Hello Falcon Families,

We're thrilled that October finally here, bringing us the prettiest month in the Bay Area (except for this week 🥵) and of course spooky season.

Related: what's a witch’s favorite subject in school? Spelling.

Here's a snapshot of what we've got cooking at Franklin this month:

• 🏃🏼‍♂️ Walkathon, THIS FRIDAY, 10/4
• ♻️ Plastic Recycling Drive 
• 🎤 PTA Meeting, Tuesday 10/15, on Zoom
• 📖 Book Fair, 10/23– Saturday, 10/26
• 🎃 Spooktacular, Saturday 10/26 

Family Bike Ride

Thank you to all that joined us for our Falcon Family Bike Ride on Sunday.  Our fearless crew pedaled all the way to the USS Hornet and then back to Franklin Park for a much deserved frozen treat.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Did you know that on Monday our school had our fist assembly of the year to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? Be sure to ask your student all about it!

Thank you for your generous donations to our PTA and our volunteers for making assemblies like this happen at Franklin.

If you haven't yet, please consider filling out this quick form so we can gather ideas for celebrations and topics during the school year, as well as more school assemblies.   

UPCOMING OCTOBER EVENTS

Pop & Walk — Franklin’s 9th Annual Walkathon! — this Friday, October 4th

Kindergarten is crushing it! As of Tuesday night, Ms. LaBarre's class has met their fundraising goal! They are in the lead for both the highest percent of their fundraising goal met and for the highest percent of participation in their class! Way to go, Kindergarteners!

Don't forget! The class with the highest participation rate will get to slime Mr. Brantley! Give your child the gift of peak Nickleodeon shenanigans. (Thank you Mr. Brantley 😅)

To count towards participation a student must be registered with the GetMovin' fundraising site, and have collected at least one donation.

All sliming aside, the Walkathon is our second largest fundraiser of the year and we need your support to make this effort a success for the students and the school. All donations, big and small, are important to our mission of providing opportunities, resources, and funding to help every Franklin Falcon succeed. Our school wide reward for reaching the $40,000 goal will be a popsicle bubble dance party for all the students!

It's not too late to register and to get started fundraising! Log into your account or register here; Our school's identifier is 5d6e80fdd67a4. Let's go Falcons!

Check out the Walkathon announcement on Konstella to find what time your student's class will be participating. See you all on Friday to cheer on our students as they walk around Franklin Park. 

Plastic Recycling Drive — October – November 7th 

PTA Meeting — Tuesday, October 15

Thank you to those that joined us at our September meeting. ICYMI, we voted to adopt our PTA's budget for the year. Our PTA funds important events, programs and support staff at our school such as: a Reading Specialist, a Paraprofessional, and more time this year with our Art Teacher!

Our next meeting will be on Zoom on October 15, here's the link. At the the next meeting we will review how the school year is going with Ms. Chirrick, take a look at our financials, hear about upcoming events,  and more. The full agenda will be sent out soon with the Konstella invite. Join us! No need to be a member to attend a meeting.

The Franklin Book Fair — October 21–26 

The Literati Book Fair at Franklin Elementary will be held October 21 – 26, 2024. The Book Fair is the Media Center’s main source of funding for books, supplies, and equipment. Simply put, the more successful our Book Fair is, the more money Ms. Kinsey has to buy new books for the Media Center. Last year, we raised over $6,000!

Each child will visit the Book Fair during their scheduled Media Center time. The Book Fair will also be open after school during these hours –
Monday, Oct 21^st —3pm – 4pm,
Tuesday, Oct 22^nd — 3pm-4pm, 
Wednesday, Oct 23^rd — 12:15-1:30pm,
Thursday, Oct 24^th — 3pm – 4pm,
Friday, Oct 25^th — 3pm – 4pm,
Saturday, Oct 26^th — OPEN during Spooktacular! 

Books 4 Kids! Books 4 Kids is a Franklin program that ensures every kid goes home with a book and bookmark from the Book Fair. This program relies on the generous donations of Franklin families. If you would like to support the Books 4 Kids! Program, please reach out to Kalinda Lisy at krlisy@gmail.com

Gift cards! – The easiest way for your child to purchase books during their Media Center is to purchase an online Gift Card. You can purchase a Gift card HERE. You can also send your student to school with cash.  Credit card and check purchases can be made during after school hours.

Volunteers! – Be on the lookout for volunteer sign ups. We will need 3-4 parents for each class hour in the Media Center. We will also need volunteers for the afterschool and Spooktacular hours.

Classroom Libraries! Your student’s teacher will create a stack of books they’d like for their classroom library. You will have the opportunity to purchase these books during Book Fair hours. Book badges will be available for those who are interested.

Questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions – Meredith Orthwein - meredith.harris@gmail.com or Kalinda Lisy - krlisy@gmail.com

Spooktacular  — Saturday, October 26, 4–7pm

The Franklin Spooktacular is on Saturday, October 26th from 4 to 7PM. This Halloween party is one night only–do not miss it!

This year's Spooktacular will feature Haunted Hallway, Games (with prizes!), Arts & Crafts, Professional Halloween Photographs, the Cake Walk, your favorite spooky jams by DJ Dadbod, face-melting live music by parent group That Dad Band, and the LEGENDARY Candy Cannon. All on top of it being the closing night for the Book Fair!

Doors open at 4:00 PM and the evening's schedule is as follows:

4:00 - 6:30   

• Haunted Hallway (second floor)
• Arts & Crafts in the Multi-Purpose Room
• Midway Games on the blacktop, near Room 15
•  Photo Booth on the blacktop, near the picnic tables
•  Book Fair in the Media Center
• Food Trucks on Paru Street

4:30 - 5:30   

• Cake Walk at Main Stage on the blacktop

6:00 - 6:30   

• Live Performance by That Dad Band

6:30 - 7:00   

• Candy Cannon near the basketball courts

This is a free event except for food purchases made on site. We've secured Locos Only (Hawaiian / Mexican fusion) and Sticks & Cones (ice cream). This event is open to the entire family.

We can’t wait to see your costumes, but please do not wear costumes that may offend someone based on their culture, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, physical appearance, disabilities, or socio-economic status. For further guidance and context, see this NPR article.

We need LOTS of volunteers to make this event successful. Please look out for volunteer sign-up opportunities for parents and middle & high school students coming through Konstella soon!
We also need TWO more spooky-fun filled games to be built! Are you handy, creative, and want to utilize your skills for the Franklin Community? Please get in touch with Spooktacular chairs Andrea (Annie) Gregg or Greg Nielsen via Konstella.

COMMUNITY EVENTS ⚓️

Alameda Pride Festival — October 5, 12–5pm 🏳️‍🌈

Check out our community's ALL AGES & FREE family-friendly event (pets also welcome)! Alameda Pride in the Park Festival @ Chochenyo Park, 2430 Encinal Avenue, Alameda, CA

Filipino Island Festival — October 5 🇵🇭

October is Filipino Heritage Month! Get ready for a day of vibrant culture and family fun at Alameda’s very first Filipino Island Festival! Join us for a fantastic celebration featuring top-notch Fil-Am entertainment, dazzling artisans, and mouthwatering Filipino cuisine – all for FREE!

New Alameda LGBTQ Teen Center — Opening on October 11th 🏳️‍🌈
The city is opening a LGBTQ Teen Center which will offer programming for students in middle and high school! Please visit  https://www.alamedapride.com/teen-center for more info. 

Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools — October 29, 5 – 7:30pm  @ Ruby Bridges Elementary 🧘
Join Alameda Unified School District and Alameda PTA Council for "Healthy Kids, Healthy Mental Health Wellness Fair" for families and students of all ages on Tuesday, October 29th from 5pm-7:30pm at Ruby Bridges Elementary School. Learn how you can nurture your child's emotional health at home and about mental and emotional health resources provided to students and families in schools. Free dinner, child care, art activities, yoga and mindfulness workshop for students provided by Shawnte Forrer, giveaways, and prizes are included in this fun and informative evening. Register here.

 Have an idea for our school that you don't see represented? Email volunteer@franklinpta.org and let us know.

Konstella Tip of the Month! 

Are you looking to set up a playdate with your student's new friend? Not sure how to contact the family? You can look them up in Konstella's Directory!
From a desktop: Go to "Directory" on the left hand side of the screen. Choose the family's classroom from the drop down menu. Click on a the parent/caregiver's name to see their contact info. You can click on the orange "send message" button to message them directly through Konstella if their contact info isn't listed. 
From the mobile app: Tap on Directory at the bottom of your screen. Browse by classroom, or  use the search bar if you don't know the class. 

Got Any Bright Ideas or Questions?
Whether you’re a seasoned Franklin parent or are new to our community (welcome!) we want to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out to any PTA Exec Board member, or email ask@franklinpta.org.  

Still Hankering for More PTA Content? We Got You Covered!

• The Franklin Elementary PTA's website
• Franklin Elementary School PTA Facebook Page
• Franklin Falcons of Alameda Facebook Page (this is private group managed by the school office staff- you must request to join)

In gratitude and appreciation,

Your Franklin Elementary PTA

2024–2025 Franklin PTA Executive Board:

Karen Reuel — President  president@franklinpta.org
Ann Miyashiro — Vice President ann_m@franklinpta.org
Chelsea Guillen — Membership/Volunteer Chair membership@franklinpta.org
Brittany Lasky — Fundraising Chair fundraising@franklinpta.org
Naomi Weisenberg — Hospitality Chair
Steve Perez — Communications Chair communications@franklinpta.org
Michael Cianfrani — Recording Secretary 
Ben Montgomery — Treasurer
Nick Parker — Financial Secretary
Aly Karnath — Financial Reviewer
Jen Gross — Historian
Grace Lee — Parliamentarian
Tyler Fuentes — DEI Chair
Laura Kingston — Art Docent Chair artdocent@franklinpta.org