february 2011 pteg newsletter
DESCRIPTION
February PTEG NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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It is hard to believe that the year is half
over already. This has been a great year
so far, we are proud of the
achievements our students are making;
the staff has been working hard to
ensure they have great opportunities,
and we are excited about the upcoming
purchase of our building, and the
addition of a new school in the PPA
family. All in all, it’s been a fantastic
year thus far.
The parents have also supported our
view that this year has been going well.
As you know we recently conducted our
annual parent survey. We had 208
surveys, representing an estimated 228
students, or about 58% of our students.
This survey is very important to us as a
school as we look for ways to improve,
and what to highlight as positive things
about PPA.
One of the numbers I look most closely
at is the overall satisfaction. We are
proud that for the last several years our
overall satisfaction rates have been
high, but this year I was ecstatic that
99.5% of the surveys indicated that
parents were satisfied with Pinellas
Preparatory Academy (see chart pg. 2).
Another point that stands out strongly
for me is the confidence our families
have in our staff. When given an empty
box to write what you feel our strongest
attributes are, 62 people wrote about
teachers, 31 about the Principal, and 25
wrote about other staff members.
Thirty-five people wrote about the
small school environment. These
compliments are a validation of the
work we’ve been doing, and we
Principal’s Corner
Contents
Principal’s Corner 1
Building Update 2
Scholastic Book Fair 3
Penny Challenge 4
Bake Sale 5
8th Grade News 5
Help Wanted 6
Family Night Pics 7
appreciate the vote of confidence.
One of the concerns that was raised by
a few people in the survey is a concern
that with the growth of our
organization, and adding a second
school, that we may lose that “small
school feeling.” I want to assure you
that we are doing everything we can to
keep that feeling. We are designing the
two schools as separate schools, with
separate administrators, and separate
attributes. We will be two small
schools, not one big one.
The entire survey results are available
on our website, at
www.pinellasprep.org/survey. There
are two versions, one includes just a
summary of the responses, and the
other has the full narrative of all of the
responses, with names redacted.
Over the next few weeks the school’s
advisory team and the Board of
Directors will be reviewing the results
of the survey and using it to set
priorities for things we need to focus
on. Additionally, we may write
responses to some of the praise and
concerns which were raised, if we do
write something, it will be posted to
our website.
Thank you again for your kind words
and trust in Pinellas Prep.
~Curtis Fuller
Principal
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PTEG & Spring
Fair Planning
Meeting Feb. 8th
Bake Sale Feb. 10th
Crazy Tie Day Feb. 18th
Scholastic Book
Fair Feb. 28th
Parent Night at
School Feb. 28th
The mission of the Parent
Teacher Enrichment Group is to
support and promote the welfare
of the children and youth of
PPA in the community, home, and
school. We strive to build a closer
relationship between home and
school, where parents and
teachers work together for the
education and enrichment of the
youth of PPA.
Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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PTEG Newsletter
Building Update We have had many people asking
where we stand on the progress for
Pinellas Primary Academy. Things
have been going well in the planning
for the new school. We have
negotiated a contract with the
school district for Pinellas Primary,
which we anticipate will be
approved by the county school board
on February 8. We are currently
working to finalize the financing on
the building, and are still on track to
close on the purchase on or around
March 1. The architects are nearly
complete with the final drawing to
be submitted for permitting, and
the contractor is about to start
collecting bids for sub-contractors
for construction, which will begin in
April and is scheduled to be
completed in July. We have
accepted 206 students, and
anticipate having somewhere around
300 students when the school opens
its doors in August.
~Curtis Fuller
Principal
Application Period
Please don’t forget that we are
currently accepting applications for
the 2011-12 school year. If you
know anyone who is looking at
schools, please be sure to tell them
about Pinellas Prep. Our recent
parent survey confirmed that word
of mouth is one of the most often
cited reasons parents choose
Pinellas Prep. Applications must be
accepted by April 1 for the lottery
which will be held on April 6. If
you would like to give anyone an
application you may pick it up from
our office or print it from our
website. And finally, please
remember that if you have siblings
you would like to attend PPA, while
they do not go through the lottery,
you must submit an application
prior to the lottery in order for us
to save a spot.
~Curtis Fuller
Principal
“This year I was
ecstatic that 99.5% of
the surveys indicated
that parents were
satisfied with Pinellas
Preparatory
Academy.”
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President: Jim Yanacheck
Vice President: Penny Yanacheck
Secretary: open
Treasurer: Sarah Mercado
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Fund Raising: Janis Johnston
Spring Fair: Bob Dorian
Scholastic Book Fair: Sarah Mercado and Janis Johnston
Holiday Store:
Sarah Mercado
Annual Parent Survey Data 2006-2011
Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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Our Scholastic Book Fair is scheduled
to begin Monday, February 28th and
run through Saturday, March 5th. We
invite you to our school to share in
this celebration of books and
reading! Not only does the Book
Fair help raise funds to purchase
essential classroom and library
resources, it encourages reading
among our students.
A special Family Event, Spring Fair,
will be held on Saturday, March 5th!
Come browse and find books that
can help your child stay connected
with reading! We will also have gift
certificates available for anyone
interested in helping our teachers
add more books to their classroom
library shelves. Classroom libraries
reinforce positive learning
environments and provide all
students with greater access to
books. We hope you will attend and
make this Book Fair a big success!
For every adult the student brings to
the book fair they will earn one
ticket for the poster drawings. For
every hour a volunteer does at the
book fair will earn their student(s) a
ticket for the poster drawings.
If for some reason you are not able
to attend the Fair in person, we
encourage you to discuss the Book
Fair with your child to determine
what books he or she may want to
add to their personal collection.
Get a sneak peek at the new featured titles on the Book Fair here: http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/books/
Book Fair Hours:
February 28th - March 3rd
7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
March 4th
7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Includes Grandparents
Breakfast
March 5th Spring Fair
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Grandparents Breakfast You are invited to join your PPA
grandchildren for a special breakfast
on Friday, March 4, 2011 from 7:00
a.m. - 7:55 a.m. in the Front Office.
Muffins, donuts, coffee and juice
will be served. While you are here,
visit the Scholastic Book Fair in the
main lobby to find that perfect book
for you to share with your grandkids!
Also your grandkids will earn a
ticket for the poster drawings for
every adult that they bring into the
book fair. Parents are welcome to
join us if the grandparents are not
available.
~Sarah Mercado
PTEG Treasurer and Book Fair
Chairperson
Scholastic Book Fair
A special Family Event, Spring Fair, will be
held on Saturday, March
5th
!
PTEG Newsletter
Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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The Penny Challenge will run
from Monday, January 24th thru
Thursday, February 24th at 3
p.m. sharp. The Penny Challenge
Rules are as follows: Students
bring in pennies and put them in
a container in the front office.
The class with the most pennies
wins a pizza party! But there’s a
catch . . . Before the competition
ends, students can put silver
change and dollars into the other
homerooms that they do not
want to see win. The silver and
dollars count against the
homerooms totals.
An example Ms. Smith’s
Homeroom class had 2,539
pennies and someone put in a
$10.00 bill well that would count
against that homeroom and bring
the total down to 1,539 as a $10
bill will be equal to 1000 pennies
deducted from that homeroom.
Be sure to label all penny rolls
that are brought in with your
teacher’s name so you get credit!
During the book fair we will also
have poster drawings. Students
can purchase 1 ticket for $.25
and 5 tickets for $1. The only
other way to earn tickets for the
poster drawings is to bring an
adult to the book fair which will
earn that student one ticket per
adult.
Penny Challenge
PTEG Newsletter
We are also participating in the
One for Books program.
Scholastic matches the monetary
donations schools generate, with
a donation of up to one million
books to three national non-
profit organizations dedicated to
helping kids and families in need:
Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc.,
the Kids In Need Foundation, and
the Marine Toys for Tots
Foundation. Please send your
penny donations in during the
Penny Challenge or have your
student purchase tickets for the
poster drawings during the book
fair. On behalf of the students
and teachers of our school, thank
you!
~Sarah Mercado
PTEG Treasurer
Book Fair Chairperson
Track the latest Penny Challenge Results on Fullers Blog! http://pinellasprep.org/node/289
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Annual Welcome Back Picnic
Grandparents Breakfast
Principles List Students (Bus for Bowling Outing and/or Lunch)
Great American Teach-In
Teacher Appreciation Week & Holiday Party
Educational Field Trips For PPA Families In Need
Muffins For Moms
5th Grade Graduation
8th Grade Graduation and Banquet
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Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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PTEG Newsletter
Valentine Bake Sale
We are looking for Cookies,
Cheesecakes, Brownies, Breads,
Cakes, Muffins, Coffees, Pies,
Candies and Dessert Mix in a Jar.
We need your delicious treats for
PTEG’s Annual Holiday Bake Sale
on Thursday, February 10th and
Friday, February 11th. Just in
time for your Valentine! Just use
your imagination! Please include
a recipe card for all home-baked
items must be included to alert
customers to possible allergy
problems such as peanuts.
Consider packaging your goodies
for gift giving so smaller items
are best! Package smaller items
in groups of 6-12, in Valentine
wrap, tins or boxes. We also
suggest using cellophane wrap
and glass jars. Larger items
should be baked in disposable
pans (pans will be given with
product). Please drop your
donation at PPA between 7:00
AM until 8:30 AM on bake sale
days. We will also be doing a
candy guessing game for each
guess it will be $.25 or 5 for
$1.00. The other event attached
with this bake sale will be a
raffle for each raffle ticket will
cost $1.00 or 6 for $5.00. We are
looking for volunteer baker and
volunteers to run the bake sale
on Thursday, February 10th and
Friday, February 11th from 7:00
AM – 5:00 PM. If you are able to
volunteer to bake or work the bake
sale please email
We also have a signup sheet in the
front office for all bakers and what
you plan on baking.
~Sarah Mercado,
PTEG Treasurer and Co-Chair of Holiday Bake Sale
8th Grade Families
The district’s school choice period
is now open. Eighth grade
families, please remember to apply
for the high schools of your choice
between now and February 20. If
you need help with how to log into
the district’s computer system to
make your requests, please contact
Arly Dally in our office, and she
can give you the details you need
to login. If you need additional
information about the choice
process, please visit the district’s
website at www.pcsb.org.
~Curtis Fuller
Principal
“Hey there Bakers! We need your
delicious treats for PTEG’s
Annual Holiday
Bake Sale”
Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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Event
Date Times Note
Valentines
Bake Sale
Thursday, February 10th
Friday, February 11th
7:00 a.m. -
5:00 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Scholastic
Book Fair
Monday, February 28th 7:30 a.m. -
3:30 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Scholastic
Book Fair
Tuesday, March 1st
7:30 a.m. -
3:30 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Scholastic
Book Fair
Wednesday, March 2nd 7:30 a.m. -
3:30 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Scholastic
Book Fair
Thursday, March 3rd 7:30 a.m. -
3:30 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Grandparents
Breakfast
Friday, March 4th 7:00 a.m. -
8:00 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Scholastic
Book Fair
Friday, March 4th 7:00 a.m. -
3:30 p.m.
Minimum of 1
hour shift
Spring Fair
Set-up
Friday, March 4th 4:00 p.m.
till finish
Spring Fair
Set-up
Saturday, March 5th 8:00 a.m. -
11:00 a.m.
Scholastic
Book Fair
(Spring Fair)
Saturday, March 5th 11:00 a.m. -
3:00 p.m.
Minimum of 2
hour shift
Spring Fair
Tear Down
Saturday, March 5th 3:00 p.m.
till finish
Calling All Volunteers! We are in need of volunteers to work the upcoming events!
PTEG Newsletter
Pinellas Preparatory Academy 2300 S. Belcher Road #100 | Largo, FL 33771 Phone: (727) 536-3600 | Fax: (727) 536-3661
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PTEG Newsletter
Treasure Island Fun Center Family Night