THANKFUL THINGS
Last week was very busy and fulfilling!
As we head into this vacation that is geared toward being thankful, I would like to once again express my sincere thanks for all the support. Our successful "Reach for the Stars" fundraiser warms my heart knowing we may continue to offer extra opportunities and improvements at our school. The PTA team never ceases to amaze me with their talents and gifts. The students at Hunter are a joy and it is an honor to work with our staff towards growing the minds of our children through unique cultural arts programs and opportunities to give back to their community and school. These past few days we hosted U.S. Congressman Bob Ethridge, completed the can food drive, held our book fair and hosted artist Bren Bataclan. We ALL make Hunter a blessed school

BRING BACK BREN BATACLAN
The students that worked with artist Bren Bataclan last week engaged in a memorable and educational experience. PTA partnered with Artsplosure to bring Bren to our school which means we did NOT spend PTA dollars for this visit. PTA would like to attempt to bring him back the beginning of 2010 when he returns to host Raleigh's First Night. We are pricing a mural for our school and requesting two school wide assemblies. We need your support to make this happen. If you are interested in donating to the Bring Back Bren Bataclan fund, please write a check to Hunter PTA and request the funds go towards his return visit.
You may find pictures from his visit here:

Please check out all of our new pictures on flickr.
You may see some of the exciting events at Hunter like the recent,
DBR visit or US Congressman Bob Ethridge visit.
We plan to add photos continuously through the school year.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE - A Hunter family offers "school FUNDRAISING night" at their business. On Monday, November 30 Tropical Smoothie (located on Oberlin Road) will give a percentage back of their evening sales to Hunter. Please refer to the menu in today's folder and plan to join other Hunter families for a healthy dinner on Monday, November 30. Give back to our school while also supporting a Hunter family. See you there!

HOLIDAY SHARING - As we enter the holiday season we celebrate our diversity and various cultures. If you are invited to share with a class, please remember that you may share your traditions, but may not share your religion. This can be a very fine line, but we feel it is important for our children to understand that we celebrate differently. Please remember to respect all of the children and not emphasize religion, but traditions. Questions - Ask the teacher.

HOLIDAY GIVING - As you begin planning for the holidays please consider a visit to www.donorschoose.org. PTA requested that our staff post their classroom wishes on this fabulous site. You may search for our school and easily support a need that matches your desire. All gift amounts are welcome.

Unfortunately, due to the loss of the Communities in Schools Program at Hunter, we will not be able to have the Holiday Gift Program this year. If you need assistance with gifts and food for the holidays please check our website.

COLD & FLU season is upon us - UGH!
If your child is running a fever or has the flu, please keep them home until they are fever free for at least 24 hours. If they have been sick, then they have a lower immune system & are likely to get sick again.

BOOK FAIR ended last week. We hope you found some wonderful books to read with your children over the holiday break. THANK YOU for all the volunteer assistance. We appreciate Priya Sankaran and Patrice Hall sharing their cultural experiences on Family Night

SNACK HELP - WE need small packages of individually wrapped snacks for our after school tutoring program. Send in any donations marked "ALP snacks" to school today. Thank you.

SCHOOL BOARD - It has been said that our school board officials only hear from us when we have a complaint to register. Why not give our elected representatives positive feedback too? Please consider connecting with your local wcpss district representative; introduce yourself and inform them that your child attends a magnet school. Share with them your personal stories. With our newly appointed school board members it is important to begin positive communication. Let's develop a relationship that can be nurtured over time. Check here to  locate your school board member.

The YEARBOOK committee is currently looking for some great photos of our children at Hunter. The kids love to see their faces in the yearbook. Anyone can contribute photos taken on field trips, in the classroom or at other school events. Please don't wait to turn in your photos. We need to receive photos throughout the year to make sure all Hunter Events are represented. Turn in your photos now!
Please use the following criteria when submitting photos:
Do not submit more than 15 photos per event. Please choose only your best photos to submit.
Label each photo with the event name and grade. Example: Olympics2nd.jpg and Zoo5th.jpg
Only submit photos from the 2009-10 school years, taken at school or at a school event (DBR, concerts, performances, field trips.)
Submit Clear, Digital Photos at least 300dpi quality. Cell phone pictures are not going to be at a high enough resolution. Make sure that you can see the students' faces in the photo.
Turn the CD into the PTA box in the office with marked "YEARBOOK PHOTOS/Event(s) Name and grade." Example: YEARBOOK PHOTOS/DBR, Zoo 5th Grade, Hunter Olympics 2nd Grade.
If you have any questions, please contact Aileen Carroll at 870-9081/ aileenc@nc.rr.com or Jennifer Pittman at 787-1927/ jmpittman713@nc.rr.com.