It's HAPPENING at HUNTER

As we begin our final quarter, let's reflect on our busy February & March.
PTA hosted the fabulous author / illustrator Kevin O'Malley for two days of fun.
Awarded $8,000 in teacher mini-grants.
Held a 6 week YWCA study circle course.
Read-A-Thon raised $7,400
Produced our first Health Fair.
Hosted a PTA general membership meeting and voted on a resolution supporting the current magnet programs.
Sponsored Fundraising night at Tropical Smoothie Café (Hunter family business).
Collected $1031 in boxtop money.
Distributed original art magnets for purchase (don't forget to send orders back).

What a busy quarter - Looking ahead, we still have some major events planned. Hunter Heritage needs volunteers. Please support our staff during teacher appreciation week and allow your child to show their unique style during spirit week.
THANK YOU for all the support.

AUTHOR VISIT
What an amazing and memorable visit our children had with the amusing author / illustrator Kevin O'Malley.
I hope your child shared their experience with you or you attended family night and caught a performance by this talented man. The Author Visit committee led by co-chairs Sheri Petrequin and Janine Steel Zane did a fabulous job with all the hospitality and logistics surrounding his visit.
They all deserve a big thank you! At the bottom of the blog the co-chairs thank their entire team!

SCIENCE NIGHT
Join us on Tuesday, April 13 from 6-8 pm for our popular SCIENCE NIGHT. Fourth and Fifth grade students will showcase their science projects in the gym. Attendees will enjoy plenty of "science" experiments in various classrooms. One dollar pizza slices and one dollar drinks will be available from 5:30 - 7:30 for purchase. We look forward to seeing all our Hunter families at this educational event.

MAGNET ART
The art magnets have been distributed. Don't you LOVE your child's original work of art? PLEASE send your order back with completed form of products you wish to purchase. Remember even if you do not wish to buy anything, the magnet needs to be returned. Thank you for your help in this.

SPIRIT WEEK
MONDAY, April 19 - College Day
Show your team spirit in your favorite college colors and mascots.
TUESDAY, April 20 - Tacky Tourist
Bring out the Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian leis and don't forget your camera!
WEDNESDAY, April 21 -Bandana Day
Accessorize your outfit with bandanas, scarves, head bands, bracelets, and leg warmers. BE CREATIVE!
THURSDAY, April 22 - Book Character
In honor of our recent visitor author, Kevin O'Malley, come dressed as your favorite literary character.
FRIDAY, April 23- Hunter SPIRIT DAY
Wear your school colors, blue and yellow, or your favorite Hunter t-shirt! Bring out those vintage t-shirts.

TEACHER APPRECIATION Week
MONDAY, April 19 - Card Day
Send homemade cards and positive notes from parents and children.
TUESDAY, April 20 - Flower Day
Students bring in a flower or greenery to include in the teacher's vase. The variety of flowers will make a creative bouquet.
WEDNESDAY, April 21 -LUNCH
Lunch provided by the PTA hospitality committee.
THURSDAY, April 22 - Candy Day
Students should bring a piece of chocolate or candy per teacher/staff.
FRIDAY, April 23 - Classroom Supplies
Stock the classroom with supplies. Ask your room parent or teacher what they need to replenish supplies.
THANK YOU for showering our staff with love, support and goodies. They deserve it!

LEGO FESTIVAL / FUNDRAISER
Help raise funds for our school by attending the BrickMagic LEGO Festival on May 8-9, 2010 (Mother's Day weekend) at the North Raleigh Hilton. Our PTA will earn $1 for every student that attends the festival! And you and your kids will enjoy a fun, family-friendly event, featuring professional LEGO builders showing off hundreds of their creations. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Don't Forget!
Some important dates to remember:

EVERY WEDNESDAY: School is dismissed at 2:45 pm
April 12: Report Cards
April 13: Science Night, 6-8 pm
April 14: Picture day
April 19-23: Teacher Appreciation Week and SPIRIT WEEK
April 21: Early "EARLY" release at 1:15 PTA hospitality lunch for staff.
April 23: New Hunter family orientation at 12:45 in the media center
April 30: HUNTER HERITAGE

AUTHOR VISIT CO-CHAIRS SEND THANKS:
Author Visit Co-Chairs Janine Zane and Sheri Petrequin wanted to extend a HUGE thank you to the many Hunter parents and teachers who made the Kevin O'Malley Author Visit a great event. From the many reports we have received the children and teachers loved Kevin O'Malley's wacky sense of humor, wonderful outgoing disposition, high energy and love of children's books, stories and colorful illustrations. The children loved reading his books and viewing his illustrations and working on projects related to those books and illustrations. Sheri and Janine would like to thank the many people whose great efforts made this a very special author visit, including:

The Staff and Administration:
Hunter Principal David Newkirk, who was excited to help out with the author visit, and was a strong supporter who attended meetings, prepared the schedule and welcomed parents, children, staff and honored guests as well as the guest of honor to the Welcome Breakfast and Family Night. Media Specialist Laurie Cressman, who was indispensable from beginning to end in terms of planning and execution and helped the author visit committee members with many aspects of the visit and served as liaison to all the teachers as well as creating elective workshops along with Jane Moser and Carolyn Graf who led wonderful author visit electives as well. We would like to thank Carolyn Graf for her guidance in helping the children to create wonderful art based on the works of Kevin 0'Malley. We would like to thank Diane Moore, Cindy Pryor, Alice Shafer, Alicia Wiggins, and Kimbra Audette with assistance with the visit as well . Thanks to Robin Harris who was instrumental in securing Kevin O'Malley's wonderful hotel accommodations. Thanks to all the staff who worked to create amazing projects based on the works of Kevin O'Malley. Anybody walking through the kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade halls last week could see the terrific, varied and creative projects the staff and students came up with -- and Kevin O'Malley was overwhelmed and delighted to view those projects on the walls and was impressed with how much the students knew about his books when he visited the classrooms. Thanks to all the teachers who did such a wonderful job of incorporating Kevin O'Malley's works into classroom projects.

Author Visit Committee Members and Hunter Parent Volunteers and Honored Guests:
We would like to send big thanks out to PTA President Marla Turlington who was a big supporter and fan of Kevin O'Malley and his work from the beginning, and helped out in many ways.

Kerry Ann Martinez, Author Visit Hospitality Chair, who did a wonderful job organizing the delicious food and decorations and helpers to make the welcome breakfast fantastic for teachers and helped us show our local representatives one of the many ways Hunter is a special place -- through events like the Author Visit. Thanks also to Kerry for organizing the guest list for the welcome dinner at Janine and Peder Zane's home, and to those who brought delicious food and drinks to the event to welcome Kevin 0'Malley. Thanks also to Lisa Brown, Paige Pluska, Bonnie Rochman, Christine Kushner, Mim Sichel, Gina Flynn, Marla Turlington, Terry Halloran and Ashley Fuller for helping to serve the breakfast and to Lisa Brown, Annette Robbins, Kim Priebe, Ashley Fuller, Christine Kushner, Bonnie Rochman, Kate Hines, Karen Sullivan, Mim Sichel, Patrice Hall, Karol Gioannini and Barbara Renie for providing yummy quiches, egg casseroles, corn muffins and fruit salad.

Thank you to Bonnie Rochman, who sent invitations to honored guests who attended the Welcome Breakfast including Rep.Grier Martin, Rep. Deborah Ross, Bonner Gaylord (City Council), Nancy McFarland (City Council), Carolyn Morrison (Board of Education), and Keith Sutton (Board of Education) and to the media.

Thanks to Dare Johnson, Read-A-Thon Lunch Author Visit Liaison, who organized the two pizza lunches with Kevin O'Malley and each homeroom winner of the Read-A-Thon, with assistance from Sharon Eckard.

Michele Goldman and Laura Brimberry, Author Visit Book Order Co-Chairs, who worked tirelessly with Quail Ridge books to make sure that students and staff received the many books written and illustrated by Kevin O'Malley and organized the book distribution and did a wonderful and efficient job of organizing and selling books on Family Night. Thanks too to Kerri Briggs for her assistance during the book order process. Thanks to Dare Johnson, Bookplates Chair, who facilitated Kevin O'Malley's signing the three great bookplates the children created with Carolyn Graf's guidance during the author visit electives. Thanks to Kerri, Christine Rechenberg, Karol Gioannini, and Mim Sichel for helping Laura and Michele with book sales on Family Night. Thanks to Richard B. Harrison head library Wanda Cox-Bailey for assistance with book order distribution and sales as well. We really enjoyed partnering with Wanda Cox-Bailey again with the author visit, and partnering with Laurel Park Elementary for the first time as well.

Thanks to all Hunter parents who purchased books, rounded up on their book orders so other children could receive a book, or talked their children about Kevin O'Malley and brought them to Family Night and got them excited about the Author Visit.

Thank you to Deirdre Council and Sally Bloom, Publicity Co-Chairs, for the wonderfully written and creatively designed flyers which went home in the children's Monday folders describing the author visit events and activities. This was a lot of work and these flyers really helped get the word out and create excitement for the event. Thanks to Geetu and Anirban Sharma for posting the information on the Hunter web site, and to Marla Turlington for taking photographs of Kevin O'Malley, the children and staff during the author visit.

Thanks to Suzanna Fay, Games and Prizes Chair, for her great enthusiasm and many creative ideas regarding games, prizes, contests, and activities in the week leading up to the visit and on Family Night. These were great games, contests, and prizes! Thanks to Melanie Bunn for her assistance with games and prizes and her creative use of Kevin O'Malley's illustrations for the bookmark activity. Thanks to Suzanna Fay, Melanie Bunn, Marla Turlington, Sally Bloom, Ashley Fuller, Dave Fuller, Kyle Fay, Carrie Dow-Smith, and Peder Zane for helping man the activities during Family Night. Thanks to Dare and Suzanna for obtaining items for the gift baskets. Thanks to Serena Flood for bringing in the many and delicious cookies for the children on Family Night. Thanks to Marla, Gina and Dare, and Bryan Petrequin for helping with some of the driving duties and taking Kevin to various events.

Thanks to Mim Sichel, Book Talks Chair, who did a fantastic job of organizing the book talks and getting the children excited about Kevin O'Malley and his visit with fellow Book Talk members Marla Turlington, Sheri Petrequin, Maureen Donini, Christine Rechenberg, Melanie Bunn and Amy Kurz.

Thank you to Vickie Adamson, Hunter PTA Treasurer, who assisted the author visit members with the check reimbursement checks.

And finally this event that pulled so many members of the Hunter community together in a positive way could not have happened without Kevin 0'Malley's fantastic books and illustrations, and his spirit, enthusiasm and boundless energy, and who captivated children and adults alike.

Thanks to all! Janine Zane and Sheri Petrequin, Author Visit Co-Chairs