News You Can Use: KCF Broasted Snack Pack $1.99

Starting August 31, KFC is introducing a new "snack pack" - just $1.00 for broasted chicken leg and potato wedges. Additional coupons are available here.

Just in time for those Labor Day picnics!

"The Case for Charter Schools" Today at CatholicExchange.com

Do you ever have friends or family members ask you about your decision to send your kids to a charter school?

Check out my article, which was published today at CatholicExchange.com.

Is there anything I left out?

Booster Plus .... "Challenge!!!"

Boosters has received $800 in matching grants from two anonymous South Arbor families.

The first seventy-two families who donate at least $100 on or before Orientation Night can release this money! Each time 18 families sign up, South Arbor Boosters will receive an an additional $200 donation. That's $8000 for our teachers and kids!

Are there any other challenges out there? Let's work together and make Boosters Plus a success! Send your check today to ...

South Arbor Boosters Club
PO Box 261
Milan, MI 48160

News You Can Use: Art Auction BOGO Tickets!

South Arbor "Boosters Plus" families who have paid their $100 pledge by September 15 will be eligible for a special "buy-one, get-one" deal for Art Auction tickets. Just pay for one ticket for yourself . . . and your "significant other" gets to come along for free!

This is going to be a fun evenings for parents, with child care provided through Explorer's Club. For more information, contact Anne Bouse or Chelle Hamel.

News You Can Use: South Arbor "Family of the Month"

We had the first SALT (South Arbor Leadership Team) this week, and one of the exciting developments was the creation of the "Family of the Month" Award, which will recognize one South Arbor family each month who (a) personifies the "global virtues" we teach our kids at South Arbor and (b) has contributed generously of their time in service to the school.

Nominations will be made by teachers and staff, and the winner will be randomly drawn from the nominations received each month. Winning families will receive a $25 award from Applebees! They will also be featured in the "Boosters Corner" of the school newsletter and here on the Boosters Blog.

Our sincere thanks to Applebees on Carpenter Road for donating the prizes for this award! Be sure to mention it the next time you stop by with your family.

Pass and Punt Cookies!

Are you looking for a fun dessert for your next tailgate party? Head on over to "Extraordinary Moms Network" for a fun recipe -- edible footballs and soccer ball cookies!

For these and other fun ideas, check out a great magazine I've recently discovered, the "Family Fun Magazine"!

Back-to-School Brain S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-R-S!

Is "Study Island" a distant memory? Looking for ways to get those brain cells up and running before school kicks in? Here are a few ideas ....

Spanish Twister! Get out the Twister Mat! Or make one out of a plastic tablecloth and with paper-plate size dots in red (rojo), yellow (amarillo), green (verde) and blue (azul). Spin the dial, and see what fun knots your kids can tie themselves in. Helpful words:

Hand/hands: la mano/las manos
Foot/feet: el pie/los pies
Right: derecho
Left: izquierda

Math Bingo! Create bingo cards with numbers from 1-50 in rows (five across, five down), and a set of math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) simple enough to be done in the head. Use coins to cover over the squares as children figure out the problems as you call them out. First one to get five in a row, wins!

Chalk Spelling! Write each spelling word to be reviewed on a slip of paper, then put the slips in a hat. Draw them one at a time, and have kids write the words in chalk on a sidewalk. Or create a grid of six by six squares, writing a random letter in each square. Kids hop from square to square to spell out words -- getting one point for each word they create (or spell correctly).

Soccer (or Basketball) Math or Spelling! Got a goalie or guard in your house? Call out a problem, and if the student gets the right answer, kick or shoot the ball and let the student try to block!

News Alert: Boosters Plus Is On the Way!

The Boosters Plus mailing should be hitting your mailbox any day now! I'd like to thank those who helped me get this new Boosters program off and running: Laura Holiday, who designed the letterhead, and Kathy and Marley Tucker and Jerlee Bond, who worked for four hours to get the letters ready to mail. (Thanks also to Andrew Tucker, who babysat our children so we could focus on the mailing!)

This year we're asking each family for a tax-deductible donation (rather than having a lot of smaller, less-profitable fundraisers during the school year).

Be sure to bring your checkbook to the New Parents Picnic or Orientation Meetings. Let's work together to meet our goal!

If $100 seems like a stretch for you right now, why not challenge your kids to find ways to raise a few bucks? A garage sale or lemonade stand, a bake sale, mowing a few lawns ... At South Arbor, we get a private school education for the cost of a public school. Let's all do our part to support our school!

South Arbor Boosters Plus

The South Arbor Booster Club is a non-profit (501 c 3) organization that supports the teachers and programs at South Arbor. Last year we funded or subsidized the following:

Science Fair

Writer’s Fair,

Teacher Appreciation Activities,

Parent Orientation,

Dad’s Pizza Night,

Chess Club,

House Picnic,

Field Day,

Special assemblies,

Quarterly house pizza parties,

Library bags for new students and kindergarteners,

New tuba for the band,
Hands on Museum night,

Accelerated Reading Program,

Drama Club (subsidy),

Spelling bee,

Middle school fish t-shirts and discipline incentive program,

Soul food dinner,

Playground upkeep.

Won't you please consider making a tax-deductible, annual $100 donation to support the South Arbor community? Bring your checkbook to Orientation, join Boosters Plus, and get a thank-you gift! Or send your check, payable to "South Arbor Boosters Club" to

South Arbor Boosters Club

PO Box 261

Milan, MI 48160

Queens Grant Community School - an NHA success story!

This morning I spent some quality time with Staci McDaniel, who runs the "Invest in the Life of a Child" program at Queens Grant Community School in Mint Hill, NC -- another NHA school.

Staci gave me lots of good advice, which I hope we will be incorporate in our Boosters program for the coming year. Thanks, Staci -- and thank you, Mr. DiLaura, for helping us make this connection!

Staci has done amazing things in getting corporate sponsors and incentives to inspire their families to participate in the QGCS program. Thanks, Staci, for being so generous with your time!

Shoestring Living: What to do with outgrown clothes?

"Shoestring Living" has a great article on how to make the most of your family clothes budget. Be sure to check it out!

Kids Eat Free at IHOP!

From now until mid-September, IHOP (International House of Pancakes) is running a deal: Kids eat free from 4 pm to 10 pm with a paying adult. For details, click here.

Supply List Update for 2009-2010!

Thanks to Mrs. Boss, the supplies lists for all classes have now been updated to include the most current information. If you need to go school shopping, just click on the link below to find out what your child needs!

Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
5th-8th Advanced Placement Class

JCPenney - Click this coupon and save!

Are you planning to shop at JCPenney this week?

Here are $10 and $15 coupons to lessen the load on your wallet!