President’s Message

Hello Travis Community!

It’s hard to believe almost an entire week has passed since our incredible CastleQuest Fun Run! Thank you again to our generous community for helping us raise over $202,000 - a stunning amount that will ensure PTA can continue to fund countless initiatives, activities and programs! The donation platform closes tomorrow at 8a and we hope you will join us at our October 11th PTA General Meeting for a final Fun Run recap!

And now, drumroll please . . . it’s the official Countdown to CARNIVAL!! - mark your calendars for Saturday, October 26th and complete the Travis Carnival checklist below so you are ready!

✅ Get your Carnival Sponsorship HERE
✅ Get your Carnival Art Contest Canvas HERE
✅ Get your Carnival Wristbands HERE
✅ Get your Tiger Bucks for food and drink HERE
✅ Get your Raffle Tickets HERE

Special thank you to our generous sponsors & donors:
🎃Kasia McCormick - Lead Carnival Sponsor
🎃 Caroline Schlemmer - Parade Sponsor
🎃 Dena Musfy - Photo Booth Sponsor
🎃 Sara Black - Raffle Sponsor

Lots more fun to be announced soon and we hope to see you at Dish Society TODAY ALL DAY for our Travis Spirit Day/Night!

Wishing you well!

Andrea French
Travis PTA President

Travis Spirit Day & Night - Dish Society!

It’s Travis Spirit Night (& Day!) - TODAY ALL DAY at Dish Society on Yale St. Mention Travis Elementary at check-out to earn our school 20% of sales. Thanks Dish Society and go Travis Tigers!

Travis Fall Carnival - Saturday, Oct. 26!

The Travis Fall Carnival is PTA’s largest annual event and a Woodland Heights tradition. Join us on Saturday, October 26th, from 11am-3pm for a haunted house, dunk tank, games, prizes, and loads of fun! 5th grade parents and students will also be hosting the annual parade through our neighborhood. ON SALE NOW: PTA sells sponsorships, raffle tickets, wristbands, and concession tickets (Tiger Bucks) to raise money that goes directly back into our classrooms as teacher supply reimbursements. We hope you will join us in raising money for our wonderful school! Check out all things Fall Carnival on PTA’s website.

Many thanks to our lead carnival sponsor, Kasia McCormick with Compass!

Be a Fall Carnival Sponsor!

Carnival is a truly special day for our school. We build community and raise funds for our amazing Travis Faculty and Staff - 80% of the net proceeds go directly to them! Our success depends on the support we get from our Travis family and friends. Below are several donation levels you can sponsor as a family or as a business to help offset our costs, so that more money can go directly to our classrooms. Every donation matters! Sponsorships can be purchased online HERE.

Contact fundraising@travispta.org with questions.

Spooky Art Contest

Calling all artists! Students are invited to showcase their creativity by submitting a unique piece of artwork inspired by their favorite things about autumn and/or Halloween. To enter this art contest, students must purchase a 12x12 canvas from PTA for $10. Canvases can be purchased here.

A winner will be chosen from each grade level (they will receive a small prize).

New this year, TWO grand prizes will be awarded from our pool of finalists: a K - 2nd winner & a 3rd - 5th winner. Both grand prize winners’ designs will be printed on vinyl water bottle stickers, and every Travis student will get their respective grade’s sticker.

Art Contest deadline is Friday, October 18th. Please submit all work to the front desk (in a bin marked “Carnival Art”) and be sure your child’s name is on the back of the canvas!

Questions? Email carnival@travispta.org

Carnival Raffle

We are excited to announce a very special, local prize for this year’s Carnival raffle item! TridentPro Lighting, the creators of the beloved dinosaur holiday lights on the Woodland Heights esplanade, will be donating the following (valued at over $1,500):

• A full roof outline with commercial grade C9 lighting up to 200 linear feet (which will easily cover most homes)

• (1) battery powered multi color function garland

• (1) battery powered multi color function 32” wreath

• Either bush string lighting up to (8) 50’ strands or 100 linear feet of commercial grade C9 sidewalk lighting with stakes included

Many thanks to our raffle sponsor Sara Black with Nan and Company Properties! And thanks to Roman Dijac, owner of TridentPro Lighting, who is a neighbor and Travis alumni! We will be selling raffle tickets for $25 each, or 5 raffle tickets for $100. Raffle tickets can be purchased here and sales will close the day of Carnival. A winner will be chosen at random and announced that evening. Best of luck!

Carnival Wristbands and Tiger Bucks

So now that you’ve sponsored Carnival and purchased your raffle tickets. What do you need the day-of the event? PTA sells two event items for Carnival: Wristbands and Tiger Bucks. Entry to Carnival is free and open to everyone. So what do wristbands and tickets buy?

Wristbands allow the wearer to play at all Carnival booths unlimited times. If your child wants to play in a bouncy house, get colored hairspray, or dunk a teacher - they need a wristband! This includes pre-schoolers and middle-schoolers who want to participate in Carnival games or haunted house. Pre-sale price is $25, full price is $30.

Tiger Bucks are purple tickets used for food and drink purchases. Each Tiger Buck = $1. Use the menu to estimate how many Tiger Bucks you might want to buy. PTA suggests 15 Tiger Bucks per child if you are planning to get a meal, a drink, and a snack. Pre-sale price is $10 for 12 Tiger Bucks, full price is $10 for 10 Tiger Bucks.

Wristbands and tickets can be purchased here. Be sure to purchase in advance to save money and avoid waiting in long lines at the Carnival!

Wristbands and Tiger Bucks will be delivered to the classrooms the week of the Carnival and sent home in backpacks. If you are a community member without a Travis kid, tickets will be available for pickup at Will Call the day of Carnival. You can also make a note to send them home with a neighbor.

REMINDER: Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the Mind is the ultimate creative problem-solving program! Students form teams of 5-7 students to creatively solve a unique open-ended problem each year (click here for a breakdown of this years problems).  Preference will go to already formed teams, with two adult volunteer coaches. If you are an individual that is interested, we will work to place you on a team, as long as there are extra spaces available. Team meeting times and locations will be managed by each individual team, so work together with some friends to create your group! District Competition is Feb 22, 2025. A $30 fee will cover all competition fees (scholarships available). Volunteer Coaches are provided training and have fees waived. Fill out a google form if interested in participating: https://forms.gle/q8TVTbgL3kABCVjo6

Report Cards!

First six weeks report cards will go home on Friday, September 27. Please remember to sign and return it.

Early Bird LITH Bash Tickets

Do you know it costs about $35,000 to produce Lights in the Heights (LITH)? Expenses for trash cans, port-a-potties, police, insurance, city permits, and more keep the event safe and our neighborhood clean. Please consider supporting LITH by attending our biggest fundraising event at Eureka Heights on Friday November 15 at 7pm. Join us for food, drinks, auction, and a great time with your fellow neighbors! Early bird tickets for this event go on sale Oct. 1st and can be purchased here. If you have any questions, please reach out to bash@woodland-heights.org. 

National Custodian Appreciation Day

Wednesday, October 2nd is National Custodian Appreciation Day! We have a crew of ladies who work hard to make our school sparkle and shine each day. The PTA will be honoring them with lunch and a treat for their feet. Please join us in celebrating our team because we’d be a “mess” without them!

Fall Break

Quick reminder that school is closed Monday, Oct. 3-Tuesday, Oct. 4. We will see everyone back on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Coffee with PTA

Parents are invited to join us Friday, October 11th at 7:30am for a PTA general meeting. PTA will be serving coffee and light bites in the cafeteria. Please sign in at the front desk first. We understand if you need to bring a younger sibling or leave early for work engagements. Please join us for information and connection! Lite bites generously donated by Red Dessert Dive!

Picture Day:

Mark your calendars for school picture day on Friday, October 18, 2024. More details to follow.

Hospitality Shoutout of the Week

Travis PTA would like to give a BIG thank you to neighborhood businesses that give us discounts and donations for our various events. Thank you to Wonder Pops and Grace Pizza and Shakes for the generous donations for our Fun Run prizes! We appreciate their continued support!

Meet Your PTA

PTA Board is proud to present our Communications Co-Chairs, Beth Shelby and Melissa Green. Beth has two daughters at Travis, Sterling and Hazel. She enjoys travel, playing mahjong, and embroidery. Melissa is a mom of three: Ren is a first grader at Travis, and Maggie and Henry can’t wait to join their big brother at Travis. She is an avid reader, loves to travel with the kids, and is a big Man City fan. As Co-Chairs of Communications, they are responsible for: updating and maintaining PTA’s website, designing and sending out Tiger Beat, blasting info on PTA’s social media accounts, graphics design, and marketing. If you ever have any questions or want to learn more about PTA communications, please reach out to them at communications@travispta.org!