Hi all,

PLANTATHON SATURDAY!
The big day is upon us! Please make an effort to carpool if possible; if you've misplaced your "what to wear/bring" list and directions, feel free to run a copy in the office-- it's posted on the bulletin board. Again, we have committed **80 people** to being there, so we're planning on YOU and your family! You're going to love this day!

TREE CARDS & MONEY DUE ASAP
We have a sponsor who would like to purchase more Plantathon cards than we have on hand-- if you have ANY unsold cards left, please turn them in ASAP! We need them! We also need to collect all the remaining funds you've collected for tree card sales-- we're trying to assess how close we are to meeting our fundraising goal. Thank you!

SCHEDULE CHANGE STARTS NEXT WEEK
Part of what we were able to do with the money raised as part of the matching grant challenge was to restore our music programs to their previous levels. This will lead to a schedule change starting next week-- click here for the new schedule. Please note that we've been able to eliminate the Week 1/Week 2 situation-- EVERY Friday is the same from now on.

CONCERT NEXT FRIDAY
Our first concert of the year will be next Friday, February 5 at 6 pm at the First Baptist Church (1202 Lawrence Street in Uptown). Please have your kids there 15 minutes early to get warmed up, tune violins, etc. This is an all-school event-- all the classes will be performing-- and we ask that you come prepared to stay for the whole concert; we're planning on keeping the program to one hour. We will have a finger-food potluck immediately following the concert in the church basement; please bring something to share. We'll supply paper plates, napkins, silverware, cups and juice.

PLANTATHON ART AUCTION
Max Grover has very generously donated the original Plantathon tree card art work to Northwest Watershed Institute to be auctioned in support of future Plantathons. The bidding starts at $800 and is being conducted via email. Please click here for more information-- the auction closes February 12! The art work is currently on display at Aldrich's Market. Tell your friends-- it's a great opportunity to own an original Max Grover oil painting AND support the Plantathon as well!

CELL PHONE FUNDRAISER
Please start collecting any unused and unwanted cellphones for a Swan School fundraiser. We have a collection box set up in the office and will be sending the phones we gather to a refurbisher who will pay the school money for many phones and recycle in an environmentally-responsible way the rest. We will not need to collect charger cords or other accessories. Please consider deleting your contacts before turning the phones in. Feel free to call Cynthia Osterman at 344-4094 with any questions or if you would like to help with this effort.

LEARNER EXPOSITION 2/11
Be sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming Learner Exposition on Thursday, February 11 at 5 pm. Again, this is an all-school event and all the kids play an important part in the program! They'll need to arrive 10-15 minutes early and we should be finished by 6 pm. If you know that your child will not be here that evening, please let us know in advance.

MORNING DROP OFF
We're having trouble with the number of late arrivals to school recently. Morning meeting, which is an important part of the multiage experience, starts promptly at 9 am. When kids are trickling in for the first fifteen minutes they often miss a presentation, don't hear instructions, lose the opportunity to choose a partner, or disrupt the whole group. One of the three values we reinforce in all of the classrooms is to "be respectful"; please help us reinforce this by making sure kids are here between 8:45 am and 9 am. Being on time helps set a positive tone for the whole day! Thanks for your help.

MOZART REQUIEM THIS FRIDAY & SUNDAY
If you have any inclination toward classical music, you may be interested in attending a performance of Mozart's Requiem this weekend-- this very dramatic choral and orchestral work was Mozart's last work, and one of his best-loved. The concert is just under an hour long, and features a 55-member choir and a 20-piece orchestra (including Rowan Frederickson's mom, Mia, on cello, and our violin teacher Kristin Smith on violin). I have tickets available in the office, good for either tomorrow night or Sunday afternoon.

JEFFERSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
Jefferson Community School is having an Open House on Tuesday, February 16 from 6:30-8:00. Click here for more information.