Jie Ming PTA Newsletter
December 2019
And now the snowflakes are falling! As we bundle up our children and remind them to be careful on the slippery sidewalk, let's continue to count our blessings this holiday season. We have much to be thankful for! A wonderful school, dedicated teachers and staff, good friends and family, and meaningful opportunities to serve all of the above. How lucky we are!
Adam Jass, PTA President, president@jiemingpta.org
Questions / comments? Email us: info@jiemingpta.org
Want to help?
Go to Volunteer Needs to see a current list of needs.
Contents
Upcoming Events
12/5 Executive Board Meeting
12/6 Movie Night
12/12 General PTA meeting
12/29 2-4pm Meetup - winter skate at CHS field
1/9 Executive Board Meeting
1/16 General PTA meeting
1/26 Meetup
Do you want events on your Google or Outlook calendar? View/subscribe to digital calendars:
Next PTA Meeting
When: Thursday, December 12 from 6-7 PM
Where: Jie Ming Cafeteria
Our December meeting will feature a discussion on bullying with our social worker, Dena Wheeler. Bring your ideas and passion, and enjoy some snacks! This week, we will have no separate childcare service, but children are welcome to stay in the cafeteria with us. We will provide some coloring materials!
Great Gathering and Give to the Max Day Results
Our 2nd annual Silent Auction & Great Gathering was a great success, because of planners, volunteers, donors, and attendees. Around 80 community members drove through the rain to join together at FilmNorth to build community, celebrate Jie Ming, and raise money to support our PTA. This Silent Auction started 2 years ago as a dream to extend the possibilities of families to generously give while bringing them closer together, and it has become an essential part of our school's story.
Our goal was $6,000, and we raised $7,205!! That's incredible!
For Give to the Max Day, our community came together again. We didn't quite make our goal of $5,000, but we raised $4,030! Thank you to all our donors! These contributions support the programming, school support, and events that the PTA puts on this year.
Jie Ming Spirit Wear makes holiday shopping easy
How about a coffee mug for grandma, or an old school bucket hat for grandpa so they can show off their Jie Ming spirit this holiday season? Plus, don't forget you can stay warm with our comfy and stylish hooded sweatshirts! Free shipping on orders over $50. Students can wear spirit wear every Friday. Order Spirit Wear here
Chinese New Year - more help needed!
The Chinese New Year celebration is one of Jie Ming's oldest traditions. With whole-school participation, all the children and staff work super hard for months to put on awesome performances for all of us to enjoy. Click on the image above to view last year's performance. The Chinese New Year Committee puts together the logistics, costumes, program, volunteers, and much more to make this community building event spectacular! We need a large planning team to make it happen. Questions? Ready to dive in? You can join on Konstella or email us at info@jiemingpta.org.
We have a dedicated committee working hard to make this event possible, but do you know what they are missing? YOU! Connect on Konstella to put whatever time you have towards making this tradition amazing this year.
Movie Night
Thank you for joining us for movie night last Friday! Kids and adults enjoyed Angry Birds with dinner, and some adults got a much deserved night out on the town.
Want to help with fun community building events like this? Check out Konstella, or email info@jiemingpta.org!
Meetup December 29 - Ice Skating
Our casual school meetup this month is ice skating at the CHS Field! Visitors are invited to skate free of charge amidst the unique setting of the St. Paul Saints’ state-of-the-art ballpark. (there is a fee for skate rental).
Cost: Access to the rink is totally free! Those without skates can rent a pair in the visitors’ clubhouse for $5 or free for Wells Fargo debit or credit card holders (one rental per card).
These Jie Ming Meetups are meant to be casual get-togethers for kids to play and parents to meet with no pressure. Locations vary from playgrounds to brew houses to ...now skating!
Sunday December 29 from 2 - 4 pm at CHS Field.
Volunteer Spotlight
This is a recurring section where we highlight volunteers that are making our school and PTA tick. This month we are celebrating Maggie Mau, our Fundraising Committee head and lead organizer of the 2nd annual Silent Auction and Great Gathering. Let's learn a bit more about Maggie!
What is your favorite thing to experience while volunteering?
Friendships! There is nothing more rewarding about volunteering than meeting other parents who are passionate about our school. I have made some great friendships at Jie Ming and continue to meet new awesome families all the time!
What keeps you coming back?
The need! Bobbie and the teachers work so hard to make this school an amazing place for our kids to learn some incredible things. They need our support as the school continues to grow.
What is your favorite Jie Ming experience?
Hands down, the Chinese New Year performances every year. Our kids work so hard and are so adorable up there on stage. One of the best nights of the year!
Who will we spotlight next time? Could it be you? If you have a suggested volunteer to highlight, email Adam at president@jiemingpta.org!
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!
Box Tops for Education
Clipping Box Tops is an easy way to earn cash for our school with purchases you already make - and now it's even easier with the online app! Go here for links: boxtops4education.com Then start scanning those receipts!
Reach out to Marsha Trainer, our Box Tops Coordinator at Jie Ming, with questions: marshatrainer@gmail.com
Drop off your physical BoxTops in the marked collection tub on a table in the main entry hallway.
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 Materials 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!