Dear Parents! Saludos Padres! Prezados Pais!
Looking Back and Looking Forward:
A Message from the 2011-2012 PTA
President and Executive Committee
Looking Back:
What did We Accomplish in 2010-11?
Causes: Health and wellness was our focus, with a continued emphasis on
making our school and our programs more consistent with healthy bodies
and a healthy planet for our children. Working toward this goal, we continued
recycling and using recycled materials, offered healthier food choices, held
school dances, and won the State PTA’s Friends of the Environment Award!
Cash: We donated approximately $18,000 to place Smart Boards in
classrooms, $5,000 for teachers’ classroom supplies, $4,000 for teacher
grants for training and special projects, $3,200 for graphing calculators for
algebra students, $6,000 for assemblies and events at the school, $7,000 for
student recognition/incentives (Student of the Month, Accelerated Reader,
and Academic), $2,500 funding for the art program, $1,000 to repair the
playground shade structure, and sponsored teacher valentines, teacher/staff
appreciation week and holiday gift cards for cafeteria and security staff.
Looking Forward:
What will We Accomplish in 2011-12?
Increase Membership: Our goal is to have every Ada Merritt family
represented by at least one PTA member, and if a family chooses not to join,
we want to know why. Children are proud when they see their parents
selling pizza, taking tickets, or helping set up for programs at school. Studies
consistently show that increased parent involvement improves our children’s
performance in school. When parent involvement happens through the PTA,
the effect is more powerful. Organized voices are heard more easily than
individual ones. Working together is more constructive than simply working.
Contact: Patricia Cruz at realtorpcruz@gmail.com.
Streamline Communication: How can we get the word out without
cramming your in-boxes with repetitive, conflicting or duplicate messages?
We will be working to create a communication network that serves you
without driving you crazy.
Contact: Dania Gorriz at gorrizd@unitedwaymiami.org.
Grow With Our Students: Trying to better meet the needs of our middle
school students, we will be considering changing to a PTSA (parent, teacher,
student association), and looking for more age-appropriate ways to support
the MYP curriculum. Ada Merritt was formed as an elementary school, but in
2011-12 we are almost half middle school. What should we change?
Contact: Carolyn West at west.carolyn@gmail.com.
2011 PTA Elected Officers:
Carolyn West - President
Dania Gorriz - Communications VP
Amarilis San Pedro - Fundraising VP
Patricia Cruz - Membership VP
Leda Barham - Corresponding Secretary
Alton Sears - Recording Secretary
Georgina Fernandez - Treasurer
All of these efforts are made possible through fundraising.
To volunteer or assist with fundraising events contact:
Amarilis San Pedro
amapen319@comcast.net
