Picture Day is this Friday, October 14! 

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There is a chill in the air and the leaves are changing.  I think fall has finally arrived!  I hope you had a wonderful break from school and were able to meet with your child's teacher last week.  I would like to thank all of the parents who donated items for the staff luncheon, including a special thanks to the Hurst Family, Abingdon parents and the owners of the Great Harvest Bakery who donated delicious desserts!  I would also like to thank Megan Pickersgill, Elina Erlendsson, and Andy Smith for helping the PTA Board make this event a success.  The teachers were so thankful for the yummy lunch!  Check out the smiles:


 

Fall Picture Day - October 14
Just a reminder that Picture Day is this Friday, October 14.  Order forms were sent home last week in the Tuesday folder. Orders, with payment, must be sent in before Friday, or brought to school on the 14th.  

October PTA Meeting - October 25
Plan now to attend the October 25 PTA meeting at 6:30 pm in the Library.  This meeting will the first in a series for this school year that we are calling, " Little Kids, Big Topics."  This month's presentation will feature a presentation by the Abingdon School Counselor, Ms. Sarah Mullinax, that will will focus on how to talk to your children about the big topics going on in the world.  This will include how to answers your kid's questions with an age-appropriate response that will help them better understand current events, disasters, etc.   Ms. Kerry Abott, Abingdon's Instructional Technology Coordinator, will then lead a discussion on how to keep your kids safe on the internet.  This is especially important as the school Ipads have recently come home.  This is going to be a very informative night!  As always, FREE babysitting for kids over 3 will be available and we will also have free pizza and coffee!  Future topics in this series will include preparing yourself and your child for the SOL's, as well as helping your child prepare for middle school!  

Abingdon Adult Hoodie Sale - Limited time only!

It's getting very chilly out there so it's time to wear your Abingdon Hoodie! For a limited time, the PTA will be offering adult Abingdon Hoodies for just $15! The hoodies can be purchased online via our Square page at  https://squareup.com/store/abingdon-elementary-pta or by contacting abingdonptamembership@gmail.com to place an order.  This deal won't last long, so make sure to take advantage of it this week!   

Abingdon Book Fair - October 17 - 21
Make sure you have the Abingdon Book Fair on your calendar for October 17-21! Students will be given the opportunity to "shop" for books during the school day and a list of their choices will be sent home.  Parents can then either send money to school to purchase the books or they can purchase them during the Family Night or extended hours.  
October 17 - Book Fair Family Night 5:00 - 7:00 pm
October 18 & 19 - Book Fair Extended Hours 2:45 - 5:00 pm
October 20 - Book Fair Extended Hours 2:45 - 4:00 pm

Book Fair Helpers,  are still needed!   The PTA provides over 115 volunteer hours during the Book Fair week.   We still need to find volunteers to fill about 50 more volunteer spots.  Children are welcome to attend while you volunteer and there are volunteer shifts available during and after school.  To volunteer, please visit our Sign-Up Genius at  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4daca722a3fa7-book  or contact Rebecca Kim, the PTA Volunteer Coordinator at  abingdonptavolunteer@gmail.com.

Read-A-Thon - October 24 - November 4

It's almost time to start the Abingdon Read-A-Thon!  The two-week Read-A-Thon will feature special literacy activities, including guest appearances! Abingdon Principal, Joanne Uyeda has promised a surprise for the school if they meet their goal!   Look for more info in the October 18 Tuesday folder and get your kids ready to read!  This year's Read-A-Thon is not only a celebration of literacy, it will also serve as the PTA's fall fundraiser and replace the usual fall catalog sales.  


Monster Mash - October 28
Mark you calendars now for the Abingdon Monster Mash on Friday, October 28!  Whether you like to boogie down to music, bounce the night away in moonbounces or enjoy some fun fall activities, plan now to attend the Mash from 7 pm - 9 pm.  Tickets will be on sale starting the week before the event and at the event.  Halloween costumes are optional, but this will be another fun event for your child to wear their costume!

We are looking for volunteers to help set-up this event, help out during the event, and help clean up after the event.  Please contact Rebecca Kim, PTA Volunteer Coordinator at  abingdonptavolunteer@gmail.com to help out.  


Abingdon Working to Promote use of Social Media
Abingdon is undergoing a major effort to increase parent communications this year.  Please take a moment to take a survey on social media use at: 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5VBIwQ63DwDjUMOlZiQqcFM92VrPX06RnyXZp0YRdnQzQkQ/viewform?usp=send_form

Wakefield High School Boundary Adjustment Public Meeting
Arlington Public Schools will host a meeting on October 19 in the cafeteria of Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie Street) to discuss their upcoming high school boundary refinements.  A tour of the school will begin at 6:30, followed by the meeting at 7:00 pm.  For more information, please visit  https://www.apsva.us/aps-boundaries/

Yorktown High School Basketball Clinics on October 22
Abingdon's own Joe Reed, also the coach of the Yorktown High School Basketball team, will be hosting boys & girls basketball clinics on October 22 at Yorktown High School.  Proceeds from the clinics will support the 2016-17 Yorktown Basketball Program.  The clinics will be $40 per camper and are open to elementary and middle school students.  For more information contact josephcreed@gmail.com (boys) or yorktowngirlsbasketball@gmail.com (girls).  

Volunteers Needed!
The following are two great opportunities to get more involved at Abingdon!

Book Buddies Program - Cathy Campbell, the Abingdon Book Buddies coordinator, is looking for reading tutors to participate in this wonderful program.  Volunteers will tutor first grade students in their reading program by meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 - 3:15 pm.  Teaching experience is not needed and there is no prep work required! Volunteers just follow the lesson plan provided by the coordinator, which will include reading books and playing literacy games.  If you are interested or have a question, please contact Cathy Campbell at cathy.campbell@apsva.us as soon as possible!  

Bulletin Board Coordinator - Deb Staren-Doby, the Abingdon Volunteer Liaison, is looking for a parent volunteer to help decorate the library bulletin several times throughout the year.  If you are crafty and want to show off your skills, please contact Deb at deborah.starendoby@apsva.us.  

That was another long Cardinal E-Courier!  Thank you so much for taking the time to read this message.  For reading this entire newsletter, the first 5 people that reply to this email get a free adult Abingdon Hoodie!  Just hit reply and let me know your child's name and class and what size adult Abingdon Hoodie you would like!  

Sincerely,
Jeni Hornback
Abingdon PTA President 
 

P.S. If your child is no longer attending Abingdon and you wish to be removed from this email list, please send an email to: abingdonelementarypta@gmail.com or "Safe Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this page.  If you know of new families who are attending Abingdon this fall, please send their name and email addresses to: abingdonelementarypta@gmail.com to be added to the list.  
    
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