PAC CHATTER

A Publication of the CIBA Parent Advisory Council November, 2013

NEXT PAC MEETING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013 7:00 P.M. CIBA COLLEGE RESEARCH ROOM
Hello Everyone, One of the annual CIBA events that PAC now hosts is the IB Inauguration Ceremony reception. This year it was held on October 28th in the rotunda and what a beautiful event it was! The Juniors were all decked out in their finery. Wow, what a good-looking and poised group! The Sophomore volunteers, organized by Mrs. Buck, were also there as tradition dictates, as helpers - enthusiastically serving, arranging tables, carrying, cleaning, refilling, and greeting. They worked so hard to make sure the Juniors had a wonderful night! The PAC parents who pitched in were nothing short of amazing (and thanks to the skillful volunteer recruitment of our own Aline Bafumo)! A special shout out to Tina Levesque and Deb Meqguire who were steadfast in their assistance for 3 1/2 hours straight, as they were elbow-deep in preparing chicken sandwiches, slicing vegetables, and carefully cutting the gorgeous congratulatory cake for all to enjoy after the ceremony (and they now know very well where the faculty kitchen is!). Thank you to the other parents who also came and helped and to those who were so very generous with monetary donations to defray food costs, and to those who generously sent in food for us to serve. We absolutely could not do this without you- and it IS a special evening to always be remembered! Our inauguration "thank yous" would not be complete without a tip of the hat to Barbara and Ray, the CIBA custodians extraordinaire! Hard-working, resourceful, and helpful does not even come close to describing our fabulous custodians (ever notice how sparkling clean CIBA is?-it is not magic!). Moving on into the coming months, please take note of our GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER, perfect for the holiday gift cards you will probably buy anyway! Buy them over the internet through PAC and we get a percentage of the sales! Also, our Barnes and Noble book fair and gift wrapping fundraiser at the Buckland Hills Mall is really fun and is great for camaraderie among parents and students! Please don't be shy, join us! Sign up to help, or bring your student and go shopping! As always, PAC meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the College Research Room- come and learn and participate! We love new ideas, and we'd love to see you!

Sandy

Parent Tip of the Month

Are you tired of sending money to school with your student for lunch? Take advantage of the MySchoolBucks.com website to add money to their lunch account right from your computer. You can set alerts to be notified when their account drops below a specific balance. There is also a smart phone app for this tool, and you can set up multiple children within your account. Check it out!
If you have other tips to share, please send them to the PAC mailbox: pac.ciba@gmail.com

Get Connected! 1. Follow us on our PAC Facebook Page! Please like our Facebook page and follow all the PAC activities! Search for CIBA PAC in the search bar at the top of Facebook 2. Follow the link on the New for Families and Parents page in the Parents section of cibanet.org 3. Make sure that we have your information! Help us build our parent database. If you have not already provided it, please send the following information to: pac.ciba@gmail.com Parent/Guardian names Email address(es) Student name(s) and grades(s)
An easy way to raise money for CIBA PAC Grocery Store Points programs There is an easy way that you can help support PAC - simply sign up for your local grocery stores school rewards program and choose CT IB Academy as your recipient school. Then, every time you shop you will be helping raise money for PAC. We are currently registered with the following stores:

Be sure to sign up soon, since some of these programs only run through January. This is a great program for grandparents and other family and friends to help with also. Spread the word! We will also send out more info via email and Facebook soon. Thanks for your support!

SAB Corner November News

Murder Mystery Night was held in October. There was a good turnout and fun was had by all at this annual event. Friday, November 8th was Purple Pride day. Students, teachers and staff wore purple accessories in honor of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. SAB will be coordinating a Mitten Tree from the end of November through the beginning of December - collecting new gloves/mittens & hats for families that need them. Students will be helping out with the Barnes & Noble Book Fair on Wed Dec 11th at the Buckland Hills Mall. They will help with the gift wrapping table and various activities in the store starting at 6pm.
Officers President - Mackenzie Satalino, Class of 2014 Vice President - Justin Nortey, Class of 2015 Secretary - Mikayla Barnwell, Class of 2014 Treasurer - Megan Leubner, Class of 2014 Class Reps: Senior class reps - Mariana Garcia and Lina Allam Junior class reps - Kevin Nguyen and Marcus Lane Sophomore class reps - Audrey Levesque and Liz Roraback Freshman class rep - Shubham Pai

Save the Date!

Wed Dec 11, 2013: Barnes & Noble Book Fair Look for more details via email and Facebook soon!

Parent Committee on New CIBA Schedule At the PAC meeting on 10/2, some parents shared concerns about the new schedule, and about the ability for CIBA students to take Physics. CIBA Parent Beth Mix is interested in coordinating a group of parents and students to discuss these issues, and brainstorm ideas/solutions. If you are interested in participating, please contact Beth Mix and indicate when (day or night, day of the week) you would be able to meet. beth@mixerson.com 860-803-7098

Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming PAC Mtg Dates

December 4th 2012 January 8th 2013 February 5th 2013 March 5th 2013 April 2nd 2013 May 7th 2013 June 4th 2013 June 5th 2013

The PAC Leadership Team for 2013-2014: President: Sandy Leubner, Vice-President: Nancy Barnwell, Treasurer: Sandhya Pai; Secretary: Laura Duprey; Communication Coordinator: Heidi Ellis; Volunteer/Hospitality Coordinator: Alina Bafumo; Fundraising Co-Chairs: Jen Oatway & Laurie Horan; Event/Activities Coordinator: Vacant (this could be you!)