DSPA FALL EVENTS First Morning Coffee at 9:15 on August 30 Middle School Back-to-School Night at 6 p.m. on August 30 Lower School Back-to-School Night at 6 p.m. on September 6 Fall Festival on Friday, September 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. New Family Check-In Breakfast at 8:30 on September 28. COMMON GROUND SPEAKER SERIES The Common Ground Speaker Series is presented by a coalition of Bay Area schools that have joined together to enhance parent education in our communities. All events are free of charge to the parents, faculty, and staff of participating schools. For more detailed information about the Common Ground Speaker Series, including detailed descriptions of our events and directions, please visit www.commongroundspeakerseries.org.

Board & Committees

Welcome Letter from Nancy Spencer and Vickie Nelson

Dear Parents:

Welcome to St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School and the Day School Parents' Association! The DSPA works to build strong community ties among school families and between our families and the school. We are particularly pleased this year to welcome our new Head, Mark McKee, along with new families who are joining our school community. DSPA hosts events throughout the school year, administers programs including room parents, hot lunch, new and recycled school uniforms, the Common Ground Speaker series, and family service learning activities. The president of the DSPA has an ex officio seat on the Day School Board of Trustees.

All Day School families commit to provide 40 or 60 hours of school service, depending on the grades in which their children are enrolled. You can fulfill a portion of this volunteer commitment through DSPA standing committees such as hospitality, library and photography, and through committees that plan and produce specific events. Hours may also be served through room parent-coordinated activities requested by the teachers, such as field trips.

Our volunteer website for 2007 - 2008 will be available online in August on the school website at www.smeds.info/parents/volunteering.php, or from the main smeds.info page by navigating through the Parents/DSPA tab. Please take some time to review the year's events and consider being a part of our many school traditions by volunteering to help. We welcome everyone's participation in DSPA activities. The DSPA Board meets in the Church Library the first Friday of every month after morning drop-off. All parents are welcome to attend these meetings.

Once again this year, Crystal Springs Catering will be providing hot lunch service, which will begin on September 4. Hot lunch Chair Phoebe Pluchar has worked with Crystal Springs to present a healthy and appealing menu that will keep our students well-fed and ready to learn. Instructions for online ordering are included in this packet.

DSPA is funded in part through merchant contributions to eScrip. We ask that new families register their credit cards at www.escrip.com, and families who have already registered visit the eScrip website to make sure your enrollment is current and in good standing. The school's eScrip ID number is 134555744. Our participation in this program allows us to raise funds from merchants and to conserve our other funding sources. eScrip funding supports activities including enrichment assemblies, parent education programs, and faculty appreciation events in the winter and spring.


We look forward to working together with you all to make this another happy and successful school year.

Sincerely,

Nancy Spencer	Vickie Nelson
DSPA President	DSPA Vice President

Day School Parent Association Board (DSPA)

President Nancy Spencer Vice President Vickie Nelson President Emerita Tina Crisci Secretary Linda Aguirre Treasurer Anna Sheen McClelland Room Parent Coordinators Suzanne Jancsek and Amelia Nash Volunteer Coordinators Jacque Bigelow and Karen Odden Common Ground Series Susan Lynch and Michelle Macpherson Communications Lisa Kearns Community Service Terri Boesch and Tony Stayner

Enrichment Assemblies Mandy Marconi Fundraising Sara Hodge (eScrip) and Deirdre Jordan (spirit wear) Hospitality Tina Churich Hot Lunch Phoebe Pluchar New Family Outreach Molly Dillon (Middle School) and Joanne Mahaffey (Lower School) New Uniforms Anita Cole Wu Recycled Uniforms Susan Wright Website Ellen Peck Head of School (Ex-Officio) Mark McKee Faculty Liaison (Ex-Officio) Gerry Working and Joseph Williamson