gold blue - stoneleigh elementary school · moody cow meditates by kerry lee maclean peaceful piggy...

DATES TO REMEMBER

April 1 Third Marking Period Ends; Crazy Hat Day 2 Half Day for Students 3-10 Spring Break, Schools Closed 13 Schools Reopen 16 PTA Executive Board Meeting, Stoneleigh Cafeteria, 7:00 p.m. 17 Cultural Enrichment Assembly- The Music Box by the Synetic Theater at 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.; Mother and Son Extreme Game Night, Gymnasium 7:00-9:00 p.m. 21 Board of Education Meeting, Greenwood, Bldg. E., 7:00 p.m.; Stoneleigh STEM Fair, Gymnasium, 7:00-8:30 p.m. 22-24 Kindergarten Registration 28 Math Night 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Keri Frisch, [email protected] Michelle Gutberlet, 1st Vice President of [email protected] Laura Lechtzin, 2nd Vice President of [email protected]

Charlotte Huisman, 3rd Vice President of [email protected] Leigh Weihs, [email protected] Greg Dildine, [email protected]

GOLD BLUEStoneleigh Elementary

PTA Newsletter&

2014-2015 PTA OFFICERSPlease feel free to contact any member of the Executive Board with any PTA related questions or concerns you may have.

Stoneleigh Elementary School | 900 Pemberton Road | Baltimore, MD 21212www.stoneleighpta.org March 2015 Edition

President's Message- We Need YouAt this time of year I always get a little nervous because we start the

process of filling all the board and committee positions for next school year. I wonder – will enough people step-up to allow the PTA to continue to offer all the programming and services to our students, families and school?

We have two open officer positions for the 2015-2016 school year:Vice President for Volunteers

Vice President for MembershipThe Vice President for Volunteers positions collects all of the parent

volunteer forms that come in during the fall and connects those volunteers with committee chairs. The VP for Volunteers also helps coordinate cafete-ria volunteers and assists the school with organizing homeroom parents. This position is generally most busy at the beginning of the school year and again in the spring. If you are interested in this position you can get more information for our current VP Laura Lechtzin.

The Vice President for Membership position is in charge of processing all memberships for the PTA. This includes collecting membership forms, working with our treasurer on preparing bank deposits and issuing mem-bership cards to our families. This position is most busy during September and October. If you are interested in this position you can get more informa-tion from our current VP Charlotte Huisman.

Both positions require monthly attendance at our PTA meetings. I prom-ise as President that if you fill either of these roles I will provide whatever support I can, keep the monthly meetings on-time, and make your experi-

Show Your Stoneleigh Spirit!Show your school spirit! Stoneleigh

spirit wear is still available for purchase. Pictures of the items and the order form are on the PTA website.

continued on page 2

Stoneleigh Elementary School PTA • 2

March 2015 | Gold and Blue Newsletter

ence with the PTA as rewarding as possible.I think it is also important to note that it is completely

possible to be a working parent and have either of these roles and that personally I would love to see more fathers take on leadership positions in the PTA. Of our entire 36-member board we have 3 dads who participate. But please don’t get me wrong – my nervousness about filling the positions requires me to add that if you are interested I want you – regardless of your gender!

Applications can be found on the website and are due in April to VP for Programs Michelle Gutberlet. Michelle and I would also be happy to talk to anyone interested.

Please don’t let me down – STEP-UP

continued from page 1 Start Clowning Around!Say what? A program that demonstrates how to “clown

around?” Yes, and much more…On Friday, April 17th at 1:00 and 2:00 p.m., the Cultural

Enrichment Committee proudly presents The Music Box, performed by the Synetic Theater. It is a wonderful collection of physical comedy short stories set to music: an old movie style (Charlie Chaplinesque) boat ride that turns into an out-rageous stormy trip; two cowboys in the wild west taming a bull on the loose; two road workers trying to catch a butterfly in an attempt to capture the heart of a girl; and the classic invisible wall.

This program introduces the art of pantomime to the students and invites them to use their imagination to follow a story told without words. The performers use movement, illusions, and physical comedy in this theatrical production.

Parents, you won't want to miss this assembly or the giggles and belly laughs our children are sure to have. Keep a look out for the SignUp Genius and volunteer if you are able. We all have a funny bone. So, shouldn’t we tickle it every now and again?

New Family Ambassador Program Did you ever feel a bit lost when your oldest child first

started at Stoneleigh? Unsure of how to get involved with the PTA? How to sign your child up for clubs? How to get involved in your child's classroom?

If you felt those feelings, you weren't alone. It can be hard to start at a new school as a parent. The PTA would like to help new families feel more at home at Stoneleigh and help answer those "first time Stoneleigh parent" questions. New families will be offered the opportunity to be paired with a family of a child in the same grade as theirs, to help make the transition to Stoneleigh a good one. The "Ambassador Fam-ily" will contact the new family to ask if they have any ques-tions, perhaps arrange a play date for their children, or to help them access information about the school community.

This summer, many new families will be enrolling their children at Stoneleigh and could benefit from your help as an "Ambassador Family". If you would like to be involved with the new Family Ambassador Program, acting as an "Ambas-sador family", please contact Leigh Weihs at [email protected].

Meet Stanley!Stoneleigh students

were introduced to Stoneleigh the Stallion this month! The kids loved meeting our new mascot and look forward to many more appearances!

Nathaniel and Elizabeth welcoming Stanley

2015 PTA Nominations CommitteeThe following proposed slate of the 2015 PTA Nominat-

ing Committee was presented and approved at the March 12, 2015 PTA Meeting held at Stoneleigh Elementary School. The committee members approved are as follows: Shannon Carney, Ivy McMullen, Jennifer Pleszkoch and Bridget Preis

As 1st Vice President of Programs, Michelle Gutberlet will serve as chair. The committee is charged with meeting and reviewing submitted applications for open Board Positions and putting forward a proposed slate for the 2015-16 PTA Board which will be voted on by the PTA membership at the SES End of Year Picnic on May 22. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying to serve, applications for open board positions will be posted on the PTA web site. Please contact Michelle Gutberlet, [email protected], with any ques-tions. Many thanks to all who give of their time and energy to volunteer, organize and serve. We appreciate all of you!


Newsletter Information

Would you like to see your information printed in the April edition of the newsletter? Just send your articles and information by April 16, 2015 to [email protected]. Editing for space and content may occur. Thanks for contributing!

Books on Mindfulness for Kids:

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems Moody Cow Meditates by Kerry Lee MacLean

Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer

You Are Not Your Thoughts by Brian Despard Mindfulness for Kids by Nicola KlugeSitting

Still Like a Frog by Eline SnelGeneral

Mindfulness Books for Adults/Parents Mindful Parenting:

Simple Powerful Solutions for Raising Creative Engaged Happy Kids in Today’s Hectic World by Kristen Race

Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hahn

Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by Shauna Shapiro

Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness for Kids by Nicola Kluge

The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate

by Susan Kaiser Greenland

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman

Parent Workshops at StoneleighOn March 10th, Carisa Perry-Parrish presented to a group

of Stoneleigh parents and staff regarding mindfulness. Dr. Perry-Parrish was a very engaging and enthusiastic speaker. Those who attended her talk found her presentation very helpful in giving them ideas on how to help children deal with stressful situations in their lives.

The PTA hopes to host speakers on other issues next school year. If you have a suggestion for a topic, please con-tact Leigh Weihs at [email protected].

The following books on mindfulness were recommended by Dr. Perry-Parrish for parents and children:

From Hospitality Have some free time on your

hands this spring and want to give back? Consider helping out at Kindergarten Round-Up -- Wednesday, April 22, Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24 between the hours of 9:30 - 2:00 p.m., conveniently located in the lobby of Stoneleigh Elementary.

The Hospitality Committee will be looking for volunteers to help with this event (welcoming the incoming Kindergar-ten families, handing out goodies, collecting directory forms, etc).

Look for an e-mail from your Class Parent coming soon with a Sign-Up Genius link. Questions? Contact Amy Godat ([email protected]) or Audrey Kennedy ([email protected]). Thank you for your consideration.

2015 Teacher Appreciation WeekTeacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 4 through

May 8! This year, each day of the week has two Stoneleigh Parent Co-Chairs who will coordinate and manage the day’s festivities. Currently, we are looking for two people to chair Tuesday, May 5. If you are interested in chairing Tuesday or if you’d like to learn more about how to volunteer and/or contribute as we thank our wonderful teachers, faculty and staff throughout the week, please contact Keri Frisch at [email protected] or Michelle Gutberlet at [email protected]

Help WantedInnisbrook School Supplies Coordinator Needed!

Every summer Stoneleigh Elementary School families have the opportunity to pre-order school supplies for the com-ing year! Many thanks to Sheri Buttarazzi for her time and energy coordinating this wonderful opportunity for the past several years. We are now looking for someone to take over this role. The time commitment includes getting the school supply lists for each grade and the individual orders to Innisbrook and overseeing the distribution of the supplies once they come in. Please contact Keri Frisch or Michelle Gutberlet if you are interested.

School Spring Service Project

Kids Helping Hopkins

Students collecting monetary donations to make the time sick children have to spend in the hospital more enjoyable.

To participate in

Crazy Hat Day on Wed., April 1st

Make your donation between Wednesday, March 23rd and April 1st.

*All checks should be made out to Kids Helping Hopkins

gold blue - stoneleigh elementary school · moody cow meditates by kerry lee maclean peaceful piggy...

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