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MCKEE ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMiniNewsOctober 13, 2014McKee Road Elementary: A Place of Welcome, Love and LearningDATES TO 1/1011/1111/17Reflections ContestBoxtops/Labels for Education Collection ContestsJamboree Talent Show AuditionsSilent Auction Grade Level Gift Basket Donations DueBook Fair PreviewJamboree 4–7 PMBook Fair SalesEnd of First QuarterFamily Night Dinner 5 PMWacky/Tacky Day/Bucks and Books for BerryhillTeacher Workday – NO SCHOOLTCBY Night 3-9 PMNo SchoolHickory Tavern 4-9 PMANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTSNew -November 2014 Mecklenburg County Sales Tax Referendum

Did you know early voting has begun and ends November 1 at 1 PM? Check this site forlocations and hours of OE/Pages/default.aspx?src udRemember to vote -- the general election is Tuesday, November 4. Absentee ballots must bemailed in by Tuesday, November 4.MECKLENBURG COUNTY SALES USE TAXLocal sales and use tax at the rate of one-quarter percent (.025%) in addition to allother State and local sales and use taxes.This tax is expected to generate 35 million in revenue of which 80% will be used supportCharlotte Mecklenburg Schools with the remainder to County Libraries, CPCC and the Arts andSciences Council.From the Mecklenburg County website .Eighty percent (80%) of the proceeds received shall be appropriated to Charlotte MecklenburgSchools, (“CMS”) for the purpose of enhancing the quality of education in Mecklenburg Countyby insuring competitive salaries for teachers and CMS salaried support personnel andsupplementing the compensation for hourly paid employees.Many items are exempt from this new tax including most unprepared food items. Moreinformation on this referendum can be on the www.charmeck.org website under Sales TaxFacts section.NEW - Christine Kendall, RN, BSNPlease join us in welcoming Christine Kendall to our school! Ms. Kendall is our full–timenurse! She has worked as a school nurse for four years in an inner city school in Connecticut.She received her Master's degree and teacher certification in 2001 and taught 3rd grade in CTuntil she had her first child in 2004.She stayed home with all three of her sons until they were all in school and returned tonursing last year at CMC-Randolph-Behavioral Health in the child and adolescent unit. She isvery excited to be here and we are glad she is here!New - Grade Level Silent Auction Gift Baskets for Jamboree

Each year, grade levels donate items to themed baskets used at the Jamboree silent auctionon Friday, October 24. We are hoping to make this event the huge success it has always been.Items listed below are due by Wednesday, October 15. If you are willing to help assemblebaskets, email Kristen Reed at kristenreed18@gmail.com or Pam Gaitherat gaither pamela@yahoo.com.Kindergarten/AU Boys - Backyard FunGet outside and bring the fun with items including; bubbles, wiffle balls, picnic items, kite,stepping stone kit, citronella candles, or s’mores ingredients.Kindergarten/AU Girls - Artists PaletteItems to get your creative juices following including; markers, duct tape, craft sets, paint,jewelry making kit, Michael’s gift card.1st Grade Boys - Car CareAnything from oil changes to car cleaning products.1st Grade Girls - Family Game NightGather the family and enjoy some fun with items such as; playing cards, board games, puzzlesor Game Stop gift card.2nd Grade Boys - Mad ScientistTurn your kitchen into the science lab with measuring cups, rulers, funnel, goggles,ingredients for your favorite experiment and more.2nd Grade Girls - Teacher’s ToolsAll things for the classroom including office supplies, hand sanitizer, stickers, Staples gift cardmaybe even a special treat for the hard working teachers.3rd Grade Boys - Football FanaticLet’s gear up for the big game with items for tailgating, must see football movies and anythingrelated to College or the NFL.3rd Grade Girls - World of DisneyMovies, books, stuffed animals, coloring sets, anything related to Mickey and friends will makethis basket one of the most magical in the auction.4th Grade Boys - Deck the HallsOrnaments, wrapping paper and bows this basket will feature items to help decorate andcelebrate the holidays. Not limited to Christmas but any items for any fall holiday.4th Grade Girls - Cooking With KidsGather your little chefs and meet in the kitchen with cookie cutters, cookbooks, kitchentowels and more. This basket has items for the most creative chefs.5th Grade Boys - Sports Anything

Calling all sports fans! This basket will feature sports equipment, trading cards, movies orbooks about athletes and more.5th Grade Girls - Book LoversAll things for the book lover including; book marks, classic books, Amazon gift card, gourmetcoffee or tea to sip while reading even a soft blanket to snuggle with.New - “FALL” into a Good Book at the McKee Road Book FairStudents will preview books and hear book talks at regularly scheduled media times during theweek of October 20. Purchase time will be the week of October 27, see detailed schedulebelow. Parents can also purchase books during Family Night Dinner on October 30 from 57 PM on and shop kid-free during parent-teacher conferences on October 31.Purchase Times:Mon 10/27: 8AM Mosteller, 9AM Davis, 10AM Tabler, 11AM Williams, 1PM Welsh, 2PMHedrickTues 10/28: 8AM Davila, 9AM Hill, 10AM Pelliciotta, 11AM Thurston, 1PM K-T, 2PM DohertyWed 10/29: 8AM Carriker, 9AM Chapman, 10AM Hookman, 11AM Hoyle, 1PM Helderman,2PM DeatonThu 10/30: 11AM Jones, 1PM Gullatte, 2PM Blair, 5-7 PM Family Night DinnerFri 10/31: Shop kid-free while school is open during Parent-Teacher ConferencesMon 11/3: 8AM-12PM Carbonaro, McAlhaney, Hertnecky, DeLong and make-up purchasesNew - Re-Activate your CMS Volunteer Status NOWDue to an inadvertent partial “purge” of CMS’ volunteer roster over the summer, it is criticalthat volunteers re-activate their volunteer status. To re-activate please visitwww.cmsvolunteers.com. Questions may be directed to Ana Brown atana.brown@cms.k12.nc.us.New - Family Night DinnerOur Fall Family Night Dinner will be held on Thursday, October 30. Come one, come all totalk, eat and shop. Mario’s Pizza will be on hand with fresh, hot pizza available to eat at school

or takeout. This is a great evening to swing by the Book Fair and to purchase surplus SpiritWear. Look for details in your child’s Thursday folder.New - Controlling the Spread of Enterovirus D68Since mid-August, 2014, enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been increasingly identified acrossthe country in association with respiratory illness. Severe illnesses have been reported,particularly among children with asthma. EV-D68 can spread from person to person whenan infected person coughs, sneezes, or touches contaminated surfaces.To prevent its spread, the NC Division of Public Health recommends the following actionsfor all schools and child care centers:Hand Washing All staff and children should wash their hands frequently with soap and water for 20seconds. At minimum, hand washing should occur at the following times:Upon arrival to the facilityBefore handling food and before eating meals or snacksBefore and after caring for someone who is sickAfter using the toilet or cleaning up a child who has used the toiletBefore and after changing diapersAfter blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezingoooooo Hand sanitizer may be used in addition to hand washing but should not replacewashing hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers are not recommended for children 24 months of age.Exclusions Staff and children with respiratory illness should be excluded if they have excessivecoughing or are not feeling well enough to participate in regular activities. Those with fever should be excluded until at least 24 hours after fever has resolvedwithout the use of fever-reducing medications.Cleaning All surfaces should continue to be cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected as required perlocal policy. Surfaces commonly touched by multiple students/children should be sanitizeddaily. Child care staff should pay extra attention to toys that are placed in children’s mouths,

since these are likely to be contaminated with respiratory viruses. Any surface contaminated with mucous or other body fluids should be disinfected.Other Actions Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Since people with asthma are at higher risk for respiratory illnesses, they shouldregularly take medicines and follow guidance to maintain control of their illness. All staff and children over 6 months of age should receive a flu vaccine. Although fluvaccines won’t protect against EV-D68, they can help prevent another important cause ofrespiratory illness that could be going around at the same time.Contact your local health department if you have questions or are seeing higherthan normal absentee rates due to respiratory illness. For more information, visitwww.cdc.gov or epi.publichealth.nc.govUpdated - Call for PhotosThe Yearbook Club is rounding up photos of the first day of school and personalbest runs. If you have some that you'd like to share, send them now. Upload photos using theHJeshare app or go to www.hjeshare.com. Enter code 10360.We can't promise that every photo submitted will be used, but we can't consider your imagesif you don't share. Thank you for your support!Reflections ContestShow us your artistic talent. Flyers came home in last week’s Thursday folder. Students areencouraged to enter at least one original work. This year’s theme is “The World would be abetter place if . . . “Categories are: Dance, Film Production, Visual Arts, Photography, Literature and MusicComposition. Submissions will be accepted October 1–November 3 and forms are availablein the main office.

Category rules are available at t-program/.Please see Mrs. Davis (k.moreau@cms.k12.nc.us) if you have any questions.Support the Jamboree Silent AuctionThe Jamboree silent auction is just a few weeks away and we still need items. This is thePTA’s largest fundraiser. Please consider donating an item or gift card. Ask your favoriterestaurant, your hairdresser, the place your child takes extracurricular lessons, your employer,or anyone to whom you give your business regularly.This auction is for our children and every little bit helps. Not to mention, Jamboree is a greatcommunity event and the auction is a wonderful way to advertise local businesses. Plus as a501c3 all donations are tax deductible.Please contact Kristen Reed at kristenreed18@gmail.com or Pam Gaither atgaither pamela@yahoo.com to give a donation or for more information.Odyssey of the MindOdyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problemsolving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members applytheir creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presentingtheir own interpretation of literary classics. They bring their solutions to competition on thelocal, state and world level. Thousands of teams across the U.S. and beyond participate.To keep this program at McKee this year, we need your help! We are seeking parentsinterested in helping coach a team here. Participating students would be in grades 3 – 5 andno prior experience is necessary! An October – March commitment is needed, although thecan be flexible based on the needs of the teamPlease email Melissa Williams at melissa.williams@cms.k12.nc.us or Ericka Ficker atericka.ficker@cms.k12.nc.us to learn more about coaching opportunities. Program informationcan be found at www.odysseyofthemind.com.October Collection MonthBoxTops/LFE Contests