Dear Families,

We enjoyed seeing so many of you on Saturday! We made a real difference in the river, collecting about 20 large garbage bags of debris plus other random large items. It was excellent to sit back and enjoy some great food and company afterwards, under the shade trees on the playground. Thanks to all of you for showing up. It is so gratifying to be part of a community where people leave at the end of a morning of picking up garbage, smiling and telling us how much fun they’ve had. We will continue to lead monthly river clean-ups with the students throughout the year and begin coordinating with other river stewards to work together on this responsibility.

CAC continues to manage cases of head lice. Please continue to monitor your child’s scalp and hair. Please let us know immediately if your child shows signs of lice. Thank you!

As a follow-up to our request for your fundraising ideas at back-to-school night, we’d like to mention the Dragonfly fundraising already in place for the year, as well as fundraisers we are considering. The Wheelathon is our first scheduled fundraiser this year, followed by our annual giving campaign (a letter campaign) and our annual Spring Fair in May.

Though we were unable to work in our rummage sale this fall, we are still considering doing one indoors in late winter (maybe February?). With the unfortunate closing of another school this fall, we are also looking into taking on that school’s previous fundraiser of making and delivering farolitos around town in December. The ideas of poster design and sales (perhaps as a shared fundraiser to benefit the Santa Fe River), as well as bake sales at events around town have been brought forth by Mark Pilato. We appreciate everybody’s ideas and input in this, as in all things.

Dragonfly School is a non-profit entity designated 501(c)(3) by the IRS. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. As a small school we rely upon donations, grants and other fundraising to meet our budgetary goals each year and to expand the programs and activities that we undertake. This year, as times are tough, we are working especially hard to fund our tuition assistance program and at the same time, we have a new project in our “Physics on the Playground” curriculum which we hope to receive some grant support for. Your support in spreading the word about Dragonfly and what we do here is always appreciated, as well as your own financial and in-kind donations of materials or time. Thank you for all that you do!

DATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25-TUITION DUE every 25th of the month.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 4-10 PM-Trails + Telescopes: Hike – Picnic – Star Party at the Galisteo Basin Preserve with Commonweal Conservancy, the Santa Fe Conservation Trust ,and the Capital City Astronomy Club. Thanks to Lauren Whitehurst for info on this guided tour, picnic and stargazing event. Find more info online at http://conta.cc/pv4mih

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4-INDIVIDUAL & CLASS PHOTOS OFFERED: David Pascale will be here to take photos of everyone. He will take the photos, then send out proofs and package options for your choosing. If your child has the day off, please talk to your teacher about showing up for the group photo.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10-NO SCHOOL. TEACHERS IN SERVICE. Please plan ahead.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 10-NOON- WHEEL-A-THON RESCHEDULED-We have changed the date for this energetic fundraiser this fall.Thanks to Mike Chapman of the Broken Spoke Bike Shop for offering mechanical support during this event. Don’t miss it because your training wheels are crooked!  Attached you will find a pledge sheet, as well as hard copy in your classrooms. Please encourage friends and relatives to sponsor your child’s participation in this event along the Santa Fe River path.

MONDAY & TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24 &25-NO SCHOOL. PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES. Please schedule a meeting time with teachers in your classroom.