Author Archive for laurakstewart

01
Oct
08

CONGRATULATIONS, MUSTANGS…YOU DID IT!

CONGRATULATIONS, MUSTANGS…YOU DID IT!

This Friday…

Wear your Mini-Marathon shirt or “Finish Strong” shirt and toe-tokens! Top pledge earners and prizes will be announced at the assembly! Prizes will be distributed to students who earned $50+, $75+, or $100+ in pledges! Goodie bags and t-shirts will go home to REGISTERED students who missed the Finish Line Event.

Did you read about the Finish Line Event in the Farmington Observer? If not, use the following link to visit hometownlife.com:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080925/NEWS06/809250459/1023

Want to see pictures of the event? Visit www.gillpta.com and click on the MMM link.

Thank you for your support!

Gill PTA

25
Sep
08

A marathon of a fund-raiser

From an article in the Farmington Observer & Eccentric…thanks Lynda!!!

Students at Gill Elementary in the Farmington Public School District crossed the finish line of their 26.2 mile mini-marathon on Saturday.

The event, called the Mustang Mini-Marathon, began in June when all students logged the first half-mile together then continued to log – both on their own and at weekly training runs throughout the summer – an additional 24.5 miles.

Continue reading ‘A marathon of a fund-raiser’

21
Sep
08

PHOTOS: Finish Line Event

Check out the online albums we have so far…

If you have an online photo album you want to share, let us know (gregstewart@yahoo.com), or add a comment to this posting.
19
Sep
08

PLEASE JOIN THE PARTY AT 9:00AM ON SEPTEMBER 20TH!!!

PLEASE JOIN US ON
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH AT THE
FINISH LINE FUN RUN
CELEBRATION!
9:00am – 12:00pm
Mark your calendars and come join us to celebrate our kids’ great
accomplishments!  The event starts at 9:00.  Please find the STUDENT CHECK-IN tables
(on the grassy island between Power parking lot and Power Track)
when you arrive to pick up your event t-shirts* and goodie bags.
Volunteers:  Please check-in at the VOLUNTEER SIGN-IN table when you arrive.
TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE AT THE EVENT, PLEASE BE SURE TO ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 9:30AM
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARK IN EITHER THE GILL OR POWER PARKING LOTS.
BOTH LOTS WILL BE BLOCKED FROM 9:30AM UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 10:30AM.
THANK YOU!
ENJOY SOME ENTERTAINMENT
from our own 4th grade teacher (and
weekend DJ!) Mr. Johnson who has promised us all a
“ROCKIN’ GOOD TIME!”
Don’t miss the party!!!
VISIT 2 SUPRISE GUEST TEACHERS AT OUR
CUSTOM MMM TATTOO STATION.
Tattoos will be available for $1.00 before and after the fun run/walk
and pizza, chips, lemonade and water will be sold at our concession stand following
the fun run/walk.

ALSO…don’t forget about our AWESOME SILENT AUCTION that started
during Curriculum Night!  The auction will be open until 11:00 am
following the fun run/walk at the Finish Line Event Party.  We’ve got
some great prizes that could be yours for the taking including a
firetruck ride for the winner and 6 friends (what a great birthday
party!), a night at a local Courtyard Marriott which includes
breakfast for 2, a family outing to Chuck-E-Cheese, a certificate for
a session at Farmington Gymnastics ($170 value!) and much more!

The 1.2 Fun Run/Walk will be led by our own Mr.
Morawski and Mr. Vercellino — in front of Power Middle School, and
will finish on Power Track!

*If your child is registered, he or she will receive a free event day
t-shirt, goodie bag and medal for finishing the fun run/walk.
(Registrations done last spring are on file and are valid.)  If your
child is not yet registered, you can either download a registration
form on
www.gillpta.com (click on MMM logo, then go to “registration
form”) or register on the 20th.  MMM t-shirts for those not yet
registered will be given out on a first come, first serve basis.

PLEASE NOTE:  IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO TURN IN PLEDGES OR MAKE DIRECT
DONATIONS FOR OUR MUSTANG MINI-MARATHON FALL FUNDRAISER!

It’s not too late to collect and turn in those pledges!  In fact,
we’re going to give you until September 20th to do it and still get
credit for prizes!  If you haven’t completed your miles, that’s O.K.
We trust that you will do it…and you will still be welcome to
participate on September 20th and get your medal, goodie bag, and
t-shirt as long as you’re registered.  Please remember to turn in your
pledges!  THIS IS OUR FALL FUNDRAISER and we don’t want to have to do
another fundraiser this school year if we can help it!  Remember, the
money we raise goes directly to benefit our children at Gill through

enrichment programs, field trip transportation, special assemblies,
classroom supplies, etc.  AND the best part?  Your pledge, direct
donation, or entry into our silent auction are all
100% tax deductible.
THANK YOU!

10
Sep
08

Wear Your Finish Strong Shirts on Friday 9/19!

WEAR YOUR FINISH STRONG SHIRTS AND TOE TOKENS
TO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY AND HELP
PUSH GILL SCHOOL
TO THE FINISH OF OUR MMM FUNDRAISER
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH!
GO MUSTANGS!!!
10
Sep
08

DON’T FORGET TO TURN IN YOUR PLEDGE DOLLARS!

It’s not too late to collect and turn in those pledges!  Just be sure they’re in on or before Saturday, September 20th, and your child will be eligible for all of our cool fundraiser prizes.  If your kids haven’t completed your miles, that’s O.K.  We trust that you will encourage them to finish what they started.  As long as they are registered for the Mustang Mini-Marathon, they are welcome to participate on September 20th and will get their goodie bag, event t-shirt, and finish line medal.  Thanks for your support and remember…the money we raise goes directly to benefit our children at Gill through enrichment programs, field trip transportation, special assemblies, classroom supplies, etc.  So you can fill great about supporting this fundraiser with your 100% tax deductible collected pledges, direct donations, and entries in our silent auction on the 20th.  THANK YOU!

10
Sep
08

No Wednesday Run on 9/10 – Curriculum Night at Gill!

09
Sep
08

Fighting Childhood Obesity

03
Sep
08

9/3 WEDNESDAY WILD RUN CANCELLED

ATTENTION GILL FAMILIES…WEDNESDAY, SEPT 3 RUN CANCELLED DUE THUNDERSTORM

02
Sep
08

Registration Reminder 9/2

Gill PTA Fall Fundraiser
REGISTRATION FORMS ARE DUE THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
  • T-shirts will be ordered that day…DON’T MISS OUT!
  • Must be registered to participate on September 20
  • All participants will earn a FREE T-SHIRT, MARATHON MEDAL, & GOODIE BAG

COLLECTED PLEDGES ARE DUE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Don’t miss out on our AWESOME PLEDGE PRIZES!
$50.00  = LIFETIME FITNESS BPA FREE WATER BOTTLE*
$75.00  = LIFETIME FITNESS HAT*
$100.00  = SATURN SHOULDER BAG*
*Prizes are cumulative
TOP 25 PLEDGE EARNERS FROM THE TOP EARNING GRADE = ROCK CLIMBING PARTY AT LIFETIME!
27
Aug
08

PHOTOS: Run Wild Relay 8/27

20
Aug
08

PHOTOS: One Month To Go 8/20

20
Aug
08

Gill’s on TV!

Gill’s on TV!

Catch Mr. Morawski and one of our own Gill students talking about the MMM on SouthWest Oakland Community Cable’s (SWOCC)  “Community Connection” program airing on Farmington’s channel 15.  Community Connection is a talk show that spotlights local non-profit organizations doing interesting things.

The fourteen minute segment will run over and over from August 14 through mid-September.  We appear during the second half of the 30-minute show, so please keep that in mind when tuning in at the scheduled air time.  Our thanks goes out to SWOCC for taking an interest in our program and helping us to get the word out to the community.  You can tune it on the following days and times:

Sundays:  6:00 PM
Mondays: 9:00 AM
Tuesdays: 7:00 AM
Wednesdays:  10:30 PM
Thursdays:  9:00 AM
Saturdays:  8:30 AM, 11:30 PM

For the full list of programming, check out SWOCC’s Web site at www.swoccstudios.com

14
Jul
08

Founders Festival Parade Info

Let’s March!

Please join us on Saturday, July 19, when our kids march in the Farmington Founders Festival Parade! You can either come to cheer us on or march with us as we show our community how excited we are about our awesome new fundraiser!

Meeting Place:

If you would like to march with us, please send an email to Lynda Morrissey so that we know to expect you.

Plan to arrive at the parking lot at Mooney and Grand River by 9:15 AM. If possible, you may want to arrange to be dropped off at that location as suggested parking is at Farmington High School. More details to come on where in the parking lot to find our group.

Line up will be in the parking lot at Mooney and Grand River but will proceed in order to the new starting point at Power Road at 9:30. The parade will commence from Power Road at 10:00. We are number 44 in the line up.

What to Wear?

Please have your kids wear their “Finish Strong” shirts received at the starting line event, shorts, running/gym shoes and their toe tokens!!!. We are working on getting bib numbers to pin on the fronts of their shirts, just like the ones they will wear for the finish line event. If anyone did not receive a finish strong shirt or needs another one for any reason, please contact me as I have a few extras.

The theme of the parade this year is “In the Good Ole Summer Time” and with that, they are asking for parade participants to have something red, white and blue. If possible, please have your child bring a small flag that they can carry.

Water

Please have your child bring a filled water bottle. We are planning to have a few volunteers pull wagons with extra water.

Adult Participation

We have 6-10 adults that have signed up to volunteer with this event. Please do not feel you need to walk with your child–you can drop them at the meeting place and go enjoy the parade, cheer them on when they pass, etc. If you feel you must walk with your child for their comfort, we will most likely place adults in the back, so spectators will be able to see the mini-marathoners. :)

Incentives

Each child that “marches” in the parade will receive a toe-token to add to their growing collection!

We are asking each child to bring a small slip of paper with their pledge total to date, signed by a parent. This will really help us get a bench mark of where we are with the fundraiser. Each child that turns in this slip will get to draw a prize from the prize box! Thank you parents, for your support in this particular effort!

What are they doing in the Parade Anyway?

Our goal for parade participation is three-fold. First, we are so proud of the kids and all they have accomplished to date with this fundraiser, that we want all of Farmington to know what they are doing. Second, when putting this program together, we thought it might be a good way to keep the kids excited about the fundraiser as a whole and inspire them to keep going! (We’re right in the middle of this “marathon” and they will be logging another mile by being in the parade.) Third and most important, it will be fun! The kids should all be very proud of themselves for what they are accomplishing and we hope they all feel like and are treated like celebrities on this day!

The kids will be lead by our “official pace car” provided by Saturn of Farmington Hills and two adults carrying the Gill Mustang Mini Marathon banner. They will be lined up in several lines and will “march”, jog and stretch their way down Grand River. They will be accompanied by volunteers to assist with coordinating them. In addition to their own flags, we have inflatable “poppers” from New Balance that the kids can carry in one had (red and white) that they can wave. We will also have adults in the back of the group carrying the Gill PTA banner.

Information from Parade Officials:

  1. Registration: A representative from each group needs to register upon arrival. The sign in table will be under a tent at the corner of Grand River and Mooney. (I will take care of registering the group at 8:30 AM.)
  2. Parking: Farmington High School on Shiawassee Rd.
  3. Shuttle Bus: A shuttle bus will run from the end of the parade route back to the parking lot at Farmington High School. Buses run approximately every 15 minutes.
  4. Parade Route: Parade progresses down Grand River from Power to Liberty
  5. Staging: The announcers will be located on the north side of Grand River at Farmington Rd.
  6. Prizes: Prizes will be awarded directly following the conclusion of the parade in the Sundquist Pavilion on Grand River
  7. Hot Weather: Be sure to bring plenty of water for your group.
  8. Animals: Clean up after them

Thanks again and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on the 19th at 9:15 AM!

12
Jul
08

PHOTOS: Beautiful Evening 7/9

02
Jul
08

Weather Notice 7/2

Remember, we run even if it’s raining (see the previous post).  However, if we hear thunder or see lightning within 30 minutes before the run begins (7pm), we will cancel.  If we do decide to cancel the run, we’ll send out an email and add a posting to the website (look on the News page).

02
Jul
08

PHOTO GALLERY: Running in the Rain 6/25

Wednesday Wild Run – June 25th

It’s surprising how fun it is to run in the rain…

(Photos taken by Linda Morrissey)

19
Jun
08

Farmington Observer Shares Their Opinion of the MMM!

Gill Elementary School students were given a gift this week – the gift of physical fitness and the opportunity to meet a very healthy challenge throughout the summer…

Read the entire article on HOMETOWNlife.com!

18
Jun
08

PHOTO GALLERY: Wednesday Wild Run 6/18

Wednesday Wild Run – June 18th

We were hoping to get 4 laps (one mile) out of each kid, but most went 12 laps or more!  That’s three miles.  There was a future first grader that got to 16 laps before we had to cut her off.  Amazing.  Now that’s what we’re talking about.  Go, Mustangs!

18
Jun
08

Come join us for our first “Run Wild on Wednesday”

COME JOIN US FOR OUR FIRST “RUN WILD ON WEDNESDAYS” TRAINING RUN AT THE POWER MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK

7:00PM – 8:00PM (rain or shine unless their is thunder and lightening)

Run, walk or wheel one mile on the track and earn a toe-token!

Don’t forget to bring your…

  • Mileage Tracking & Pledge Log
    • Earn one “5 Mile” Toe-Token for every five pairs of shoes you’ve colored in (showing every five miles you’ve logged) so far!
    • Draw a prize from our Mustang Mystery Prize Box if you’ve got at least five pledge promises recorded on your sheet!
  • Parent or Guardian (No “Drop-Offs” Allowed)
  • Bottle of water to help you stay hydrated
  • Comfortable shoes and clothing

Also…

Papa John\'s

Every Tuesday this summer…Run Wild to Papa Johns! Help support Gill and “Carb Up” for your Wednesday Training Run! Wear your “Run Wild to Papa Johns” bracelet! Be 1 of the 1st 50 families to order with a “Run Wild to Papa Johns” bracelet and receive a free 2 liter bottle of Coca Cola Zero with your order! 25% of the proceeds from your purchase will go directly back to Gill Elementary when you show your bracelet or say you’re from Gill! If your child did not receive a bracelet, please let us know.

16
Jun
08

Detroit Free Press

We are BIG news now!

Check out this link to the article about our Starting Line Event in the Free Press. The actual article is also on the front page of this Sunday’s (6/15) Community section.

Farmington Hills Students Exercise to Raise Funds for School

Don’t forget to thank Lynda Morrissey for all the excellent press coverage of the Starting Line Event. She is a master of guerilla PR.

12
Jun
08

We made the paper!

From an article on the front page of the Observer & Eccentric!

Gill Elementary’s Mustang Mini Marathon kicked off last week with more than 500 students running a half mile. But the fitness and fun don’t end there.

Students are challenged to continue running throughout the summer. Parents and students will gather every Wednesday night for one-mile runs at the school…

06
Jun
08

PHOTO GALLERY: Starting Line Event

06
Jun
08

Congratulations, Mustangs!

CONGRATULATIONS, GILL MUSTANGS…YOU DID IT!

Farmington Observer Photo Gallery – Gill Elementary Mustang Mini-Marathon

Attention Gill Parents! Your children lined up at the official starting line of the Mustang Mini-Marathon today! Be sure to ask them about their experience and remember…it’s not too late to turn in registration forms to make sure they don’t miss out on what’s to come. Prizes will be awarded next week to students who turn in forms and earn $25.00 or more in pledges. Lost your form? Replacement forms can be found on the Registration Packet page.

Thank you for supporting your child’s education as well as their health!

28
May
08

Students Across The Country Are Racking Up The Miles

Visit the CBS Evening News site to read more about how other kids across the country are lacing up their running shoes just like we are to fight childhood obesity.

16
May
08

Kick-off Assembly

AssemblyAssembly

WE “GOT IT STARTED!”

Our Kick-Off Assembly was nothing short of amazing and we have our awesome principals and student volunteers to thank for it! Students joined Mr. Morawski and Mr. Vondrasek in an exciting introduction to getting “IT STARTED” complete with music, dancing, and an outstanding skit that introduced the Inaugural Mustang Mini-Marathon to the entire student body. Gill Mustangs are ready to RUN WILD*!

*Remember…walking or wheeling (if you’re in need of a wheel-chair) are also wonderful ways to participate in this event!

03
May
08

The new logo is here!

Check out the new logo design by Cathy Rapp…

Mustang Mini-Marathon Logo

22
Apr
08

Mr. Morawski finishes Boston in 3:40:02!

Morawski FinishGreat job, Mr. Morawski…and great job, Gill kids! You successfully helped “push Mr. Morawski to the Boston Marathon finish line” on Monday, April 21st! The Marathon began at 10:00am and, as the day progressed, Mr. Vondrasek announced Mr. Morawski’s progression on the school loud speaker. Students decked out in Gill Spirit Wear were kept up-to-date with news of his split times as they cheered him on toward the finish. During recess, the kids joined Assistant Principal Mr. Vondrasek on a run of their own to help “push Mr. Morawski” all the way to the Boston finish line, helping him complete Boston in just 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 2 seconds! Congratulations, Mr. Morawski! We can’t wait to follow in your accomplished footsteps with the Inaugural Mustang Mini-Marathon kicking off June 6th!

09
Apr
08

Mr. Morawski is running the Boston Marathon!

Boston Marathon Course MapOn Monday, April 21, 2008 at 10:00am Mr. Morawski is planning to lead by example in his own 26.2 mile trek. This won’t be the first time the kids at Gill school have cheered their principal toward a marathon finish, but it will be the first time the’ll be rooting for him to complete 26.2 in Boston!

Boston Marathon Finish LineMr. Vondrasek will be announcing Mr. Morawski’s splits on the loud speaker for the kids so they can cheer him toward the finish line and celebrate his progress. On that same day, we’ll officially announce to the students that we’re going to follow Mr. Morawski’s accomplished footsteps by running, walking or wheeling our way toward completing 26.2 miles in our own marathon event: the 1st Annual Gill Mustang Mini-Marthon!