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GREEN THUMBS!

PREP PAT GRADE LEVEL COORDINATORS

Pictured are the Jackson Prep PAT grade level coordinators. Row 2 (l to r): Retta Boyd, Mary Ellison, Linda Marchetti, Melissa Green, Ruth Bell, Janice Ingram, and Kristin Scoggins. Row 1(l to r): Rae Ann Randolph, Dawn Pope, Danielle Nigreville, Rhonda Baird, Melissa Skelton, and Lisa Welch.

The Grade Level Coordinators organize and plan events specific to each class such as the back to school party, the brown bag lunch for parents, and the coordination of concession stand workers at football games. Each grade has a few other areas of committment through out the year; for example, the Junior class has a Garage Sale to raise money for community service as well as their prom. These moms begin meeting in the summer to put their schedule together for the upcoming year. Please be sure to thank them when you see them for all they are doing to enhance the lives of Jackson Prep students and parents.

Welcome, new Jackson Prep parents, and welcome back to the rest of our Jackson Prep family. As Darlene Dotherow reminded us last year, EVERY parent is a member of the PAT. There are no dues or fees. All of our events are covered financially by a small portion of your school tuition. These funds fuel everything we do, from the fabulous Back To School luncheon for staff and teachers, to You Are Prep in the spring. And we provide all the manpower in between. That is where YOU come in. Wait a minute, you ask, I -don't even know what PAT stands for! The PAT - Parents and Teachers- organization, named for our Patriots, is the supporting arm for all nonacademic events which occur several times a year. On the right side of this page, you will see a variety of committees which give feet to these events and the names of those chairing them for the 2007-08 school year. In the weeks and months ahead I will provide further explanation of these committees so that you can find the place of service which best suits your gifts and talents. Our theme for the year is building community and you are a vital part of making that happen. In May, I reminded our incoming PAT board that each talent or skill you have to offer, though it may seem small to you, is paramount not only for the operational function of our PAT, but for the relational "iron sharpening iron" aspect of our involvement.

I hope you will find, as I have, that being involved in the life of our school not only benefits your child and all our children, but what is received from those you work alongside is immeasurable. I have been extremely blessed by the connections I have made with parents, teachers and staff at this school and sincerely hope you can share in this sense of connectedness as well. For you new parents, I encourage you to get involved as much as you can. The PAT is a great vehicle for getting to know other parents and building a network for parenting as your child enters a new and challenging time, for you and him or her. As my husband and I prepare to send our oldest child off to college in less than a week, I can look back on his years as Jackson Prep with satisfaction regarding what he learned, both in the classroom and on the athletic field. And I can truly say that serving our school while linking arms with other parents was such an enjoyable and educational part of the process.

I am humbled to be working with such bright, talented and capable moms this year. Any one of them could step into my position and manage just as well if not better than I. I want to thank them in advance for their dedication to our school and our children. It is an amazing thing to watch our parents at work, volunteering their time and effort. It is like watching a well rehearsed symphony! Already, before the first class bell has rung, our Uniform Resale has provided parents the opportunity to buy gently worn uniforms, our Hospitality committee has welcomed our faculty and staff back to school with a fabulous luncheon, and Class Coordinators have met and planned back to school parties and other events for the upcoming year. All of our committee chairs have begun work in their respective areas to some extent. A HUGE thank you to all who have responded already and to all who will answer the calls for help!

An important way to keep up with what is going on at school is to attend our PAT meetings, held 3 times per semester. Every parent is encouraged to attend. Each one will be at noon this year, beginning on Thursday, September 6th, in the Hederman Media Center, above the library in the McRae Center. This is a great time to hear from Susan Lindsay, our Head of School, and find out what is on her heart and mind. She genuinely enjoys this time with us and filling us in on the state of affairs at Jackson Prep. We will also have a speaker to update us on some aspect of student or school life as well as pertinent committee reports.

As you can see, there are lots of ways to become involved. Don't forget to check the "Parents" page of the Prep web site for up-to-date information about meetings and events. I am personally excited about this new school year, and I look forward to working with each of you.

Lisa Lamb PAT President

PREP 2007 PAT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jackson Prep PAT Executive Committee members for the 2007 - 08 school year are pictured. Row 2 (l to r): Sally Buckels, secretary; Melissa Neyland, recruitment support; and Lisa Hubbard, overall grade level coordinator. Row 1 (l to r): Amanda Griffin, treasurer; Lisa Lamb, president; and Anne Toy Gathings, vice president. Not pictured: Deborah Newman, assistant treasurer.