Hello to all our Cascade Ridge Students, Parents and Staff and WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! I hope you all had a fabulous summer break and enjoyed the amazing weather. Hopefully the sun and warm temperatures will continue in September and ease the transition for our kids (and parents and teachers) back into the classroom!

This special edition of the Coyote Howler includes most of the information you’ll need to make your way through the first few chaotic weeks of school. For new families, the Coyote Howler is the PTSA’s monthly newsletter that details ongoing and upcoming PTSA activities, volunteer opportunities and other relevant information. You can choose to have future issues sent directly to your email inbox during your First Day Packet sign-up and all editions are available for viewing, downloading, and printing from our website at www.cascaderidgeptsa.org. Speaking of our website, we encourage you to visit it often to stay informed. Our webmaster, Rajeev Goel, is continuously updating the site (daily) and adding new features thus making it one of the most effective ways to communicate within our school community.

Based on survey results from parents and staff last year, the overall consensus is that we, as a PTSA, are correctly prioritizing our efforts, both in terms of our budget and our programs. Our focus for the new school year will continue to support and expand upon the core educational needs of our students as well as providing new offerings, both technical and creative, that complement the curriculum and continue to push our students forward. Take a moment to read more about the varied offerings your students and the community can be a part of on subsequent pages.

Of course, these great programs and events are only made possible through your participation in our fundraising efforts. Our single main fundraiser, the Walkathon and Fall Festival, will occur in early October (stay tuned for A LOT more information about this event). Our amazing Walkathon Committee is already hard at work putting together an event that promises fun for the entire family while hopefully collecting enough money at the beginning of the year to support the entire year’s budget. With a new theme and fresh games and activities, this year’s Walkathon promises to be better than ever and we hope for 100% participation from our staff, students and parents.

Without a doubt, Cascade Ridge has excelled in parent, teacher, and student involvement, and our successes at our school are tied directly to continued enthusiastic participation from all of you. Look for opportunities, both big and small, to volunteer on committees or in areas that excite you! The Volunteer Form in your First Day Packet has options for everyone – please ask if you have questions about any of them or would like more information.

Finally, I encourage everyone to attend our first General Membership meeting on September 25th at 6:30pm in the Coyote Café. At this meeting we will introduce the Executive Board and vote in some new members, approve the mission and goals for the year, discuss and update the 2013-14 budget and provide more details about plans for the year. Please bring your questions – we welcome and appreciate them.

I’m looking forward to a great year. I hope you will contact me anytime with suggestions, questions, concerns or general feedback. Go Coyotes!

Ann Brooks,
PTSA President
ann_e_brooks@yahoo.com