Hoots'n'Hollers Newsletter
2023-2024: Week of March 4th
The Guild PTO - Madison Traditional Academy
Presidents' Update
Dear MTA families,
At MTA we have 2 big fundraisers every year that help fund our events, teacher appreciation week, back to school teacher gifts, supplies for the teachers throughout the year, extra funding for Music, PE and Art, Owl Star Assemblies, two part-time aides in the cafeteria and during recess (extra supervision for our kids and also allows for teachers to have a full lunch break) and so much more.
Our Fall fundraiser was the Fun Run and our Spring fundraiser is the Readathon that is going on now!
So many of the prizes are free + simple to earn. Please take a moment to participate by registering your child and following the easy steps. Trust me - the kids get so excited to get their prizes at school for each step!
If you have any questions about the readathon, please reach out!
It was wonderful seeing so many families on campus at Family Fun Day! Big thank you to Nikki Khraizat, Jennifer Bishop, Carlene Lowry, Melanie Lewis, Katie Cerny and Crystal Bradley for all the time and effort you and your committees put in to make this event such a success.
Thank you to our amazing sponsors and volunteers - we couldn’t have done it without you!
And big thanks to Principal Merrill for allowing us to host the event on campus and Steve Wolf for making it all run so smoothly!
Thank you to Abe Barela, Manny Lopez and the entire Dad’s Club for another successful Cornhole event! Extra thanks to MTA Dad, Dr. Rishi Popat for letting us host the event at Popat Pediatric Dentistry.
The Sweetheart Dance is on April 7!
This year, there is also the option to dine at the Tavern (the new restaurant on site) before the dance. You can purchase tickets for the dinner portion here:
Space for the dinner portion is limited so be sure to get your tickets asap! Dinner tickets
We are putting together our very first (and hopefully annual!) mobile silent auction and we would love your help! We are looking for gift cards/certificates from local businesses, restaurants, salons, hotels, gyms, studios, kids activities…all the things! Volunteer hours will be provided for those helping us secure these donations. Message Sara: mtaguildboard@gmail.com
Please continue to check your Raptor account to make sure your hours are up to date. If there are discrepancies, please reach out so we can work on fixing them. Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this new system.
We are looking towards next year and would love to invite anyone interested in participating on a committee or the board to reach out! Message Sara at mtaguildboard@gmail.com
Have a great week!
Sara Snyder & Catheryn Eisaman-Avalos
Co-Presidents
MTA Guild Executive Board
E-mail:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mtaguildpto/
Website:
Important Info
Volunteer Opportunities
- Copy Volunteers
- Breakfast + Lunch Duty
- Campus Beautification
- Owl Store - new dates added!
- Driveway Entrance/Exit
- ArtWalk - email ashleyhall8@gmail.com
2024 Read-A-Thon
- It's time for our 2024 read-a-thon, Camp Read-a-Lot! Help our students develop a love for reading, earn fun prizes and raise much needed funds for the Guild.
- The fundraiser runs from Friday February 23, 2024 to Friday, March 8.
- Signing your reader up is easy! Visit read-a-thon.com/readers. The instructions are straightforward, making it quick and hassle-free, and it should take less than 5 minutes of your time.
- Watch a short video to see how to signup your reader: https://youtu.be/12tmuXH8zCg
- The more your child participates the more opportunities the have to win great prizes like a Karaoke machine, gift cards, SkyZone passes, an Apple Watch and even a chance to win a Disney Trip!
- Thank you so much for your participation and support. Help our kids develop a love for reading while raising much needed funds for the Guild!
OWL Store Update
- Thank you again to our volunteers and families who have donated to the OWL Store! Students have been so excited to see the new items coming in. Our OWL Store Amazon Wish List is frequently updated as students mention what things would motivate them to earn SMART tickets and can be found here.
- Donations dropped off at the school are also always much appreciated! If you have any gently used Squishmallows (no tags is fine!), books popular among K-4th grade students that your student is no longer reading, or extra favors from birthday parties or holidays, please think of the OWL Store! A big thank you from the OWL Store team!
MTA Field Day
- MTA Field Day 2024 is just around the corner! Mr. Holcomb is looking for Parent Volunteers to help! SIGN UP HERE
- FIELD DAY DATES:
- Tuesday, March 5th (6th & 7th Grade)
- Thursday, March 7th (8th Grade)
- All parents who volunteer to must arrive by 7:55 AM and sign in at the Front Office via the Raptor kiosk. You must have an approved Raptor volunteer account prior to volunteering.
- A short meeting will be held in the Gym at 8:00 A.M. and information about how to run each of the Field Day Events/Stations will be handed out during the meetings prior to each Field Day.
- In addition, volunteers will be needed to help breakdown the equipment and bring to the Outdoor Storage Room or Gym.
MTA's 2024 Sweetheart Dance: Sunday, April 7th, 2024 - 6pm-8pm Bring your Dad or someone special and come ready for an evening of dancing & fun!
- Dance Location: Orchard Catering & Events, 7100 N 12th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020
- Enter at the Luci's at the Orchard entrance
- Tickets: $30 for 1 Adult + 1 Child
- $10 for Each Additional Child
- Provide Child's Name + Teacher's Name in the comment section
- You will be added to a guest list - there will be no physical tickets.
- Teachers attend free with their child(ren).
- Desserts and drinks will be provided at the dance. Dinner is NOT included.
- Please take your child to dinner prior to the dance.
- TICKETS SOLD SEPARATELY FOR PRE-EVENT DINNER ON SITE.
MTA's 2024 Sweetheart Dance Dinner
- SPECIAL PRE-EVENT DINNER
- Sunday, April 7th, 4PM - 6PM
- Orchard Events & Catering, 7100 N 12th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020
- Enter at the Orchard Tavern entrance
- $55 for 1 Adult + 1 Child
- Provide Child's Name + Teacher's Name in the comment section
- You will be added to a guest list - there will be no physical tickets.
- MENU DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Save The Date! MTA ArtWalk
- April 24th, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
- Looking for volunteers
- ArtWalk is the largest annual event held on MTA campus! We need your help!
- If you're interested in earning volunteer hours, please contact Ashley Brown, ashleyhall8@gmail.com
- We had such a wonderful OWL Store this week! Your donations and volunteer support make all the difference in pulling off such a successful store. Thank you for your help in incentivizing our students to meet and exceed MTA behavior expectations.
- Over the past week we have gathered feedback from students and used this to select items for our Amazon Wish List. The students were so excited to see the new options they could choose from at the last store! We also always appreciate items dropped off directly at school. We are so grateful for all of the continued support. Thank you for all you do to help make the OWL Store an amazing experience for our MTA students!
Yearbooks and Happy Hoots!
- It's time to order a yearbook for the 2023-2024 school year to guarantee your memories! They are only $22 - All sales are online.
- Do you want to send a special message in the yearbook for your student? It's only $5 extra per Happy Hoot (click on the ad and follow the directions).
- Please go to buytheyearbook.com to order your yearbook and buy a Happy Hoot to be included. All ONLINE yearbook and happy hoots orders will close MARCH 8th, 2024. (In person cash sales will be available in May if you miss the online deadline for $25 - first come, first served. Supply is limited!)
- Email rwehrenberg@madisoned.org for questions.
Dads Club Scholarship Fund
- The MTA Guild Executive Board earmarked $1,000 for the Dads Club Scholarship Fund for the '23-'24 annual budget.
- If your family requires assistance with expenses ex: activity fees, sports equipment, or expenses associated with field trips/class trips, you can make a confidential request to: mtascholarships@gmail.com
- If approved, the Scholarship Committee with work with the Guild Treasurer to arrange for the payment of school-related expenses, or to reimburse.
Ongoing GotSneakers Fundraiser:
- 👟 ♻️ Our sneaker drive is now ongoing, all year long- simply drop off your sneakers (in any condition) to the front office.
- Can be men/women/kids shoes
- Make sure to share with family, friends + neighbors so we can recycle + fundraise for a good cause.
- Please click here for link for more info on the organization!
Spring Sports Update
OWL Mascot Tryouts
- Owl Mascot Tryouts March 6th and 7th for 45 min after school.
- Meet in the courtyard.
TRACK
- MTA students participating in Meadows' Track Team must sign up for Meadows in Aktivate. There are documents specific to Meadows that parents need to sign. MTA Track athletes will not be cleared for the team until this step is complete. Please see this link for directions.
- TRACK AND FIELD payments and uniforms are all through Meadows.
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL
- Spring softball and baseball are up and running. Games begin the week of March 18th. Come out and support our MTA Owls.
- You can always find the schedule on our MTA athletic website.
- Please be sure to have your athletic fee paid in order for MTA student athletes to receive their uniform. Parents who paid with tax credit, please send a receipt number in with your child so the money will be directed accordingly.
- Dad's club offers scholarships for anyone who needs assistance.
- Uniforms are available starting 2/29/24 for those who have paid the $100 Spring Sports Athletics Fee on PowerSchool (a separate $100 fee applies to each sport).
- Please visit Mr. Coon for your uniform.
- Uniform Hats are $15 cash and can be obtained from Mr. Coon. This is separate from the Athletics fee.
Thank You to our FFN Sponsors!
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, March 11th - Friday, March 15th
- Spring Break
- Tuesday, March 19th
- MTA Talent Show, Madison Center for the Arts, 6:00pm
- MTA Spirit Night @ Chipotle
April 2024
- Sunday, April 7th:
- Sweetheart Dinner & Dance
- Wednesday, April 24th
- MTA Art Walk, 6:00pm
Raptor (Volunteer System)
Thank you for your patience with Raptor. The hours are now viewable for parents. Yay! There is a delay for hours added manually. Many hours are submitted at the end of the month - so if you attended a Guild meeting, helped at a sports game, did uniform laundry, etc., those hours will populate the following month.
If you received an email regarding your hours in error, send us an email: mtaguildboard@gmail.com
We strongly suggest you keep a log (ex: Notes app in your phone) of your hours should there be a discrepancy.
Also- please sign up for hours using your name in Raptor. We are unable to assign hours to a name not in the system. If a teacher is crediting your hours, make sure they are using your correct name also. Thank you for your help with this.
If you are having technical issues (password, etc.) with your Raptor account, contact Liz Hernandez at the District office at lhernandez@madisoned.org
602-664-7959
Upcoming Event Flyers
MTA Swag
Show your Owl spirit and check out the MTA Swag on our website
Snag your customized, limited edition MTA hat designed by local Phoenix favorite @truckers_by_tams - these are a limited quantity WHITE HAT LINK / BLUE HAT LINK
Stay Connected via Remind
JOIN REMIND FOR TEXT REMINDERS! Remind is a FREE text messaging service for schools and organizations. Please note that we are utilizing the FREE version of REMIND which is one-way communication. If you need to send us an update or have questions, please email us at mtaguildboard@gmail.com.
Easy as 1-2-3:
- Using your cell phone, create a new text message to 81010
- In the message text, use the below code for your child(ren)'s grade level and hit "Send"
- Get realtime updates from the Guild.
- Kindergarten: @mtaguildk
- 1st Grade: @mtaguild1
- 2nd Grade: @mtaguild2
- 3rd Grade: @mtaguild3
- 4th Grade: @mtaguild4
- 5th Grade: @mtaguild5
- 6th Grade: @mtaguild6
- 7th Grade: @mtaguild7
- 8th Grade: @mtaguild8
Teachers, Staff & Other Community Members: If you would like to get Guild Reminders also, please signup using @mtaguild
2023-2024 Guild Executive Board
Presidents:
Vice Presidents:
Treasurers:
Communications Secretary: Heidi Wright
Secretaries: Amanda Boxwell, Meredith Pohl
Dad’s Club President: Jeffrey Daniels
Teacher Representative: Crystal DiPede
Alternate: Lisa Naylor
Parent Representatives
- (K-2) Abbey Ross
- (3-5) Katie Carpenter
- (6-8) Chrystal Kral
2023-2024 MTA Guild Committee Chairs
- Art Masterpiece: Amber Roberson + Dimple Patel
- Artsonia: Angela Larkin + Holly Navarrete
- Art Walk: Ashley Brown + Sara Hicks
- Athletic Director Support: Carlene Lowry
- Bingo Night: Carrie Perrone + Rachel Milne
- Book Fair: Tiffany Mitchell, Amanda Ellexson + Amanda Penn
- Breakfast/Lunch/Playground Support: Natalie Eggum
- Back-To-School Packs/Supply Closet: Kelly Fenton
- Bulletin Boards: Brandy Harmon
- Campus Beautification: Lynn Running
- Coin Drive: Justina Dendauw
- Copy Help: Stephanie Stocksleger
- Directory/Membership: Kelli + Zac Blossom
- Spirit Night: Rebecca Girard + Chelsie Vyles
- Family Fun Day: Nikki Khraizat + Jennifer Bishop
- Eighth Grade Graduation Committee: Anna Gharib
- Fun Run: Kati Seyk + Kelly Richards
- Guild Meeting Sign-In: Anne Schneider
- Hoot Attack: Rob Davison
- Mother/Son Kickball Tournament: Abbey Ross, Courtney Nelson, Rachel Molina, Mariya Heath
- Logo/Activity Sales: Kim Owens
- Lost & Found: Richard Razo
- Owl Star Assemblies: Mariya Heath
- Owl Star Sign Up Support: Lily Romero
- Teacher Lounge Treats: Jessica Major
- Parent Social: Teresa Strunk + Karli Fautch
- Preschool Liason: Noel Domfeh
- Read-a-thon: Courtney Nelson + Andrea Libey
- Safe Start: Megan Ross
- Sponsorship: Bansi Popat + Francesco Onorato
- Sweetheart Dance: Amber Roberson, Dimple Patel, Crystal Bradley, Lauren McKeon, Jaima Curtis
- Teacher Appreciation: Arianna Shwer
- Uniform Exchange: Sylwia Cavalcant & Jade Anderson-Passamonte
- Uniform Exchange Guild Meeting Sales: Jessica Dwork + Guadalupe Rojas
- Vision & Hearing Screening: Lindsey Hunt
- Volunteer (Family) Opportunity- Feed My Starving Children: Melissa Brammer
- Teacher Hospitality: Megan Demenna
- Silent Auction: Misti Tesar & Kimberly Sowinski
Our Mission
Establishing and maintaining a working relationship between the parents, school and teachers. Enhancing the quality of education by raising funds for school programs, equipment, resources or supplemental materials that fall outside the school budget. Providing volunteer support to increase student safety and security and to facilitate the educational experience. Developing and assisting with the implementation of programs and projects that will enrich the curriculum.
Email: mtahoots@gmail.com
Website: http://www.mtaguild.org
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: 602-745-4000