All the students decorated placemats for Veteran's Day. These placemats will be delivered to the Golden Corral for their annual Veteran's Day event. The restaurant gives a complimentary meal to all veterans. Our placemats will be used to add a "special something" to their meals as they celebrate the day with their families.

In honor of Veteran's Day, Sergeant Johnson and Sergeant Willaman, paid a visit to our school. They are Military Police for the Vienna Air Base. They spoke to the students about their duties on base. They also showed various equipment that they use on their job. They shared that the weight of one vest they wear weighs approximately 70 pounds. To conclude the program, the students were given time to ask questions. A big thank you to these men for taking time to visit North and protect our country.

The students were treated today to a program by the JJ Brothers. They are authors and illustrators with book titles that include The Adventures of Caterpillar Jones and Dog Collars. They stressed the importance of reading and writing. They also talked about the parts of a sentence with the help of students. The brothers made stories "come alive" with their props as the students laughed out loud. A big thanks to our PTO for providing this wonderful entertainment.

Our mock election was held today. The voting box traveled to each homeroom this morning for the students to cast their vote. The ballot contained a picture and name of each candidate. After voting, the students received an "I Voted" sticker along with a pencil, compliments of Mahoning County Board of Elections. Mr. Sofranec and I counted and re-counted the votes to make it official. North Elementary students have re-elected President Barack Obama. Remember, tomorrow is your turn to cast your vote.

North Elementary is hosting a Blood Drive on Thursday, November 15th from 2:00-7:00 p.m. A representative from the American Red Cross held an assembly with our students explaining how they can help by getting family members to donate. We had 2 fourth grade volunteers help with the assembly, one dressing as a "super hero" and the other as "Buddy". They both helped stress the importance of people donating. If you are interested in donating, please schedule your appointment at www.redcrossblood.org. Thank you for your help.

Our November PTO meeting is tomorrow at 9:00 am. We will be talking about Santa's Workshop. If you are unable to attend the meeting but you are able to volunteer on December 12th or 13th, please send in a note. We will be looking for volunteers to help set-up the items and also to help students shop. The PTO appreciates any help that you can give. Thank you.

The PTO fundraiser items made their way home today. Orders that were too heavy for students to carry are still at the school. The orders can be picked up between 2:30-5:00 today in the 4th grade hall. Student raffle prizes will be announced on Thursday morning. The prizes are the Limo Lunch, Toss-n-Score game, and Angry Bird banner. Thank you to our PTO for organizing this fundraiser and thanks to all who purchased fundraiser items.