News from Oakland Terrace PTA

August 11, 2011

Dear Friends,

We hope you are enjoying the summer. As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we wanted to take a minute to introduce ourselves to you. This is the first Oakland Terrace PTA E-newsletter. It is just one of the ways we hop PTA Executive Committee e to communicate throughout the year. Please let us know what you think.

We look forward to getting to know you this year.

Sincerely,

John Landesman, President

Tamara Overby, Recording Secretary

Nyla Devall, Corresponding Secretary

Deb Davies, Treasurer

Dawn Krusemark, President Elect

Kierstan Turner, Treasurer Elect

Does the PTA Matter?

I met a family the other day in the neighborhood. We were having a great conversation. When I found out that they were also Oakland Terrace parents, I mentioned that I was the new PTA president. They quickly found a reason to leave! I wish I could say that this was a rare reaction, but many neighbors seem to run the other way when they see me.

There are a lot of perceptions about what the PTA is. To be honest, I had only a vague idea until this year. I was amazed at how much the PTA does and how important it is to Oakland Terrace. So, I thought we should start off our first email by telling you just a few things about what the PTA did last year. The PTA:

Voiced the concerns and wishes of families to school and MCPS leadership
Kept families informed about important events such as the boundary study and building of the new school
Provided before and after school activities such as language classes, acting, science and more
Paid for the activity bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Organized events for students and families such as:

Ice Cream Social
Welcome Meeting for new parents
Movie Nights
Dances
International Night
Parent/Teacher Basketball Game
Spring Fair

Provided every student in 2nd through 5th grade homework agenda books

But, the PTA is not just about events and fundraisers. The power of the PTA is that it's a community of parents and staff who are working together to support all our children and families. If you have questions or ideas, or want to get to know the parents of your children's friends, the PTA is a good place to start.

John

New PTA Website

Have you checked out the new PTA Website? Its another way we plan to stay connected with you. Click here to get information about events, answers to your questions in the FAQ tab, learn about before and after-school programs, sign up to help out the school, or register to become a member of the PTA.

Many thanks to Eric Butters who has been working for a year to put this website together and Katie DeTitta who has worked tirelessly to add all the content!

volunteer

Volunteers Needed

Many of our wonderful volunteers from last year have returned, but some of our committee chairs are still open. Please email John Landesman if you would be willing to take the lead for any of the following:

Designer for the directory/calendar.

This is an immediate need so we can get it out early.

Advertisements for the directory

We need someone to follow up with the advertisers from last year and solicit new ones.

International Night.

This event takes place in February. We need a chair or co-chair.

Quick Links...

Oakland Terrace PTA Website

Oakland Terrace Elementary School Website

Montgomery County Public Schools