Chrystal Perrin & Heidi Palena

 

February is the month where we reflect on the things we love...We LOVE Pleasant Valley!  The amount of heart that the teachers and staff put forth daily for our kids is truly inspiring.  Our kids are in good hands!  The amount of support that Pleasant Valley families show our teachers and our community makes Pleasant Valley...well, lovely!  

 

The Pleasant Valley PTA would love to spend an evening with you at our BIGGEST fundraiser of the year, The Auction, which takes place on March 2nd at 5:00pm at the Heathman Lodge.  This is really a fun evening out-visiting, eating, and bidding on some FANTASIC items.  Come spend it with us! Enjoy a night out with your friends and benefit the students of Pleasant Valley at the same time.

 

Thanks to everyone who attended BINGO night!  Terri and Christopher Lewis, along with their trusty BINGO app operating daughter, Riley, made a really fun evening out for a lot of families.  This is what we LOVE to do-a lot of fun and a lot of family time.

As always, we appreciate your support.  If you have not become a PTA member yet, please consider joining. This month we are running a contest to get to our goal of 350 members.  There are Blazer tickets promised to one lucky member-so sign up today!  We would LOVE to have you. 

 

Heidi Palena and Chrystal Perrin
PV PTA Co-Presidents

 

1.Which do you feel is the best use of fundraising dollars?

 

72.8% - To continue on the current path, a set of iPads in each library is beneficial

8.5%- Use fundraising dollars to fund more programs and activities for students/families

2.8%- Use fundraising dollars to improve playgrounds/outdoor space

7.1%- Technology is important, but I would prefer something other than iPads

1.4%- PTA should use fundraising dollars to help our school implement/improve security

7.1%- Other

2.9- Programs/activities for Pleasant Valley students/families

3.3- Playgrounds/outdoor space

3.8- Technology that is not iPads

3.8- Implement/Improve security in our schools

5.3- Other

  

3. Please comment on anything as it relates to PTA.

Several responses were given, the following are just a sample. Thank you to everyone who commented. We will do our best to address these concerns.

  

We have too many fund raisers during the school year. At the beginning of the year every other week my child was asking for money for fund raisers. I'm all for donating money for school activities, but as a working mother trying to keep up with all the fund raisers and bringing things in for bake sales get to be a little too much. 

 

I think PTA is very cliquish. I don't think it is particularly open and welcoming to others who have not been at the school for a long time. Case in point....the first time I volunteered this year, I walked into the room and not one woman (and there were four) said hello to me or introduced themselves. They continued to talk amongst themselves as if I wasn't there. It was very rude and uncalled for. I have not felt much camaraderie amongst the few women I have met and therefore have absolutely no desire to volunteer again. I will help individual teachers as much as they may need, however PTA is def not for me. 

 

I enjoy being a part of this PTA. I really appreciate the level of activity our members have, and the devotion to the students is second to none. I have never felt more at home than I do with this group. 

 

I would like to see ways that PTA can help the students to participate in volunteer programs to help their community, not just fundraisers where they GET something for themselves. We should be helping our kids learn how to serve others. 

 

Thank you to the board for all you do. I have to say that the support and participation, that I have witnessed, by not only the PTA members, but families and teachers is incredible. 

 

It has come to a sad day when technology is more important than learning thru physical education (this includes doing things with their hands without needing a court or gym). Its no wonder than children today have so many problems with self-worth and obesity. They aren't challenged and strengthened through doing things actively.

 

Would love to have after school activites/sports for the Middle School, so far haven't seen any?
Maybe it is something we can work on if we have extra money! Thanks!! 

 

Perhaps for General Meetings, members should be surveyed to see when the best time would be for them to be held - I know that TIME, more than anything, limits whether I can attend. Also, regardless of childcare options, it is still easier to concentrate if I can leave the kids home with their father.
Also, I wanted to bring to attention that, while some of us have computers at home, not all kids do/have access to use one. This makes filling out the Dr. Seuss sheets a problem. Expanding on my earlier comment, allowing children to do their Education City hours at school would be beneficial. Maybe there's a way to track usage, since they have a login? I'm certain that, if given a little time, that each child could manage to access it at school at LEAST once a week. And maybe there's a way of allowing parents to sign off on reading through their teachers as well - I know that most kids have to read a certain amount each day for class anyway. 

 

Fundraising dollars should be allocated so that all, or a majority of students benefit; not just select classes or small groups. 

 

We really appreciate everyone who took the time to answer our survey. We will use this information to help us plan future fundraisers, events & activities.

Help us reach our membership goal of 350 members.

Current Members: 342

Membership Goal: 350

We are 8 members away!!

PTA is a great place to meet new people, advocate for your child's education and get involved. If you have questions about PTA membership, please contact Megan Shank at

Directories for PTA members have been distributed, if you are a member and did not receive one, please contact Aimee Walter at:

Congratulations to Parker Graham! Parker won the Membership drawing for the 2 Blazer tickets on February 19th- GO BLAZERS!

 Please consider donating a colorful wooden birdhouse of any shape and size to PTA to be used to create a one-of-a-kind, Seuss-like structure. This is the 7th grade project and will be in the LIVE auction. Please don't feel like you need to donate to the basket and the project, pick one.

Birdhouses should be turned in by Feb. 20th so there is time to put them together.

Thanks!

Click HERE to download the informational flyer

Thank you to Terri Lewis for organizing Burgerville Night, we raised almost $400!

Thank you to Jim Gizzi, Kimberli Swenson, Jenna Gizzi & Emily Swenson for representing Pleasant Valley PTA at Legislative Focus Day on January 24th.

Thank you to Kimberli Swenson for testifying to the House Legislative Finance Committee on why our school district is in need of funding NOW!

Thank you to our business members who support us.

Thank you to the voters who voted to support our schools and the volunteers who walked & knocked in support of the levy.

Thank you to the volunteers who were willing to be nominated to next year's Executive Committee.

Dear PVP Families,

Our PTA is hard at work on our annual auction.  This is an event to not be missed!  This year it will be held at The Heathman on March 2, 2012 at 5 pm. There will be fabulous items in both the silent and live auctions for you to purchase and the proceeds will go back to our kids at school.   While the auction is for adults, there will be a writing contest for students to enter.  Please encourage your child to enter this contest!  The winner will read their entry at the auction.  Details on how to enter will be heading home soon. 

In early May, all third and 4th grade students will be participating in our state learning assessment, the MSP (Measure of Student Progress).  Students in both grades will take tests in reading and math; while our fourth graders will also be assessed in the area of writing.  These tests are designed to measure if your child is where they should be with their learning at the various grade.We encourage you to discuss the importance of these tests with your child. Individual results will be shared with you at the start of next school year and we will use these to let us know what areas we need to focus on with students, so it is important that we all take these assessments seriously.  We want all students to be successful with meeting state standards.  As an educator and parent, I am always looking for materials that are high quality and aligned with the state standards.  I have had positive experiences with the Show What You Know materials.  These materials are designed for parents to use with children at home and are very user friendly!   If you are interested in ordering these materials for your child, you may do so at

http://www.eapublishing.com/Products/States/Washington-Products/Show-What-You-Know-on-the-MSP.aspx 

Once you are on the site, you will need to selected Washington State from the colorful map and the site will take you to the materials available. The MSP Prep materials are first on the list.  If you would like to talk with your child's teacher about what they would benefit the most from additional support at home, I know they would be happy to tell you!  Just give them a call or send them an email.

  

Missy Mitchell

Principal

  

 

Answers and analyses are included in Parent/Teacher Supplement, sold separately
 

 

 

 

Dear Parents, Grandparents, Guardians and Students,

 

Good news!  We are done moving classes among rooms this school year. As many of you know, Mr. Warner's Sixth Grade class started in the hallway and then moved into a trailer behind the school.  They are in the trailer that looks like a construction site office.  We are keeping that class size low!

 

The previous plan was to then move Mrs. Yadon's art supplies onto a cart to wheel from room to room in the main building, and move Mrs. Engebretson's Seventh Graders into the library for part of the day and from room to room during the remainder of the day.  Those two displacements would have allowed removal of the old portable behind the gym to make way for our new ten-classroom modular while this school year was in progress (turning the area west of the gym into a temporary construction site).

 

Fortunately all of that work will not commence until after school is out.  We will not have to coordinate among kids, construction workers, heavy equipment, trenches, etc.  Kids will not have to switch rooms again during the school year.  This is indeed good news.

 

Please be careful in the midst of the winter driving season.  Every PVM family is valuable!

 

Go Patriots!

Ward Holcomb

Principal

 

 

 

Are We Raising An Entitled Generation Of Children?
                                       - The Child Advocate Feb. 2013

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