Happy Friday, Hornets!
84th Texas Legislative Session... The 84th Texas Legislature will convene on January 13, 2015. The first day to file bills was Monday, November 10th and over 350 bills were filed on a wide array of topics. I encourage each of you to be informed and active in the political process. More importantly, I implore you to advocate for our profession and our district. One of our parents and Scott Johnson PTO president Julie Hutchison has created a couple of draft letter templates that she has shared with our parents. I have attached a copy of the letters. Please feel free to edit, make them your own and send them to our legislators. Additionally, I have a copy of TASA's recently released 2015 Legislative priorities.
Making Connections... Thanks to Scott Johnson Elementary Media Specialist Jennifer Lott for sharing this moving message with her campus and thanks to SJE Principal, Shannon Williams for sharing it with me!
I just wanted to take a few minutes and send a big thank you to you for all your help with the Book Fair stuff. Allowing students to bring coins, collecting baggie donations, passing out notes, sending students down to shop and most of all being patient with it all.
I feel the need to share some things that happened on Friday. I was able to invite about 256 students down with a "Golden Ticket" through the very generous donation of our student body, two outside donations about 7 teacher donations. All together we raised $1,401.76. The students raised about $ 1100 of that and the rest were teachers and outside donors. I started with an idea and a dream and I decided to dream big with it. I didn't anticipate it being this big. The generosity of our donors was overwhelming at times.
It really blew me away Friday when the students started showing up with their "Golden Ticket." The smiles and excitement from students who had been passing by the Media Center all week and hadn't had an opportunity to come in because they didn't have money. Many came rushing through the door with a big smile just getting to come in and many not knowing yet why they had a "Golden Ticket" and what that meant. When I finally explained what that ticket meant and that they would be able to use it to buy a book, the gasps, hands over mouths and smiles were enough to soften the hardest of hearts. I like the way Mrs. Sapp put it, "It was like Christmas morning." Some of the kindergarten students thought they were just borrowing a book. When I explained that I was putting their name in it and it was for theirs to keep, the smiles were priceless! I have to tell you the story of the little boy either kinder or first, I can't remember who it exactly because there was so many in there at once, who as I was taking his book to scan and put his name in it, he had a dime in his hand and said, "I want to put this money in the box for someone else to get a book." I tell you, I had to fight back the tears on that one. He wanted to give what he had so someone else could receive. Oh if the whole world could be like that. I can't help but be reminded of the story in the bible in Mark of the widow woman who gave all she had, mere pennies, while others gave out of their abundance.
I honestly wish, you all could have been in there to witness and experience the excitement, smiles, thank you's and pure joy. I did have two volunteers in there with me. One volunteer was the mother of one of our kindergarten kids and she commented that she had never experienced anything like that and she was excited to have been able to witness it and help kids choose books. Another volunteer was Suzie Paschal's mother and she had witnessed it for 2 weeks as she came and rolled the $600 in coins the kids brought and came to help students shop. She kept talking about the kids faces when they figured out they would be able to buy a book with their "Golden Ticket." She kept commenting on the excitement and disbelief from Kinder to 4th grade that they would be able to shop.
I know I need to wrap this email up and I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I felt the need in my heart to express to everyone what this meant to our kids. I don't know if you can tell or not but my heart is overflowing. It was something that was near and dear to my heart as I grew up with no money and NEVER was able to purchase anything form anything that came to our school. I really wish I could have made sure every child got a book but we were really close. I think a rough estimate was only about 110 or 120 kids didn't get a book out of the 700 that is great to me. Not all of our students are what we would describe as "needy." However, I feel that we were able reach those who are. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.
Hornets In Action... BIG GOOD LUCK to our Hornet Football team versus the Elgin Wildcats tonight at Bowers Stadium. Also good luck to our Lady Hornet Golf team at Galveston, the Lady Hornet Basketball teams at the Conroe & New Waverly Tournaments and Hornet & Lady Hornet Swim team at the Aggieland Invitational. Sting'Em Hornets!
Corny Joke of Day:
What kind of music did the Pilgrims listen to?
Plymouth Rock!
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