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2332 Beechwood Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
412-422-3525
412-422-4896 (Fax)

2009-2010 School Hours: 8:15 am - 3:25 pm

Pittsburgh Colfax ALA Parent-Teacher Organization

Nestled in the heart of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh Colfax K-8 ALA offers a unique experience to students by providing an extended school day and school year program. Colfax is a Spanish emphasis school with Spanish instruction provided by certified world language teachers.

The Colfax Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) supports Colfax K-8 through fundraising, organizing volunteers, planning events, and facilitating communication between all members of the Colfax community. The PTO holds its regular monthly meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, at 7pm, in the school cafeteria.

News and Events

February 2010

  • See all February events at a glance
  • Feb 9: Word Building Workshops for K-1st grade parent volunteers
  • February 2010 Parent and Community Engagement Schedule
  • The Pittsburgh Public Schools with the help of public school families is sponsoring a district wide fundraisers for the Haiti Earthquake victims called Hearts for Haiti. Our goal is to have every student and staff member in the district bring in $1 with a goal of raising over $20,000 across the district. For Colfax, that would mean raising approximately $750. All students should give $ to their homeroom teacher on February 12th. This a great way for students to take a positive action in response to a tragic event and to teach our kids that little acts of kindness individually can make a big difference collectively. Please consider talking about this with your child and participating in this fundraising event. Contributions smaller or greater than a $1 are welcome. Spread the word to families and students you know in other Pittsburgh Public Schools. SEE THIS FLYER FOR MORE DETAILS.

January 2010

See all January events at a glance!

  • January 2010 parent engagement events calendar
  • Click here to help Colfax support Haitian disaster relief efforts
  • Make plans to join us for the Fourth Annual Party for Play (P4P), Saturday February 20 from 7 to 10 pm at The Pittsburgh Golf Club in Squirrel Hill. Enjoy delicious food and a rare chance to socialize with fellow Colfax parents, staff and teachers. The highlight of the evening is the silent auction fundraiser, featuring many items from a chance to be `Colfax Principal' for a day to themed gift baskets to a raffle to win a Wii board. Please buy your tickets ONLINE now!
  • Mon, Jan 18th - NO SCHOOL in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -check out the Principal's Book of the Month, Molly Balansky, by Alice McGill
  • Tues, Jan 19th - Colfax PTO Meeting, 7pm, Cafeteria, babysitting available
  • Wed, Jan 20th - Last Day for Krispy Kreme Donut Orders (flyer sent home in backpack mail)
  • Friday, Jan 22nd - Ice Cream Sale (during all lunch periods) to benefit K & 1st grades

December 2009

See all December events at a glance!

  • December 2009 sports calendar
  • Save the date now and join us for the Fourth Annual Party for Play (P4P), Saturday February 20 from 7 to 10 pm at The Pittsburgh Golf Club in Squirrel Hill. Enjoy delicious food and a rare chance to socialize with fellow Colfax parents, staff and teachers. The highlight of the evening is the silent auction fundraiser, featuring many items from a chance to be ‘Colfax Principal’ for a day to gift certificates to numerous restaurants and services. Parent/volunteer assistance is needed in obtaining fun and interesting items for the live and silent auctions. Do you or someone you know have Penguins tickets or own a restaurant? Are you part of a local cultural event? Why not donate tickets to a game, a gift certificate or an experience like going back stage at a play or dance performance? Now is the time to get creative with donation requests! If you want to join the P4P effort, please contact Beth Tiffany at 412-225-7082 or lastiffany@verizon.net

November 2009

See all November events at a glance!

  • From Nov 20 to Dec 11, get involved by participating in this year's Colfax Read-a-Thon!! Kids in all grade levels can participate by reading each day and collecting pledges for their reading. Participants will be eligible for daily drawings for prizes and can get rewards for finishing their pledged reading times. What a fun and easy way to motivate kids to read and raise money for Colfax! For any questions, contact Beth Tiffany at lastiffany@gmail.com. Also, make the Read-A-Thon last all year with a unique Colfax bookmark. These magnetic bookmarks are only $1 each and can be ordered now by sending in your order form and payment into school. For additional order info, contact Lisa Chotnier at carlysclosetpgh@aol.com.
  • The Colfax PTO Executive Board is actively seeking nominations for the Treasurer position. A detail oriented person with basic knowledge of book-keeping is needed. The treasurer prepares deposits, writes checks, and keeps the check register. Attendance at the monthly PTO meetings is needed to report on financials to PTO members. Interested parents should please contact either PTO Co-president, Kymberlee Frischman at kymberleefrischman@mac.com or Tom Juring at 412.422.5305. A vote for position will be held at the December PTO meeting, being held on December 15th at 7pm, in the Colfax school cafeteria.
  • PTO Computer Committee: Call for Volunteers: The PTO has raised more than $10,000 for technology at Colfax, but the money has not yet been spent. Contact Colfax parent, Jennnifer Ganger at jennifer.ganger@gmail.com to be involved in determining the school's needs for technology and how best to utilize these funds, as well as helping the PTO raise any additional required funds.
  • Would your student like to win a $25 gift card? There is still time! Keep on cutting out your Box Tops and either glue or tape them to a collection sheet. Students have until December to collect as many Box Tops as they can. The FOUR students that turn in the most Box Tops will each win a $25 gift card to the store of their choice. For more information, contact Shannon Ewing at shannonewing00@yahoo.com.

October 2009

  • Colfax October 2009 calendar
  • LifeStyle by Market Day orders will be delivered on Monday, October 26th. If your child has a large order, please make arrangements through their homeroom teacher or Diane Condie (dcondie1@pghboe.net or 412-422-2037) to pick up the order. We cannot send your child on the bus or walk home with a large order.
  • Early dismissal Oct 15, 12:25 pm
  • Parent teacher Conferences (no school for students) Oct 16, contact your child's teacher to schedule a conference
  • The Colfax Library hosts a Book Fair from Oct 7 to Oct 16th. Students may shopduring their regular library period. Middle level students will be allowed tovisit at the discretion of their teachers. The Fair will be open during Parentteacher Conference day, Oct 16th, during the times school is open.
  • Toast the Teacher - SPECIAL AFTER-SCHOOL PTO MEETING - Tuesday, October 20, 3:45pm. Come to "Toast the Teacher" at an afternoon meeting, where all teachers and staff are invited to come and partner with parents in our Colfax Community as part of the 2009/2010 Parent Teacher Organization. Enjoy light snacks, good conversation, and exchange ideas for the months ahead. Join us at this special time at the end of the school day: staff that are already there and parents picking up kids can all “pop” in and be part of something that is sure to make a difference!
  • Oct 8 PSCC Meeting 7pm Cafeteria
  • The October Gifted Pilot Meeting has been postponed to Thursday, November 5, at 6:30 pm in the school cafeteria.
  • Oct 26 Colfax will host workshops to help parent volunteers working with kindergarten and first grade classrooms. There will be 2 identical sessions - 3:45 and 7:00- lasting approximately one hour. Interested participants can RSVP to Mark Beck (mullenbeck@verizon.net) and/or Diane Condie (dcondie1@pghboe.net).
  • Principal’s Books of the Month for October: Pigs Go to Market, by Amy Axelrod
  • SAVE THE DATE! FOR EXTRAVAGANZA UNO, Wednesday, Oct 28 6-7:30pm Hola Amigos! Are you ready to learn Spanish with music? Come join a fan- tastic one-hour show with Latin Music that is explosive and unique. The ribbon dance is very colorful, and the limbo dance is a lot of fun. The conga line is very long and our Mexican Hat dance has real sombreros. All the children participate in every song with instru- ments, props and a pinata to finish off the party. This year will have some new special twists. See you there!!! Bring a snack to share!!! Drinks will be provided.

September 2009

  • Click here to see all the September events at a glance
  • Children who do not have their immunizations up to date by September 30, 2009 will be withdrawn from school and cannot return to school on October 1, 2009. Students will not be permitted to return to school until they have received their required immunizations. If students come to school and are not caught up on their immunizations, parents will be called to pick them up. The only exception will be made for those parents who have requested in writing a waiver for religious/moral or medical reasons. The District is legally mandated to report the names of all students not immunized to the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families.
  • The Edible School Yard project is still looking for parent volunteers for the Fall Harvest Team. The produce from our school garden needs to be collected! The team needs two people per week to meet for about 1 hour to do the work. They plan to operate from now until October 14th. Please contact Josh Burnett at jburnett@growpittsburgh.org. if you can help out. Click here for information about edible school yard activities throughout the year.
  • REMINDER: Due to anticipated transportation disruptions as a result of the G20 Summit, students and school-based staff will dismiss early on Wednesday, September 23, 2009, and all schools will close on Thursday, September 24 and Friday, September 25, 2009.
  • Save the date! The school-wide FIESTA!potluck will be on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH. Bring a dish to share and join the Colfax community in the school Cafeteria from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be tables set up for gluten-free and nut-free items. Look for a sign up sheet and flyer to come home in back pack mail and please bring out your whole family.

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