Markham Message
Week of September 5, 2022
Principal's Note
Dear Markham Families,
What a wonderful first week of school we had! There was so much joy filling the hallways and classrooms, I know your children enjoyed their first week back as much as we did! In this week's newsletter, you'll find some important reminders, information for the Welcome Back Picnic, the counselor's newsletter, and more. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jocelyn V. Artinger
Principal
jartinger@mtlsd.netElementary Day Rotation
Monday, September 5: No School, Labor Day
Tuesday, September 6: Day 1
Wednesday, September 7: Day 2
Thursday, September 8: Day 3, PTA Welcome Back Picnic 6:00-7:30 PM
Friday, September 9: Day 4
Important Upcoming Dates
- September 5: Labor Day; No School
- September 8: PTA Welcome Back Picnic 6:00
- September 12: 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, 9:00 AM on the front lawn
- September 13: Homeroom Parent, Event Chair, & GLC Meeting 8:45-10:30 AM & PTA Meeting 9:15 AM
- September 15: Hispanic Heritage Month Begins
- September 16: School Picture Day
- September 22: Grades 2 & 4 Coffee at 8:45 AM
- September 23: Grades 1, 3, & 5 Coffee at 8:45 AM
- September 26 through October 3: Read-A-Thon
No School on Monday
Important Reminders
Please see below for some reminders now that the first week has gotten underway!
- Dogs are not permitted on school grounds, especially during arrival and dismissal.
- The Markham campus is closed to the public during school hours for safety reasons.
- Please do not send students into school with glass water bottles. They can shatter and injure students and staff.
- We recommend sending children to school with closed-toed shoes as they are a safer option for play during recess.
A Note from Our School Counselor:
This month, I will visit your child's classroom for their first classroom counseling lesson of the year! I visit each classroom every other week, or twice per month, to teach lessons on topics such as friendship, conflict resolution, and managing feelings. I am also available to meet with students individually or in small groups. Please check out my google site for more information about me and my role here at Markham, and please reach out anytime if you have questions or concerns about your child's social, emotional, or behavioral development. You can reach me at cketterman@mtlsd.net or 412-325-8584. I am looking forward to an amazing year with your children!
Please see this link for the monthly elementary counselor's newsletter as well!
School Safety and Security:
The safety of students and staff remains our highest priority. All of our staff recently received an ALiCE training refresher from Officer Kite of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department. The Fall Principal's Coffee will be held in October with the topic being safety and security, more information will be released at a later date. Until then, please see below for some information about safety and security at Markham:
- ENTERING THE SCHOOL: The school building will be secured throughout the day. All visitors will need to enter through the main office entrance (A1) where they will buzz in before gaining access to the captured vestibule and then buzz in again at the top of the steps to gain access to the main office. Please do not hold the door for anyone or let anyone in when entering the building or the office.
- VISITING THE BUILDING: All visitors and volunteers entering the building with pre-arranged appointments must have a photo ID, are to "RAPTOR" in with Ms. Hanchar, and obtain a visitor's pass. While in the school, visitors must wear their visitor’s pass in a visible place. Visitors need to check out in the school office before leaving the school.
- ITEM DROP OFF PROCEDURES: If any family member is going to drop off items for their students (ex: lunches, instruments, homework, etc.), they will need to drop the item off on the table in the vestibule and we will have the item delivered to the student. By continuing with this system, we are able to track items and deliver them more efficiently.
- SAFETY DRILLS: Throughout the year each school in the district is required to hold a certain number of fire drills as well as practice safety drills such as shelter-in-place, severe weather, evacuation, and ALiCE. Please know that families will be alerted via e-mail before safety drills but not regular fire drills.
Community News:
A Letter from Mt. Lebanon Library
Rock the Block with Public Safety
PTA NEWS:
MARKHAM WELCOME BACK PICNIC!
Please join us for the Welcome Back Picnic at the Markham Field and Playground on Thursday, September 8 at 6 PM. You may preorder a Vocellli’s cheese pizza for the picnic by returning the order form that your child will bring home in his/her red folder (printable link also provided below) or you are welcome to bring your own food. Pizza orders are due September 6. Contact Bethany McGee at beppers1980@yahoo.com for more about this event.
ODYSSEY OF THE MIND IS BACK
Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program and competition for students in grades K-college. It fosters teamwork, divergent thinking, risk-taking, creativity - and much more! Students work in small teams and solve open-ended problems. They learn to think on their feet, analyze results, & see things differently! It's FUN & CHALLENGING. If you've never done Odyssey of the Mind before, this is your year to start! Teams are forming now at Markham. We are in need of participants and coaches. Contact Sarah Levinthal srlevinth@gmail.com for more information.
PTA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
The Markham PTA uses a software platform called Membership Toolkit to manage all of our communication for general information, events, and volunteer opportunities. Membership Toolkit can be accessed via the web at https://markhampta.membershiptoolkit.com or by downloading the app onto your mobile device. When you first go to the site, you will have the opportunity to create an account. At the minimum, we ask that all families create an account so that we have accurate contact information. The school district is not permitted to share family contact information with the PTA, so this is our best way to share all of our information with you.
For those that have used Membership Toolkit in the past, once you log in, you will see a notice to review your information in case of any changes from the previous year. From here, you will have the opportunity to join the PTA under the “store” feature. You’ll also be able to sign up for a variety of volunteer opportunities. This year, a family PTA membership fee will be $25 and will include up to two parents or guardians. Your purchase of a membership allows the PTA to enrich our student’s experiences by supporting educational programs including field trips, class parties, and other educational and fun programs and events. We also support teachers through the purchase of items for the classrooms that are not covered by the district budget. As an added perk, only PTA members have access to our online student directory, which is an invaluable tool for communicating with other Markham families throughout the year.
Our initial membership drive will close on September 30, 2022. Again, please email markhamelementary@gmail.com if you have any questions about Membership Toolkit or other PTA information. Thank you for your support!
HELPFUL LINKS!
Contact Information
Email: jartinger@mtlsd.net
Website: www.mtlsd.org/markham
Location: 165 Crescent Drive, Mount Lebanon, PA, USA
Phone: 412-344-2152
Twitter: @MarkhamSchool