West TV - PTC September Newsletter
September 29, 2017
WTV Monday Minute
West TV PTC Monthly Newsletter
Welcome Message
Guest Writer Natalie Bodenhamer
I have two students at West TV this year – a kindergartener and a first grader. They’re absolutely mesmerized by the teachers and faculty at school. In their 5- and 6-year-old minds, they are the coolest people around. I’ve already been informed a handful of times since school began that I don’t know nearly as much as Mrs. Hoffman and Ms. Tichenor. There isn’t anything they cannot do. No problem too big for them to solve. No question too difficult for them to answer.
The My Teacher is Superhuman notion is a wonderful (and very accurate) thing. It positions our teachers and staff perfectly to shape and influence our kids in powerful ways. Their messaging will be received, their encouragement soaked up, and their words of wisdom savored.
So, I was delighted when I heard the West TV theme for this school year: You be you.
You be you. That’s the torch the West TV Superheroes will be carrying. That’s the empowering message our young citizens will be guzzling down. West TV is coming alongside our kids, just as they are. Every single one of them.
Diversity. Individuality. Acceptance. Empathy. These are focal points that will frame our kids’ learning this year. And while the West TV teachers and faculty are endowed with super powers that us mere mortal parents may not possess, we can still work to reinforce these messages at home. What can we do?
Call out what’s special in our kids. Their essence. Their strengths. Their distinct differences. Their quirks. We remind our kids that it is precisely those things that make them who they are. And they are the absolute best version of themselves in the world. There is no other like them. And that is a wonderful thing – a powerful thing. It means their path is their own. That the limits are endless.
Call out what’s special in the friends around us. We acknowledge the unique, quirky, awesome, differences in our friends and neighbors. We reframe “struggles” into strengths. We identify things that we ourselves have learned from people around us.
We ask a simple and persistent question: “What did you learn from someone else today?” In doing so, we encourage our kids to see diversity as an opportunity to learn and grow.
West TV Parents, may we join our kids this year in deepening our appreciation for diversity and increasing our capacity for empathy. May we ourselves see the unique, the quirky, the special as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Fundraiser Alert
TRACK TROT – October 5, 2017
The first of our 2 major fundraisers for the year is coming up – Track Trot. Our goal is to raise $15,000 which makes up about 25% of our budgeted income over the next two years. If every child raised about $40, we would meet our goal. $50 would exceed our goal by approximately $4000 which would allow us to explore school support and improvement opportunities beyond our annual operating budget. The kids brought home the flyer, pledge form and collection envelope last week. Please take a look, sign up to volunteer on event day, if you can, and help us meet our fundraising goals. Contact the Track Trot coordinator, Micaela Liles (mm_lowder@hotmail.com) if you have questions. Run, All Stars, run!!
Spotlight: Why Read this Newsletter?
Are you bored? Not enough to do? Nobody asking you to do stuff, not enough email in your inbox? You’re in good company – I think everyone wants a little more to read, a little more to keep track of, more items on the to-do list.
Just kidding.
My first 2 years at West TV, before I took this PTC position, I felt like I was being spammed by WTV, BSD, PTC, and OMG make it stop!! And I still didn’t feel like I knew what was going on, what to keep track of, what really needed to be opened in a timely manner, and what could wait a bit.
I haven’t solved the world’s problems, but these communications now make some sense to me. I can tell you that:
You should open your weekly Monday Minute when it arrives to make sure you know what activities and deadlines are coming in the next few days. It is short and sweet and informative.
Open the WTV school newsletter when it comes (every other Friday) so that you get important school news, instructions and updates from Principal McNamee. These are also pretty good at keeping you in the loop on BSD issues, too.
Finally, this PTC newsletter will come to you the last week of each month. It will NOT require you to have your calendar app open or your dry erase marker at the ready in front of your family’s activity whiteboard in the kitchen! This newsletter is a kind, gentle conversation for those who want a break from bullet point lists and numbered action items. If you are the kind of person who just wants the list, no problem – the Monday Minute is for you, with a few visits to the PTC website to find just what you need when you need it. But if you want to pour a cup of coffee and read a little inspirational message and find out more about a program (and its coordinator) that is sponsored by the PTC, enjoy this newsletter. We will spotlight programs and activities like Continent Club, All Star Reading Club, Green Team, Art Literacy, fundraisers, budget, and more throughout the year so that you know what your kids are doing and who they’re doing it with.
We need your help!
Open Committee Chair positions for THIS YEAR
Book Fair- Work with Mrs. Van Kleek to set up the Scholastic Book Fair and set up volunteer schedule.
Date: 10/9 – 10/13 (You are not required to work the whole fair.)
SCC Classroom help- Help in one or both classrooms with Art Lit and classroom parties.
Carnival- The carnival is a fun event to chair with friends. Select vendors, games, and prizes. Set up volunteer schedule. There is information from past carnivals to help you prepare. This is a community event.
Date: May 18, 2018 5:00-8:00pm
PE Liaison/ Field Day Coordinator- Support Ms. Cereda and Mr. Johnson with PE activities, Jump Rope for Heart and Field Day.
Field Day Date: June 7, 2018 / Rain Date: June 12, 2018
Volunteer Coordinator Apprentice- Learn about the position and support the volunteer coordinator.
Yearbook- Take photos at school events, or gather photos from each classroom and the office of the student throughout the school year. Put together layout of the yearbook and order.
Questions? Please contact Karri Iverson, Volunteer Coordinator, at volcoord@wtvptc.org.
Keep in Touch
We want you to feel welcome and informed about all WTV activities, so please follow our news on our website www.wtvptc.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wtv.ptc/ , get a quick reminder of upcoming events every Monday in your email inbox from our Monday Minute, attend our monthly PTC meeting (every 3rd Wednesday evening,) and get to know our organization more in-depth in this monthly newsletter sent via email. Cheers!
Contact Us
At West TV we aspire to create successful, lifelong learners, who make a positive difference in the global community.
District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.
Email: susan_boos@beaverton.k12.or.us
Location: 8800 SW Leahy Rd, Portland, OR, United States
Phone: 503-356-2510
Facebook: facebook.com/westtualatinviewelementary/
Twitter: @WTVElem
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