in the side column of the Epost and on our school website.

Please contact Tammy Chamberlain, if you are willing to fill any of these needs.

The generous and grateful teachers and staff of Polaris will host a volunteer appreciation breakfast for all parents and family members who have volunteered throughout the year. Please join us to mingle with the teachers and other volunteers on Friday, May 24, from 8-10 a.m. in the library. This is the same day as Field Day and is another great reason to spend some time at school if you can!

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, May 14, for the Community FUNdraiser at Smashburger in Quebec Square. Bring in this certificate on May 14, from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. and $1 from every entrée that you buy will be donated to Polaris. Click here to peruse the menu: www.smashburger.com

On Thursday, May 23, Menchie’s at 8th & Colorado Blvd. and the Northfield location will hold a FUNdraiser for Polaris. Thank you to Marisa Hudson Arney for securing both Menchie’s locations! Click here for the flyer.

The LAST Grocery Cards orders for this school year were delivered to the office on May 1st. Please stop by before the end of the school year to pick up your order.

WE STILL HAVE RELOADABLE CARDS AVAILABLE IN $50 amounts to King Soopers and Safeway. Keep shopping and earning 5% for Polaris all summer long! Contact Molly Kirschling at 303-875-6936 if you would still like to purchase one for this school year.

Lost and Found is piling up again.  Please stop by the Lost and Found rack located right outside the cafeteria doors to re-claim your child’s lost items.

Polaris Band and Violin students presented a stellar concert to parents last Monday night at Denver School of the Arts. The concert opened with the DYAO string classes from Polaris, Park Hill, and Ashley Elementary Schools. Over 30 students played between the beginning and continuing classes. They ended their concert with the sound of all students playing together in a large orchestra. Next, the beginning band played five songs including many familiar tunes.  “Skip it Lou,” otherwise known as, “Skip to My Lou,” featured several terrific solos from Olivia Price, Thomas Flint, Aidan Nichols, Martin Dawkins, Malia Heien, Gavyn Stiles, Sky McCrimmon, Cole Writer, and Devon Rutledge. They ended their performance with a well-known canon, “Laughing Song.”  The Polaris Advanced Band rounded out the evening with four selections. The first featured the brass section in “Fanfare and March.” “Hotaru Koi” followed with all musicians playing and singing this traditional Japanese folk tune. In every song Polaris percussionists were able to utilize the wonderful equipment at DSA. They played timpani, xylophones, large bass drums, gongs and other auxiliary instruments. This added texture to the already rich sound from the band. They ended the evening with their favorite song from the year, “Star Wars.”  Bravo and congratulations are in order after such a well-played concert!

Last Thursday the Polaris Honor Choir felt like celebrities performing for the DPS Foundation Gala. The students were driven from Polaris on a charter bus to the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  Upon their arrival, they were escorted to their green room and then whisked off to rehearsal.  Then they dined on a catered meal and prepared for their performance. As always, the choir looked poised and professional. They performed “Turn the World Around,” for the audience of over 1200 people. One parent chaperone, Jeremy Wilburn, was able to film the performance.  He has graciously posted it for our community to see on youtube.  Please use the following link to see this terrific performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9dT6lN-dWM. These students truly were bright Polaris Stars!

All Polaris 5th Graders participated in the 27th annual DPS Shakespeare Festival last Friday. The three classes performed the play “As You Like It” from beginning to end. There were smashing individual monologs and terrific ensemble acting. Two classes received “Spirit of Shakespeare” awards for their team effort, and Ella Galaty received one for her role as Ganymede in Act III scene v.  All 5th graders should be very proud of their efforts.  There will be an encore performance of this play at the Polaris Gala on May 16th.

This is a culminating activity showcasing the performing arts. The following schedule details performance times for each grade level as well as other activities.

5:30        4th Grade

5:40        As You Like It – Act I (Ms. Dodge’s Class)

5:50        Kindergarten

6:00        Honor Choir

6:10        1st Grade

6:20        As You Like It – Act II & III (Ms. Abeyta’s Class)

6:30        2nd Grade

6:40        As You Like It – Act III (Ms. Dodge’s Class)

6:50        Short Break

7:00        Beginning Band

7:10        Violins

7:20        Advanced Band

7:30        As You Like It – Act IV & V (Mr. Lloyd’s Class)

7:40        3rd Grade

7:50        Jump Ropers

As you make your way to the Gala and book fair on Thursday, May 16, stop and grab a delectable bite to eat from our Food Truck sponsors. Biker Jim promises standard hot dogs for the kids plus more exotic offerings for the grownups. Crockspot is bringing a wonderful slow-cooked flavor to the gathering this year. Check out their menu here. Basic Kneads will satisfy even the most picky pizza eater with their wood-fired pies. Clementine, the Cupcake Truck, will be selling several flavors, including vegan and gluten-free options, for dessert, and the scoop-cycle from Little Man Ice Cream may make an appearance. To keep lines down, cash is a good idea. Please support Polaris and local food by eating dinner at the Gala!

Thank you, everyone, for all the Buy-a-Share events that are already in the works. If you haven’t done so already, please consider hosting a Buy-a-Share either on your own or with another family. The more fun events that are offered, the better for everyone! At the request of a few parents, we have also decided to add a mini silent auction component to the Gala. Donations for this might include tickets to a sporting event or the symphony, a nice bottle of wine, a weekend in your mountain home, etc. These items will be auctioned off to the highest bidder with all proceeds going to the PTO. Remember, all your contributions are tax deductible! The attached Buy-A-Share form can also be used to provide details about any donated items for the Mini Silent Auction. Thank you!

Hosts cover all expenses (don’t hesitate to ask a business to donate for your event). Buy-a-shares are offered at a fixed price per share.  If an event requires additional money for admission, gambling, etc. please indicate this when you submit your BAS information.

Buy-a-Shares will be offered first-come, first-served at the Gala on May 16, with any remaining shares to be offered via SlyReply for one week following the event.

Please submit BAS contributions by May 10 to Tammy Chamberlain at tammychamberlain@hotmail.com. Buy-a-Share forms that can be printed and submitted to the office will be coming via email from your room parents. Thank you!