YEARBOOK DEDICATIONS DUE BY MARCH 29TH

This is the last week to submit a dedication or to place an Ad in this year's book.  Dedications are just $5, and Ads are $40.  Dedication forms were sent home with your child last week, and you can also download and print the form by clicking here.  Please keep your dedications and ads to 50 words or less and make sure they are in the office by Thursday the 29th.  You can also attach a business card as an ad or email a jpg to Susanne Foldes at foldesyoung@gmail.com.  If you email your ad, please attach a check to the dedication form and turn it in to the office with a note in the comment box, that your ad was emailed. Please make your checks payable to Mt. Washington Elementary School - not PTA.

This is also the last week to get your yearbooks at $18.  In the month of April, they will go up to $20, and May 1st till supplies last the books will cost $25, so make sure to take advantage of the savings and get your yearbook early.  Order forms were sent home with your child last week or the week before, and there are some available in the office and the Parent Center.

MWPTA 2012-2013 ELECTED BOARD

Please welcome our newly elected 2012-2013 MWPTA Board.
  
Alan Palmer - President

Natalie Erwin - VP Communications

Nicole Thomas - VP Programs

Sharon Steele-Herran - VP Ways and Means

Jane Park-Dolan - VP Volunteers and Room Representatives

KathyTakarabe - Secretary

Jackie Cahill - Treasurer

Kim Ragno - Financial Secretary

Queh Lam - Historian

Congratulations to you all and thank you for your dedication to our school.

Thank you to our nominating committee for doing a wonderful job and finding candidates for all the elected positions.

PTA GENERAL ASSOCIATION MEETING & CITIZEN CPR – MARCH 21ST, 5:30-8:00PM MPR

Join the Mt. Washington PTA for a very important event, voting in of your 2012-2013 Mt. Washington PTA Board.  Immediately following, the Red Cross of Los Angeles will be presenting Citizen CPR and Emergency Preparedness.  This is a FREE event and child care will be provided.  Hope to see you there.

FIRST EVER MWPTA PROGRESSIVE DINNER: SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH

Join us for an intimate evening as we tour and dine our way through some remarkable Mt. Washington homes.  Four select families have graciously opened their doors & will be serving a delightful four course dinner.
1st Home: Appetizer - Fondue & Swedish Meatballs, drinks
Step back in time in this Original 1965 Mt. Washington West home. Learn more about the Ray Watt Designed community development dubbed “the island in the sky”. The Thomas-Staley Residence is a place where you can return yourself to a time when the livin’ was easy and life was a party.

2nd Home: Pre-Dinner - Shrimp Bisque, Tomato Cheddar Basil & Carrot Dill accompanied by homemade Parmesan Thyme Discs, drinks
Come spend a relaxing moment sampling delicious soups at “Casa PC”, the Palmer-Carter House. This Mediterranean home has been featured on TV, commercials & film. Living in the Italian Countryside is how you’ll feel in this graceful home set in the hills of Mt. Washington.

3rd Home: Main Course - Cochinita Pibil & Rice from the Yucatan region of Mexico, drinks
The Feinberg Residence was designed & built by Mark, including all the cabinets, furniture & architectural woodworking. With its’ terraced gardens and 180 degree views from ocean to mountains, this uniquely warm & simple house expresses the career of a cabinetmaker and embraces the beauty of Mt. Washington from the top of the hill.

4th Home: Dessert - Sweets from LA Baking Co. & a special “PD” Coffee roast from Antigua Cultural Coffee
The Austria’s House is a remarkable blend of recycling and beauty. Come see how recycled windows, a found kitchen island and an acquired folding glass wall bringing the outdoors in, all come together with a dynamic view and family garden to make this house the light, bright, comfortable home it is today.

Tickets are $75 for a couple or $40 for an individual.  They will go on sale Monday, March 19th after the morning assembly, in front of the school.  
THIS IS AN ADULTS ONLY EVENT.

Two van tours are available:

• First tour from 4:45pm to 9:15pm, dining begins at 5:00pm and ends at 9:00pm.  
• Second tour from 5:45pm to 10:15pm, dining begins at 6:00pm and ends at 10:00pm.  
• Van tour will leave promptly at 4:45pm or 5:45pm from Mt. Washington Elementary School.

For more information please contact our chair person Nina Zippay at 213/ 308-8954 or Sharen Herran our fundraising VP at waysandmeans@mwpta.org.  Please click here to access and download our color flyer.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING BEGINS THIS MONDAY THE 19TH

Our apologies for giving the wrong start date in last week's blog. If your child is signed up for our after school painting class, in the event of rain, students should meet Zan in the Lunch Pavilion.

CHESS CLUB TOURNAMENT NEWS

The children’s Mt. Washington Chess Club Tournament is quickly approaching.  Many students have worked very hard to compete in this year’s exciting event.  Approximately 60 students will compete in the tournament for the grand prize trophy and we expect to have at least one trophy winner for each K-6 grade level.  Some grades may have second and third place award recipients. Please click here for a printable version of the rules and guidelines.

ENLIGHTENING FAMILY MATH NIGHT

Thank you to Mrs. Valentino and our hard working teachers for putting on a wonderful event.  Families were treated to workshops where they participated in fun-filled activities based on math concepts. Here are a few “math” websites that you and your child can access to play educational games:
http://mixinginmath.terc.edu/
http://www.primarygames.com/
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://henryanker.com/
http://hoodmath.com/ (upper grades)

YEARBOOKS GO ON SALE STARTING THIS WEEK

Our yearbook committee made up of 5th and 6th grade students, under the leadership of Mrs. Mori and Ms. Ryan, have been working very hard on this year’s book for the past several weeks. Look for an order form to come home in backpacks later this week. If you order by March 29th your book will only cost $18, by April 30th only $20, after that, yearbooks will be $25 till supplies last. 


Thank you to all the parents who uploaded pictures.  We are trying to feature as many kids as possible. We could still use pictures for class activities, so if you have any that you would like to include please upload them to school annual’s site by following these steps:

1. Go to: https://images.schoolannualonline.com/upload.jsp. If it does not automatically log you into the site, enter user name: 400135581 and password: wolves . 
2. Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload. Click Upload. 
3. On the next screen enter information about the photo(s) so we know which event and class to use it for. 
4. Click "Save Details".

Thank you very much for your help!

PLAIN AIR PAINTING SECOND SESSION BEGINS MONDAY

If your child is signed up for the Plain Air Painting classes on Mondays, please remind them to meet the class on the yard near the basketball court.  There are still a few spaces left if your child would like to join, please see the office for a flyer.

THE GREEN TEAM

Here's to another Great Monday! We're rollin' in the Recycling ~ Hooray! Thank you to each and every child and family that remembers to bring in their recycling on Monday mornings. We have a wonderful group of volunteers who have stepped up for the next three months; parents, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts! Couldn't get any more 'community involved' than that! To avoid long delays at the safety valet line, please remember to have your recycling ready "in-hand" with your child as they exit your vehicle. Monday mornings are hectic enough and we certainly don't want this wonderful program to cause anything but a rise in our FUNdraising efforts!

THANK YOU MT. WASHINGTON FAMILIES!

You made our first ever ChuckE.Cheese Restaurant Night a HUGE success!  Fun, Food, Friends and Families all joined together Thursday night for a Mt. Washington Wolves howling good time.  We had kindergartners & 6th graders, teachers & our Principal, parents & grandparents & even some cousins...who came out to support our school; we packed the place!  As if our great time couldn't get any better, we're proud to announce that our FUNdraiser 15% giveback check from ChuckE.Cheese will be for the amount of $692.25  WAY TO GO!  

PTA will be forwarding a separate thank you to Chuch E Cheese for making Mt. Washington Elementary’s experience a memorable and successful one.

FOUNDERS DAY THANK YOUS

A big thank you to Monique Austria for chairing the Founder's Day Celebration, and to Alan Palmer, Anvi Kevany, Jackie Cahill, Sharen Herran, Rosalba Mendez, and Anahata Spurkel for helping put together this meaningful and important event.  Thank you to Lia Hayes, Mary Gaillard and the Mt. Washington Children’s Chorus for their wonderful performance and to Ariella Roberts for being a terrific MC.  Congratulations to all of our Recognition Award Recipients, we thank you for your service and leadership to our PTA.

SAVE THE DATE: PTA GENERAL ASSOCIATION MEETING & CITIZEN CPR – MARCH 21ST, 5:30-8:00PM

Joint Mt. Washington PTA for a very important event, voting in of your 2012-2013 Mt. Washington PTA Board. 

Immediately following the Red Cross of Los Angeles will be presenting Citizen CPR and Emergency Preparedness.  Child care will be provided.  Look for a flyer in backpacks next week.

GET READY, GET SET, GOOOOOO!

Get ready to be a part of another Mt. Washington Elementary School First!  Our first ever ~ what's sure to be a phenomenon ~ Progressive Dinner Event!  Mark your calendars, call a babysitter ~ we're getting ready to blow out another fantastic FUNdraiser.  Saturday evening, March 24th ... More info to come soon!!!

FOUNDERS DAY CELEBRATION, FRIDAY THE 9th FROM 1:30-3:30pm IN THE MPR

Founders Day is an annual reminder of the substantial role that PTA has played locally, regionally, and nationally in supporting parent involvement and working on behalf of all children and families. It's a time to reflect and take pride in our many accomplishments, and to renew our commitment to children, parents and education.

We will be honoring many current and past PTA leaders and presidents and giving special recognition to several teachers, parents and staff.

The Mt. Washington Children’s Chorus will perform at 2pm followed by the Awards Ceremony and refreshments.  We will also have the Los Angeles tenth district PTSA Reflections winner’s entries, from Mt. Washington on display.  Hope you can make it.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8th 3-9pm, HERE WE COME CHUCK E! RESTAURANT NIGHT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

Join us at Chuck E Cheese in Eagle Rock Plaza, for a fun dinner out with your family & friends.  Mt. Washington Elementary will receive a donation of 15% of all food, beverage, merchandise, and token deals purchased at a register-ONLY, on our fundraising night.  Plus, we get a special visit from Chuck E. himself & every Mt. Washington Elementary student will get a sticker worth 10 FREE tokens at school the day of our event.  Teachers, stop by to say ‘hi’ and you’ll receive a complimentary meal just for coming!  Don’t miss the fun ~ SEE YOU THERE!

GREEK MYTHOLOGY ASSEMBLY

This Thursday March 8^th, STAR is presenting the students at Mt. Washington Elementary with a captivating Greek Mythology Event.  This assembly, which normally costs $1,500, is being presented for free.  The PTA wishes to thank Jay Garrett and Breeze Smith for making this magical educational experience possible.  Please be sure to ask your children what they thought of the assembly Thursday after school.

THE YEARBOOK STAFF IS STILL IN NEED OF PICTURES

Thank you to the parents who have submitted pictures this past week. Mt. Washington children are very photogenic and we would like to showcase as many of them as possible in our yearbook.  If you've got great photos of class, school, PTA and FOMWS events, we'd like to see them.   Specific events we are still looking for are:

Americana Night *  Casa de Adobe Field Trips *  Mt. Washington Elementary Garden * Literacy and Science Night  *  Student Council Activities (pajama day, crazy hair day etc.)  *  VAPA (dance, theater, vocals, orchestra)  *  Voices Within  *  Winter Program

Here is how you can submit photos online:

1. Go to: https://images.schoolannualonline.com/upload.jsp.  If it does not automatically log you into the site, enter user name: 400135581 and password: wolves.
2. Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload. Click Upload.
3. On the next screen enter information about the photo(s) so we know which event to use it for. 
4. Click "Save Details".

It's that easy! Submit your photos today! The last day to submit photos is Thursday, March 8th.  Thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely,

2012 Yearbook Staff

MWES MERCHANDISE FOR SALE MONDAY MORNINGS!

If you haven't grabbed a Hoodie, gotten that fall colored T-shirt, picked a pencil or purchased your bag of Premium Blend coffee you'll want to stop by and get yours.  We will be selling all MWES Merchandise for your convenience Monday mornings in front of school. Be sure to get yours before they're gone.

THE GREEN TEAM

Remember Monday morning recycling!  Please drop off your recycling either Monday mornings or any morning until 10:00am in the Parent Center.  A HUGE “Thank you” to Nina Zippay our MWE Girl Scout Troop Leader for collecting the recyclables this month, and to our Girl Scouts and our Cub Scouts for taking on this worthwhile program.  The Cub Scouts will be handling April with the Girl Scouts coordinating May.  At the end of the two [2] months whichever organization collects the most recycling will be rewarded with a pizza party!  GO SCOUTS!  HOORAY MWE!

CHECK OUT ROOM THREE’S GARDEN

February 23, 2012 - Harvest Day and Salad Party

Today the kindergarten children from room 3 were so excited to harvest vegetables and fruit from their garden. The plants that they transplanted in early October, the little baby plants they grew from seeds, were now ready to be eaten, it was time to have a salad party! To start the day, Mrs. Aramburu read “Carrot Soup” by John Segal, a story about a rabbit that lovingly plants and tends to his carrots. The children read how carrots grow from seeds, and that they need water and sun to grow, and learned its fun to have a carrot soup party with all your friends. By this time, the children were so thrilled and eager to go outside and harvest. They loved to pull the carrots especially, and had so much fun doing it. We pulled out baby carrots, sweet baby romaine lettuce, and plucked snow peas, they washed off the dirt in a water bucket, and placed them to dry in a basket. Afterwards, I prepped the salad with home made croutons from Renee Frisbee, to make a yummy lunchtime treat that all the kids loved to eat, in fact they were asking for more. After lunch, Mrs. Aramburu read the book “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert. She took the time to describe the different parts of the plant that we ate in our salad; root (carrot), leaf (lettuce), and fruit (snow pea). After reading time, the children talked about what they did in the garden, and their teacher wrote the nouns and verbs on the board, such as *pull, carrot, salad, like, eat.* Then, the children wrote a sentence and drew pictures about the garden in their journals. At the end of the day, they all thanked me with big smiles and happy faces. It was such a wonderful experience, and I am so thankful to Mrs. Aranburu, she was such an integral part of the day, she transformed our salad party into a learning garden experience.
Joy Mazurek

Thank you Joy, for your garden update from room three. We are all very proud of the accomplishments of the Garden Committee, and are grateful for the enrichment the garden program has brought to our school. Thank you to all of the garden reps who help maintain each room’s garden, and who work with the kids to integrate gardening into their education. The garden committee, headed by Krista Ebert, is under the umbrella of FOMWS, and their partnership with Eroots and the Produce Collective allows them to be mostly self-funded.

SAVE THE DATE! SATURDAY, MARCH 24th 5-9pm MWES 1st PROGRESSIVE DINNER EVENT!

A wonderful event planned around 4 homes of Mt. Washington!  More info to come….