SJLES PTA News 4/9/24

Wed, 04/10/2024 - 4:52pm

 

SJLES: Bingo 4/12 || Yearbooks & Hershey Park: 4/12 || May Day 5/11

We hope to see you on Friday for Bingo night at SJLES! Reminder, if it rains, the event will be held in the gym.

 

The PTA Needs YOU!

Now is the time to get involved! Our PTA is accepting nominations for next year's board! Elections take place at the May meeting (which will be in person), so the time to nominate is now! Our open positions are:

  • President

  • 1st Vice President

  • Recording Secretary

  • PTA Council of Howard County Representatives (2 positions open)

Nominations are accepted via this online form - click here to access!

The PTA’s work helps build a sense of community among SJLES families and create lasting memories for students! And surprise… Volunteering for the school in this way is so rewarding!

As a more somber recruitment pitch, without a president, our school will not have a PTA at all next year. That will mean no teacher/staff appreciation events, no funds for teachers and grade-level teams, no family fun events like Turkey Trot or May Day, and no representation of SJLES at the county PTA council.

You can do it! When Katie took this position last year, she thought “What am I doing?!”. But now she thinks “I love what I'm doing! It's fun, we have a strong school community, and my PTA work fills me with pride (and it was not as time consuming as I had thought....)!” If you have questions or want to talk it over, please reach out to her (current President Katie Brewer) at SJLES.PTAmail@gmail.com.

Healthy Minds, Healthy Me Program: Introduction to Mental Well-being

The goal of our SJLES Healthy Minds, Healthy Me program is to connect our families to meaningful resources that help build the mental well-being of our kids and community, one step at a time. This week the focus is on an introduction to mental well-being, creating an action plan with your family, and resources to get help now.

LEARN: 

TAKE ACTION:

GET SUPPORT: 

  • Immediate (mental health crisis): If you or a loved one needs assistance or is thinking of suicide, please get help immediately. 

    • Dial 9-8-8: If you have a behavioral health crisis or just need someone to talk to, whether about yourself or your loved one, 988 provides free and confidential support from highly trained professionals who can help you through it.

    • Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211.org: With the most comprehensive database of information about local resources and services, 211.org offers caring, local experts to help, 24/7.  Calls are confidential and anonymous.

  • Help for your child at school: reach out to the school counselors (Rebecca Poirier and Amanda Diaz), your child’s teacher or Mr. Notari / Ms. Coleman.

  • Help for your family at home: your child’s pediatrician or a Primary Care Physician (PCP) can connect your family to mental health services and providers in your community. Reaching out to them should be your first step. 

To access all resources, visit the Healthy Minds, Healthy Me program page on the PTA Website.

Two Big Deadlines Approaching

Yearbook Orders and Hershey Park Ticket Orders are both due THIS Friday, April 12!

All yearbooks must be pre-ordered by April 12 and this deadline can not be extended.  Order online through the Strawbridge website by following the steps outlined right here. The cost of each book is $20. If you have any questions, please send an email to jmi624@gmail.com.

Save $5 per ticket at Hershey Park!  If you’ve misplaced your flyer, no worries. You can download and print a new one here, or order online at the online PTA store.  The April 12 deadline can not be extended - so order today! Feel free to share this info with your family and friends!

Ways You Can Get Involved at May Day on 5/11!

Please consider helping us with May Day on Saturday, May 11th from 1p to 5p (rain date 5/18).  The reason May Day runs smoothly every year is because we are lucky to have great volunteers! We’d love to have your help! Please check out these links for a range of fun opportunities to get involved:

Please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Jane Fisher, with any questions at SJLES.volunteer@gmail.com. This event, held on Saturday May 11th, is an annual highlight for SJLES students, and a long-running community favorite. Thank you for helping to make it so much fun!

 

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