September 2023
September 11, 2023
Dear SES Families,
Welcome back to a brand new school year! On behalf of the entire SES PTO, we're overflowing with excitement as we continue our mission: fostering a love of learning for all SES students and creating connection between SES caregivers, the community, and SES teachers, staff, & administration.
Our theme for the 2023-2024 school year is WILD ABOUT READING! Our goal is to amplify the SES literacy curriculum to inspire a lifelong passion for reading for all our learners. Teachers and caregivers are already bubbling with ideas, including introducing a writer-in-residence program, expanding classroom book collections, building outdoor reading nooks, sponsoring the Read-a-thon, expanding the Journalism Club, and much more. We’re excited to collaborate with you to design a year of wonderful adventures in reading.
Based on our recent community survey results, we’ve heard that families are looking for easy and flexible ways to volunteer and contribute to the SES PTO. We will share opportunities throughout the year in the weekly SES Greenletter, via Classroom Helper (formerly Room Parent) emails and on our new PTO website (currently under construction, details forthcoming). Here are some near-term needs!
● Classroom Helpers. A heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who have joined us already to support the class by serving as a liaison between the teacher, class caregivers, and the PTO. We still have openings for Kindergarten and Grades 4-5. Contact Ryan for more details.
● Wreath & Citrus Volunteers. We need help to organize our biggest (and most beloved!) annual fundraiser. Just a couple of hours of help across 8-10 folks make a huge difference in funding programming and enrichment opportunities all year. Contact Bridget for more details.
● Outdoor Gear Drive Volunteers. We will be coordinating new and gently used clothing donations (e.g., gloves, rain gear, snow pants) so all students can comfortably enjoy outdoor recess and outdoor learning opportunities. To help coordinate the drive, please contact Pua.
Our first SES PTO meeting will be on Thurs Sept 28 after morning drop-off, 8:30-9:30 am via Zoom (link will be sent out through the Greenletter). We understand many families cannot meet during typical working hours and will vary meeting times throughout the year and also offer flexible opportunities to contribute. Finally, we are delighted to introduce the 2023-2024 SES PTO Board (see below). We are always here and ecstatic to have conversations with the SES community. Feel free to contact any of us with questions or ideas.
Looking forward to a WILD year filled with collaboration, academic enrichment, and great community spirit!
Warm regards,
September 20, 2023
The PTO is excited to host our kickoff meeting on Thurs Sept 28 at 8:30am via Google Meet. All SES families and caregivers are warmly invited to attend. Here are the topics we will cover:
— Welcome and introductions
— Review key learnings from the 2022-2023 family survey
— Share top sponsorship priorities for the 2023-2024 school year
— Opportunities to get involved!
— Input on future meeting cadence and times
— Wreath & Citrus updates
September 25, 2023
First PTO meeting of the year!
A huge thank you to the attendees of our first PTO meeting of the school year, held Thursday, Sept 28th @ 830am via Google Meet. During the meeting we reviewed feedback from the Spring 2023 community survey, programming priorities for this school year, fundraising opportunities, our communications strategy and a variety of ways to get involved. Meeting minutes will be post on our meetings page.
Wreath & Citrus Fundraiser
A huge thank you to parents who signed up at Open House to help with the Wreath & Citrus fundraiser — your support is invaluable to the success of the PTO. We are still looking for a few more helping hands to sell wreaths, helping sort/digitize paper order forms, and organizing/distributing wreaths. Please contact Bridget Reid if you are interested in volunteering.
Outdoor Gear Drive
We will be coordinating new and gently used outdoor clothing donations so all students can comfortably enjoy outdoor recess and outdoor learning opportunities. To help organize the drive, please contact Pua Kielland.