The Cougar Courier
The Alta Vista Home & School Club Newsletter
The "Cougar Courier" is our Monthly Alta Vista Home and School Club Newsletter containing announcements, event information, and all of our community updates
...your source for all things AVHSC!
Message from the AVHSC President
Happy Fall Y'all!
Fall is truly my favorite time of year! I love fall colors, cool weather, and all of the fun that Fall Festivities bring! Although things look and feel a bit different because of Covid, we are not going to let that take away our AV Fall Fun!
First things first.....we have a very exciting announcement....our 5th graders have won the C.A.G.E. drive pizza party by being the grade level with the highest percentage of participation in the drive by September 13th!
The C.A.G.E. is not closed yet! You can still donate if you have not done so. This year, we decided that we are going to go one step further and also offer the opportunitity for another fun party! We are going to provide a Jamba Juice party to the grade level that raises the most money between September 14th (the day after the pizza party cut off date) and the end of the month!
Since 9/14, here are the grade level donation totals:
TK - $100
Kinder - $250
1st Grade - $1,250
2nd Grade - $300
3rd Grade - $400
4th Grade - $2,100
5th Grade - $2,250
You can make your donation through MTK. HSC Membership details, MTK registration info, and all of the info about our annual drive (and what the HSC funds) is detailed in the section below. Please take a minute to review the details.
We are also very excited to be planning a Walk a Thon for this year! We will be having a committee kick off meeting next Monday, 9/27, at 5:00 pm. Meeting will be held via zoom, but we will also offer the option to join us in person at Peet's Coffee on LG Blvd and Blossom Hill Rd. We will send the zoom info on Sunday afternoon. If you would like to join in on the meeting to learn more about WAT and how you can get involved, we would love to see you there!!!
Have a wonderful September!
Best,
Jayme Monroe
MTK and Cougar C.A.G.E. Drive Details
HSC Membership and MTK Sign-Up
Every AV parent is a member of the AVHSC, so to be sure that you are kept in the loop with all of our news and happenings, you will need to create an account through Membership Toolkit (MTK). (Returning parents don’t need to create a new account, just update your information.) Through MTK, you will receive AVHSC class email communications, as well as sign up to volunteer for class enrichment programs (Room Parents, Project Cornerstone, etc.), access and update the school directory, and access our online school store. Click on this link to be directed to the MTK website: MTK PARENT PORTAL SIGN UP DIRECT LINKC.A.G.E. DRIVE = Help Create And Give Enrichment to our Children!
Where do my donations go? What do you fund?
The AVHSC funds what is not otherwise funded by the District. This includes everything from PE and Music instruction, to fundamental safety needs like Crossing Guards. Based on the school's spending from 2017 through 2020, on average, the AVHSC Spends $199,500 on Enrichment and other needed programs at the school.
The breakdown for expenses is as follows:
- Grade Level Supplies/Projects (total not per grade level): $12,000
- PE - $56,000
- Music - $30,000
- Field Trips (including Busses) - $45,000
- Crossing Guards - $21,000
- Other Enrichment (Art Vistas, Clay, Cornerstone, Etc) - $20,500
- Technology/S.T.E.A.M: $15,000
We are hoping to raise $150,000 during our campaign this year to ensure we can continue to provide our students with exciting (and hopefully some new) Enrichment programs. This equates to $250.00 per student.
In addition to our normal expenses, this year, we will be faced with incremental costs to fully replenish enrichment supplies that have expired or were ruined due to Covid shut down.
Another way we provide exciting, hands-on, learning experiences is through other fun activities that take place both on and off campus. These activities, of course, include our many amazing class field trips. Assuming we achieve our fundraising goals during the C.A.G.E. Drive, we will devote the funds raised during our annual Walk a Thon (our largest fund raiser) to fund these amazing activities (learning experiences) for our children. This year's WAT is Tentatively planned for Saturday, October 30th, Covid permitting.
There are 3 Membership Levels (Donation Levels are per Student):
Cub: General Donation of any amount
Queen: $250.00
A Donation at this Level covers all AVHSC Expenses as detailed above.
Mountain Lion: $500.00 and above
A Donation at this Level includes an Alta Vista Special Edition Glow-in-the-Dark Youth or Adult T-shirt
The C.A.G.E. is still open!!
DONATIONS DIRECT LINK: https://altavistahsc.membershiptoolkit.com/store
AVHSC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization Tax ID: 77-0293970 Double your donation with Corporate Matching thru an employer, if possible. Use your match to level up to "Mountain Lion" and receive your Glow-in-the-Dark T-Shirt!!!
For more info on company match, please access our FAQ's document linked below. It contains valuable info and links to relevant supporting forms/documents to guide you through the matching process.
Staff Spotlight: Meet our PE Coach!!!
Meet Coach Field....
A little bit about myself, I grew up in the Philippines and moved here back in 2007. I graduated from San Jose State University. Currently in my 4th year of teaching. I used to coach basketball and planning to coach again in the future. Played various sports throughout my life, but currently in love with the game of golf. I try to play at least once a week.
I enjoy spending time with my family and making people laugh. Besides playing golf, I also enjoy working out, and watching Korean shows.
What I enjoy about teaching at Alta Vista is how supportive and welcoming the whole school staff is towards me. The kids are amazing and always positive which makes my job even better. I feel like a popular person when I am walking around campus during recess and lunch because of all the greetings I receive from the students. I also love making the students laugh whenever I can.
Fun fact about me is that I use to break dance and can still do some of the moves from back then, but I have to make sure I stretch before attempting to do them:)
Stay Connected!!!
- Be sure to sign up/update your information on MTK (details above)
- Sign up for our Remind. Text @avhsc-news to 81010
- "Like" our Facebook page (linked below)
- Check out our website (also linked below)
- Join us for an AVHSC Meeting. Meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday of each month. Meetings run from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Dates for the 2021-2022 School Year are detailed below.
AVHSC Meeting Dates
October 5, 2021
November 2, 2021
January 11, 2022
February 8, 2022
March 15, 2022
April 19, 2022
May 10, 2022
Meetings will be held on Zoom until we are given the "all clear" to have volunteers on campus. Zoom details will be provided via email blast and remind prior to the meeting.
HEAR OUR ROAR!
We are still looking for an AVHSC Co-Treasurer. If you are interested please contact Anna Rubalcava at avhsctreasurer@gmail.com
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We are so thankful for our amazing AV community and appreciate your contributions and continued support! Thank you!!
The Alta Vista Elementary Home and School Club
Email: avhsclg@gmail.com
Website: http://altavistahsc.weebly.com/
Location: 200 Blossom Valley Drive, Los Gatos, CA, USA
Phone: 408-356-6146
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altavistahsc
Twitter: @TeamAltaVista