Hi All:

We are heading into one of the busiest times of the school year as we all try to sandwich holiday festivites into our hectic school lives. Here are some reminders for the upcoming weeks. I will keep you posted as more arise!

WRITER'S WORKSHOPS:
Our Media Specialist, Mary Surber, worked diligently to conduct the 17th Annual Inman Writer's Workshop which brought guest speakers to 6 th grade classrooms last Friday to discuss various forms of writing and skills. Be sure to ask your 6th grader what she/he learned. Thanks to all the parent volunteers that made this event such a success!

MORNING DROP-OFF:
Parents, please drop your students in the front of the school in the carpool circle in the morning and allow the students to walk around to the student entrance. If parents wish to drop off on Clemont they will have to drop beyond the bus loading zone. Police officers have been issuing warnings to parents who drop students off in the bus loading zone that tickets will be issued to parents using the bus loading area in the future.

UPDATE FOR MS. PITCHFORD:
Monday, November 5th was Ms. Pitchford's last day with her students before leaving to have her surgery for breast cancer. Her surgery is Friday, November 9th and she is expected to be absent from Inman for five weeks for recovery. In an effort to support Ms. Pitchford during this difficult time, a school-wide community support system has been initiated.

First, if you or your child would like to send a card or letter, please deliver these to homerooms where they will be delivered to Ms. Pitchford by Mr. Firesheets on Wednesday evenings. Secondly, donations are being accepted in order to pool funding for gift cards, flowers, movies, books on tapes and other appropriate tokens of concern for Ms. Pitchford. These donations should be directed toward Joyce Meinert, at joyce.raedel@comcast.net. In addition, physical assistance would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a meal, help with grocery shopping, run an errand or help with home care, please contact Eileen Mackett at eileenmackett@comcast.net. Your name will be placed on a volunteer list to be later plugged into a schedule based on Ms. Pitchford's most pressing needs. In the spirit of Mother Teresa's words: "Do small things with great love," let's band together to help our teacher stay strong and heal quickly. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Di Francesco at kimberley.difrancesco@gmail.com.

TEACHERS NEED HELP WITH COMPILING RENZULLI DATA:
The 6th grade social studies team is in need of 6 volunteers (2 per team) to help tally Renzulli results. This information will be used in an effort to solicit experts/speakers and other outside resources that offer curriculum support based on student's interest levels. This is an easy and fun way to help, so please consider volunteering a small amount of time to help implement this goal. Please contact: Kim Di Francesco kimberley.difrancesco@gmail.com or Sue Payne suepayne@yahoo.com to schedule a time in the next couple of weeks that is convenient for you. Clear instructions and materials will be provided.

STUDENTS NEED HELP WITH RESEARCH FOR SOCIAL STUDIES FAIR:
Beginning next week, Mr. Firesheets will be meeting with students every Wednesday and Thursday, 9-10am in the media center in order to begin researching topics for the Social Studies Fair. It would be very helpful to have parent volunteers that can help facilitate with this process. Specifically, students need assistance with site searching their topics, recognizing key information, making notes, taking citations and if you have time, helping with outside resources. So, grab a cup of coffee and come help engage our eager learners.

PTA GIFT GIVING POLICY:
Message from Lila Bradley, PTA President
We all want to show our teachers and school staff how much we appreciate them, especially during the winter holidays and at year end. In the past couple of years, some of the grade level reps have taken on the responsibility of collecting money for teacher gifts. While this is much appreciated by many parents and many teachers, it also has had the unintended consequence of making some teachers and staff feel left out or less appreciated. We discussed the question of PTA involvement in teacher gifts at our last Executive Board meeting. The general consensus--reached with the strong support of the teacher representative to the board--is that teacher gifts should be left to individual parents and that the PTA and its officers and committee chairs should not be involved in arranging for gifts to individual teachers and staff members. Our Teacher Appreciation committee chair, Janet Morgan, does an admirable job with arranging special parties for the teachers a couple of times a year. That, along with the support that the PTA gives to the classrooms, is going to have to be the limit of our involvement. I hope you understand the need for the PTA to get out of the loop of the teacher gifts. Thanks for all you have done and continue to do for our teachers!

GRADY HIGH SCHOOL, COMMUNICATION MAGNET OPEN HOUSE
On Thursday, November 15, 2007, Grady's Communication Magnet will host its annual open house. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the theater and will showcase the expressive spirit of the magnet program. The evening will include performances by the chorus, band, and orchestra; presentations by drama and speech students; a broadcast by the Grady News Network; a multimedia presentation; and displays of student artwork and photography. Students will also present overviews of the elective classes in the magnet and parents will have the opportunity to purchase the various magnet publications. The communications wing of the Eighth Street Building will be open for visitors following the program. The Ma gnet Open House is also a kickoff for the magnet recruiting process. Eighth grade students from across the system have been invited to attend, and we hope that they will choose to apply for admission to the Grady Communication Magnet. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie MacBrien at cmacbrien@atlanta.k12.ga.us.

Umbrella Donations!
Donations of collapsible umbrellas are currently being accepted for the Zaban Night Shelter. The Zaban Night Shelter, located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, houses homeless couples and has a very successful record of helping unfortunate people get back on their feet. Rainy season (hopefully) is just around the corner. New or used collapsible umbrellas are welcome. A collection box is located in the school front office. If you have any questions please contact Cooper Gluck at glux@mac.com. FYI: IKEA sells nice umbrellas at VERY reasonable prices.