Sunrise FFO Digest - April 2023 |
Welcome to the FFO! Welcome to the Sunrise Drive FFO! Every single Sunrise Drive family is automatically a member of the Family Faculty Organization. We meet monthly to raise funds for school activities and support our amazing Sunrise teachers and staff. You are invited to attend our next meeting. Please read below to find out key dates, times, and activities! |
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Mark Your Calendars!
- April 3-21: Standardized Testing
- April 21: FFO General Meeting @ 8:15am
ALL ARE INVITED - April 27: Book Fair Setup
- May 1-5: TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
- May 1-5: Book Fair
- May 5: Taco Bar Potluck for Staff
- May 5: Evening of the Arts 5pm-7pm
- May 19: FFO Meeting @ 8:15am
- May 25: Last Day of School -1/2 day
- May 25: 5th Grade Promotion
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What a true joy to see Sunrise Elementary families and faculty working together. Thank you to our many volunteers who continue to host successful, fun activities. Thank you for the constant funding so that our students are continuously immersed in enriching experiences. To quote Ms. Davidson “It’s good to be at Sunrise!”
Jill Greene FFO Co-President |
MEET YOUR OWN FFO MEMBERS |
 Judy Velasco
- What is your position in FFO?
VP Development
- Who is/are your kid/kids and grades?
I have two daughters at Sunrise Drive Elementary: Lucy (4th grade Chinese immersion class) and Stella (3rd grade Chinese immersion class).
- What’s your favorite restaurant?
Our family favorite restaurant is Kung Fu Noodle. - What do you love about Sunrise?
Sunrise Drive Elementary School has so many opportunities for our kids to explore, such as: art, choir, robotics, music, orchestra, band, and foreign languages (Spanish and Chinese Immersion). - Why did you join FFO?
I joined FFO because I met wonderful parents like Anjala and Neda, who introduced, welcomed and encouraged me to join FFO. Now that I am in it, I really appreciate the contribution that each parent invests into the school and kids events throughout the year. - Where is one destination place you would love to go? I would love to travel to the different islands in Hawaii with my family.
- What is one fun fact about you that you can share?
Fun fact about me- I grew up with my parents owning a small pet store and at home we have almost created a zoo one at our home. We have parakeets, fish and more fish and a mini schnauzer.
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|  Tyler Le Peau |
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FFO MEETING Please come join us for our FFO Meeting this Friday, April 21st at 8:15AM in the Library. Stay in the know and hear about what is going at our AMAZING school. We will hear the Principal report from our one and only, Mrs. Davidson, as well as other events happening to give our children the best experience and opportunities here at Sunrise. TWO meetings left for the year! |
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| EVENING OF THE ARTS
You are cordially invited to attend the Evening of the Arts to be held on Friday, May 5th from 5:30pm-7pm. Come join us for an evening of Music performances featuring the Chinese and Sunrise Choirs as well our dedicated Sunrise Band and Orchestra groups. Finally, stop by the Library and Kiva to view our Students' Digital Art show along with the Student Art Exhibition in the MPR. |
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LET'S SHOW SOME GRATITUDE May 1st -5th is our Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week! This is the week you can shower your amazing teachers and staff with little kind gestures. May 5th is the day we are showing our AMAZING staff how much we appreciate them! Please take a moment and look at the SignUpGenius link below to help make this taco bar a success. TACO BAR SIGN UP
AND....PLEASE visit us at the Evening of the Arts (MAY. 5th) - we will have a station where students can write a message of appreciation to a Sunrise teacher or staff member. -Tyler Le Peau
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Potato Bar Success Thank you to all those who donated for the Baked Potato Bar Staff and Teacher Appreciation Lunch! Special thanks to Tyler Le Beau, Aly Nevarez, and Elise McLamarrah for baking potatoes and setting up!
We are lucky to have our wonderful Sunrise teachers and staff! |
VOLUNTEER SHOUTOUTS (THANK YOU) |
Thank you to Steppers Fun Day volunteers: Valerie Menke
Stephanie Richards
Laura Sanchez
Neda Shirazi
Elise McLamarrah
Rebecca White
Mary McAllister
Marissa Toth
Ai Leen Chong
Tracy Rea
Judy Velasco
Amanda Ornelas
Christie Haigh
Chaya S T
Seana Moore
Jim Maland
Evan MacDonald
Jessica Hulan
Celina Huang
Todd Landau
Libby Martin
Amber Wall
Necoe Otto-Parki
Ana Martinez
Jason Mullenix
Ms. Dover
Thank you to all the Sunrise staff who came to check us out, participate and support!
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| Thank you to Ai Leen Chong for coordinating Author Visits
(behind the scenes!)
Thank you to Mathathon Test Graders:
Elise McLamarrah
Nkechi Diallo
Samira Jean-Louis
Casey Mygrant
Mary McAllister
Robin
Tracy Rea
Thank you to all Spring Picture Volunteers |
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| Prepare for 23-24 School Supplies An easy way to purchase and shop for school supplies is with ToolBox Sunrise Drive Elementary runs the Ship to Home program. The school supplies shipped to your home or business. The cart is customizable, you can change quantities or remove items you don't need. Makes life a little simpler for you and your family!
Thank you! Judy |
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR
FFO Exec Board Positions needed for 2023-2024! Co-chair VP Webmaster Volunteer Coordinator
FFO Chair Positions needed for 2023-2024! Box Tops Family Picnic and Play Parking Lot Coordinator
PLEASE CONTACT OUR CO-PRESIDENT JILL GREENE FOR MORE INFORMATION jillgreene3@gmail.com |
SUNRISE SPRING GARDEN
We all have spring fever with the warm weather this April! Students have seen warmer temps energize plants and encourage quick seed sprouting in the past couple of weeks.
What we harvested since last month: In the past four weeks, Sunrise students have harvested the last of our winter crops and cleared out our plots to make room for spring planting! Bags of beets, carrots, snow peas, shelling peas, kale, chard, onions, and brussel sprouts have made their way home in backpacks from our winter crop harvest. Sometimes a high yield crop like our snow peas will make it home with multiple classes, while a crop with lower yield such as our brussel sprouts (which bolted early due to the quick change in weather & were hit hard by a sudden influx of aphids) will only make it home with a few students. Keep an eye on afternoon backpacks if your student participates in Garden Club on Tuesdays, as more harvesting will happen before the end of school! What we planted since last month: In recent weeks, students have planted seeds and starts for various varieties of early squash, tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans, watermelon, cucumbers, pumpkins, herbs and sunflowers. Students jump-started spring crops indoors over the winter and transferred these starts to the garden with protection domes to cover them from March frost. Our plot with corn, beans, and squash, known as the “Three Sisters” teaches students about companion planting for ideal plant nutrition and compatibility. What about our worms and other garden features? We have transferred the worms from our VermiHut worm farm structure to the garden beds, to put our composting worms to work benefitting our spring crops, and we have added an owl house just outside the garden to help curb the rodent population that enjoys snacking on some of our garden goods after hours. Students enjoyed dissecting sterilized owl pellets with garden volunteer, Elik Essif, to discover the diet and habits of desert owls. Do we grow any fruit in the garden? Yes! We will have strawberries this spring and have added a dwarf lemon tree, fig tree, rhubarb plant, and blackberry bush to integrate some fruit into our garden. The blackberries and strawberries are blooming and setting on fruit, which will ripen in the coming weeks. Students are excited for these sweet flavors! We will also discover the sour taste of rhubarb (technically a vegetable but popularly used more like a fruit) and how it is paired with sweeteners to make delicious desserts. How can I participate? Students from all grade levels gather every Tuesday with excitement and enthusiasm to learn gardening skills and interact in nature. The garden space is buzzing with honey bees, as our wildflowers are in full bloom! If you would like to participate as a volunteer (no experience required), between 11am-1pm on Tuesdays, please email our Gardening Coordinator, Nkechi at: nkechidiallo@gmail.com or text: 509.879.7639.
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This is just ⅓ of our snow pea harvest from the school garden the first week of April! |
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SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR BuildBolder,Prouder,Stronger,ReadersandSupportSunriseDrive! Monday, May 1st - Friday, May 5th Students may shop the Book Fair during their lunch recess. Families may shop the Book Fair during the Evening of the Arts on May 5th, 5:30 - 7:00pm
Volunteers Needed!
VOLUNTEER HERE
Set Up an eWallet Account to Shop Students must have an eWallet, a safe and secure alternative to cash, to shop at the Book Fair during lunch recess. Simply create a free account to add funds and/or invite family and friends to contribute so your child can select their own books. Any unused funds can be spent at The Scholastic Store Online or used to fund a future eWallet. Families may shop the Book Fair using eWallet, credit/debit card, or mobile pay during the Evening of the Arts event.
Online Book Fair Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping: SCHOLASTIC WEBSITE
— Questions? Contact Lori Cole: loricathleencole@gmail.com
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YEARBOOK ORDERS & PHOTOS NEEDED!!!
Hello families!
LAST DAY TO ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK IS SUNDAY, APRIL 30TH BY MIDNIGHT!
Please follow the link below to order your yearbook! ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK
WE NEED YEARBOOK PHOTOS!
If you have any photos from the following events please head over to the yearbook FFO page and Submit your photos!
(Photos can NOT be submitted over email).
**Please do not send in personal photos from home, those can be placed in your personal pages in the back of your purchased yearbook: Spiders & Cider Chinese New Year Picnic & Play Steppers (weekly or final event) Class Field Trips Class photos (from volunteering on campus) Musical Performances Rodeo Lunch **Please make sure to select the correct page for your photos to go on**
Scan the QR code or Click Here Any questions or concerns please contact Sabrina Romero sromero@cfsd16.org. (Please DO NOT email pictures) |
"It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" Mark your calendar! Events happening around our District
High School: Grad Night volunteers needed May 25th (after ceremony)
Please consider donating or becoming a sponsor.
More Info here |
BOXTOPS Have you tried out the BoxTops app? Have you sent info about the app to your family out of state? (YES!! They can help Sunrise too!) Download the app and scan all receipts to help accumulate box top cash for Sunrise. HOW DO I DO IT? Follow these simple steps for Sunrise Box Tops: Step 1) Download BoxTops for Education app Step 2) Setup Profile & Add Sunrise Drive Elementary in Tucson as your school. Step 3) Shop & scan your receipts to accumulate box top cash for Sunrise! Instacart or online shopper? No problem! Just screenshot your digital receipt, go to “Contact Us” on app, and select “Submit Digital Receipt.” Then upload the screenshot(s) of your receipt. Thanks for helping Sunrise earn BoxTops cash! Nkechi Diallo FFO Box Tops Coordinator |
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