PTO Weekly Update - Sinclair Elementary PTO

Nov 14th:

Last week before Thanksgiving Break – let’s make it a great one Superstars!

BOOK FAIR
The Scholastic Book Fair is back, and we invite you to join us all week to shop for some of your student’s favorite titles! In an effort to remain covid safe the book fair will once again take place outdoors on the blue top with safety measures in place. We will also run an online book fair for those who prefer to shop online. For daily hours or to sign up for a volunteer shift, please check out our Scholastic website!

In an effort to get books in the hands of as many students as possible, the PTO is collecting donations for students who might not otherwise be able to afford a book at the fair. Our teachers and wraparound specialist have identified around 81 students who would benefit, and if you’d like to contribute to the fund, you can do so here.

SILENT AUCTION
Tickets are on sale for our Sinclair 54 – Silent Auction, happening on February 11 from 7-11PM at SPJST Lodge! Tables are going fast (currently only 1 remaining) and tickets are being sold in limited quantities, so be sure to purchase yours today!

Tickets for Mom’s Night Out on December 16th at 7:30pm are also on sale. Join the auction committee for a night of dessert, boozy hot chocolate, and crafting decor for Sinclair 54. Tickets are $30 and will help us purchase bottles for our spirit spin at auction.

MINTED
The Sinclair PTO has once again partnered with Minted for a holiday card fundraiser, and our Minted promo code makes it easy to earn money for our school while purchasing holiday cards and gifts! Simply choose your items and use the promo code FUNDRAISESINCLAIRPTO at checkout to save 20% on your purchase and give 15% back to the PTO. Share your code with friends, family, neighbors, and local businesses to help us earn even more for Sinclair!

Writers in the Schools (WITS)
If you have a student in 2-5th grade you might have heard them talking about the author visiting their classroom. The Sinclair PTO is excited to bring Writers in the Schools (WITS) back to Sinclair as a writing enrichment program for 2021-22 school year. Each grade level is assigned a professional writer who facilitates fun, creative weekly workshops with each class. Don’t worry first grade parents, your students will begin WITS workshops in the spring. Check out thePTO Website to learn more about our authors.

SPIRIT NIGHT
On Wednesday, November 17 from 4-8 head over to Chipotle [1249 N Loop W] for spirit night! Be sure to show the attached flyer and mention you are with Sinclair so the PTO gets credit for your order. Prefer to order in? Use the code: 6XZH77D

FROZEN FRIDAY
We’ve partnered with Rita’s Italian Ice on White Oak for Frozen Friday. Every Friday from 3-8 stop by to purchase a sweet treat, and as the bonus cherry on top – if you mention you’re with Sinclair, Ritas’s will give back to the Sinclair PTO!

Nov 7th:

PTO MEETING
Please join us on Thursday, November 11 at 6:30 for our last PTO meeting of 2021! We will recap the success of Pumpkin Patch, talk about our upcoming events like book fair and the Veterans Day social, and hear from our auction crew. At 7PM, we will be joined by Sharon Ferrante, one of our WITS authors, who will be demonstrating how Writers in the Schools works in the classroom. It should be a great writing experience and we invite everyone to register for the meeting here so you can participate.

SILENT AUCTION
Tickets are on sale for our Sinclair 54 – Silent Auction, happening on February 11 from 7-11PM at SPJST Lodge! Tables are going fast (currently only 2 remaining) and tickets are being sold in limited quantities, so be sure to purchase yours today!

DAD’S CLUB SOCIAL
Come join the Sinclair Dad’s Club on November 10 as they head to BATL for a night of axe throwing. We’ve got 3 one-hour sessions reserved at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00… so come by when you can and hopefully everyone who wants to participate gets a chance to. Each session is $28/person. This event will be collecting wine for the auction wine pull, so bring a bottle of wine/liquor in the $25+ range, cash, or we could probably do Venmo. This is an adults only event, so leave the kiddos at home.

VETERANS DAY SOCIAL
We will have a Veterans Day ice cream social on November 11 at 1.45PM by the flagpole. Students are welcome to invite a family member, friend, or neighbor who is a veteran, and those who have a guest in attendance will be allowed to leave class for the ceremony. If you have any questions, please reach out to president@sinclairpto.org

BOOK FAIR
The Scholastic book fair is coming back to Sinclair this week with class previews happening on November 12 and shopping available November 12-19. In an effort to remain covid safe the book fair will once again take place outdoors on the blue top with safety measures in place. We will also run an online book fair for those who prefer to shop online. We need volunteers to make this event a success, so please sign up for a shift (or two) on our Scholastic website!

The PTO has created a fund to be used to help purchase books for students who otherwise might not be able to afford one and we’d appreciate any and all contributions.

BEAUTIFICATION DAY
Come join the beatification committee and get your hands dirty on Saturday, November 13 from 10-2 as we tend to our flowerbeds and do some general beautification around Sinclair! Hot chocolate and donuts provided, please bring gloves and shovels.

MINTED
The Sinclair PTO has once again partnered with Minted for a holiday card fundraiser, and our Minted promo code makes it easy to earn money for our school while purchasing holiday cards and gifts! Simply choose your items and use the promo code FUNDRAISESINCLAIRPTO at checkout to save 20% on your purchase and give 15% back to the PTO. Share your code with friends, family, neighbors, and local businesses to help us earn even more for Sinclair!

October 31st:

PTO Weekly Update

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween! Check out the PTO happenings below!

PTO MEETING
Please join us for our last PTO meeting of 2021 on November 11 at 6:30. We will recap the success of Pumpkin Patch, talk about our upcoming events like book fair and the Veterans Day social, and hear from our auction crew. At 7PM, we will be joined by Sharon Ferrante, one of our WITS authors, who will be demonstrating how Writers in the Schools works in the classroom. It should be a great writing experience and we invite everyone to register for the meeting here so you can participate.

AUCTION TICKET SALES
Tickets to our Sinclair 54 – Silent Auction on February 11th from 7pm-11pm will go on sale TOMORROW, November 1st. Attached are the Sponsorship, Underwriting, table and ticket levels. They are sold on a first come first serve basis (limited quantities available) and are non – refundable.

If you have any questions or would like to secure your sponsorship level before November 1st, please email sinclairauction@sinclairpto.org .

We will have another Mom’s Night Out on December 16th at 7:30pm. Please save the date for some sweets, socializing and crafting! Tickets are $30 and will help us purchase bottles for our spirit spin at auction. Tickets for this event will go on sale TOMORROW, November 1st. BYOB. 20 spots available.

DAD’S CLUB CANNED FOOD DRIVE
Around 1 million people in Harris County and the 17 neighboring counties are considered food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough nutritious food to fuel a healthy life. The Sinclair Dads Club has teamed-up with the Houston Food Bank – and we need your help! From Nov 1st through Nov 17th, we will be holding a food drive. Collection boxes with signs for each grade level will be placed in the school foyer for Kinder through 5th grade. A collection box for the pre k classes will be located just inside their school entrance.

We will also be accepting donations during designated drop offs – dates coming soon.

The grade level with the most donations will get to pick the movie we play at our winter movie night on Dec 3, 2021.

Some examples of the items that our community needs are:

• Water
• Crackers
• Granola bars and other protein snacks
• Canned tuna – preferably pull top
• Cereal
• Canned soup and ravioli – preferably pull top

For safety reasons, the food bank does not accept opened items, items past their expiration date or homemade items.

Thank you for your support!

PARK LANE FUNDRAISER
Sinclair mom of 3 Katy Thrower will be hosting a Park Lane Jewelry Fundraiser on November 2. Please see below for details from Katy:

Let’s get together virtually and learn the latest jewelry trends while shopping for Sinclair Elementary! 35% of the net sales goes back to Sinclair!! Join the the separate FB group (Shop Park Lane for Sinclair) found here =>https://www.facebook.com/groups/shopforsinclair for all the details. The FB Live Virtual Show will be held this Tuesday November 2nd at 8:30pm. Fundraiser will be open through Friday November 5th. Contact Katy Thrower directly on Facebook or text her at 832-694-1944.

They will be collecting for the silent auction wine pull, so bring a bottle of wine/liquor in the $25+ range, cash, or we could probably do Venmo. This is an adults only event, so leave the kiddos at home.

VETERANS DAY SOCIAL
We will have a Veterans Day ice cream social on November 11 at 1.45 by the flagpole. Students are welcome to invite a family member, friend, or neighbor who is a veteran, and those who have a guest in attendance will be allowed to leave class for the ceremony. If you have any questions, please reach out to president@sinclairpto.org

BOOK FAIR
The Scholastic book fair is coming back to Sinclair with class previews happening on November 12 and shopping available November 12-19. In an effort to remain covid safe the book fair will once again take place outdoors on the blue top with safety measures in place. We will also run an online book fair for those who prefer to shop online. Further details and volunteer sign ups can be found on our Scholastic website.

The PTO has created a cheddar up for anyone who wishes to donate funds to students who might not otherwise be able to shop at the fair. We will work with our wraparound specialist and homeroom teachers to make sure these funds are distributed and anything remaining will roll over to the spring book fair.

SPIRIT SOCKS
Our sock order arrived from the vendor and will be sorted and distributed this week. Thanks for your patience!

TEACHER FAVORITES AND WISH-LISTS
As we get closer to the holiday season (and as we send students to school the day after Halloween…) be sure to keep your amazing Sinclair teachers in mind! Favorite lists and Amazon wish-lists (for those that have them) can be found on our website.

October 24th:

BOOK CHARACTER DAY
Book character day will take place on October 29th. Parents are welcome to stand outside to watch the parade and we will have a live stream available for those who want to watch but are unable to make it. We do need a few volunteers to help direct students in the parade route. Volunteers must be VIPS approved and can sign up here.. The schedule and rules for costumes are listed below. Please reach out to the front office with any questions.

8:00 – 8:30 Pre-K, Kinder and Barclay
8:35 – 9:05 1st – 2nd and Hobbs
9:10 – 9:40 3rd – 5th and Wilkerson

If students choose to dress up on this day, students must have their book with them. For safety reasons, costumes must work within these parameters:

Costumes must ensure that a mask ( at least 2 layers thick ) can be worn with the costume.
Capes must be above knee level.
Hoods, hats and ornamental masks that cover the entire face will only be permitted during our parade. Students will be asked to remove these pieces during instruction.
Weapons of any kind are not allowed. Depictions of weapons are not allowed.

Parade Route: Students will exit the blue doors, travel along the sidewalk, passing by the circle drive and the front of the school, enter the white doors and then return to their classrooms. Parents will be allowed to be on site, outside the building lining the sidewalks.

HALLOWEEN COOKIES
The amazing Virginia Hrncir of Sweet Treats by Virginia is holding a Halloween cookie fundraiser! Sweet Treats by Virginia is selling Halloween chocolate chip cut out cookies. They are $20 per dozen with $5 going directly to the PTO. Each cookie will be individually wrapped and ready to hand out. If you are interested you can message Virginia Hrncir directly on Facebook or text her at 979-332-3482. Venmo and cash will be accepted.

The cookies will be ready Friday October 29th. If you want to order them for your child’s class, just pay in advance and they will be delivered to your child’s teacher that Friday morning.

GARDEN
Our planting day rained out last Friday. We were able to get some plants in our beds before it stormed, but we are still in need of some plants. We are looking for butterfly host plants and nectar plants. We have plenty of lantana but could use some other varieties. If you still have some plants that you were not able to plant due to the rain or are wanting to donate some plants, please drop them off at the school next week. We’ll have some classes plant them. I hope we can fill up our beds and give our garden lots of color for our kiddos and butterflies!

AUCTION
Tickets to our Sinclair 54 – Silent Auction on February 11th from 7pm-11pm will go on sale November 1st. Attached are the Sponsorship, Underwriting, table and ticket levels. They are sold on a first come first serve basis (limited quantities available) and are non – refundable.

If you have any questions or would like to secure your sponsorship level before November 1st, please email sinclairauction@sinclairpto.org .

We will have another Mom’s Night Out on December 16th at 7:30pm. Please save the date for some sweets, socializing and crafting! Tickets are $30 and will help us purchase bottles for our spirit spin at auction. Tickets for this event will go on sale November 1st. BYOB. 20 spots available.

VETERANS DAY
We will have a Veterans Day ice cream social on November 11 at 1.45 by the flagpole. Students are welcome to invite a family member, friend, or neighbor who is a veteran, and those who have a guest in attendance will be allowed to leave class for the ceremony. If you have any questions, please reach out to president@sinclairpto.org

MINTED
It’s October, which means stores are full of holiday goodies and it’s time to start thinking about holiday cards! Our Minted promo code makes it easy! Simply choose your items and use the promo code FUNDRAISESINCLAIRPTO at checkout to save 20% on your purchase and give 15% back to the PTO. Share your code with friends, family, neighbors, and local businesses to help us earn even more for Sinclair!

BIRTHDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sinclair offers several options for birthday announcements to celebrate your student’s birthday. Birthday requests need to be made at the front office a few days in advance, and payment can be made in cash (exact change preferred). Please see below for details and pricing. For those who have a student with a summer birthday, you can still choose to celebrate them anytime – their half birthday, their un-birthday, whatever you choose!

$5 – Birthday Announcement on the morning announcements, and your student will receive a birthday certificate, pencil, and birthday tiara or hat.

$15 – Birthday Announcement on the morning announcements, and your student will receive a birthday certificate, pencil, and birthday tiara or hat. Student will also have their picture taken and framed.

$30 – Birthday Announcement on the morning announcements, and your student will receive a birthday certificate, pencil, and birthday tiara or hat. Student will also have their picture taken and framed and their name will be posted on the marquee.

RECESS TOYS AND CLASSROOM COMPUTERS
We are having some incidents of students not putting balls away at recess, and students roughhousing with equipment in our digital media lab causing it to break. Please remind your students that these items are provided by the PTO, which is funded by your donations. Replacing equipment , especially electronics, is expensive and timely as there is a specific HISD procedure we have to follow. As a PTO we pride ourselves on the ability to provide these items for Sinclair, and our hope is that students will take care of them so they last.

THANK YOU
Huge thank you to Erin Eassey and Hallie Sharp, our pumpkin patch chairs for the past 5 years! Congratulations on such a successful year and thank you for everything you’ve done for our school! To all of the volunteers who’ve been working the patch this year – we couldn’t do it without you!!

I also want to say a big thank you to our Sinclair community – I’m regularly seeing donations for treasure box items, class snacks, teacher wish lists and our PTO accounts. In addition to monetary donations, we have so many people donating time – classroom readers, bulletin board creators, dad’s club, pumpkin patch, and garden volunteers. It’s so amazing to see our community coming together and pitching in to make our school incredible! Thank you all for your dedication to our teachers, students, and school.

CONNECT WITH US
We always have a ton going on and you won’t want to miss it! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the know!

PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page
School Website

October 17th:

PUMPKIN PATCH

Our Sinclair Pumpkin Patch kicked off on Friday and has already been a huge success! Be sure to head over for cute photo opportunities and of course to purchase your pumpkins! Huge thank you to Mark Brawley with Norhill Realty for sponsoring our first Spooky Saturday! Next Saturday the Texas Bubblers will be at the patch, generously sponsored by Payless Insulation, so be sure to head over to participate in the fun!

HALLOWEEN COOKIES

The amazing Virginia Hrncir of Sweet Treats by Virginia is holding a Halloween cookie fundraiser! Sweet Treats by Virginia is selling Halloween chocolate chip cut out cookies. They are $20 per dozen with $5 going directly to the PTO. Each cookie will be individually wrapped and ready to hand out. If you are interested you can message Virginia Hrncir directly on Facebook or text her at 979-332-3482. Venmo and cash will be accepted.

The cookies will be ready Friday October 29th. If you want to order them for your child’s class, just pay in advance and they will be delivered to your child’s teacher that Friday morning.

AMAZON/KROGER/BOXTOPS

Did you know you can support Sinclair just by shopping? It’s true! Kroger Rewards, Amazon Smile, and Box Tops for Education are easy ways to give back to our school! Not sure how to enroll? The PTO Website has you covered!

MINTED

It’s October, which means stores are full of holiday goodies and it’s time to start thinking about holiday cards! Our Minted promo code makes it easy! Simply choose your items and use the promo code FUNDRAISESINCLAIRPTO at checkout to save 20% on your purchase and give 15% back to the PTO. Share your code with friends, family, neighbors, and local businesses to help us earn even more for Sinclair!

SPIRIT STORE – SHIRTS STOCKED

Looking to share your Sinclair Spirit with the world? We recently stocked some of our past Sinclair Spirit shirts in varying sizes. Quantities are limited, so order soon! Yard signs will be restocked soon, and spirit sock orders have been put in with the vendor. We will deliver as soon as they arrive.

FALL FESTIVAL —> SPRING FLING

Due to Covid concerns, we postponed our Fall Festival to the Spring of 2022. Spring Fling is set for April 2, 2022, and our amazing committee chair, Kim Szymczak, is already hard at work planning, securing vendors, and designing logos! If you are interested in co-chairing/joining the spring fling committee, please reach out to her directly: fallfestival@sinclairpto.org

LUNCHROOM VOLUNTEERS

In an effort to give all teachers duty free lunch on Fridays, the PTO is trying to gauge interest in lunchroom volunteers. Lunch runs from 10:30-1:15 and we would need to cover every lunch with 4-5 volunteers in order to make this happen. We currently have polls on Living Tree and Facebook – please let us know if you are interested so we can begin creating signups.

READING VOLUNTEERS

Our Librarian, Ms. Lujan is looking for reading volunteers. Please see descriptions of the programs below and reach out to Ms. Lujan with any questions: amanda.lujan@houstonisd.org

1. Read Houston Read: Volunteers will be working one on one with 1st grade students for 1 hour per week (2 students back to back for 30 minutes each). FLIP kits will be provided with a book and literacy activity. This will be a weekly commitment until the end of the school year.

2. Real Men Read: Gentlemen volunteers from the community to read aloud to a 3rd grade classroom. This is a one hour commitment once a month until the end of the school year.

VIPS REMINDER

In order to volunteer on campus, you must register online and undergo a background check through HISD to become VIPS approved. Signup takes less than 10 minutes and your VIPS approval will last the entire 21-22 school year.

PTO MEETING RECORDING

If you missed our meeting last week, you can view it here. Our next meeting will be November 11 at 6:30 on zoom.

THANK YOU

Huge shout out to the Dad’s Club for their help with unloading and setting up the pumpkin patch! It’s a big job to get the patch ready and we appreciate all of the help!

Thank you to our Pumpkin Patch Committee for all of your hard work planning and bringing the patch to life! It’s so fun to have one of the community’s favorite events back on our campus. To all of our volunteers working patch sales – we couldn’t do it without you!!

October 10th:

PTO MEETING
Join us on Thursday, October 14 at 8am for our next PTO Meeting! We will be hearing from Ms. Elena Alvardao, our new wraparound specialist, recapping Boosterthon, and discussing our upcoming events including Pumpkin Patch and Book Fair. Register here to join us!

SPIRIT SOCKS – LAST CALL
Does Sinclair rock your socks? Why not show off your Superstar pride with our newest spirit item – SINCLAIR SPIRIT SOCKS! We have 3 designs to choose from with kids, womens, and men’s sizes available. Check out the spirit store for your last chance to pre-order!

Please note: Sock sales will close on October 10th! The PTO will place an order on October 11 and delivery from the supplier should take an estimated 2-3 weeks. Socks will be delivered to students via homeroom teachers once they arrive.

PUMPKIN PATCH
It’s October which means one of Sinclair’s favorite community events – the Sinclair Pumpkin Patch! Our patch is open October 15 – 24 and will feature 2 spooky Saturdays generously sponsored by Mark Brawley with Norhill Realty and Payless Insulation respectively. We need volunteers to work the patch after school and on the weekends; if you are interested, please sign up here.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Library:
1. Read Houston Read: Volunteers will be working one on one with 1st grade students for 1 hour per week (2 students back to back for 30 minutes each). FLIP kits will be provided with a book and literacy activity. This will be a weekly commitment until the end of the school year.

2. Real Men Read: Gentlemen volunteers from the community to read aloud to a 3rd grade classroom. This is a one hour commitment once a month until the end of the school year.

We will need about 19 volunteers total. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our librarian: amanda.lujan@houstonisd.org

Dad’s Club:
Join the dad’s club on October 14 at 5:30 as they help unload pumpkins for the patch and clean up some of our displays.

Pumpkin Patch:
The pumpkin patch still needs a few volunteers to help with patch sales. .

Garden:
Join the garden committee on October 15 from 3-4:30 to help plant butterfly attracting plants. Please see attached flyer for details.

THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone who took the time to register, share, and donate for Boosterthon! We will have the final total this week, but we have completely surpassed our goal earning SLIME TIME, and possibly another reward. We are so grateful to everyone for their generosity and can’t wait to do a community vote on how we can best spend the funds to help support our school. To our teachers who took class time to work with the Boosterthon team, created class flags, and class incentives – we appreciate all of your support!!

To everyone who has been helping with the garden project – building the fence and planters, moving soil, planting flowers – thank you for the time and effort you are putting into enhancing our school and our community. It’s a beautiful space that I hope will be appreciated for many, many years!

CONNECT WITH US
We always have a ton going on and you won’t want to miss it! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the know!

PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page
School Website

October 3rd:

TEACHER INSERVICE
Please be aware that tomorrow, Monday, October 4 is a teacher in service day and there is no school. To stay updated on school holidays and closures, be sure to check the official HISD academic calendar or sync your device to the PTO calendar.

BOOSTERTHON
It’s fun run week!! Right now we’re 75% toward our goal, with $25,000 collected from 29 states and 6 countries and we are so thankful to everyone who has been registering, donating, and sharing! Pledging is only open for a few more days, and we’d LOVE to hit our goal of $35,000, so please, please keep bringing in those donations. The more we collect the more we can do for our school!! And don’t forget, the only way we get to have SLIME TIME is if we reach our collection goal. This year the top earning class (Ms. Bennett’s class is currently in the lead) and the top 10 earners will get to slime Principal Mashburn, and I can tell you from experience, it’s very fun! Be sure to login at www.mybooster.com and share your page with friends, family and neighbors. When donating, please remember to submit a company match if you are eligible! We currently have over $6,000 in eligible matches that haven’t yet been submitted!

Our Superstar Sprint will take place on Wednesday, October 6, and for the first time in a long time, this event will be open to spectators (please see the attached schedule for run times)! We are still trying to be as Covid conscious as possible so we can continue to offer family attended events, so we ask that you please adhere to the guidelines below:

1. While HISD does not require masks outdoors, the PTO is highly encouraging their use and requesting all visitors to please wear them
2. Only 2 guests/child allowed
3. All guests will need to sign in and get a visitor badge. Visitors will NOT be allowed in the building, but will head to the fields from the side gate.
4. Please stay in the flagged off spectator areas – do not crowd the track/students

NATIONAL COLORING DAY (Rescheduled event)
Did you know coloring is not only good for developing fine motor skills, but it can help lower anxiety levels? Join us on Tuesday, October 5 from 3:30-5:30on the blue top for our rescheduled National Coloring Day event! Students will have the chance to color an original Sinclair Mural (created by our own Ms. White) that will later be hung in the school. Lucky Star Ice will be on site selling snow cones for $2. This is an outdoor event, but masks are strongly encouraged.

SPIRIT NIGHT
Looking for an excuse to have pizza this week? Look no further than Sinclair Spirit Night at MOD Pizza on Thursday, October 7.Visit the MOD Pizza in Sawyer Heights (10:30am-9pm) and mention you are with Sinclair or order online for delivery or take out use code: GR1954205 – you get to enjoy some delicious pizza and the PTO gets a percentage of your total.

STOCK THE LOUNGE
Attention 1st and 4th grade families – we’d love for you to help us spoil our teachers this month by purchasing items to Stock the Lounge. Please drop off items to either address listed in the sign up by Sunday, October 10. If you’d like to contribute but don’t have time to shop, please feel free to vemno Caitlin Reynolds [@Caitlin-Reynolds-8]

CULTURAL ARTS
October is Bullying Prevention month, and our cultural arts crew will be launching a Kindness Campaign this month. Be sure to check out the new decals and posters they will be installing at school reminding everyone about the power of kindness. In addition, on October 5 they encourage everyone to participate in World Teacher’s Day by writing a sweet note to your favorite teacher(s) and delivering it to their classroom. We’ve attached a template for students to use or we encourage them to use their imagination and create something unique for their favorite teacher(s).

4TH GRADE BOSTON INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Any current 4th graders interested in going on an educational trip to Boston in June 2023? Mr. Beattie and the EF Tour Coordinator will be hosting a virtual informational meeting on Thursday, October 7 at 6PM. Please RSVP here if you are interested.

SPIRIT SOCKS PREORDER
Does Sinclair rock your socks? Why not show off your Superstar pride with our newest spirit item – SINCLAIR SPIRIT SOCKS! We have 3 designs to choose from with kids, womens, and men’s sizes available. Check out the spirit store to pre-order!

Please note: Sock sales will be open from September 26 – October 10th. The PTO will place an order on October 11 and delivery from the supplier should take an estimated 2-3 weeks. Socks will be delivered to students via homeroom teachers once they arrive.

PUMPKIN PATCH
It’s October which means one of Sinclair’s favorite community events – the Sinclair Pumpkin Patch! Our patch is open October 15 – 24 and will feature 2 spooky Saturdays generously sponsored by Mark Brawley with Norhill Realty and Payless Insulation respectively. We need volunteers to work the patch after school and on the weekends; if you are interested, please sign up here.

THANK YOU
Huge thank you to George Koutros with Realm Real Estate Professionals for generously donating a Keurig to the teacher’s lounge. We love when sponsors help us do special things for our teachers and staff.

Big shout out to everyone who made it to Mom’s Night Out at Star Sailor last week! The event was a great success and we appreciate all of the wine pull donations! We’ve gotten lots of feedback that people would love another event, so we will get planning – stay tuned!

CONNECT WITH US
We always have a ton going on and you won’t want to miss it! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the know!

PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page
School Website

September 26th:

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Reminder that Monday, September 27 is our Virtual Open House. Principal Mashburn will begin the evening by addressing the school community at 4:30 via zoom. After, parents and students will travel virtually to their homerooms via links sent by teachers. Homeroom and magnet teachers will be available online from 5-5:30PM, and Principal Mashburn will be online from 4:30-6PM. Please reach out to the front office with any questions.

SCHOOL PICTURES
Tuesday, September 28 is individual school picture day. All students will have their pictures taken for the year book and those that are interested in purchasing must pre-order. Put in Sinclair Elementary, then your child’s name as the school has it. Use promo code Sinclair21 at checkout for 10% off your purchase price. If you have any questions please reach out to our photographer, Kevin Dunn of PortraitEFX Photo Memories:
KDunn@portraitefx.com
832-752-7561

BOOSTERTHON
I hope you’re ready – Monday morning kicks off our annual Boosterthon!!!! This year our program leader Hannah Banana will lead our students through character development lessons on Curiosity, Confidence, Humility, Practice, Endurance. Check out the Sports City Worldwide trailer here to see what your student will be learning. Boosterthon registration is completely free and all students get to participate in the fun run on October 6 regardless of financial participation. We of course appreciate everyone’s generosity, but please remember, even if you’re not in a position to donate, signing up and sharing IS SUPPORTING!

Huge thank you to our generous sponsors who have made our custom shirts and other incentives possible: Rafail Insurance Agency, Neumed Urgent Care and IV Therapy, Alarcon Financial Strategies, LLC, Rita’s Italian Ice, the Waldrop Law Firm, the Joint Chiropractic

Please note: Sock sales will be open from September 26 – October 10th. The PTO will place an order on October 11 and delivery from the supplier should take an estimated 2-3 weeks. Socks will be delivered to students via homeroom teachers once they arrive.

MOM’S NIGHT OUT
Our amazing auction crew has been working hard to plan Sinclair 54, and you’re invited to join them this Thursday, September 30, 7PM at Star Sailor for mom’s night out/coloring night. As ‘entry’ they ask that you bring a bottle of wine (valued at $20+) to donate to the auction wine pull.

BUTTERFLY GARDEN PROJECT
On October 3 at 9AM, join us as we build community and expand our outdoor learning space! We will be continuing to build our outdoor learning space, butterfly garden, and fence. All ages and skill levels are welcome! We will provide Gatorade and icy treats, but please bring water, gloves, bug spray, and sunscreen.

YEARBOOK UPDATE
Yearbook update: The 2020-21 yearbook is coming soon — we know you are your kiddos are excited to get them! Last year’s hybrid learning model made it a real challenge to ensure each student is included in candid photos. The yearbook will go to Balfour for final review and proofing next week, then it goes to print. As soon as we have a delivery date we will communicate distribution plans, including any families who are no longer at Sinclair. Huge thanks to Traci Riley for stepping up and getting this project to the finish line!

We are in need of multiple volunteers to put together the yearbook for this 2021-22 school year. If you are interested in volunteering, email yearbook@sinclairpto.org. Everyone can help by capturing and submitting school event or class photos.

4TH GRADE BOSTON TRIP INFORMATION SESSION
Any current 4th graders interested in going on an educational trip to Boston in June 2023? Mr. Beattie and the EF Tour Coordinator will be hosting a virtual informational meeting on Thursday, October 7 at 6PM. Please RSVP here if you are interested.

PUMPKIN PATCH
We’re getting closer to the fall, which means it’s almost time for our Pumpkin Patch! The patch will be open October 15-24 and will feature 2 spooky Saturdays, generously sponsored by Mark Brawley with Norhill Realty and Payless Insulation respectively. We will need volunteers to help with patch sales, so keep an eye out for a sign up genius that should be going out soon!

TEACHER INSERVICE
Please be aware that Monday, October 4 is a teacher in service day and there is no school. To stay updated on school holidays and closures, be sure to check the official HISD academic calendar or sync your device to the PTO calendar.

THANK YOU
Shout out to Principal Mashburn and all of our other teachers for taking the time to come cheer on our Superstars at TSA this weekend! It means so much to the kids when faculty, staff, and teachers are able to make it out to games and other after hour events. As families we know how much you pour into our students during the week and it means so much when you take even more time to support them!

CONNECT WITH US
We always have a ton going on and you won’t want to miss it! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the know! PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page
School Website

September 19th:

PTO Weekly Update

We hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing long weekend. Just a few updates as we head into the week. As always our PTO Updates are posted on and archived to our website. www.sinclairpto.org

BOOSTERTHON

It’s here, it’s here – Boosterthon Registration is officially live! Head over to www.mybooster.com to get your student(s) signed up! Our goal this year is to register 75% of our students and raise $35,000. We will officially kick off with the Boosterthon team on September 27, but let’s get a head start on our registration and donation goals and show them how bright our Superstars can shine!! We appreciate everyone’s generosity, but please remember, even if you’re not in a position to donate, signing up and sharing IS SUPPORTING!

SPIRIT NIGHT

Need a night off from cooking? Head to Sinclair Supporter Tony’s Mexican Restaurant on September 21 from 5-8PM for spirit night! Be sure to mention you’re with Sinclair and Tony’s will give 10% back to the PTO.

FROZEN FRIDAY

Frozen Fridays start this month at Rita’s Italian Ice on White Oak. Every Friday from 3-8 stop by to purchase a sweet treat, and as the bonus cherry on top – if you mention you’re with Sinclair, Ritas’s will give back to the Sinclair PTO!

September 12th:

NO SCHOOL
Reminder there is no school on Thursday, 9/16 or Friday, 9/17. To stay on top of all HISD holidays and closures, be sure to check the HISD calendar or sync your device to thePTO Calendar

COLORING DAY
Did you know coloring is not only good for developing fine motor skills, but it can help lower anxiety levels? Join us on Tuesday, September 14 from 3:30-5:30 on the blue top for National Coloring Day! Students will have the chance to color an original Sinclair Mural (created by our own Ms. White) that will later be hung in the school. Lucky Star Ice will be on site selling snow cones for $2. This is an outdoor event, but masks are strongly encouraged.

FALL HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
Join the Dad’s Club on Wednesday, September 15 from 6-9PM at Eureka Heights for their Fall Holiday Celebration. Bring the whole family and connect with other superstars as you enjoy a few cold drinks and pizza from the Satellite Pizza Food Truck.

TREE REMOVAL/REPLACEMENT
Trees for Houston is coming next Thursday to replace the trees along Ella and our fruit trees. Prior to this happening, we need help removing the trees along Ella. If you are able to help before Thursday, please head up to campus to do so. If you have questions, please reach out to Ms. Capuchino: scapuchi@houstonisd.org

BOOSTERTHON
We’re just a few weeks away from kicking off our biggest Fall fundraiser!! Registration opens next week for our Superstar Sprint, and we’re hoping to get at least 75% of our students signed up at mybooster.com! Signing up is totally free, and if we can reach our goal, the PTO will provide a popsicle party for EVERY CLASS!

FROZEN FRIDAY
Need a pick me up by the end of the week? You’re in luck! The PTO has partnered with Rita’s Italian Ice for Frozen Friday! Every Friday from 3-8, head over to their White Oak location to grab a sweet treat! Be sure to mention Sinclair and the PTO will get a 15% kickback!

FALL FESTIVAL POSTPONED
Given the high levels of COVID transmission in our community and schools, the PTO has postponed this year’s fall festival to spring 2022. The PTO was so excited to host our superstar families in October as planned, however, it would not be safe to host large crowds at this time. The PTO’s main purpose is to support Sinclair and we will do our part to minimize disruptions and potential exposures outside of school. We hope that postponing until spring allows us to give our superstar students and families a fun-filled festival with minimal restrictions. The PTO will update families once a new date is set. Please note, at this time, our other fall events, including Boosterthon, Pumpkin Patch, and Book Fair will go on as planned, with covid safety procedures in place.

DONATIONS
Did you know you can easily support our PTO through a direct donation to either our general fund or a specific committee? Payments can be one time or set as a monthly recurring basis. We appreciate your generosity!

MOMS NIGHT OUT
Our amazing auction crew has been working hard to plan Sinclair 54, and you’re invited to join them September 30, 7PM at Star Sailor for mom’s night out/coloring night. As ‘entry’ they ask that you bring a bottle of wine (valued at $20+) to donate to the auction wine pull.

AUCTION COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Our auction committee has sent out hundreds of requests for donations for Sinclair 54, and now they need help following up. If you are willing to make some phone calls on their behalf, please reach out to: silentauction@sinclairpto.org

VIPS
Just a reminder that we have quite a few events coming up that will need volunteers (Coloring Day, Pumpkin Patch, Book Fair, ect). To volunteer on campus, you must be VIPS approved. Signup takes less than 10 minutes and your VIPS approval will last the entire 21-22 school year.

THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone who was able to make our first PTO meeting last week! If you missed it, you can find the recording here. Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 14 at 8AM on zoom.

CONNECT WITH US
We always have a ton going on and you won’t want to miss it! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the know! PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

September 5th:

PTO Weekly Update

REMINDER

School is closed Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day. To make sure you are always up to date on school closures, be sure to sync your device to our PTO calendar.

CLASS PARENTS

The following teachers are still in need of class parents. If you are in either of the classes below and are willing to take on the role (duties include: relaying messages from the PTO to your class via Living Tree, organizing class parties, year end teacher class gift, and possibly a basket for the silent auction) please reach out to our room parent coordinator, Carrie Brawley: roomparents@sinclairpto.org

Campbell

Dang

GENERAL PTO MEETING
Our first general meeting is Thursday, September 9 at 6:30PM. We will be hearing from Nurse Kerr regarding contact tracing/quarantine, and Principal Mashburn/Vice Principal Hoang will be saying hello, giving an overview of the year so far, and discussing Temporary Online Learning that occurs when a student is quarantined. The PTO will be talking about what we accomplished this summer, our plans for the year, and presenting our final budget. Lots of great information that you won’t want to miss! Register here!

*Meeting will be recorded and posted on Living Tree with minutes posted on our PTO website

5TH GRADE BOSTON TRIP MEETING
From Mr. Beattie: I am excited to announce that your student is invited to participate in our educational trip to Boston Massachusetts! To learn more, about the trip details and how to enroll, I am hosting a virtual meeting on Thursday, September 9th at 6:00 PM to discuss our June 2022 trip.If you are not yet enrolled and missed our first parent information meeting – please RSVP here for our final info session before our enrollment deadline:https://bit.ly/37Sd2J6?fbclid=IwAR1UqWgCjNhnye3KVm4oRaK4vXCreLE1uCQFBT6-ylLXIBbyZnB4H4KpG4MThere is limited space on this trip and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. It will be necessary to come to the meeting in order to enroll on tour. I look forward to speaking with you at the meeting!

WISHLISTS
Our amazing website crew has spent the past few weeks updating our website, including the teacher favorite/wishlist section. We were all hoping for a “regular” year, but I think it’s apparent we might be in for a bumpy ride. Our teachers were amazing at navigating the Covid crazy last year, and they are already rising to the occasion again. If you’re able, please consider shopping their wishlists/favorites to help support them. Don’t forget our magnet teachers!!!

https://www.sinclairpto.org/teacherfavoriteslist/

BOOSTERTHON
Boosterthon kicks off on September 27, culminating the Fun Run on October 6. This is our largest fall fundraiser and we’ve set a goal of raising $35,000. After a hard year last year, we’d love to smash this goal and raise even more, I’m sure we can come up with some fun incentives along the way to help us do it! Stay tuned in the next few weeks as we share information on how to register and participate.

KONA ICE
On Friday, September 9 enjoy a sweet treat after school at the Kona Ice truck! Cash and card accepted.

SAVE THE DATE: LADIES NIGHT/COLORING NIGHT
Our amazing auction crew has been working hard to plan Sinclair 54, and you’re invited to join them on September 30 at Star Sailor for mom’s night out/coloring night. As ‘entry’ they ask that you bring a bottle of wine (valued at $20+) to donate to the auction wine pull.

SPIRIT STORE
We’ve put the majority of our spirit store inventory online: bows, kinder spirit shirts, car magnets and temporary tattoos are all up for sale. https://spirit-store-68978.cheddarup.com. For those waiting for new items; we’re currently working with a new vendor to roll out a new item that we think will rock your socks, so stay tuned!

CONNECT WITH US
We’re working hard to build our social media presence; follow along with us!PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

August 29th:

The first week is always crazy with a hiccup here and there, but we got it done and we’re off to a great 21-22 school year! We have some PTO updates and reminders to share as we head into week 2. As always, our PTO weekly is archived on our website

PTO MEETING
The day you’ve been waiting for is almost here – our first general meeting!!! Join us online Thursday, September 9 at 6:30PM as we talk about what we accomplished this summer and our budget and plans for the 21-22 school year. Register here to join us!

BOOSTERTHON SPONSORS
Boosterthon is back to its regularly scheduled fall date, and we need sponsors! Sponsors help us cover the costs of shirts, teacher incentives, and of course for those fun extras like silly string, whipped cream, and the dunk tank. If your family is interested in sponsoring, or if you own or know a business you think would like to sponsor, please check out our sponsorship levels. If you have questions please email: president@sinclairpto.org
Huge shout out to our committed sponsors: Rafail Insurance ,Neumed Urgent Care, Alarcon Financial Services and The Joint Chiropractic We appreciate your support!!!

5TH GRADE FAMILIES – SAVE THE DATE!
Mr. Beattie has asked that we pass along the following message:
I am excited to announce that your student is invited to participate in our educational trip to Boston Massachusetts! To learn more, about the trip details and how to enroll, I am hosting a virtual meeting on Thursday, September 9th at 6:00 PM to discuss our June 2022 trip.If you are not yet enrolled and missed our first parent information meeting – please RSVP here for our final info session before our enrollment deadline: https://bit.ly/37Sd2J6There is limited space on this trip and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. It will be necessary to come to the meeting in order to enroll on tour. I look forward to speaking with you at the meeting!

SAVE THE DATE: LADIES NIGHT
Our amazing auction committee has been hard at work planning Sinclair 54 , and on September 30th they’ve planned a Ladies Night out at Star Sailor. As “entry” for this event they are asking that everyone bring a bottle of wine for the auction wine pull. Stay tuned for more details!

CULTURAL ARTS
Our Cultural Arts committee has big plans for September, celebrating some wacky national holidays as well as National Hispanic Heritage Month. Please see the attached flyer for details, and help us kick off on College Colors Day on Friday, September 3 by wearing a college shirt to represent your future university.

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL/PARKING REMINDERS
1. The blue door is walk up or drive up for 2-5th grade and siblings ONLY! 1st grade is walk up ONLY to the front green door and PreK/K is walk up to the white door on the Grovewood side.
2. You may NOT park or exit your car if you are in the car lane. In the afternoon if you have been waiting for your student for a long time, please get someone’s attention and they can help make sure your number is in the system. In the morning if your student needs assistance unbuckling themselves, or if they need help carrying something, please park in the neighborhood and walk up.
3. Please keep pulling forward when there is space. This allows other cars to move and the line to continue. This includes in the morning drop off lane – do not wait to watch your child enter the building. Please keep the line moving as space allows.
4. At morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, please DO NOT PASS other cars in the car rider line. We do have some students who exit on the left side and their safety is a top priority.
5. Please obey traffic laws – No cell phones in line or while driving in the school zone, drive the speed limit, no parking at intersections or stop signs, please do not block neighbors driveways or drive in lawns. Please do NOT park on Manville or Grovewood across from the school – this impedes the flow of traffic for everyone.
6. Please do NOT park in faculty lots – especially in the morning. Teachers need to be able to arrive and find parking so they can get to their classroom/assigned duty station on time. PIKMYKIDWe’ve been asked a few times to clarify – PikMyKid is the app the school uses for dismissal. The version we have (PikMyKid Lite) does not require our families to download anything. You will simply drive or walk up and let someone know your student’s 3 digit code, and they will be released to you. PikMyKid is not utilized by iKids U, it is a Sinclair specific tool.

DONATIONS
Did you know you don’t have to wait until we have a fundraiser to give to Sinclair? The PTO accepts donations to our general fund at any time. These donations go toward school support and giving additional assistance to our committees so they can plan events that benefit our school and community.

THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone for your patience this week! The first week is always chaotic and I know that can cause headaches with arrival and dismissal among other things. We got some great feedback we were able to share with the school, and had several volunteers and of course our amazing teachers who stepped in to help. It’s always an adjustment, but we are getting there!
A huge shout out and thank you to the PTO Board as well: Jessica Nute, Allison Newport, Ann Van Wagener, Takisha Gastile, and Alejandra Koutros. My name is the one you tend to see on social media, but the success we have as a board is a team effort, and the ladies listed above are constantly working: supporting committees, reworking budgets, soliciting sponsorships, and more. It’s a privilege to get to work with and learn from such a great group and I appreciate all of you!

CONNECT WITH US
We’re working hard to build our social media presence; follow along with us! PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

August 22nd:

BACK TO SCHOOL
Be prepared for the first day of school by familiarizing yourself with the Arrival and Dismissal Procedures. Please remember to be cautious and courteous – no cell phones in the school zone, obey traffic laws/signs, be mindful of families crossing the street, and please don’t block neighbor’s driveways. The first day is usually a little chaotic, but let’s all remember we are part of the same Superstar community, so please be patient and kind.

COVID POLICIES
If you are not familiar with the district’s covid policies, please read the READY SET GO plan. Masks will be required for all individuals indoors and are highly encouraged outdoors. Temperature checks will be performed at drop off and in the event of a covid exposure contact tracing will be performed. Water fountains will be in use for water bottles ONLY, so please be sure to send a water bottle with your student. Please remember to self monitor for symptoms and keep your student home if they or a household member is experiencing symptoms.

BOOHOO/YAHOO BREAKFAST
Our PreK and Kinder families are invited to join the PTO at our annual first day BooHoo/Yahoo Breakfast. After dropping off your student, come grab a bit and mingle with the PTO and other Superstar parents. Please see attached flyer for location details and time.

FAVORITES/WISHLISTS
Sinclair teachers are amazing, and it’s fun to be able to spoil them once in a while. If you’d like to bring your teacher their favorite treat, or purchase something from their wishlist, be sure to check out the PTO Website. If you can, don’t forget to share the love with our Magnet Teachers and Staff as well!

BREAKFAST WITH DADS
Join the Dad’s club on Friday, August 27 from 6.45-7.30 on the Bluetop for breakfast. Please see the attached flyer for details – no detention required.

ICE CREAM TRUCK
Celebrate the end of week 1 with ice cream on Friday! Abuelas Ice Cream Truck will be parked on campus from 2:45-3:30 after school. Items will range from $2-4 with cash or card accepted.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
I’M BACK BABY! Boosterthon that is! I know we just did a dance-fit in the Spring but now that we are back on campus we are back to our regularly scheduled fall Boosterthon, and we need sponsors! Sponsors help us cover the costs of shirts, teacher incentives, and of course for those fun extras like silly string, whipped cream, and the dunk tank. If your family is interested in sponsoring, or if you own a business or know a business you think would like to sponsor, please follow the link below. If you have questions please email: president@sinclairpto.org
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/boosterthon-fun-run-sponsorship

THANK YOU
To everyone who has shown up in the past week to volunteer – thank you so much! We couldn’t have managed without you!
To our PTO committees: Our teacher appreciation crew, Trish Houser and Caitlin Reynolds who planned a breakfast and lunch this week, assembled amazing gifts for our teachers, and stocked the lounge, thank you so much for all of your hard work! We love our faculty and staff and y’all made sure to let them know how appreciated they are. Our website crew – Rainia McChristian, Maureen Thompson, and Felicia Bates who have been working like crazy to update our site to make sure families stay in the know; thank you so much for your hard work and dedication! We appreciate you all so much!!

CONNECT WITH US
We are working to get the word out about Sinclair and increase our social media presence. Be sure to follow along with us: PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

August 15th:

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is thedress code?
How do I know what school supplies to buy?
How can I watch the Sinclair 101?
Does Sinclair have aftercare?
How can I look up the school lunch menu?
Where can I find information on HISD transportation services?
How can I get district emails and messages from HISD?
How can I get involved with the Sinclair PTO?
When do you hold PTO Meetings?
How can I donate to the Silent Auction?
How do I sign up for VIPS?

SINCLAIR TOURS
By popular demand I have added more tours on Saturday, August 21. Please be aware these tours are intended for new to Sinclair families and those who have not been on campus before. Space is limited (10/tour) so please consider others when selecting spots. Masks will be required.
Sign up here

MEET THE TEACHER
Meet the teacher is on August 20 and is now a virtual event. Times are listed below and teachers will be sending a meeting link next week. Please contact the front office with questions.
PreK and PALS: 10:30-11:00
Kinder: 11:00-11:301st and SLC Wilkerson: 12:30-1:002nd and SLC TBA: 1:00-1:303rd and Magnet: 1:30-2:154th, 5th, and PE: 2:00-2:45

COVID UPDATES
There have been some COVID updates in the district, several of which were communicated on Friday in Principal Mashburn’s Letter to Parents. Superintendent House has put out an updated Ready Set Go Plan and you can also view his webinar for further information.

BEAUTIFICATION UPDATE
We had a HUGELY successful beautification day with several families coming together to roll up their sleeves and work up a sweat! We planted flowers and added dirt to the star garden, trimmed trees and bushes, cleared out weeds and dead plant debris, watered all the flowerbeds and added a few plants to existing flower beds. Way to go to all those who came out to help be a part of and build our Sinclair Community! A special thanks to the Bahde, Craig, Hurlbert, Kolarik and Yip families. Thank you! – Jeannette Kolarik, Beautification Committee Chair
Currently we have 4 members of the beautification committee and will be looking to do some additional planning for the year in late September/early October. Please reach out if you are interested in joining the committee and if not, please keep your eyes peeled for posts on Living Tree, the PTO website and the Sinclair PTO Facebook page for future events if you want to join the fun.

THANK YOU
I want to give a big shout out to all of the volunteers that have been on campus lately – moving boxes, labeling/delivering supplies, organizing classrooms, cutting back plants, tending to the gardens to improve the beauty of our campus and so much more. Thank you for taking the time to help; your dedication and support is what makes the Sinclair community so special!
I also want to say thank you to all of our committee heads and new board members – things are always happening behind the scenes, and we have such an amazing group who is working hard to bring events to life, to keep things up to date, and just help make the upcoming school year amazing. It’s such a privilege to be able to work with you all this year and I’m so appreciative for all that you do.

CONNECT WITH US
We are working to get the word out about Sinclair and increase our social media presence. Be sure to follow along with us: PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

August 8th:

WELCOME
We are so excited to welcome so many new teachers and staff to Sinclair! Welcome to the Superstar community Ms. Dang, Ms. Mcclain, Ms. Carr, Ms. Gregor, Mr. Banner, Ms. Barclay, Ms. Luhan, Ms. Hurlbert, Ms. Alvarado and Mr. Alobaidi!

AMAZING TEACHERS
We all know we have amazing teachers at Sinclair, and the leader recently highlighted our STEM teacher Mr. Quentin’s educational adventure to the Galapagos. Thanks to a fellowship from Fund for Teachers, Mr. Quentin and his wife, Mrs. Boyce-Quentin were able to travel to the Galapagos with the intention of incorporating their experience into a STEM unit for their students. Be sure to check their social media at the bottom of the article to learn about their trip.

SUMMER SOCIALS
Our summer socials are coming to an end, but we still have one more to go – 5th graders, it’s your turn! Check the website and attached flyer for details!
August 15 – 5th grade

BEAUTIFICATION DAY
The beautification committee is at it again – this time with plans to plant flowers in the Star Garden and surrounding areas. Please join them on Saturday, August 14 from 8:30 – 1:30 as they work to improve the beauty of our campus! Please see attached flyer for more details.

MOVING DAY
In anticipation of the expansion, our teachers packed up at the end of the year, and now it’s time to do some heavy lifting! On August 14 and 15, Principal Mashburn requested we round up some volunteers to help move (and possibly unpack) boxes for 12 of our teachers. Please consider grabbing a spot to sign up and help.

SINCLAIR 101
Are you new to Sinclair? Did you have a student on campus last year but never actually made it in the building? Never fear – join the administration team in the Sinclair Cafeteria on August 12 and 13 for a Sinclair 101 where you will learn the ins and outs of Sinclair! Please be aware this is an adults only event, and is meant for grades PreK-2 and new to Sinclair families only. There will be a meet the teacher event for all grades on August 20, with details coming soon!

MEET THE TEACHER
We will be participating in Meet the Teacher on August 20. The event will run from 10am-2pm with grade times staggered to be mindful of crowd sizes. Official times for each grade should be available next week, so stay tuned!

RETURN TO SCHOOL
Please see Principal Mashburn’s Living Tree post from 8/7 where he addresses concerns he has received regarding Covid and protocols that will be implemented at Sinclair.
On the PTO side please be aware we have shifted all of our Fall general meetings to Zoom. While we would love to see you in person at our first meeting on September 9 we feel continuing online is the best course of action at this moment. We will keep you posted if we make any other changes.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Just a reminder if you did not order through SPROUT, you can find school supply lists on our website. If you’re able, please consider buying a few extra items (pencils, scissors, crayons, markers ,ect) for our amazing magnet team to use in their classrooms!
If you ordered through SPROUT your supplies will be delivered directly to your student’s classroom in time for the first day.

CONNECT WITH US
We are working to get the word out about Sinclair and increase our social media presence. Be sure to follow along with us: PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

August 1st:

VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS [AKA VIPS]
In order to volunteer on campus or for field trips, you must register online and undergo a background check through HISD. Once you are VIPS approved you will be eligible to volunteer in HISD schools for the entire year. The VIPS process for the 21-22 school year will begin in August and can be completed here. The system can get backed up, so we recommend completing your VIPS certification as soon as possible (be sure it has rolled over and is for the current school year). VIPS approval only lasts 1 year so you will need to renew your certification annually.

21-22 GENERAL MEETING DATES
The dates for our 21-22 meetings are set and are available on our website, with our first meeting scheduled for September 9 at 6:30PM in the Sinclair Cafeteria. We have planned a mixture of in person/zoom meetings and morning/evening meetings. We hope you will join us each month to learn about what we’ve been doing and to give your input on the direction you’d like the PTO to head in.

SUMMER SOCIALS
We’ve had a blast connecting with friends old and new this summer (and seeing so many of our faculty and staff!), and we still have a few more socials on the calendar. We hope you can join us!
August 1 – All GradesAugust 7 – PreK/Kinder

BUTTERFLY GARDEN
On August 7 at 9AM as we have our kick off workday for the butterfly garden! Join us and be part of the special project to expand our garden and the beauty of our campus. Please see the attached flyer for details. Reach out to our 1st grade teacher, Shauna Capuchino with any questions, or if you’d like to sign up to help: scapuchi@houstonisd.org

SINCLAIR 101
Are you new to Sinclair? Did you have a student on campus last year but never actually made it in the building? Never fear – join the administration team in the Sinclair Cafeteria on August 12 and 13 for a Sinclair 101 where you will learn the ins and outs of Sinclair! Please be aware this is an adults only event, and is meant for grades PreK-2 and new to Sinclair families only. There will be a meet the teacher event for all grades on August 20, with details coming soon!

SAVE THE DATE
We missed out on holding our signature events last year, but we’ve been given the green light in 21-22 and our committees have been hard at work planning! Be sure to save the following dates or better yet, sync your calendar so you don’t miss out! Boosterthon Fun Run – October 6Pumpkin Patch – Kickoff October 15Fall Festival – October 23Silent Auction – February 11
Don’t see your favorite event listed? Don’t worry, we likely just don’t have a confirmed date yet! Keep checking our website under the events tab – we will update as more information becomes available!

STAY CONNECTED
We want to make sure you have all of the information, and we have tons of ways that we share it, so be sure to follow along with us! PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

July 25th:

SHOP AND EARN FOR SINCLAIR
Did you know you can support Sinclair just by shopping? It’s true! Kroger Rewards, Amazon Smile, and Box Tops for Education are easy ways to give back to our school! Not sure how to enroll? The PTO Website has you covered!

YEAR ROUND FUNDRAISING
We run several year-round fundraisers, including Minted, Mabels Labels, and Corporate Matching.

Minted is no longer just a holiday fundraiser, and now takes care of your year-round card and gift needs! Simply choose your items and use the promo code FUNDRAISESINCLAIRPTO at checkout to save 20% on your purchase and give 15% back to the PTO.

Mabels Labels are a great way to ensure your student’s items don’t end up in the lost and found! Simply click the link above and search Sinclair Elementary PTO to shop. The PTO receives 20% of your purchase and you will sleep better at night knowing if your student’s items are lost they have a better chance of being reunited!

Many Fortune 1000 companies offer a “matching program” where the companies will match donations up to a certain amount made by their employees. Did you know you can choose to designate the Sinclair PTO as your corporate match? Additional details available on our website.

SUMMER SOCIALS
The summer is winding down, but we still have a few socials planned before we head back to campus. Check out our socials page for specific dates, times, and locations!
Incoming 3rd – July 30All Grades – August 1

SAVE THE DATE: VOLUNTEER TO HELP WITH THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN
Join us on August 7 at 9AM as we have our kick off workday for the butterfly garden! Join us and be part of the special project to expand our garden and the beauty of our campus. Please reach out to our 1st grade teacher, Shauna Capuchino with any questions, or if you’d like to sign up to help: scapuchi@houstonisd.org

SYNCH YOUR CALENDAR
Planning is in full swing for the 21-22 school year and you won’t want to miss our events, meetings, or any important HISD holidays! Be sure to synch your calendar to stay in the know. Bonus – once synched, your calendar should automatically update with any changes!

July 18th:

PTO Weekly Update
Our Weekly Updates are also available on our PTO Website

CALENDAR SYNCH
Did you know we already have dates for Pumpkin Patch, Fall Fest, Silent Auction, and the 21-22 General PTO meetings? Make sure you don’t miss out on anything by regularly checking the calendar on the PTO website. The website committee has even made it so you caneasily sync your Apple, Google or Outlook calendar to the website calendar by following instructions here.

SUMMER SOCIALS
Thank you to everyone who has attended our socials! Special shout out to the Lucky Star Shaved Ice Truck for attending our event last Friday, and to Partners In Building for generously sponsoring! Also a huge thank you to our faculty and staff who have made it out to our various events – we appreciate you taking time out of your summer to stay connected with your students!
We have more socials coming up this week – be sure to check our PTO Website for additional details.
Wednesday, July 21 – Dad’s Club Family Social*
Saturday, July 24 – Kinder
*Please reach out to the Dad’s club for additional information: dadsclub@sinclairpto.org

GARDEN CLEAN UP
Join us today, July 18 from 4-6PM to help clean up the garden beds and the front star garden area. Can’t make it but still want to contribute? Monetary donations to replace the fruit trees lost in the freeze or donations of brightly colored flowers are welcome! Please reach out to Beautification Chair, Jeannette Kolarik: beautification@sinclairpto.org

GET INVOLVED
Several committees are already kicking it into high gear, including fall festival and silent auction, plus we still need help with yearbook and spirit store! Interested in learning more about how you can help? Reach out via our interest form or email president@sinclairpto.org

SCHOOL CLOSURE
Just a heads up that the front office staff is out of office until the beginning of August. If there is anything the PTO can help you with, please reach out: president@sinclairpto.org

STAY CONNECTED
The Sinclair PTO is blowing up on social media! Be sure to like and follow us to stay connected and up to date on our events and activities!
PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Twitter: @SinclairPTO
Private Facebook Group: Sinclair Elementary PTO
Sinclair Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sinclairelementarypto
School Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires
If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out to: president@sinclairpto.org

July 11th:

Feedback from our parent and teacher surveys indicated an information/post overload when it comes to LivingTree. In an effort to relieve this burden and hopefully increase LivingTree participation, the PTO is planning to scale back our posting by including as much information as we can in our weekly update. This update will be crossposted to our website under the tab PTO Weekly Update. We encourage everyone to regularly check our website for event dates, details, and other school information. Our FB page is open to families of enrolled Sinclair students and is another great resource to stay in the know.

SCHOOL SUPPLY PACKS
This week is the last chance to order school supplies from Sprout Supplies. Sales end at midnight on July 13! Supplies ordered through Sprout will contain exactly what teachers in each grade have requested, and will be delivered to classrooms prior to the first day of school. If you’d prefer to purchase supplies on your own, lists for each grade can be found on our PTO Website

SUMMER SOCIALS
We hope everyone has been enjoying our summer social series! It’s been great to see so many of y’all in person the past few weeks! We have several socials coming up this week; be sure to check the PTO Website for times/dates/additional details. If you belong to our Facebook page, be sure to check the events section as some socials have asked participants to RSVP.
4th grade – July 14
All grades – July 16
Kinder – July 17

YEARBOOKS
The 2021 yearbook is still in production and they will most likely be available to distribute for meet the teacher. For anyone who’s moved out of the area or will be out of town, we will mail your yearbook to you. Can’t make meet the teacher, no problem! We will also do separate pickup dates or deliver directly to you. Please email yearbook@sinclairpto.org with any questions.

VIPS
Reminder that ALL Sinclair volunteers must be VIPS approved prior to working on campus. VIPS enrollment for the 21-22 school will open the beginning of August and the PTO will share the link as soon as it’s available. We recommend you sign up early as verification through the Raptor system can take a few weeks.

STAY CONNECTED
PTO Website: www.sinclairpto.org
Facebook: Sinclair Elementary PTO Sinclair Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/sinclaires

If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out to: president@sinclairpto.org