Pittsburgh Colfax ALA Parent-Teacher Organization Current Announcements

• There are 200 Camp Coordinator positions available for the new Summer Dreamers Academy. The camp runs for 5 weeks at various locations and pays a total of $2,500. This is a perfect position for parents and other community members that want to be involved with the District and work with students. A college degree is not required, so it is also a great summer job for college students.
• Colfax's PELA (principal-in-training) resident, Ms. Deonne Arrington, is requesting donations of at least 40 CD Walkman (portable) players with headphones and batteries. The players will be used to implement a fluency intervention program for elementary students. They are also accepting other CD players, if they do not have enough Walkmans. Please bring your donations to Ms. Diane Condie's office as soon as possible.
• The Pittsburgh Group of the International Dyslexia Association will be holding their first day- long conference on Saturday, October 10. The Keynote speaker is Maryanne Wolf, a Professor at Tufts University, and a renowned researcher in dyslexia and the brain. They will offer an excellent selection of topics in breakout sessions in the morning and the afternoon. There are sessions that will be helpful to teachers, parents, psychologists, and school administrators. To see full information on the conference, please go to the following website: http://pbida.org/ Look for Pittsburgh Regional Group Fall Conference, and click on More Information. Registration is also available online.

Recycling News

There have been changes in the City of Pittsburgh�s recycling program which are of interest to Colfax families. Following are the highlights:

• 2008-2009 Telephone Book Recycling - starting November 1st, all city residents will be able to recycle telephone books curbside on the scheduled recycling days.
• Sorting no longer required - Glass, metal, newspaper, office paper, magazines, mail and phone books may all be placed at the curb on recycling day in blue bags, with no sorting required. Cardboard will still need to be separated out. Boxes should be broken down and preferably tied with twine.

More information is available at this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article and at the City web site . Want to view the recycling mailer from the city? Click here.

Pittsburgh Colfax ALA PTO FYI Announcements for Reference

• There is an update on the Gifted Pilot from Trisha Gennari, Executive Director of Student Services. A University Partner has been chosen (Prof. Marcia Gentry, at Purdue University) and a transition plan has been developed that will support full implementation of the Gifted Pilot at Colfax and Dilworth in September, 2009. Click here to view the letter from Dr. Gennari (in PDF format) or here for a simplified web page format.
  
  If you have questions or want additional details regarding the Gifted Pilot, you may view the slides from the meeting by clicking on this link (PDF format).
• The recommendations made by Dr. Otuwa on Jan. 6, 2009, to the BOE Education Subcommittee, proposing changes to the current ALA model have been adopted by the Board of Education, effective next school year. Key changes are a school day 20 minutes shorter than currently, and a school year 2 days shorter than currently, removing the 2 days at the end of the year in June, but keeping the 8 extra days in August at the start of the school year. For more information, follow this link to a PDF document containing the slides from Dr. Otuwa's Presentation.
  
  To view the postings by Colfax parents who attended the meeting, visit the Colfax PSCC Yahoo group. Anyone may view the postings.
• The PTO is once again selling "Colfax is Cooking!" cookbooks. This year, a special price is available: $7.50 for 1 cookbook, or 2 for $10. There are 200 recipes from Colfax family and friends including a recipe from Mr. May-Stein and Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt. Click here for the order form.
• There is an update on the Colfax Gifted Pilot from the District: Colfax & Dilworth students will continue to attend the Gifted Center next semester. Click here for the letter from Tricia Gennari, Executive Director of Student Services for the District.
• Changes to immunization requirements, free clinic announcement. Even if you missed the free clinic, you may wish to view this memo to review new immunization requirements for Pennsylvania students in grades K-12.