Welcome Back To School!

I'm so excited to get our new school year and new Box Tops For Education program kicked off! This is going to be a great year, I can tell already!

Let's take a look at this year's program:

Our school's goal (which I hope to exceed):
$500

Where we are today:
As of Friday, August 13th, we have - $27 - Not too shabby for the fifth day of school!

Our summer collection contest brought in $8. This does not discourage me at all! Many students did not know about the contest or had never participated in the program before.

Congratulations to Collin for winning the contest and that HUGE stuffed dog!

Non-Contest Box Tops contributed were $19.

What are non-contest Box Tops?

• Box Tops collected by my family. My child does not participate in individual collection efforts and contributes 20 and under to class contests.
• Box Top cash generated by supporting individuals and businesses that shop through the Marketplace.

Where we go from here:
There is so much I want to tell you about how we can earn with the Box Tops program! I'm afraid it would be a bit overwhelming at this point so let's start at the beginning.

A Class Collection Contest!

Here's the info:
Start Date: September 1st
End Date: October 23rd

Why October 23rd?
Money earned with the Box Tops program is sent out twice per year. The first check is mailed on December 15 and the second one is mailed on April 15.

There are two deadlines for mailing in Box Tops as well. To receive funds on the December check, tops must be postmarked by October 31st. To receive funds on the April check, tops must be postmarked by February 28th.

Ending the contest on the 23rd allows a week for counting, bundling and mailing. That week is very important because each top must be verified as valid, legible and not expired. In addition they must be grouped into bundles of 50 and all "bonus tops" must be separated and bundled by themselves.


The Prize: A pizza party! Plus, an extra prize for the winning classroom's biggest collector!

The school is generating it's own Box Top Money!

How?

Mrs. Martinez has signed up as a supporter at the Box Tops For Education Website and changed her Staples shopping bookmark. Each time she orders office supplies for the school she starts at the Box Top Marketplace to enter Staples.

We are now earning 1% of all Staples purchases as cash in our Box Tops account!

Awesome!

23 New Box Top Products

23 more General Mills products have joined the Box Tops family! And now you can find the familiar pink Box Tops for Education coupon on select Land O’ Lakes products.


Look for Box Tops on the following products:

• Nature Valley® Granola Thins
• Yoplait® Splitz™
• Progresso® Soups and Broth
• Hamburger Helpers® Complete Meals
• Chex Mix® Treat Bars
• Total® Plus Omega 3
• Gold Medal® Flour
• Betty Crocker® Cake Mix
• Bisquick® Gluten Free
• Green Giant® Create a Meal®
• Old El Paso Re-fried Beans
• Totino’s® Crisp Crust Party Pizza®
• LAND O LAKES® Salted Butter
• LAND O LAKES® Light Butter
• LAND O LAKES® Margarine
• LAND O LAKES® Chunk Cheese
• LAND O LAKES® Snack’N Cheese To-Go!® Snack Cheese
• LAND O LAKES® Pre-Sliced Cheese
• LAND O LAKES® Fresh Buttery Taste® Spread
• LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Farm-Fresh Eggs
• LAND O LAKES® Whipped Butter, and
• LAND O LAKES® Fresh Buttery Taste® Spread with Olive Oil.
• Alpine Lace® Pre-Sliced Cheese

A New Site And A Family Fun Giveaway!

Welcome SSA parents, teachers and extended family! This is the launch of our new Box Tops For Education program and community website! Here you will find lots of unique ideas for earning Box Top cash, SSA contest and giveaway information and up-to-date information about our program.

If you are new to Box Tops For Education, please click here to learn more. If you already participate by collecting Box Tops, you will be amazed at all of the additional ways we can earn and you can learn about them right here!

There is up to $20,000 per year available to us!

Cash for trash
In these tough economic times, the Box Top program is like a breath of fresh air. Parents and supporters can earn school funds without buying anything extra. Just look for the Box Top coupons on everyday products you already purchase. Each coupon is worth 10¢ and, believe it or not, they add up fast! To see a complete list of participating products click here.

Change is hard
Let's face it, our computers are our link to everything and the more shortcuts the better! Once a bookmark is set, it's like speed dial. If you are willing to take the time to change your shopping bookmarks and make one extra click before you shop, we can earn .5% - 15% of your total purchase at no cost to you! To see all of the participating stores click here.

Who Wants To Go To The Circus?!

Ladies and Gentlemen…Children Of All Ages… The Greatest Show On Earth just got Greater with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM! Featuring 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids, Barnum’s FUNundrum! is a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can’t miss it!

I would like to thank everyone for checking out the site today! So.....let's talk circus!

BUY TICKETS CHEAP

Feld Entertainment is making family fun affordable again! With the information below, you can buy a family 4-pack of circus tickets for only $44! Also, each additional ticket will be discounted to the $11 price. This is great savings and you can share this promotion with everyone! Here are the details:

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the U.S. Airways Center

June 23rd – 7:00 p.m.
June 24th – 11:00 a.m. And 7:00 p.m.
June 25th – 11:00 a.m. And 7:00 p.m.
June 26th – 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. And 7:00 p.m.
June 27th – 11:00 a.m. And 5:00 p.m.

Buy tickets:
Online at Ticketmaster
Or
Call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000


USE DISCOUNT CODE: MOM
Code can be used online or over the phone

Good for any performance, not valid on VIP, Front Row, or Circus Celebrity seats. A minimum of 4 tickets is required; additional ticket can be purchased at $11 each. No double discounts, service charges and handling fees may apply.


Doors open one hour early for the All Access Pre-Show, free to all ticket holders. Come down to the arena floor and visit with the performers, get autographs, try on costumes, watch an elephant paint and more!

WIN A FAMILY 4-PACK!!

Courtesy of Feld Entertainment and Mom Central, one lucky SSA Box Top program supporter is going to win a family 4-pack of tickets to the opening night show at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23rd! Tickets are held at the will-call window and require photo ID for pick-up.

Don't forget about the All Access Pre-Show! Kids of all ages love it and it's free with your tickets!

Contest ends Friday, May 28th at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be notified within 24 hours. Please reply to my email within 48 hours or a different winner may be picked. The winner will be chosen using the random number generator at Random.org. I will notify the winning family via email and post it on this site.

Each family has 3 chances!

For your primary entry:

• Subscribe to this site for email updates about the SSA Box Top program.
• Enter your email address and click 'Subscribe' in the upper right sidebar.
• Click the link in the verification email to activate your subscription.
• Leave a comment telling me that you subscribed and your email address.

If you would like additional entries you can do each the following items only AFTER completing the primary entry.


Additional entry 1(this can be done only once):

• Check out this site.
• Leave a comment telling me something you learned about Box Tops that you did not know before. Be sure to include your email address in your comment.

Additional entry 2:

• Go to www.boxtops4education.com and sign up as a supporter of SSA.
• Come back and leave a comment letting me know you signed up, again, don't forget your email address.

INFO
Leaving a comment – Click the 'Comment' link at the bottom of this post. You can comment using a Google or Yahoo identity or you can comment as 'anonymous' if you prefer.

Email addresses – If I can't reach you, you can't win. PLEASE remember to leave your email address on all comments when entering a giveaway.

If you are concerned about spam bots please enter your email address like this:

youremail at gmail dot com

Bots cannot read addresses like that but I can still reach you.


If you have any questions, please contact me any time using the 'contact' button above.

THANKS FOR PLAYING AND GOOD LUCK!

Vacations And......Box Tops?........YES!

Do you book your travel, hotel accommodations and rental cars online? Did you know you could be earning Box Tops?

Check out who is affiliated with Box Tops:

It's easy! Make sure you are a supporter of SSA at www.Boxtops4education.com. If you need help, CLICK HERE for step-by-step instructions. Once you are a supporter, enter the Marketplace through the 'Earn' menu.

Remember - Shopping through the Marketplace NEVER costs extra. If you have any discount codes or promotions they will be accepted. The only difference in your shopping experience is the page you start from.


Looking for some FREE travel guides? As long as you can see the graphic below, they are still available. Just click the banner to get yours.

Ask Them Not To Buy Anything From Us....

Ask them to buy on our behalf!

Friends, relatives and businesses can help us raise funds through Box Tops without clipping or making additional purchases.

Here's how it works:

• Individuals or businesses sign up at the Box Tops website as supporters of SSA.
• When purchasing everyday items online, start at the Box Tops Marketplace to enter your online store of choice.
• Make your purchases as usual.
• SSA gets 2% - 15% of the final purchase price excluding taxes & shipping!

Remember that supporters do NOT have to be local. We can have supporters all over the country and the more the merrier!



Businesses
I recommend having the person who typically purchases supplies enter their company email address when registering. Any email address will work, however, Box Tops will send out special sales and promotions for supporters via the registered email.

With the simple change of a bookmark, there are no additional steps to purchasing through the Marketplace. There are no additional costs associated with these purchases and any sales you would find starting directly at the store's main page are applicable when you start shopping through the Marketplace.


Top vendors for business are:

Businesses interested in supporting us by ordering supplies through the Marketplace are invited to submit an 8 1/2 x 11 or smaller graphic of their logo to be posted on a wall I will be creating to honor merchants that support our kids. Please contact me if you would like to submit a logo using the "Contact Me" button above.


Individuals
Anyone can be a supporter. Friends and relatives shopping online can sign up as an SSA supporter and shop through the Marketplace to help our fund raising efforts.



Links

• To go to the Marketplace page - click here.
• For more information about shopping through the Marketplace - click here for the FAQ.
• To see all of the stores available in the Marketplace - click here.

My Class Essentials

This could just be the most powerful Box Tops program to date. Although the earnings potential is meant to be a supplement rather than primary way to earn, the possibilities are huge.

Never before have teachers had the ability to claim their classrooms and set up a want and/or need list specifically for that class.


Here's how it works:

• Through My Class Essentials, teachers set up a registry of supplemental education items they need for their classrooms, similar to a wedding or baby registry.
• They can choose from over 6,000 student and classroom materials in 13 product categories.
• Parents can search for their child’s classroom from the “Earn” menu, then “My Class Essentials” to find the items specifically chosen by the teacher. Those items can be purchased right from the registry section.
• Purchases are sent directly to the teacher so they can start using their new supplies right away.
• Parents can also donate money to the class “Piggy Bank” which can then be used by the teacher to purchase registry items.
• The school earns 2% cash back with every registry purchase.

This is a great way to contribute to your child's classroom experience. Teacher's gifts have just become easy, affordable and what the teacher really needs.

There are specials throughout the year such as free shipping on purchases over $10, check back often.



FYI – You must be registered as a supporter of SSA to locate your child's class.



If you would like to learn more about this program from the Box Tops website you can find it here.

To view the FAQ regarding My Class Essentials, click here.

To download a PDF document outlining the program, click here.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me here

What Are Box Tops And What Is This Site?

Welcome to the new SSA Box Top blog! The goal of this blog is to keep every parent, teacher and supporter of SSA informed about our Box Top Program. I really hope it also becomes a forum for all of us to become a close-knit family sharing our ideas and concerns about the most important goal of all, our kids and our school.

That said, I would like to jump right in and catch everyone up. I'm going to start with the basics first, so please be patient if you already understand the program.



What is the Box Top Program?
Anytime you want detailed information about the program you can follow this link to the FAQ. Here's the short version:

How We Earn

Purchase specific products from Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Huggies, Scott, etc. Click here for the full list. Clip the Box Top coupon off the package. Drop it off at the school (There's a drop box at the front office). Box tops can be dropped into the box attached to collection sheets, scrap paper, in Ziploc bags or loose with pocket lint. If you are attaching to paper the preferred method is taping 10 coupons to a sheet. Each coupon is worth 10¢ unless otherwise noted. A bonus coupon could be worth more.

Purchase items from the online stores you probably already shop at, but access them through the Box Tops website. A percentage of your total purchase will be credited to the school's account. Some examples of stores that donate are HSN, JC Penney, Sears, 1800Flowers, Victoria's Secret, Home Depot, etc. Click here for the full list of participating stores.

Also, noted as a separate area is the Reading Room. Here you can purchase books at Barnes & Noble and receive up to 6% of your purchase as a credit to our program.

Next are the bonus opportunities. There are several different types of Bonus Box Tops, they are:

• Additional or higher value coupons than a package normally has
• Grocery store catalinas (The coupons that spit out when your receipt does)
• Sweepstakes winnings via the Box Tops website

Each month a new sweepstakes begins. Sometimes there will be more than one sweeps going on at a time. As new opportunities come up, I will post them here and they will be emailed in a newsletter to subscribers (More on that coming).

How We Get Our Money

I will only address the coupons, everything else is done automatically through the Box Top website.

• The coupons are picked up from the school weekly and reviewed for expiration dates and values
• Bundled in groups of 50
• Mailed to General Mills

In this process an online form is completed so the submittal can be tracked from the day it gets mailed until the check is sent. If any mistakes are made in counting, it will show up here before a check is cut for an amount less than expected.

How To Watch The Progress
When you become a supporter of our school at The Box Tops website and log in, our goal and status is on the screen. That screen lags approximately 4-6 weeks.

Progress Updates and Funding Info

• The Box Tops website updates earnings on the 15th of each month
• Submissions take 4-6 weeks to process once they arrive at General Mills
• Funding happens in April and October of each school year

That's pretty much the program in a nutshell. This blog will help give you the rest of the information as it happens and guide you to the information already online.



Subscribe
Subscriptions to this site are encouraged. You are NOT subscribed to this newsletter by registering at the Box Tops website.

A subscription WILL:

• Give you up-to-date information about our program and real-time progress updates. Each time I update, a feed will be sent to your preferred reader or, within 24 hours, you will receive an email newsletter.

A subscription WILL NOT:

• Cost a fee
• Cause your email address to be sold to spammers

Support
Join us at www.boxtops4education and sign up to support the school. Complete, step-by-step instructions are below.

When you sign up as a supporter at the Box Tops website you will have access to coupons, recipes, sweepstakes and information about our school's earnings.

There is never a fee and you will never receive spam nor will your email address be shared with third parties.



Thanks for checking us out, please come back often to share your thoughts and ideas. Comments are always welcome. Just click the "comments" link at the bottom of any post. I will receive an email when a comment is left and will respond as a reply in that same section.



A huge thank you to everyone who has dropped off box tops, it really does make a difference ten cents at a time........

How To Become A Supporter

Becoming a supporter of SSA on the Box Tops For Education website is very simple. Just follow these easy, step-by-step instructions:

Go to:
www.boxtops4education.com

Click:
The 'Join Box Tops' button in the upper left corner of the page

Enter:
85044 to find the school by zip code - click 'Continue'

Highlight:
Sonoran Science Academy - Ahwatukee - click 'Continue'

Enter:
Your first and last name - click 'Continue'

Enter:
Your date of birth - click 'Continue'

Answer:
Three questions about your household OR choose 'Prefer Not To Share' in the drop down box and click 'Continue'

Choose:
If you would like to receive the Box Tops For Education Newsletter or emails regarding shopping in the Marketplace by clicking the boxes or leaving them blank - click 'Continue'

Enter:
Your state and zip code - click 'Continue'

Enter:
Your email address and choose a password


You will receive a confirmation email within minutes.


Remember - Box Tops will never send spam or sell your private information!

Shopping At The Box Top Marketplace

The following stores partner with Box Tops and give our school a percentage of every sale made online by Box Tops supporters.

To shop and earn there are two things to do:

1. Sign up at the Box Tops website and support our school.
2. Start your online shopping from the Box Tops Marketplace on the website.

For the FAQ about the Market Place, click here.