In This IssueSeptember 2017

PTO Update / Page 2

Fun Run / Page 4

Green Team / Page 5

Languages at Lunch / Page 7

Dates to Remember / Page 8

WHITTIER ELEMENTARY715 NORTH HARVEY

OAK PARK, ILLINOIS 60302 708.524.3080

www.op97.org/whit t ier

Welcome Back f rom the PTO!We hope you are all off to a great start at Whitt ier for the 2017/18 school year!

We are loving the energy at school and the AMAZING turn out that we had at both the Whittier Common Ground (coffee on the playground) and the Back to School Picnic! Thank you Scott, Laura, and Patti for running these again this year!

The PTO is already very busy, working hard and has a full calendar planned for this year! We need your help, whether it is monetary or volunteering your time, or both!

Did you know that most of the programs and act ivit ies at Whit t ier outside the basic educat ional curriculum are sponsored and funded by the PTO?

Here is a brief summary of what your PTO does.

The PTO supports and funds many academic endeavors such as:

- After-school homework helpers - The ACES (after school club encouraging success)

program - Other programs that support learning

PTO funds are responsible for bringing cul tural enrichment programs to Whittier:

- Opera for the Young - Hubbard Street Dance- Theatrical performances - Author visits - Library subscriptions - One Book, One School - Camp Edwards Scholarships - WISE (Whittier IS Enriched) scholarships - Oak Park Education Foundation programs like:

- Science Alliance- Geared Up- Art Start- Architecture Adventure

The PTO provides support within your child?s classroom, l ike:

- $100 gif t for each teacher for beginning-of-year classroom supplies

- $5,000 each school year for teacher grants (ex.: Froebel blocks; individual dry erase boards, magnetic t iles; science supplies; f ile folder games; and multi-sensory materials)

- One f ield trip bus ride per 2 classrooms

The PTO sponsors community events such as:

- Back-to-school and spring picnics- SIT Family Nights - Pumpkin Festival - Turkey Trot Olympic Day - Funds are also used to recognize school staff ,

teachers and students. - Teacher dinners during conferences - Teacher appreciation events - Retirement gif ts - 5th grade luncheon- PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions

and Supports).

The PTO also sponsors the education and enrichment efforts of the Wellness Commit tee and the Green Team, as well as the annual Service Day.

The PTO is able to fund most of these programs through its fundraising ef forts throughout the school year, l ike:

- The Fun Run - Trivia Night - The Fun Fair and Auction - The Fall and Spring Book Fairs - Art to Remember - WISE classes - Restaurant/Shopping Nights

This is YOUR PTO! The PTO is comprised of all parents, guardians and teachers! And remember, there are no ?PTO dues.? EVERY Whittier family and all staff are a part of our PTO.

2

Get Involved!Everyone is welcome to participate, volunteer, and contribute in any way that works for you and your family.

Volunteering is a great way to make a positive dif ference in your child?s learning experience ? it?s also a lot of fun! Whether you have a lot or a litt le t ime to give, we hope that you will help out in the ways that work for you.

You can learn more about volunteering for Whitt ier PTO by:

- Attending our PTO Meetings the f irst Tuesday of every month at 7 (free babysitt ing!) - Signing up for specif ic events and programs on our website at whitt ierpto.org? click on the Get Involved tab

and look for the Signup.com button. - Fil l ing out an online volunteer form on our website if you would like more information, or are interested

helping out generally throughout the year.

We look forward to another great year with you!

Sincerely, Amy Soumar and Brigitte Brostrom

3

Students gather for a f irst day of school class photo

See page 8 for upcoming dates to

remember!

4

Get Ready for the Whit t ier Wildcat Fun Run!Wednesday, October 4thThe Whittier Fun Run is a walk/ run-a-thon fundraiser. Kids come out to the ball f ield with their class and grade level peers and run/walk laps, exercising to fun tunes.  

Students gather pledges toward a $50 per child goal. Our collective goal is to raise $14,000 to support programs all year.

The PTO relies on this event to generate funds to support a wide range of programs.

The PTO subsidizes the cost of f ield trip bus rides, provides annual teacher grants and funds enrichment like Hubbard Street Theater and Opera for the Young, ACES, Homework Help, our after school program (WISE) and Camp Edwards scholarships, l ibrary subscriptions, One Book-One School, school picnics, Olympic Day & Wellness food tastings.

All these things are only possible with outstanding community support.

Donations are tax deductible ? PTO is a 501(c)3. Fliers came home on September 20 with info and you can always pledge online at www.thegetmovincrew.com

We will continue to take pledges until October 19th, so keep sending them in. Doing so also gets your child a chance to win prizes for themselves and his/her class!

2016 Fun Run participants

My, How Our Garden Grows!The Whittier Greenleaf garden has been in full swing this 2017 growing season! The joys and delights of the colors, shapes, and tastes have been enjoyed by teachers, parents and students alike. 

We have a true community garden at Whitt ier and that makes for heaps of learning.  Our awesome growers include the WISE Good Food Experience by the Sugar Beet Schoolhouse, various teachers with their classrooms, and family summer volunteers. 

Some Highl ights:During the Spring Service Day, parents and children shoveled compost into the various garden beds to kick off the garden season. 

At the conclusion of last school year, the WISE class and many teachers planted in various beds with both seeds and seedlings. 

All summer long, parent and student volunteers helped water, weed, and maintain the garden with the added benefit of harvesting the fruits of our labors!  And boy did we harvest a TON, from carrots to green beans, purple beans, garlic, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, squashes of every shape and size, lettuces, kale, chard, peas and f lowers!  Several families even did some midsummer planting of green beans and carrots and radishes to be enjoyed in the fall. 

Now that school is in session, we are noticing beautiful eggplants, peppers, pumpkins and more green beans and tomatoes.  We even have two potato cages, which will be quite a cool sensory project to harvest with students in the coming weeks.

The Whittier Greenleaf Garden is a community garden.We would love additional volunteers and feedback to make our garden a success!

If you would like to learn more about the Green Team and Greenleaf Garden, please email Kristen Hollinden (kristenhollinden@gmail.com), Mary Furman (marefur24@gmail.com), or Tammy Adkins (tadkins@mcguirewoods.com).

Students work in the garden Our community garden

6

Go Greener in the LunchroomBeyond our gorgeous Greenleaf Garden, there are other ways to help Whittier go green. The PTO Green Team encourages everyone to pack a waste free lunch this year.

Disposable lunch items are convenient, but convenience has a price. On average a school-age child using a disposable lunch is estimated to generate 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school!

Consider going waste free! It?s a great habit and simple to do once you're used to it.

A Typical American Lunch (DISPOSABLE)

- sandwiches sealed in plastic bags- fruits and vegetables in plastic bags- prepackaged chips, cookies, fruit bars, granola

bars, cheeses, and fruit leathers- prepackaged yogurts, applesauces, or puddings- crackers, pretzels, chips, and other snack foods

sealed in plastic bags- disposable juice boxes, juice pouches, pop cans,

water bottles, and milk cartons- plastic forks and spoons- paper napkins- reusable lunchboxes and disposable paper and

plastic bags

A Waste-Free Lunch (REUSABLE)

- sandwiches and other main dishes, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and treats in a reusable lunch container

- cloth napkins - stainless-steel forks and spoons - reusable drink containers - reusable lunchboxes

*With this type of lunch, lunch food items can be bought in larger quantit ies. The packaging can be left at home for reuse or recycling. Waste-free lunches are not only a wise environmental choice, but they are less expensive, too!

Ready t o Go Wast e Free?

Look for reusable containers and waterproof snack packs that can be easily cleaned. Containers need not be fancy or expensive. Even reusing things like breadbags and deli containers can work well.

Reusable containers can be found all over town. In Oak Park, Sugar Beet and Geppetto?s Toy Box have a wide selection, but you can also pick up reusables at Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, The Container Store, Old Navy, and Amazon.com.

For more info and ideas, visit www.wastef reelunches.org

Whit t er Wor ld Language

Luncht im e Enr ichm ent ClassesBack by popular demand, Whittier's PTO is proud to sponsor our World Language lunchtime enrichment classes again this year!

Students in grades 2-5 can choose from various levels of French and German, American Sign Language for beginners, or Intermediate Spanish.

Classes will meet during lunch hour once a week and run November to April, for a total of 20 classes.

Registration opens on September 29th and ends on October 13th. Look for the registration f lyer in your student's backpack!

Contact Lori Robert at lori.robert@ymail.com with any questions.

7

Be a Lunchroom HeroEver wanted a glimpse of what your child's day is l ike?

Consider signing up to be a lunchroom helper!

Help the kids open things and monitor compost/ recycling/ trash.

Come once or regularly. It 's always a help and much appreciated.

Ready to Sign Up?

Find al l your volunteering opt ions at t inyurl .com/Whit t ierSignUp

8

PICTURE DAYTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

NEW FAMILY NIGHTTHURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

PTO MEETINGTUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

FUN RUNWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4

INSTITUTE DAY (NO SCHOOL)FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY (NO SCHOOL)MONDAY, OCTOBER 9

COMMON GROUNDFRIDAY, OCTOBER 13

PTO BOOK FAIROCTOBER 18-20

Find Common GroundCommon Ground is a new init iative to spark conversation and connection between Whittier parents.

The PTO will provide coffee on the blacktop (or the community room in the event of inclement weather). Parents get a chance to catch up or meet someone new.

Common Ground will take place on the f irst Friday of the month, unless there is a holiday or Institute Day.

Join fellow parents on Friday, October 13 (the 9th is an Institute Day) for our second Common Ground! Check the Whittier PTO Facebook page for event details.