Thornhill Elementary PFC Newsletter
Volume 28, Issue 36, May 11, 2021
In This Issue (bolded items are new contributions for this week)
Note from our PFC Co-Presidents
Silent Auction Closes this Friday, May 14 at 9pm --> bid here!
PFC Board Slate 2021-2022 (for vote on May 17)
PFC Open Positions for 2021-2022
Fava Beans, Mustard, Mint, Potatoes, and More....
OUSD Announcements
Calendar of Important Dates
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From Our PFC Co-Presidents
Ahoy Thunderbirds,
We'd like to start by giving our teachers a big, gracious THANK YOU in the spirit of Teacher Appreciation Week. We also want to extend a thank you to Catrina Vrankovich and our neighborhood's very own Taps and Takeout! They worked together last week to feed our teachers a delicious “thank you” lunch for supporting our Thunderbirds - and they now open at 1pm on Tuesdays for lunch! The number of flowers and gifts we saw coming into school last week was so sweet. Thank you to all the parents who extended their appreciation in all those awesome ways!
And... We’d like to give another round of thanks to everyone behind the scenes (and in front of the scenes, too) of our annual auction that still made it happen, albeit, in a very different format. We hope you enjoyed the fun and were able to find something to bid on… there’s still a handful of items to bid/buy that close this Friday, May 14th at 9pm. As we continue to tally it all up we'll keep everyone posted on the outcome!
Looking towards next year we'd love to have some help working on a Fall Festival (our new community event). So, if you or anyone you know would like to pitch in on this project over the summer, or even have some connections or ideas, please contact president@thornhillschool.org.
Our final PFC meeting happens Monday, May 17 at 5:30pm via Zoom where we will approve the board slate (see below) and the 2021-2022 budget. We'd love to "see" you there! Zoom information on Konstella.
May you have fair winds and following seas.
Cheers,
Alicia Streight (Co-President, PFC)
Rianna Stoll (Incoming Co-President, PFC)
Rex Crum (Outgoing Co-President, PFC)
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Silent Auction Closes this Friday, May 14 at 9pm
Thank you to everyone who attended the Mai Tais & Magic show this past Saturday night… we can say it sure was interesting! Captain Jack Spareribs did not disappoint.
And we aren’t quite done! We have a handful of hot items in the auction catalog that will close this Friday, May 14 at 9pm. This could be a great time to swoop in and win Drake’s beer, gift certificates to local restaurants, SkinSpirit certificate, and that hard fought-over Hazardous Waste Removal help from a fellow Thornhill parent.
Plus we have 2 Gardening Cookbooks left (from Ms. Alexis), a Zoom Dance Party with Mr. Wilkins, Ms. Lani and Baby Kahleia, Fairy Garden Crafting with the 2nd grade teachers (3 spots), Wedding Prep for Ms. Calkins, and just a few spots left for Ms. Gustafson’s Virtual Pancakes and Pajamas this Saturday morning, May 15 at 9am.
Looking for your items? Our Auction Committee is working on contacting everyone for pick-up or delivery. If you haven’t heard from us yet, please email benefit@thornhillschool.org and Maya Hiersoux, our Auction Chair, will get back to you.
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PFC Board Slate 2021-2022 (for vote on May 17)
Hello Thornhill Community,
Per our bylaws, we are publishing the PFC (Parent Faculty Club) Board Slate for the 2021-2022 school year. We will be voting on this slate during our PFC Board Zoom meeting on Monday, May 17 from 5:30-7pm. Everyone is welcome to come to the meeting, where we will also be approving our budget for next year.
PFC Board Slate 2021-2022
Co-President: Alicia Streight
Co-President: Rianna Stoll
Secretary: Sarah Abreu
Treasurer: Derek McDonald
VP Communications: Evie Nagy
VP Education Support: Selam Brown
VP Fundraising: Erin Fredrick
VP Personnel: Rachel Gardunio
Member-at-Large (TK-2): Karen Kerstein
Member-at-Large (3-5): Ei-Lun Yokomizo
5th Grade Liaison: Raquel Shank
Auditor: Dave Anderson
Teachers: Bonnie Forbes & Richard Thompson
Annual Fund: Catrina Vrankovich, Alison Bunker, and Adrienne Selke
Enrichment (Teacher): Teresa Contreras-Chavez
Merchant Partnerships: Christina Gibbons
Hospitality: Darin Chin
Konstella: Erin Proudfoot
Newsletter: Jill Evans
Room Parents Chair: Lauren Lockwood
Spirit Wear: Nisan Perera
Webmaster: Sylvia Sudat
Thank you to all those who have volunteered, and see below for other volunteer opportunities with the PFC!
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PFC Open Positions for 2021-2022
We need you! (Yes, you!)
We have open PFC volunteer positions for next year, and one is perfect for you! They require no prior experience, the time commitment varies by position (and can work around your schedule), and they're a terrific way to get to know other families. Many of the roles are perfect to share with another person too!
Feel free to reach out to president@thornhillschool.org for more information, or contact the current board member in the role you're interested in. You can read more about the roles and responsibilities of each position here.
Executive Board
VP of Community Support
Roles that Connect People and Improve Communication
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair
Konstella Co-Chair
Recruitment & Membership
TK/Kindergarten Chair(s)
Roles that Plan Amazing Events & Raise Money
Auction Chair(s)
Walk-a-thon Chair(s)
Spring Carnival/Fall Festival Chair(s)
Grants & Solicitations Chair
Roles that Make our School Environment Better
Enrichment Chair
Parliamentarian
Site Safety Chair
Sustainability Chair
Thank you!
PFC Board
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Fava Beans, Mustard, Mint, Potatoes, and More....
More Spring veggies from the school garden are ready for harvest and can be picked up Wednesday afternoon between 4:15 and 6pm in front of the gate on Thornhill.
Fava beans are a yearly cover crop in the school garden. The plants are about 6 feet tall now and are loaded with beans. Not only are fava beans loaded with vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fiber, but they also help improve the soil by fixing nitrogen in the soil. The leaves are also edible. You can eat the beans straight from the pod, or look up a recipe for a new delicious dish.
Enjoy!
Miss Alexis
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Calling All Library Books!
The library is still missing OVER 300 BOOKS - most from last year! Please check at home for any stragglers. Your student can bring them back when they are here for in-person learning. If you are not opting in to in-person learning, please contact marie.fox@ousd.org and I will set up a way to collect them!
Thanks for your help.
Marie Fox, Librarian
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Calendar
Friday, May 14 at 9pm: Silent Auction closes! Monday, May 17: FINAL PFC Meeting of the Year --> Vote on 2021-2022 budget & board members! (5:30pm, Info in Konstella) Thursday, May 27: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Monday, August 9: First Day of School for the 2021-2022 Year
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About the Thornhill Newsletter
The Thornhill Parent-Faculty Club (PFC) eNews team publishes this weekly newsletter each Tuesday in the school year to communicate school, PFC and OUSD news, events and information.
Email submissions to our Newsletter Chair, Jill Evans, at newsletter@thornhillschool.org by 8 p.m. Thursday for approval—nothing sent after this will be included in the following week’s newsletter unless there are extremely compelling extenuating circumstances. It’s fine to include text in the body of the email with links and no formatting, and attach photos preferably as 150 x 150, 72 dpi JPG or GIFs only (not embedded in email or Word file). Submissions may be edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity. Advertising and items not related to Thornhill are not accepted, as we need to keep the newsletter focused on need-to-know info for the community.
THANK YOU to everyone who submits articles and to PFC Board Members, Teachers, VPs of Communications Erin Proudfoot & Evie Nagy, PFC Presidents Rex Crum & Alicia Streight, and Principal Steve Daubenspeck. Member of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).
Email: webmaster@thornhillschool.org
Website: thornhillschool.org
Location: 5880 Thornhill Drive, Oakland, CA, USA
Phone: 510-339-6800