School Clean-up Day - Sat, Sept. 26

Please join us for a few hours of fun labors (depending on the weather!)... you decided at this evening's PTA meeting to schedule our annual clean-up or school beautification day for:

Saturday, September 26th
9 a.m. - 'til we're done (12 p.m. at the latest)

I'm told that specifics are important - what do we mean by clean-up and what do we expect of you? Well, I can assure you that the tasks are suitable for you and your children. We'll be weeding and pruning behind the school, picking up any random trash that has found its way on the grounds, especially under the ramps of the portables, and general sweeping... that kind of thing!

Please bring whatever implements you have available, including hand tools, gloves and wheel barrows. I'll bring sun screen (just in case!) and trash bags galore. We'll have a cooler of ice water on site, as well.

This is a great chance to do something that is instantly felt by the students and those who grace the school's grounds. And you might have some fun and meet someone you don't already know! Any questions, contact PTA President Brian Morgan.

Thanks, in advance! See you on the 26th!

PTA meeting agenda and Standing Rules

Please review the agenda for Tuesday's PTA meeting. Also, please review the latest draft of a change to our Standing Rules. As per the WA State PTA By-laws, as well as per our own Standing Rules, we must annually review the Standing Rules and approve them, with or without changes, at a general membership meeting.

The changes you see in red italics are to bring clarity to certain issues or to bring us in line with WA State PTA guidelines and best practices.

Please contact President Brian Morgan if you have any questions or suggestions about the Standing Rules or the proposed agenda for the meeting.

Are you ready? 1st PTA meeting - Sept. 15

September is here and school is almost upon us! Please allow us to tap into your enthusiasm and energy about the new school year and join us for the first PTA general membership meeting for 2009-2010.

You can meet your officers, other parents, Principal Randy Weeks and hopefully get to know someone you don't already know... come see how we are going to do business this year, which will include more fun agenda items, less mundane business and meetings that start at 6:30 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. (per your overwhelming responses to the online survey!).

1st meeting - Tuesday, September 15th
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Mt. View Elementary Library

Also featured at the meeting will be a short presentation from WA State PTA Government Relations Chair Kim Howard. She will speak to WA State PTA's position on I-1033, which will be on the ballot this fall. Kim also happens to be a member of our PTA and a former Region 4 Director - come say hi!

Hope to see you on the 15th! If you can't make it, that doesn't mean you can't be involved in PTA or stay abreast of PTA and school issues. Contact me with any questions about PTA or volunteer opportunities. If we all do a little bit, we can make a HUGE difference at Mt. View. If you can't make meetings at all, please still considering joining to show your support. Click here for membership information.

Best to you all,
Brian
Mt. View PTA President 2009-2010

September is Voter Education Month

September is Voter Education Month: Are you registered to vote?
Did you know only an estimated 50 percent of NTPS parents are registered to vote and of those only about 1/3 actually do? As part of our ongoing annual effort to educate our community about the importance of voting, the district will once again be encouraging citizens to register and have voter registration forms and information available at schools and district buildings.

"Teaching students to be good citizens is one of our most important responsibilities," said Asst. Supt. Shawn Lewis. "Voting is one responsibility of being a good citizen - and we know that if parents vote and model informed voting practices with their students, those students are more likely to be informed voters when they grow up." Meadows and Aspire parent Melissa Tomlinson has offered several volunteer voter registration training nights already. Those materials are available on line at www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/vote.
Remember: Your Vote Counts!

To register online or for more information go to: http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/osos/en/voterinformation/Pages/RegistertoVote.aspx.

Upcoming election dates: November 3, 2009 and February 9, 2010.

From NTPS Success Weekly page

School Board decision highlights

Board Highlights - August 18

The School Board (3-0) adopted the 2009-10 budget last month, which includes a $4.8 million reduction to its $122 million general budget. Cuts ranged from eight administrative or supervisory positions to reduced elementary teacher librarian hours and raising athletic fees and lunch prices.

Other highlights included:

• All-Day kindergarten opportunity coming for Title 1 schools: District plans to allocate federal stimulus money (about $500,000) for Title 1 schools through six extended day kindergarten programs to start in October in an effort to give students at higher poverty schools extra help and support. The schools are: Chambers Prairie, Lacey, Lydia Hawk, Meadows, Mountain View and Pleasant Glade.
• Special education will also receive about $2.8 million in federal stimulus money over the next two years to develop an assessment and intervention system to help students be more academically successful and socially competent.
• NTPS receives $2.3 million student support grant: The district was awarded a $ 2.3 million 21st Century Community Learning Center grant from OSPI - one of only 18 grants awarded statewide. The grant, written by Dr. Maddy De Give, Executive Director of Student and Staff Support, will provide Nisqually Middle School and four elementary schools (Lydia Hawk, Meadows, Mountain View, and Pleasant Glade) a total of $465,000 per year to target 420 students in need of additional supports to achieve academic success and social competence. Programs will range from parent engagement programs to innovative academic enrichment opportunities.
• School Board meetings moved to Tuesday nights: The Board announced its decision to move its regular twice monthly meetings to Tuesday nights (originally on Mondays). The first board meeting of the month will be held at the District Office but the second one will be at an NTPS school . "We hope this will help get more community members into our schools and engaged in student success," said Board President Aaron Owada.

From NTPS Success Weekly page

New Superintendent helps kick off school year

September 11, 2009

Under the leadership of new Supt. Raj Manhas , North Thurston Public Schools kicked off the school year with more than 13,000 students in its 21 schools - including the new Chambers Prairie Elementary and Aspire Middle School for the Performing Arts .

During a tour of several schools on the first day, Mr. Manhas told students that "you can do anything you want to someday," and "we (himself, teachers and the principal) work for YOU -- to help you be successful and learn." In return, the students -- quite in awe of the tall, smiling stranger with an interesting accent -- excitedly shared their love of "math," "a percussion class," and "Disney princess lunchboxes."

Manhas also praised staff for their dedication to students in the classroom, P.E., the lunchroom and playground. "Together we are going to make this district one of the best in the state and the nation," he said, noting how even those schools with challenging demographics and high poverty have had great success in student achievement through collaboration, cooperation and a passion for the students. "As long as we keep students at the center of every decision, we can accomplish anything!"

From NTPS Success Weekly page

September 2009 newsletter published

Thanks to an enterprising and timely Tara-Lyn Poole (newsletter editor extraordinaire!), here is the link to the September 2009 newsletter, in time for the first week of school! If you have any desire to work with Tara-Lyn on the newsletter this year, she is looking for helpers and apprentices. Contact her here.

Hope to see you at the 1st PTA meeting on Tuesday the 15th. More info here.

Mt. View PTA Calendar

November Bazaar - sign up now!

Dear Potential Mt. View Bazaar Vendor,

We are excited to be organizing another Mt. View PTA Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, November 21^st from 10am to 4pm. If our calculations are correct, this is our 31^st Anniversary and we plan to make this a great event.

As always our spaces are 7 ½ feet, 10 feet & 15 feet. All spaces are 6 feet deep. Some of those will be corner spaces. Therefore, our spaces may be reorganized a bit again if you have been a vendor in the past. If you have any special needs and/or requests that do not fit on the form (click here), please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate. Those may be requests of needing an outlet, wall area, corner space etc.

Mt. View does not provide tables but will provide two folding chairs per booth. Again, please see me for special requests from the prior year.

Please note that the prices increase was in effect last year going forward.

As always, we are asking each exhibitor to donate an item to our PTA raffle as an additional fundraiser. Tickets will be sold throughout the day for $1 each. Any item that you donate is greatly appreciated. 100% proceeds go directly to the Mt. View PTA to help fund programs, materials, objects needed for our school and students. Please bring your item to the PTA booth on the day of the bazaar.

As always I will try to arrange pre-setup the night before from 4-6 p.m. only. The gym will be secured at all times. Please do not bring valuables as we are not responsible for items left unattended.

I look forward to your response and hope that you can make it to our Annual Holiday Bazaar. Please call me with any questions and/or concerns.

Sincerely,

Tara-Lyn Poole

Bazaar Coordinator

Phone/Message: (360) 455-0357

Email: poole98503@msn.com

Do you have your supply list?!

If you haven't already gotten your supply list, click here for the 2009-2010 school supply list for Mountain View Elementary! It's hard to believe that school starts in less than a month, eh?

Check back soon for more information about Open House and Beautification Day!

Enjoy the rest of your summer, whether you miss the recent heat wave or are thankful for the return of "normal" W/WA temperatures!

- Brian Morgan
Mountain View PTA President