March is going to be a fun month!

Thank you to everyone who attended our PTO General Session meeting in February. The minutes from that meeting are posted on the OMES website. Our March PTO meeting is a planning meeting and will be held on Tuesday, March 13 at 11am. All parents are invited as usual.

The Birmingham News reported a few Sundays ago, that parent involvement at
home makes a difference in a child’s performance in school. Parent involvement by volunteering and participating in fundraisers also makes a difference in the life of a school. We are lucky to have such wonderful parent support at Oak Mountain Elementary. Clipping BoxTops and participating in fundraisers gives the PTO the ability to help
the school purchase many things for the children to use at the school (e.g. purchasing computers, laptops and promethean boards for each classroom and replenishing the mulch on playgrounds are a few examples). I want to
congratulate all of the OMES families who have clipped BoxTops this year. OMES raised $5,000.

Acts of Kindness Week, where we showed our appreciation to the teachers, was a success this year and was very much appreciated. The teachers and staff enjoyed lunch donated by Jim‘N Nicks as well as many small acts of kindness the week of Valentine’s Day. I want to give a huge thank you to our Room Mom Coordinators Misti Steed and Natalie Ellison for coordinating the Acts of Kindness Week for the PTO as well as the room mothers for implementing the plan.

March is going to be a fun month! We have a FUN fundraiser coming up on March 15th—Boosterthon. Boosterthon is a fun run that takes place on the field behind the school. My favorite part of Boosterthon is the week before the event where the Boosterthon Guys plant seeds of good character. I am so thankful for the positive male role models for my children who are growing up so quickly and to know their friends participate in the same week of character education. All parents are invited to watch the Boosterhon run on March 15th.

It is hard to believe that we are in the last semester of this school year. In March and April,families will have the opportunity to participate in
two community outreach philanthropies. We will be collecting school supplies for Center Point Elementary that was destroyed in the January 23rd tornado. We will also participate in the Birmingham Reads program that is coordinated by The Literacy Council and Better Basics. Books will be collected for children in Shelby County, Jefferson County and Birmingham City Schools. The school that collects the most books will win $1,000 for their library.

There are a lot of opportunities to get involved. I urge you to pick one activity and participate in the PTO. We are currently filling positions for next year’s PTO board. Serving on the board is a great way to become more involved and to meet new people. Please contact me if you are interested. Thanks for all that you do to make
OMES a better place for our children.

— Rebecca Sandidge, OMES PTO President
becsandidge@bellsouth.net

Grateful for Our Oak Mountain Community

Grateful. As I review our fun-filled October, I feel so grateful. Character in Service, Parenting Day, Red Ribbon Week, Math Team, Teacher Treats, Duty-free Lunch and Fall Fun Fest kept everyone busy.

Our counselor, Mrs. Belisle coordinated a very informative Parenting Day. We heard from several of our teachers on current parenting matters. I continue to be amazed at the level of talent that we have at our school. As parents, we witnessed first-hand the expertise our teachers and staff share with our children.

Mid-month, our teachers enjoyed a fabulous Fall Harvest Luncheon provided by Mellow Mushroom and Brava Grill.

We ended the month with a celebration. A BIG thank you to everyone who came out and supported the second annual Fall Fun Fest. The committee, a.k.a. Fall Fun Fest Fanatics, planned each detail under the leadership of Emily Thompson and Marci Hackbarth. It was fun for the entire family. Melissa Ogle and Kaye Smith did a fantastic job publicizing the event. Ashley Kitchens combined recycling with crafts to spend a minimal amount on supplies. Have you ever seen such beautiful artwork on the faces of children? Daniel Vickery was an amazing balloon artist. Brent and Lynn Walker, with Cre8tive Signs and Graphics, donated our yard signs and the carpool count-down sign, The silent auction was full of so many interesting and useful donations. I am thankful for our parents working on behalf of the school to collect donations. The Silent Auction requires the coordinating proficiency of Misti Steed. She handled it with ease. Please note the donators and think of them when shopping in the community. The event would not be possible without the parent, OMHS and OMMS volunteers. We had a record number of Give Me 5 volunteers thank you to Amanda Foree’s coordination. Another thank you goes to the Ticketing guru Mindy Miller and our PTO treasurers Katie Burnett and Sara O’Dell. No one conducts a hayride like our very own Robert Smelcher. Mrs. Darby, Mrs. Galloway, Becky McCullough and Judy Vatella helped the whole day. Their support and team spirit was tremendously appreciated by everyone. There are many, many people that played a role in the ‘howling’ success of Fall Fun Fest. I personally had a wonderful time getting to know the parent volunteers even more and developing friendships that will last a lifetime. For that, I am grateful.

There are several exciting things left for us this year. Please contact me if you would like to get involved in PTO. Holiday Shop is just around the corner. We always need parents to assist shoppers.
Remember, school is closed on November 11th, 23rd, 24th and 25th.

I appreciate all you do for OMES. Keep up the enthusiasm, it is contagious!

November PTO

Please take a moment to read this month's newsletter to find out the latest OMES information. You can find the OMES Oak Leaf Newsletter on the OMES school website. Our November PTO Meeting is tomorrow at 11am in room 404. Dr. Irma Palmer will return to speak to us about Health and Wellness for 10-15 minutes after the PTO meeting. See you tomorrow!

The 2nd annual OMES Fall Fun Fest this Saturday 9am-3pm. The community is welcome to enjoy the wonderful fall event!

I hope you are all planning to attend the OMES Fall Fun Fest tomorrow!! We will have activity armbands available at the door. $5 jim n Nick plate ticket and $.50 snack tickets. We will also have a vendor hall and a Silent Auction full of wonderful items. See below!!
Gifts of time from teachers
Lunch with the Principal
Lunch with the Assistant Principal
Calling Carpool Numbers
Birthday on the School Marquee
PE Coach for a Day
Junior Librarian for a Day
A variety of themed baskets,
3 beach getaways
1 lake getaway
Signed Nick Saban football
Christmas baskets
Oak Mountain Spirit baskets
Mom’s Night Off
Date Night
Birthday parties
Many more!
Donations to treat yourself
A Glow to Go
Brooke Ballard Massage
Capelli Salon
Chiropractic Today
Gege's Salon
Henry Schein Dental
Lisa G. Wilson, DMD
Martin Bentley Dermatology
Mt. Laurel Dentistry
Nail Tip
Pure Barre 280
Pure Wax and Tan
Richard Joseph Studio SalonSpa at Belk
T-Fox Salon
Valleydale Dental - Gentry Gonzalez
Donations from a
variety of local restaurants
Bojangle's
Brava Rotisserie Grill
Brother Zeke's - Hoover
Cantina
Chick-Fil-A at Inverness
Dyar's Daylight Donuts
Edgar's Bakery
Homemade Cakes by Linda
Joe's Crab Shack
Kona Ice
Melting Pot
Momma Goldberg's-Inverness
Mughal Indian Cuisine
Pastry Art Bake Shoppe
Petrucelli's
Pizza Express
Ragtime Café
Shane's Rib Shack
Yogurt Twist
Zaxby's at Lee Branch

Donations from 5 photographers
E. Bailey Photography
Jennymo Designs
Meredith Rowlen
Custom Portraiture
Momentaker Photography
Recollections Photography
by Barbara Hardin
Donations for fun things to do
Birmingham Legends Soccer Club
Brook Highland Racquet Club
Cameron Oaks Farm
FarmLinks
Game Zone—Pelham
Gaminride
Iron Tribe Fitness
Sportplex
Items donated by...
AAA - Alabama Travel Services
Birmingham Barons
Bedzzz Express
Blossom Original
Cahaba Valley Animal Clinic
Cheeriodicals
Citrus Solution Carpet Cleaning
Cre8tive Signs and Graphics
Creative Quilting by Cindy Payne
Earthborn Studios
Ella and Oliver
HollyDays
Inverness Raquet Club
Louise's Cakes-n-Things
MyThirtyOne - Amanda Graves
Rocky Ridge Pharmacy
Target - 280
The Escape Artist
Two Sisters Design
University of Alabama Hockey Team
Walmart - Pelham
Whimsical Paper

October PTO Meeting

Happy October! Please join us for the October PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 11am. Check in at the office then go to room 404. Our school counselor, Hayden Belisle, will share details about the October 13 Parenting Day. We will also discuss our 2nd annual Fall Fun Fest. Our first year was a huge success thanks to the support of all of our wonderful parents. Mark your calendar for October 29, 2011 from 9am to 3pm.

If you have wanted to shower your teacher with kind notes, special treats or a home cooked meal, this is a great time to show your gratitude. The teachers have been working extra hard to incorporate the new math standards. Ask your teacher if you can help in any way. I am creating a Math Team of special helpers. Please let me know if you would like to be on the team by sending an email to omespto@yahoo.com.

See you at the PTO meeting on Tuesday.

OMES Fall Fun Fest is Saturday, October 29th!

Fall means back to school and what better way to celebrate than with a Fall Fun Fest?

Oak Mountain Elementary School (OMES) will be hosting a festival on Saturday, October 29th at OMES from 9am-3pm.

The public is invited to come join the fun and support OMES! The cost will be $15 for a wrist band ($5 for 3 year olds and under). They can be purchased at the OMES school office at 5640 Cahaba Valley Road. Wrist bands include unlimited visits to decorate a treat bag, pumpkin decorating, nail and hair art, face painting, make a bottle cap necklace, tile coasters, Chia Head people, your own glitter hair gel, bamboo stick kites and fall magnets. The activities included in the wrist band are different interactive inflatables, football toss, go-fish booth, mining for prizes, golf, basketball, pumpkin bowling, baseball pitching speed station, tractor pull (hay ride), petting zoo, balloon animals, candy bar walk, cake walk, and a soda walk.

Get ahead on your Christmas shopping by visiting the silent auction and the vendors’ hall! The silent auction will include teacher’s gifts of time, restaurant gift certificates, retail gift certificates and gift certificates for services as well. We'll also have the always-popular themed baskets donated by each classroom. Miscellaneous items usually include artwork, jewelry and handmade clothes. Anyone with a small business who is interested in being a vendor is welcome as well! Please contact OMESsilentauction@gmail.com.

Food is not included in the wrist band price but can be purchased separately. Jim 'N' Nicks will offer lunch for $5.00. The choices are a BBQ sandwich, hot dog, two chicken tenders plus chips, and water or tea. The snack bar will include favorites such as cotton candy, candy apples, chips and soft drinks. Prices are from $.50 to $1.00 per item, purchased with $.50 tickets.

Tickets for all of this can be purchased ahead of time by stopping by the school’s office at 5640 Cahaba Valley Road. For additional information, please call 205-682-5230 or email OMESFFF@gmail.com.
The Fall Fun Fest is a major fundraiser for Oak Mountain Elementary School. Please come have fun and support our children.

~Kaye Smith, Fall Fun Fest Publicity Chairperson