Thank You! In past month, we’ve thrown a lot at Hanawalt parents and you have responded beyond our wildest expectations! Make no mistake, parents are a key ingredient to making our school great and you are doing your part.

Block Party
On October 1, we hosted the first annual Hanawalt Block Party. It was a twist on the traditional Hanawalk but with less fundraiser and more fun. We had more than 50 parent and teacher volunteers, which truly demonstrates that many hands make light work. Thanks so much to all of you, particularly Kristen Hall who committed many hours alongside our presidents-elect Mary Mouw and Rose Green to make this an amazing event.

Some quick numbers. . .

• $900.00 was raised for our technology fund at the dunk tank. Thanks to teachers Mr. Garvey, Mrs. Hesse, Mrs. Carpenter, Mrs. Olivetta and Mr. Tutt who braved the beautiful, but cool fall night.
• $160.00 was raised in free will donations. This money will be deposited into the general fund and used for things such as field trips, Helping Hands, classroom supplies and Day in the Arts.
• $2,100.00 was raised in the book fair. Proceeds will be used to purchase new books for the library.

Sally Foster
On Wednesday, September 29, the Sally Foster Fundraiser came home with students. Students have been selling Sally Foster gift wrap with great success for several years. The program changed a bit this year, but it still offers the same quality gift wrap as always.

While the gift cards are a great idea for you to purchase and give to others so they may buy online, you do not have to buy a gift card to place an order. Simply go to www.sallyfoster.com to do that. You’ll need to use your debit or credit card to complete the transaction. You will be promoted to give a school code — 242651. Even if you forget our number, you can look up Hanawalt online. Either way, we will receive 40% of the proceeds from your order. So don’t forget to credit the school!

The idea behind the gift cards is to lessen load for students — no more schlepping heavy boxes home to deliver. All orders, except the cookie dough, will be shipped directly to the person placing the order. Cookie dough orders will be available for pick up on Nov. 12. We’ll need some help that day to hand out cookie dough. If you can help out, please contact Kay Smith at kayfentonsmith@msn.com

Upcoming events and clubs
New programs start in October. They include:

• Junior Great Books for grades 2-5
• Chess Club at 7:30 a.m. every Friday for all grades
• Literacy Army. Volunteers are still needed. Contact Jodie Yon at 249-4116 or Sue Hetherington at 255-1540 for more information.

Directories
If you ordered a school directory on Meet the Teacher night, we anticipate they will be ready for distribution in mid-October. If you did not place an order, but still would like to, please drop $5 with your student’s name and homeroom in the PTA box no later than Friday, October 8.

More Fundraising News
Thanks to all who participated in the Non-Fundraising Fundraiser. If you haven’t dropped off your donations, it’s not too late. Just put it in the PTA mailbox. We raised more than $2,500 to be used towards Day in the Arts, field trips, classroom supplies and much more!

Along with Sally Foster, these represent our fall fundraisers. We have two opportunities left — the Spelling Challenge following winter break and the spring flower sale.

Please remember that the Hanawalt PTA is a 501(c)(3), which means your contribution may be tax deductable. We also have the capability of completing matching funds forms from your employer. If you need a receipt or more information, please contact Lisa Russell at lisa@scubacreative.com or Martha Miller Johnson at marthamillerjohnson@gmail.com.