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"Butterfly" >
"Goodbye Butterfly"
January 13, 2009
The AMK8 PTA "Butterfly"
Without parents and teachers, there wouldn't be students
Quick Links... AMK8 PTA Ada Merritt National PTA Miami-Dade School District Florida Department of Education U.S. Department of Education
JOIN THE PTA!
Dear Ada Merritt Friends-
This will be my last issue of The Butterfly.
Some of you may have heard that The Editor, his children, and their mother have all decided to relocate to the Washington DC area to start the next chapter of our lives. We are sad to leave behind Ada Merritt and the friends we have made here but are very excited for the move and anxious for the change of scenery.
The Butterfly is very dear to me and I will miss the chance to write it. I started it back in October 2005, on a whim...just a quick way to communicate AM PTA news to anyone who would share their email address. I continued to write it because it was fun...I enjoyed the nice emails I received from readers, the silly humor, the anonymity (at least at the beginning) and the chance to shed positive light on some of the teachers and staff and students who make Ada Merritt such a great school. I wish I could have highlighted more people because there are MANY others who deserved the attention, but that's the way the newsletter crumbles.
So, I bid you all farewell. The Editor's children, Joshua and Emily, have been well-served by AM and send their best wishes to the teachers and friends who have helped them grow into such great kids. I thank you for the praise, encouragement, and appreciation you showed The Editor...it will always be a prominent memory from our time in Miami.
Until we meet again,
The Editor
THE EDITOR IS MARRIED!
While this space is usually reserved for the most important PTA news, I have taken some liberties with my position and term in office to announce that The Editor now has a Mrs. Editor. My family married Lali (Bercovich) Teitelbaum's family on December 27, 2008, on the beach near the Key Biscayne Lighthouse in front of a very small group of family.
We are all very happy together and Mr. & Mrs. Editor and the "Editoritos" are all very excited to start our new family life together.
WINTER SHOWCASE DVD COMING SOON
The 6th Annual Ada Merritt Winter Showcase, titled "Songs for the Season" and underwritten by the AM PTA, was beautifully performed at the Manual Artime Theater on December 9th. I warned you you'd miss out on something special if you didn't attend, and I was SOOO right! Those who were there enjoyed some of the best, Tony-worthy, musical performances since "Rent" left Broadway.
How about cello soloist, Patrick Barham? Fantastic! And the group singing "A Perfect Winter Day" was precious!
But, if you DID miss it, there's good news...you will soon be able to buy the DVD. That's right, it's now in post-production and can be ordered by giving your room parent $20 in an envelope with your name, telephone number, email address and quantity needed (they will make great stocking stuffers next year!).
Order early and often...you'll be contacted when they are ready.
YOUR PTA AT WORK
The PTA is always hard at work improving the culture at AM for the students and teachers. In addition to funding the Winter Showcase, the PTA has funded....
holiday bonuses for the non-teaching staff in the main office, cafeteria, security, and maintenance areas. These people work hard to make things at school safe, clean, and delicious...they deserve our thanks as well as the bonuses.
the Mad Science presentation for 5th graders. Now, I don't know exactly what that is but it sounds really cool. And the fact that the PTA agreed to fund it sounds cool, too!
BE PART OF THE GREEN TEAM
Students (and parents, where appropriate) can participate in the following ways:
Write an essay (not YOU, parents!) telling how and why you protect the environment at our school. Weekly winners will read their essays during the morning announcements! Submit essays to your teacher and they will be placed in the PTA mailbox.
Collect 10 or more items for the electronics recycling program and mark them with your name and place them in the school office.
Buy five of the PTA's reusable grocery bags, totaling $25 (OK, parents, this is perfect for you).
Join the "Drink Pouch Brigade" If you collect empty drink pouches (the foil-type ones, not juice boxes) and drop them in the collection buckets outside the office or in the cafeteria, you will be recycling and earning money for the PTA.
For more info on all of the above, please contact Theresa Pinto.
JOIN THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN TEAM
Parents, students, teachers & staff: You're invited to join our Butterfly Garden Team. We have exciting projects to help beautify & sustain our schoolyard and encourage outdoor learning. We need your participation in maintaining our ever-growing habitats with fun, outdoor, eco-friendly, hands-on projects. Many roles are available besides gardening, so don't be shy about volunteering.
Responsibility for the garden's continued success depends on all of us! Let's work together to continue to make Ada Merritt a unique oasis for our students. For more info on TBG contact Janet Forte.
Also, you should visit the Butterfly Garden blog at http://kidsgarden.wordpress.com It's full of photos and info and a great way to participate!
So don't wait, don't hesitate, get gardening and beautifying!
DADS WANTED
Admittedly, I am a dad. So, I think I can weigh in on this. If I were going to stay here, I'd be all over this like a kid at Christmas.
The PTA is interested in starting a SDU (Special Dads Unit). We need a few good men to organize the dads and identify their activities. Could be something in the butterfly garden or maybe something special for Field Day. Whatever you guys can take on!
This is a great opportunity to get involved with your kids and their school. I'm a dad, and I approve this message.
If interested, please contact Lisa Kauffman.
ADA MERRITT "BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION" PROGRAM
Do you tear off those little "box top for education" from your Kleenex and cereal boxes like me? If so, keep it up and bring them to school. If not, it's so easy that it might be harder NOT to do it! Make it a game in the house...have the kids go through every box, even the ones that still are being used, and have them cut the "box top" out so they can bring it to school.
Ada Merritt has set a goal of raising $500 through the program and so I encourage you to bring in your "box tops" and if you don't know what I'm talking about, visit the Box Tops for Education website to educate yourself or contact Lily Cadavid-Ponce, the Ada Merritt Box Top Coordinator.
SOCIAL STUDIES, PTA STYLE
While the teachers do most of the teaching, the Editor would like to offer a bit of a civics lesson for the students and parents.
Allow me to bring a few issues to your attention:
January 19th is Martin Luther King Day and although there's no school (YAY, Dr. King!), it's a national day of volunteer service. To honor MLK's life & teachings of non-violence, many communities in the country are celebrating by taking part in a community service project. For more info see: http://www.mlkday.gov
A truly historic moment will be happening on January 20th when President-Elect Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Everyone should take time to watch our new President as he takes over serious problems at a serious time in our nation's history. Check out this story about the coverage of the inauguration on TV.
Finally, and most importantly to our school, comes the news about the budget cuts to Florida schools. There have been many stories written about this in the local press and it's probably not news to many of you.
It's a serious problem...if parents and teachers want quality education and equitable teacher salaries they must make their voices known to those who represent us in Tallahassee. Call, write and visit our reps and senators, especially those on the education and budget committees, as well as Atwater and Sansom. For more information, contact Advocacy Committee Chair, Judy Schaechter.
ACHIEVE TOTAL PERSONAL FULFILLMENT - SELL PIZZA TO CHILDREN
Charesse Chester is looking for parents to help deliver cheesy goodness to our children every Wednesday afternoon. It only requires 1 hour (1:45PM - 2:45PM) of time and helps support one of PTA's greatest fundraising efforts.
So, in the name of feeding children and personal fulfillment, contact Charesse and get involved!
So, that's it for this week's Butterfly.
Thank you, again, for your support and encouragement over the years. Stay involved in the school and, if you're interested in taking over as The Editor, you can send an email to The Editor.
All the best,
Steve Teitelbaum
See you in the halls!
The Editor
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