Start out 2012 with a dose of community engagement and attend the Kramer Elementary PTA working meeting at 6:30 p.m. Find out what the association has planned for the new year and get to know fellow parents.

Put in your working hours tonight so you can enjoy the PTA party Jan. 20. All official members will receive an invitation with party details at a later date.

Don’t know what to cook for dinner tonight? Just say no to your own kitchen, and head over to Purple Cow in Preston Royal Village for Kramer Elementary Spirit Night. From 4 to 9 p.m., mention the Kramer Colts and 15 percent of your bill goes to the school.

In today’s edition of Preston Hollow People, there’s a story about Kramer and Pershing elementary schools working to beautify their respective campuses with “learning gardens.” Staffer Chris McGathey shot a video of a bunch of Kramer Colts led by parent Lisa Gewax planting a tree.

While I wish we could embed the video within the print product a-la The Daily Prophet in Harry Potter, our tech team is still trying to crack that code.

Arthur Kramer Elementary is competing for a $50,000 grant from Clorox. With just a click of your mouse (and the surrender of a few personal details), you can put the Colts one step closer to a revamped vegetable garden and so much more. You can also Text “Clorox7889″ to 44144. Voting runs through Dec. 9 and allows for one vote with each method daily.

An excerpt from the school’s application reads:

This $50,000 grant would allow us to rebuild our garden, and to add a greenhouse, nature trail, herb garden, wildflower field, rainwater barrels and a chicken yard with coup. The impact of this grant will be so great in allowing students from kindergarten through 5th grade to expand their learning in many ways. They would be able to collect fresh eggs and produce to sell in their own school farmer’s market which would teach them about commerce, agriculture, and provide them with many other learning experiences. Each class will also come up with a special name for their garden bed and select what will be planted each season. This grant would boost school pride as each class would get the whole family involved with the care and maintenance for each of their vegetable beds. We would like to encourage fresh produce in the diets of our students and their families. That is the biggest “seed” we want to plant.

This Boston Terrier has been wandering around the Kramer area at Midbury and St. Michaels. Surely there is an owner out there who is missing that cute mug. If he looks familiar, call Marc and Wendy Stanley at 214-265-7575

The North Dallas Early Childhood PTA likes to stay ahead of the curve. Parents of toddlers and preschoolers can get a sneak peak at local schools at a meeting Wednesday with representatives from Withers, Kramer, Dealey, and Preston Hollow Elementary. Principals and PTA presidents will be on hand to answer questions and promote their schools.

When: 7 p.m., Wednesday

Where: Meaders Hall, Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church

With a school-wide theme of “Exemplary and Beyond,” and a mission statement “to boldly go where only the best schools have gone before,” Kramer Elementary was the obvious choice for special guest astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger.

In the culmination of Dallas ISD’s three-day NASA Science Symposium & Expo,  Metcalf-Lindenburger will speak at Arthur Kramer Elementary today at 1:30 p.m.

Metcalf-Lindenburger is no stranger to the classroom, as she taught high school science for five years before becoming an astronaut. She was one of only three teachers selected from a field of 8,000 applicants in a 2004 educator’s recruitment push.

In an effort to maximize coach and player participation, Town North YMCA extended the deadline for Kramer Elementary sports teams from (today) Aug. 20 to Thursday, Aug. 26. Fall sports for boys and girls include soccer, flag football, and volleyball.

John Zimmermann, Kramer’s athletic director, said he hopes more volunteer coaches will be added in the coming week. Zimmermann described the program as “robust with a high level of student participation,” but said they are short on coaches. Don’t worry, ‘rents, there’s no experience required. Go here for information on how to get involved.