Jie Ming PTA Newsletter
May 2019
Hello teachers and families! May is here, the MCAs are done, and we all are looking forward to celebrations and wrapping the year up right. Check out our newsletter so you can stay on top of all the great things going on. See you at our May events!
Adam Jass, PTA President
Questions / comments? Email us: info@jiemingpta.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
5/8 -- Board mtg (Wed)
5/10 -- Spring Festival (Fri)
5/15 -- PTA meeting (Wed)
5/16 -- Kindergarten Roundup
5/16 -- STEAM Night
6/6 -- End of year performance
6/7 -- Last day of school
Do you want events on your Google or Outlook calendar? View/subscribe to digital calendars:
Resources
What / who is the PTA?
Support Our School
Stay connected!
NEXT PTA MEETING
When: Wednesday, May 15 from 6 - 7 pm
Where: Jie Ming Cafeteria
Topics:
- Celebrating the past year's successes
- Dreams for next year
- Installing new PTA board officers
Bring your ideas and passion, and enjoy free Jimmy Johns sandwiches for you and your kiddos! Childcare is provided.
READ-A-THON IS HAPPENING NOW!
Read, read, read! The Read-A-Thon is here! All of our students are joining together, reading more, and getting pledges of support for our school. It's like a charity marathon, but with reading! Last year we successfully raised over $11,000. That money supplemented our school library with books, STEM backpacks, functional book browsing bins and other supplemental student support. This year, our goal is to raise at least $12,000, which will be used for art and music residency programs, field trips, additional classroom materials, and more.
When?
Reading weeks: April 29 through May 10
Wrap up: Week of May 13
Bookfair: May 20th/21st
What can I do to help?
We're so glad you asked! Here are some ways you can help make this event great:
- Encourage your child to read, read, read! Make sure their reading is logged on their log sheet.
- Help create promotional materials to spread the word
- Prepare to support your child in their reading journey, and think of people to ask for sponsorships!
Lost? Find resources, pledge forms, and more on our Konstella event:
https://www.konstella.com/app/school/57530fdbe4b07bf9f40757f8/events/5cad68e8e4b0ff0bb9d601e0
Sign up to help at our book fair, or donate a gift card. Check out opportunities here:
https://www.konstella.com/app/school/57530fdbe4b07bf9f40757f8/signups/5cafc384e4b0ff468fb98101
Questions? Contact Joanne Cryer on Konstella, or at joanne.cryer@live.com.
SPRING CARNIVAL - MAY 10
What's on May 10, overflowing with fun and games, and accessible to the entire Jie Ming community? Why, the Spring Carnival, of course! Join us, and find more information at our dedicated Spring Carnival Page. Don't forget to buy your wristbands early to avoid the lines!
STEAM FAIR
Jie Ming is hosting a STEAM Fair (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) in coordination with the staff and the PTA! We hope everyone can come and do some cool STEAM experiments with us from 6-7:30pm on May 16.
We are still looking for volunteers to make this first Jie Ming-only STEAM Fair a success. All materials and projects are provided, all we need are some adult helpers to help students at the fair! Please sign up on Konstella here. Not on Konstella / know someone else that can help? Please email Adam Jass at adam.jass@gmail.com.
OPPORTUNITIES TO DO AWESOME WORK
We are looking for awesome people to help continue our awesome work. Take a look at the opportunities below and email info@jiemingpta.org if you're interested, or for more information.
- FUNdraising committee head (Silent Auction, Give to the Max Day, Read-A-Thon)
- Chinese New Year coordinator / co-coordinator
- Mid-Autumn Moon Festival coordinator / members
- Spring Carnival 2020 coordinator
- Volunteer coordinator
- Health & Wellness Committee committee head / members
- Technology committee members
- Communication lead
And more! Do you have an idea for something great that isn't happening yet? Partnering with the PTA can make it happen! Get in contact with us.
FREE PARENT EDUCATION SESSIONS!
Did you know that Konstella, our private social network for Jie Ming families, also offers parent education sessions?
Normally, these sessions need to be purchased, but our Jie Ming community has received 2 free sessions available for everyone to use! Simply click on the links below, log into your Konstella account, and listen!
- "How to Support Your Child’s Reading and Writing" by Jennifer Serravallo, N.Y. Times bestselling author (40 minutes). Access this session by clicking here
- "Questions Parents Should Ask About Technology at Their Schools" by Jacqui Murray, Adjunct Professor, K-18 Technology Master Teacher, Author (16 minutes). Access this session by clicking here
Not on Konstella yet? Click here to join. It only takes a minute, and connects you with the rest of the community. Most Jie Ming families are on Konstella, and use it to stay connected to friends and classmates, ask questions, find volunteer opportunities, and support one another.
RESULTS ARE IN: YOUR 2019-20 PTA BOARD OFFICERS
PTA members at our last meeting in April elected the following PTA Board Officers to serve next year:
- President - Adam Jass
- Vice President - Hue Soo
- Treasurer - Renata Gilmore
- Secretary - Lily Shaw
We look forward to an awesome 2019-20!
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Each newsletter we will highlight an awesome volunteer (or volunteers!) from our community. It takes a village!
Greg Wachman and Mary Guerra are parents to Rosalia in 2nd grade and Elena in Kindergarten. They are also the chief authors of this year's a-maz-ing Jie Ming yearbook! Here's what they had to say about helping out at our school:
What is your favorite thing to experience while volunteering?
Greg: I think about all the time I spent as a kid looking through my yearbooks, and it makes me happy that I can help create that experience for our students.
Mary: I like that I get to have a creative/funny outlet putting together fliers and fun yearbook memes.
What keeps you coming back?
Greg: The dedication I see in other Jie Ming parents inspires me to help out. I love sorting through photos from throughout the school year and planning the look of the yearbook. It's a fun way to make a contribution.
Mary: I work full time so this is my little way of volunteering my time and contributing to the Jie Ming community.
What is your favorite Jie Ming experience?
Greg: I'm amazed by what our teachers accomplish, and grateful that my kids have the opportunity to learn from such caring and dedicated staff.
Mary: My favorite Jie Ming experience is the sense of community that we have built.
Thank you Greg and Mary for all your wonderful contributions to our community! We are stronger thanks to your efforts and passion!
Resources
WHAT / WHO IS THE PTA?
The Parent Teacher Association of Jie Ming is a community of passionate, involved parents and Jie Ming staff that want to make our school even better for our students. The PTA is involved and organizes many things throughout the year:
Events: Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Chinese New Year performance, Spring Carnival, Meet-ups, Movie Nights
Fundraisers: Fundraiser and Silent Auction, Read-A-Thon, Box Tops for Education
Services:
- Classroom grants for materials that the school can't provide
- Volunteer organizing
- Tools for communication and collaboration including our Facebook group, Konstella, website, and regular meetings
- Spirit Wear and branded items
- Yearbook
- Health and Wellness Initiatives
- Zero-Waste school initiative
- Promotion of our school
Most importantly, we provide places and opportunities for all families to engage with each other. This helps us work together to find and implement the best solutions for our kids. It takes all of us to make this possible. Thank you for your energy, time, and support!
Support Our School
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Clipping Box Tops is an easy way to earn cash for our school with purchases you already make. Drop off your BoxTops in the marked collection tub on a table in the main entry hallway. Clip those pink Box Tops and send them to school with your student throughout the year, before their expiration date! You can multiply your impact from the same purchases by downloading the free app for Apple or Google.
We have raised $80 in the first 2 months this year. Since our goal is $500, we really would benefit from more parents using the apps to accelerate our earnings without even making any additional purchases. Thanks for helping our 5th graders lead this drive to raise money directly for the end of this school year!
Amazon shopper?
Up to 2% of all your purchases can go to Jie Ming PTA.
- Set Jie Ming Mandarin Academy as your charity for smile.amazon.com
- Whenever you shop on Amazon, type smile.amazon.com into the browser, and all your purchases will qualify!
COMPOSTABLE EVERYTHING SERVICE AVAILABLE
Our school is working hard to be a Zero Waste school. As part of this initiative, our Zero Waste Committee is partnering with Macalester Plymouth United Church on the Compostable Everything program. The PTA provides these materials for free to teachers and for school events.
What does this mean for you? You can use this form to order compostable materials for your own events and use! More details are available on the Zero-Waste Materials page, or on the form.
SPIRIT WEAR
Spirit wear can be purchased at PTA events and on the PTA website. On Fridays ONLY, Spirit wear can be worn in place of the school uniform. Youth and adult sizes available. Order Spirit Wear today
Get Connected, Stay Connected
Most Jie Ming families are on Konstella, using it to join groups and committees, create playdates, ask questions, and more. To join Jie Ming's Konstella site, click here
The PTA manages a closed parent group on Facebook that some parents use to share information with and pose questions to the larger Jie Ming parent community. Search for: Jie Míng Mandarin Immersion Academy and request to join.
The Jie Ming PTA website www.jiemingpta.org is a resource for parents. Think of it as the hub to connect you to everything else.
Being a PTA member is a simple way to show your support for the many parent volunteers that work hard to build a strong, vibrant school community. Become a member by clicking here today!