On behalf of CFES students, staff, and PTO, THANK YOU for your incredible support of Friends of Creekside. Together, we raised more than $43,000! Our Cougars will benefit every day from your generosity.

Now we head into the holidays! It all starts today with one of our favorite holiday events - the Thankful for CFES Baked Goodies Drive. Once again, our community of families has stepped up in a big way to show our appreciation for CFES. The Goodies Drive is a staff and teacher favorite each year. Thank you to all who donated baked goods and sweet & salty treats!

There will be more fun ways to help our students and staff celebrate holidays in the weeks to come. Look for details below.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving break, filled with love and laughter.

Sincerely,
Amy Scott
PTO President
Creekside Forest Elementary

CFES will be closed Monday, 11/21 through Friday, 11/25 for Thanksgiving Break! Have a wonderful holiday!

Let's Party!

Save the date, 12/16, for our classroom winter parties. Times are listed below. Each class will need parent volunteers. Be on the lookout for information from your Room Parents about how you can help make the day special.

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - 2nd, 4th, 5th Grades

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Kinder, 1st, 3rd Grades

Please note: If you haven't completed the TISD Volunteer Form, you must do so to participate in parties.

The Gift of Giving

We're organizing a number of ways to give to our wonderful CFES teachers and staff during December. More details about each will be coming your way soon!

One of the most popular holiday-giving opportunities is our Gift Crowd. Join other CFES families as we pool our money for gift cards for all of our CFES team, from our custodial and cafeteria staff to our administrators. Be on the lookout for how you can contribute soon!

We've Got Spirit

We know you're busy - it's that time of year! Grab some food to go and a portion of your purchase at each of these local establishments will go toward CFES!

Fajita Pete's

24345 Gosling Rd.

832-639-8334

TODAY, 11/17

3:00 p.m. - Close

Sonic

25411 Kuykendahl Rd.

Thursday, 12/1

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Chicking Out

23227 Gosling Rd.

Thursday, 12/15

11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Volunteer Forms

To volunteer or participate in any on-campus activities, complete a TISD Volunteer Form. A new form must be completed each year. Take time now to fill out yours!

Whether you have an hour each month, or a few hours each week, we have volunteer opportunities for you!

Community: Assist in annual community events, such as Walk to School Day and Earth Day Green Up.

Hospitality: Help monthly with set up, clean up, decorations, and donations for events to show our wonderful teachers and staff just how much they are appreciated.

Teacher Support: Help with simple tasks such as cutting or assembling packets, freeing up our teachers' time to bring creative projects and ideas to our children's learning experience. This easy opportunity requires no regular commitment. Feel free to join other volunteers in the Activity Room any Friday afternoon between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Photographer: Assist the Photography chair by taking pictures at events throughout the year.

Fence Cups: Design and change out fence cups located on the fence on the perimeter of the school.

General: Sign up for our email “shout out” list to help when possible throughout the year.

It's easy to volunteer. Step 1) Complete the TISD Volunteer Application Form. Step 2) Complete the CFES Volunteer Form.

Questions? E-mail volunteer@cfespto.org.

2022 - 2023 Yearbooks

Don't forget your yearbook!
Click here to place your order today!

5th Grade Recognitions

All 5th Grade Recognitions will be free this year. To secure your spot:

Go to www.treering.com/validate.

Enter the CFES passcode: 1016599781631260

Click "Buy Yearbook Ad" and follow the steps

All Recognitions bust be submitted by March 30, 2023.

Yearbook Committee

Love putting together Shutterfly books? Join the Yearbook Committee and help put together this year's yearbook! TreeRing makes the yearbook building process as simple as possible with hundreds of templates and possibilities - just like a Shutterfly book! Please join us! Contact Kellyn Harrod and Brittany Marchesi at Yearbook@cfespto.org

Creekfest - Let's Glow Crazy

It's never too early to talk about Creekfest, our top fundraiser and our students' favorite event of the year!

Save the Date: March 3, 2023

Color Run: During School Hours

Family Carnival: 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Things to Know

Color Run: This year's run will not be a fundraiser, but will still be tons of fun!

Raffle and Silent Auction: Unlike past years, neighborhood-level organizers will not collect raffle item donations. Instead, we will accept raffle and silent auction donations of all kinds from individuals, companies, and groups. Examples include toys and games, summer camp registrations, birthday party certificates, overnight stays, and more! To learn more about donating to the raffle or silent auction inquiries, please creekfest@cfespto.org.

Sponsorships: Whether you are a family or an area business interested in supporting our community and promoting your work, there are Creekfest sponsorship opportunities for you. Please reach out to Carrie Mills at sponsors@cfespto.org for more information.

Volunteers: Creekfest is a success each year because of our dedicated volunteers! There will be a number of ways to help and that information will come soon. Currently, there are opportunities both big and small to help with the raffle and silent auction. Please contact creekfest@cfespto.org.

If you are interested in learning more about Creekfest and how you might help, please reach out to Natascha Vogel anytime at vicepresident@cfespto.org.

Mark Your Calendar

The PTO meets monthly in the Activity Room. We hope you can join us! Our next PTO Meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 12/13.

Did you know you can support our Cougars when you shop at Amazon? Just type AmazonSmile.com into your browser and select CFES. Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase to our school!

As a PTO member, you should have received an invitation to join the CFES PTO Members Forum on Facebook. It's a great place to learn about the latest happenings and ask questions. Please contact president@cfespto.org with any questions.

Jessica Hughes, 11/18

Rosa Iannuzzi, 11/28

Hayley Andress, 12/3

Ellen Angelini, 12/8

Lindsey Hurst, 12/16

Elizabeth Girroto

As Teacher Support Chair, Elizabeth coordinates with our teachers to identify ways volunteers can support them throughout the year. She organizes weekly behind-the-scenes opportunities for parents to help. Elizabeth is mom to Madeleine (8^th at CPJH), Nicholas (5^th), Christopher (4^th), and Rachael (2^nd).

Peyton Gunnell

As Membership Chair, Peyton engages CFES families to become part of our PTO and manages their membership experience. Peyton also serves as 5^th Grade Celebration Chair, working with 5^th Grade teachers and parents to plan and implement the end-of-year 5^th Grade Celebration. Peyton is mom to Nolan (5^th), Grayson (3^rd), Dean (2^nd), and Flynn (2 years old).

Julie Bridenstine

As Membership Co-Chair, Julie engages CFES families to become part of our PTO and manages their membership experience. As Parliamentarian, Julie also serves as the subject matter expert on all things CFES, sharing the wealth of knowledge she’s acquired over several years on our PTO. Julie is mom to Beau (5th), Ben (8th at CPJH), and Brandy (9th at THS).

Jennifer Dunn

As Volunteer Chair, Jennifer identifies volunteer needs, develops volunteer opportunities, and coordinates our volunteers. Jennifer is mom to Rose (3^rd) and Millie (5 years old).

A huge thank you to CFES mom Eurri Farris for lending her time and talent taking photos of our PTO Chairs. Please visit her website: www.eurrikimphotography.com.

PTO Leadership

The PTO Board and Committee Chairs are here to help. Feel free to reach out anytime!

Amy Scott, President: president@cfespto.org

Natascha Vogel, Vice President: vicepresident@cfespto.org

Elizabeth Mixon, Treasurer: treasurer@cfespto.org

Kristen Irick, Secretary: secretary@cfespto.org

Committee Chairs

Peyton Gunnell, 5th Grade Celebration: 5thgradecelebration@cfespto.org

Carrie Mills, Community Sponsors: sponsors@cfespto.org

Liz Green, Cougar Connection and Communications: newsletter@cfespto.org / communications@cfespto.org

Kristina Payne, Community Relations: familyevents@cfespto.org

Marce Trujillo, Friends of Creekside: friendsofcreekside@cfespto.org