Special Announcement from the Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent

This blog entry is being sent on behalf of Mrs. Valentino.  Please click on the following link: Superintendent Letter to read the statement issued from Dr. John E. Deasy, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent and Steven Zipperman, Los Angeles School Police Department Chief of Police, regarding the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  We send our thoughts and sympathies to the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.

Shop Amazon to Earn Money for MWES

Want to avoid lines and earn money for Mt. Washington Elementary School? You can do both by doing your holiday shopping using AMAZON SchoolRewards which gives Mt. Washington Elementary School 10% back from EVERY purchase! Just use the following link: Mt. Washington Amazon Page

Coffee with the Principal will be on Monday, December 10th in the Parent Center

Join Mrs. Valentino for coffee this Monday, December 10th in the Parent Center immediately following the morning assembly.  This is your chance to hear directly from her what is going on at our school and to ask questions and have discussions in an informal setting.

Our Fresh & Easy Shop for Schools is this Wednesday, 12/12/2012 from 4:00pm-8:00pm

Our total fundraising to date is $2,344.  Our school has a chance to drive this amount up, up & up.  Our Shop Night is this Wednesday, 12/12/12 between 4pm and 8pm.  We will be collecting receipts from patrons and bagging groceries and earning 5% on all sales in the store.  So bring your brothers, your sisters, your neighbors and anyone else you can think of to shop at our local Fresh & Easy.  Last year we raised $971 at our Shop Night, this year let's try for $1,500. But we can only do it with your help.  We will have coupons to pass out to our parents & patrons and the best attended class, wins a Fresh & Easy party.

Plus Fresh & Easy is fully stocked up on the following gift cards:  Starbucks, Macys, ToysRUs, JC Penney, Barns & Noble's, Home Depot, Kohls, iTunes, Best Buy, Red Lobster, PF Changs and many, many, more. Gift cards count towards our fundraising, so make sure you turn in your receipt.

Winter Wonderland is this Friday, December 14th, 2012

The MWES chorus will perform! Food will be served!  Home Alone 2 will be shown!  A wonderful way to end the week and start the holiday vacation!  Bring family, friends, neighbors.  Be on the lookout for more information...

TOYS FOR TOTS – Reminder to drop off your new, unwrapped toys by December 14, 2012

The TOYS FOR TOTS program sponsored by the United States Marine Corps collects new, unwrapped toys during each holiday season to help less fortunate children throughout America.  Starting December 3rd thru December 14th be sure to bring joy, and a message of hope, by donating any new, unwrapped toy during this  Holiday Drive as a gift for needy children in our communities.  Please drop off your new, unwrapped toy in the TOYS FOR TOTS box located in each classroom.  The classroom donating the most toys will win a cupcake party!  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Mari Mejorado, Chair at mejorado@earthlink.net.

New After School Enrichment Classes are Coming

Be on the lookout for sign up flyers for the enrichment classes starting up after winter break.

1. Intro to Conversational Spanish 2nd Session.  New and returning students are welcome.  Classes will be on Tuesdays, starting January 15, 2013 and ending March 19, 2013.  Class times are: Grade K-1: 1:45-2:15 and grades 2-6: 2:30-3:00.  The 10 week session is $100.  For more information please see the Spanish Flyer.    
2. Maya-ya Dance and Wings.  Classes will be on Fridays, starting January 11, 2013 and ending March 8, 2013 (no class on February 15th).  More information will be coming so be sure to watch your child’s backpack for the flyer.   

In addition, new enrichment classes will be starting up after winter break:

1. In February, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts will be bringing the very anticipated Clay Hand Building class to Mount Washington Elementary School on Mondays. 
2. Wednesdays in the new year will see the return of Barbara Sultan teaching the popular Sketching for Fashion Design.

More information on these classes and others will be forthcoming.

PTA Thank Yous!

The PTA wants to give a great big thank you to Kathy Takarabe for bringing us such insight and laughter during the parent workshop on Re-Inventing the Holidays.


The PTA wants to give a great big thank you to everyone who came to our Book Fair and to all who helped make it a great experience!  Keep on reading, and we'll see you at our next Fair!  Don't forget, you still have a chance to order online until December 18, 2012 by clicking on the link: Published Homepage.  If the link does not work, go to http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/mtwashingtonschool.  Online orders will be shipped free to the school after January 6, 2012 due to the school closing for the winter break.

Mt Washington Elementary School-PTA proudly presents … TOYS FOR TOTS!

The TOYS FOR TOTS program sponsored by the United States Marine Corps collects new, unwrapped toys during each holiday season to help less fortunate children throughout America.  Starting December 3rd thru December 14th be sure to bring joy, and a message of hope, by donating any new, unwrapped toy during this  Holiday Drive as a gift for needy children in our communities.  Please drop off your new, unwrapped toy in the TOYS FOR TOTS box located in each classroom.  The classroom donating the most toys will win a cupcake party!  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Mari Mejorado, Chair at mejorado@earthlink.net.

Scholastic Book Fair is Here! December 4, 5, and 6, 2012, at the Jack and Denny Smith Library

VOLUNTEERS are still needed to help run the Book Fair. If you able to volunteer an hour or two, please go to mwpta.org and click on Documents on the upper right hand corner or click on the link: Book Fair Volunteer.

We invite you to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day so they can lead better lives. Now is the time. Since there will never be a substitute for a parent’s direct involvement in his/her child’s education, please make plans to visit our Book Fair. Hope to see you there!

Book Fair Dates: December 4, 5 and 6
Shopping Hours: 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Special Events in Connection with the Book Fair:

    •Thursday, December 6, 2012: Guest Speaker Kathy Takarabe, LCSW, and Mt. Washington Parent, on Dealing with Holiday Stress, 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the MPR (see FLYER for more information); followed by special shopping hours, exclusively for parents, relatives, and friends, on Thursday, December 6, 2012, from 10 am to 12 pm.

    •Reflections Arts Contest Exhibit at the MPR

If you are not able to make it to the Book Fair, online shopping is available by going to the Mt. Washington Book Fair website, starting November 28 until December 18, 2012: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/mtwashingtonschool

Special Parent Workshop this Thursday, December 6th at 8:30 am

Kathy Takarabe will lead a special parent workshop entitled "Re-inventing the Holidays" this December 6th.  This workshop will help us deal with the stress that often surrounds the season, show us ways to bring back the meaning, while walking away with goals, clarity and a handmade craft which will serve as either a reminder of what we've learned or a gift for someone special.  The workshop will be followed by a special private scholastic book sale.  For more information be sure to check out the FLYER.

Coffee with the Principal will be on Monday, December 10th at 8:15 am in the Parent Center

Join Mrs. Valentino for coffee on Monday, December 10th at 8:15 am in the Parent Center.  This is your chance to hear directly from her what is going on at our school and to ask questions and have discussions in an informal setting.

Mt. Washington Elementary School introduces ... EASY MONEY 1-2-3!

You shop and Mt. Washington Elementary School earns money!  What could be easier?  Check out the EASY MONEY 123 Flyer for a list of participating companies that allow us to earn free money for our school.  From Box Tops for Education to Magazines to Jamba Juice to eSCRIP to AMAZON!  All the things you use everyday could earn Mt. Washington Elementary money.  Remember while doing all of your holiday shopping please use AMAZON SchoolRewards which gives Mt. Washington 10% back from EVERY purchase!  Be on the lookout for more information coming home next week.

Fresh & Easy Update, Plus Plan on Doing Lots of Shopping on 12/12/2012

Thank you to all you parents that do their shopping at Fresh & Easy.  Our current 2012 fundraising total is up to $2,012.  Speaking of 2012, our Shop Night is approaching soon: it is next Wednesday, 12/12/2012!!!  Please plan on doing all your holiday shopping, including gift card purchases, on 12/12/2012 at Eagle Rock's Fresh & Easy between 4:00pm and 8:00pm.  Our school earns 5% of ALL sales at Fresh & Easy in addition to our receipt collection.  There will be a contest for the class that has the best attendance at our Fresh & Easy Shop Night and the winning class will get a Fresh & Easy Party.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

WinterWonderland is Fast Approaching… December 14th, 2012

The MWES chorus will perform! Food will be served! A movie will be shown!  A wonderful way to end the week and start the holiday vacation!  Bring family, friends, neighbors.  Once all of the classroom votes have been tallied a flyer will go home with all of the evening's details so be sure to be on the lookout for more information...

You're cordially invited to a Community Information Session given by Southern California Gas Company hosted by Friends of Mt. Washington School

Come learn about SoCalGas' Advanced Meter Project including when & where work will take place in Los Angeles Council District 1.

WHEN: Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 7:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Mt. Washington Elementary School MPR
GREAT REFRESHMENTS SERVED! CHILD CARE PROVIDED!

Please see attached FLYER for more information, a copy of which  will be in backpacks next week.

**In April 2012, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the SoCalGas Advanced Meter Project which will upgrade nearly six million natural gas meters with a communications device by 2017. SoCalGas' service area which includes approximately 20,000 square miles throughout Central & Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. For more information on the project, visit socalgas.com (search "Advanced").**