2011-2012
Parent Association Officers

Phillis Campbell- President
pac330@sbcglobal.net

Cari Huang- Vice President
huangcarita@yahoo.com

Sarah Peck- Secretary
sjkp2010@gmail.com

Monica Van Niel- Treasurer
empressmvn@netzero.net

Kristen Brooks -Class Parent Coordinator
akb23@caa.Columbia.edu

Erin Wagner -Class Parent Coordinator
egwagner1@gmail.com

Our hope is to foster a true sense of community for our children, their families, the teachers and administration. We know our children benefit by seeing their families working for their success.

Champion our efforts to make our children's experience at Ruffing Montessori School exceptional and volunteer today!

Parent Association Meetings
Our monthly meetings will alternate from morning to evenings, and the purpose is to assist in the planning and organization of all our PA activities. Upcoming meetings:

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 after 8:30am drop off.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 7pm.

Ruffing Wear Merchandise Sales
New to the Parent Association! Help inventory, promote and sell Ruffing Wear to offset PA expenses. We are presenting some exciting new items this year.

Pumpkin Party (October 29, 2-5 pm)
Ruffing’s annual fall celebration!
Cotton Candy, Donuts and Popcorn!
Come in costume and enjoy live music, games, a haunted house, craft-making and our Gnome Photo Booth! Some of our favorites included: the Cake Walk, Dr. Gross’s Lab, Ugly Parlour, Fairy Cave, Sack Race, Tug of War and the costume parade led by Head of School (the “Mad Hatter”) Gordon Maas. Click here to see pictures of the event.

Save the Spooky Gear! Save the Snow Gear!
Donate items TODAY!
Gently used costumes and children’s snow outerwear will be offered for resale to the Ruffing community, with remaining items donated to charity.
Snow Gear sale: Wednesday, November 2 thru Friday, November 4.
We are a green school.  Help promote our green activities.

The Parent Association is kicking off their Book Sale!
November 11, 2011 form 7-9pm, join the Ruffing community for an evening at Appletree Books in Cleveland Heights with celebrity foodie, author, and Ruffing alumni parent Michael Ruhlman (http://ruhlman.com) as he discusses his latest book, Ruhlman's Twenty: Twenty Techniques, 100 Recipes: A Cook's Manifesto. Light dessert and coffee will be provided by the owner of Appletree Books, Jane Kessler. Donations of wine would be appreciated and can be dropped off at Ruffing prior to the event.

Please bring friends, family and prospective Ruffing parents! Ruffing families are encouraged to preorder books that evening for the Dec. 3 book fair (to be held at Ruffing: more information to follow), and all items purchased that evening will receive a 20% discount. Childcare will be offered at Ruffing from 6-9:30 that evening, allowing you to stop by Nighttown or Myxx for a drink before or after as well.

Please email phillisc@ruffingmontessori.net to reserve a space for childcare. For questions about this Kick-off event or the Bookfair, please contact Petra Moran at petramoran@gmail.com .

International Day (January)
International potluck and food drive to celebrate the diverse cultures at our school. Music, food and dance are just some of the many activities we will enjoy. We are only limited by our imagination!

Grandparent’s & Special Person’s Day (May 4)
Volunteer to plan, staff or provide refreshments for this very special day. Greeters, escorts, set-up and cleanup volunteers needed.

The Great Kids Race (May 12)
This annual Ruffing race is a family favorite! We would love your support to make this event a continued success. Registration, water attendants and course monitors are vital for this race.

Staff Appreciation Dinner (May 22)
This catered dinner is a Ruffing tradition, and enjoyed by all who help to plan and execute it. Volunteer to host this dinner at your home, donate desserts or set up for this event in honor of our wonderful staff.

Simple Ways to Help Raise Money for Ruffing
There are several ways you can effortlessly help Ruffing. For many of these programs, you simply have to sign up and a portion of your purchases will automatically be donated to our school. Please take the time to sign up!

Heinen's ABC School Donation Program
Sign up for the Heinen's Preferred Customer Card at your nearest Heinen's, then register online at www.heinensrewards.com and select Ruffing as your school of choice. Up to 1% of qualified purchases from September through April will be donated to Ruffing. Please remember, if you already have a Heinen's card, you need to re-enroll and select a school each year at the beginning of September.

Giant Eagle Apples for the Students
Sign up for the Giant Eagle Advantage Card. Each time you shop at Giant Eagle using your Giant Eagle Advantage Card, you earn points for Ruffing, which can be redeemed for great educational tools. The points are automatically and anonymously credited to Ruffing. Make Sure Your Giant Eagle Advantage Card is correctly enrolled by choosing school code 2745 at www.gianteagle.com/schools/apples-for-students.

Target Take Charge of Education
Apply for a REDcard at Target and sign up for Take Charge of Education at www.target.com/tcoe. Choose Ruffing as your school of choice and Target will donate up to 1% of your REDcard purchases to Ruffing.

Box Tops for Education
Cut out the Box Tops logo on the boxes of food, paper products, etc. that you buy, and drop them off in the basket across from Karen Hahn's desk. Each Box Top is worth at least $0.10 which can add up! Please remember that expired Box Tops and poorly clipped Box Tops will not count.