Oldest Dragons Keep Busy With February Fund-Raising

As we enter the third quarter, Davidsen’s eighth graders are busily preparing for end-of-the-year activities. Be sure to mark your calendars for these fund-raising events benefitting the eighth grade class. Davidsen Dining Night at San’s Pizzeria is Feb. 9 from 5-8 p.m. Your delicious meal will be served by Mr. McBrien and many of your favorite teachers. If you can’t join us, call in for take-out. Ten percent of proceeds go to the eighth grade class.

Also be sure to order Candy Grams for your favorite classmates and teachers Feb. 7-9. Their cost is $1. Candy Grams will be on sale during lunch and are always popular with the students.

For only $10, you can purchase a Legacy brick for your child or your favorite teacher. For more information contact Tracy Urso at 786-3770 or turso@tampabay.rr.com.

We offer our special congratulations to the winners of this year’s Reflections art contest. Once again, many Davidsen students took home top honors. Special shout outs go to Emily Miller, judges choice in visual arts; Sabrina Sanchez, judges choice in photography; Meredith Puster and Dilina Weerapperuma, honorable mentions in music composition; and Chloe Robinson, second place in film production. We are proud of all of your accomplishments!

Medieval Fair is right around the corner. We will be having this annual event on March 9. The fair is great fun for the volunteers and students alike. We are always looking for extra hands to help with this event. If you are interested, please e-mail Amy Daner at amy.daner@gmail.com. There are still many opportunities available to sell tickets or help with booths. New or gently used stuffed animals and small toys are also needed. Please send these to the office to the attention of Amy Daner-Medieval Fair.

The PTSA is also looking for a treasurer for the 2012-2013 school year. If you are interested, please e-mail the Davidsen PTSA at dmsvols@aol.com. This is a fairly straightforward job but we would like to give the new treasurer some exposure to the job requirements before the year’s end. Please consider helping if you can.

Thanks again to all our teachers, volunteers and students who make our school special. Keep up the great work! We appreciate all you do.

By Dana Gerus, PTSA Corresponding Secretary

Davidsen Welcomes Back Dragons

Yes it’s true! January is here and winter break is behind us. It’s time to look forward to many upcoming events at Davidsen.

January brings another dance. The annual NJHS dance will be held on Jan. 20 immediately after school. Buy your tickets, put on your dancing shoes and get ready to have some fun. As always, volunteers are needed for this and all PTSA events. Please e-mail dmsvols@aol.com for more information.

The creativity, diversity and talent of our students will be celebrated at Jefferson High School on Jan. 8 when the winners of the Reflections art contest will be announced and honored. We are proud of all the entries submitted for this annual event. Special thanks go to Ilona Fraleigh and Becky Gordon, who did a great job bringing our students together to celebrate diversity.

It’s never too early to start planning for Davidsen’s Medieval Fair, a parent and teacher run festival for students only. It will take place on Friday, March 9, from 2:15-4:15 p.m. Here are the dates and times volunteers are needed:

Ticket pre-sales: Mon, Tue and Wed, March 5-7, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Bag pre-sale tickets: Thu, March 8, 10 a.m.-noon 
       Set up: 4-6 p.m.
Deliver tickets: Friday, March 9, 9-10 a.m.
       Finish set up: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
       Help at booths: 1:45-4:15 p.m.
       Clean up: 4:15-5:30 p.m.

Please e-mail Amy Daner at amy.daner@gmail.com if you would like to help with this fun event!

In addition, we need new or gently used small toys and stuffed animals. They should be sent to the office to the attention of Amy Daner – Medieval Fair.

As always we would like to thank our PTSA business sponsors who help with events throughout the year. This month’s Dragon shout out goes to Tijuana Flats’ Mark Chiaramonte and Anthony Zupo, who provided a fabulous dinner for our faculty and staff on conference night. The delicious tacos, queso and guacamole were enjoyed by all.

We hope everyone is well rested after a long break and wish all students good luck on exams. January is a busy month, so be sure to make a note of its very important dates.

Important January Dates

2        Return from Break
8        Reflections Award Ceremony
9-13   Mid-Semester Exam Week
13      End of Semester
16-17 No School
20      NJHS Dance

By Dana Gerus, PTSA Corresponding Secretary

Dragons Lend a Helping Hand in December

This month our Dragons have the opportunity to adopt an angel. Through the school’s annual Adopt an Angel program, each homeroom sponsors a child and will collecting donations to purchase gifts for their angel. 

All the students are eager to participate in the program.  It’s encouraging to see our students take an interest in their community by lending a helping hand.  Way to go, Dragons!

While busy with their studies, Davidsen students have also found other ways to give back to the community. The members of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) have started a canned food drive during each meeting. Last month, 80 cans of food were collected and given to the Westchase food drive.  Canned goods will also be collected during the month of December to help fill the shelves of a local food bank.  

It’s hard to believe that the first few months of the school year have slipped away and we are already preparing for a well-deserved winter break. 

We offer a big round of applause to the 255 students who earned straight A’s on their report cards and earned the title PHD, Principal’s Honor Roll Dragon for the first semester.   These students were treated with a special breakfast in honor of their accomplishments and we are proud of all of them.

The PTSA would like to thank everyone for a very successful Box Top Drive. Through it we raised $530 for our school. Congratulations to Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Houston, who tied for first place. They will both be receiving $25 gift cards to Burger 21. Additionally, Emily Miller in Mrs. Bolivar’s homeroom won a $25 Target gift card in the student drawing. Congratulations to all the winners!  

We offer our special thanks to all our volunteers and business partners. Whether it is speaking at the Great American Teach In, making cherry snow cones for Red Ribbon Week or providing dinner for our teachers during a long conference night, we appreciate all you do to help make our school great.  We offer a special shout out to Tijuana Flats, which will be providing dinner for the teachers on Dec. 6.

We wish all Dragon students, staff and faculty a happy holiday break. See everyone in 2012!

By Dana Gerus, PTSA Corresponding Secretary

Dragon Hoopsters Have Terrific Season

What an amazing start Davidsen Dragons have had in their fall sports season. We offer a great big Davidsen Dragon shout out to the boys’ basketball team. Our Dragon hoopsters were undefeated and earned a spot in the championships this year. Congratulations to the boys’ basketball team and to all our excellent student athletes for an amazing season. We are proud of you!

The biggest event in November is the Great American Teach In. On Nov. 17 many volunteers are needed to speak to our students. If you have a career or hobby that you would like to share, please contact Ms. Pothier (mary.pothier@sdhc.k12.fl.us). For this event to be a success, participants are needed! Please think about joining our Great American Teach In team by sharing your life experiences and knowledge with our students. We have had terrific speakers in the past and look forward to all the great ones volunteering this year.

“Diversity Is…” is the theme for this year’s Reflections Arts event. We thank all the students who created many wonderful entries for this year’s contest. The Reflections breakfast for all participants is Nov. 16. It is amazing how creative and talented our students can be.

A special Davidsen thank you goes to Ivan de la Guardia and all our friends over at San’s Pizzeria. Once again they provided a fabulous meal on conference night this year. The faculty and staff enjoyed the baked ziti, chicken marsala and other wonderful dishes. The caesar salad and amazing garlic knots were also a hit. We appreciate the special relationship and generous donations that San’s provides to our school.

As always, volunteers for all of Davidsen’s events are greatly appreciated. Keep track of upcoming events on the Davidsen Middle School PTA Facebook page.

A special volunteer is needed to help Mr. McBrien with the updating of our school sign. If you have some time on your hands, a tall ladder and are not afraid of heights, please consider volunteering for this responsibility. E-mail Nancy Ostrowski at dmsvols@aol.com if you can help.

We look forward to a fabulous month and the beginning of a new quarter. Congrats to all our Ph.D. students who earned straight A’s. They will be honored on Nov. 9 with a special breakfast. Keep up the great work!

We wish all students and faculty a wonderful Thanksgiving Break and hope they enjoy their time off!

By Dana Gerus, PTSA Corresponding Secretary

Why Not Like Davidsen’s PTSA?

Davidsen Middle School PTSA is proud to announce the addition of our very own Facebook page.

All you have to do is “like” our page to have access to the most current PTSA information. It’s a great way to keep up-to-date with school events.

It’s the time of year for falling leaves, cooler temperatures (hopefully) and the annual Reflections art projects. This year’s theme is “Diversity Means…” and the deadline for entries is Oct. 20. In past years, Davidsen students have submitted many fabulous entries and have always represented our school proudly. We can’t wait to see the amazing ideas our creative and talented Dragons will submit this year.

As always, October is one of the busiest months of the year. There are many activities and opportunities for volunteers. On Friday, Oct. 14, Davidsen’s annual PTSA membership dance will kick off the dance calendar for this year. This dance is free to all PTSA members, but tickets can be purchased Oct. 10-12 during lunch. Another great activity, Red Ribbon Week, will be held Oct. 24-28. Many activities will be planned during this week to help remind our Dragons of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Please contact dmsvol@aol.com if you are interested in volunteering for any of these events.

This year’s Community Discount Card fund-raiser is off to a great start with many cards sold. Cards will be sold at this year’s Westchase 20th Anniversary Party on Saturday, Oct. 29. Buy yours today and start enjoying the savings the smart card offers. For more information, go to the community card Web site, www.westchasediscountcard.com.

As always we want to thank the many businesses that are actively involved with our school. A special Davidsen shout-out goes to Publix, which provided bags during Open House, and San’s Pizzeria, which treated our teachers with a delicious meal on conference night. We thank all the businesses that have donated to our school!

Mark your calendars for Nov. 17, the date of the Great American Teach In. Speakers are needed to make this event a success. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact D.J. Jones atdjjones321@verizon.net.

We wish our Dragons cooler weather and fabulous fall fun.

By Dana Gerus, PTSA Corresponding Secretary

Davidsen Dragons Discover Newly Painted School

September brings cooler weather and the first full month of school. With summer now a memory, the students are focusing on new classes and teachers.

The newly painted hallways of Davidsen are busy with the sounds of students shuffling through textbooks and scurrying to classrooms before the bell rings.

The 2011-2012 school year was kicked off on Aug. 15 at the annual Welcome Back Breakfast. Faculty and staff were greeted with a fabulous array of breakfast treats. The teachers had a wonderful time catching up after the long summer break and preparing for the year to come. We offer special thanks to Elaine Ragan, the Hospitality Committee and all other volunteers for making this event a success.

The students were invited back on Aug. 19 for the annual sneak peek. Students picked up schedules and met teachers and everyone admired the newly painted school. PTSA membership, Spirit Shirts and community cards were also sold. Although most students were not ready to come back, they enjoyed seeing their classmates and eased back into the school routine without too many complaints.

It’s fall fundraiser time at Davidsen, so don’t forget to pick up your community discount card! For only $10 you receive many money-saving discounts from local businesses. Order forms were sent home the first day of school and will need to be returned by Sept. 9. Contact Kendra Drake (kendrad1@verizon.net) with any questions or visit the newly created Web site, www.westchasediscountcard.com, for more information. Students who sell the discount cards will be eligible to win great prizes like an XBox 360, uniform passes and iPod shuffles. The purchase of this card is a great way to support our school and community.

Many activities are planned for the coming year and volunteers are needed to make these programs a success. The PTSA helps with dances, Red Ribbon Week and the Medieval Fair, among other events. Mark your calendars! The first night dance is scheduled for Oct. 15 and volunteers will be needed to decorate, sell tickets and chaperone. Please contact Nancy Ostrowski at dmsvols@aol.com to help with this or any other event for the upcoming year. As always, all volunteers are welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Welcome back, Dragons and staff! We wish everyone a successful school year.

By Dana Gerus, PTSA Corresponding Secretary