| In This Issue: | Please forward this newsletter on to new families with students at Mantua Elementary. The PTA is experiencing a delay in obtaining student contact information this year, and this email may not be reaching everyone. Thank you!Important Upcoming DatesOctober 10: PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Mantua Library
October 11: Basketball Registration Deadline
October 11: Spirit Wear Orders Due
October 14: School Closed - Columbus Day Holiday
October 17: First Kids Care Club Meeting, 4:00 p.m.
October 18: Fall Box Tops Contest Ends
October 18: Pokemon & Trading Card Night, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
October 26: Run for Rocky, 9:00 a.m.
October 31: Fall Spirit Parade, 2:30 p.m.
October General PTA Meeting
The monthly PTA meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 10th in the Mantua Elementary library. The PTA will continue to alternate its monthly meeting schedule between day and evening meetings to help accommodate varying parent schedules. There is no better place to learn from Ms. Fernandez about today's hot school topics. Come say hello to our school principal and our assistant principals, Ms. Tingler and Ms. Alley.
To view a draft version of the minutes from the September PTA meeting, please visit:
http://www.mantuapta.org/documents/minutes/archive.php
Are You Ready to Run for Rocky?
We are off to a great start with our fall fundraiser! Run for Rocky is a fun and healthy way to raise money and build community spirit! 100% of the funds raised from this event will benefit our students and school families by helping to fund programs, field trips, technology, teacher training and much more! For general information about the event, go to http://www.mantuapta.org/documents/run4rocky.pdf. You can find registration information and forms at http://www.mantuapta.org/documents/run4rockyreg.pdf.
Get friends and family to help you reach your fundraising goals by sharing this link! https://www.memberplanet.com/s/mantuaelementaryschoolpta/run4rockydonor.
Congratulations to Evan Rafferty in Mr. Malc's class! He was the lucky winner of last week's drawing for the MP3 player with video. We'll be raffling off the second MP3 player this Friday morning on GMM. To qualify to be the lucky winner, you must raise at least $50 in sponsor donations and turn them in by Thursday, October 10th. There are many more prizes to win - including two Kindle Fires!
If you have any questions, please contact merifarling@hotmail.com.
The Run for Rocky Needs Your HELP!
Please help with Run for Rocky 2013. Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
- Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/RSZCFp.
- Enter your email address. You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot.
- Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact Meri Farling at merifarling@hotmail.com to sign up.
The PTA Wants You!
Are you looking to get involved at Mantua? The PTA is looking for a few parents who are interested in helping with our Spring Carnival. Are you up to the challenge? If you are interested, please contact merifarling@hotmail.com.
Join MemberPlanet
... and save the world as well as your sanity - one piece of paper at a time! MP allows us to share important forms, waivers, and sign-ups electronically, which you can sign and submit using any computer or smart device without ever leaving your favorite chair. Can't find your invitation? Email Paige Rushing at PaigeRushing@gmail.com for another one.
Verify Your Contact Information
Work on our coveted PTA Student Directory is in full swing! Please help us out by completing the back-to-school packet (linked below), which allows you to update your contact info and contains important stuff like an activity-wide permission slip, a directory release, and so much more.
1. Log into MemberPlanet if you have an account (if you don't you can still fill the form out, but your known information won't auto-populate)
2. Click this link:
memberplanet.com/packetview/mantuaelementaryschoolpta/welcomebacktoschoolmantua
Advertise in the Mantua Directory
If you or your business would like to advertise in the PTA Student Directory, please go to memberplanet.com/packetview/mantuaelementaryschoolpta/busads or contact monika.brenner@dhs.gov for a form. Ad fees help us cover the cost of printing the directory and start at $45. Know a business that may be interested? Please pass along their info to Monika and she'll reach out to them! Note: if there were errors in your family's entry in last year's directory, please bring them to Monika's attention.
MusIQ Club Registration Still Open!
Great news! You can still register for MusIQ Club. This is a great music program on Tuesdays or Thursdays (depending on your grade). Students learn to read music, play piano, improvise and compose. Lessons are on a keyboard, but purchase is not required. For more information, go to http://mantuapta.org/documents/fall2013musIQ.pdf or email Angie Chong at angiechong@musiqclub.com.
Basketball Registration Ends This Friday!
All Mantua students in 3rd-6th are eligible to register for the PTA basketball league. Registration: $60 for PTA members, $65 for nonmembers. Registrations cannot be accepted after Friday, October 11th. Find more information at the Mantua Basketball website at http://www.mantuabasketball.org. Contact Dan Lash at commissioner@mantuabasketball.org with any questions.
Spirit Wear
Last call for spirit wear orders. The deadline for orders is Friday, October 11th. Show your school spirit and order today! Items include t shirts, polo/golf shirts, sweats, basketball shorts, dry fit performance shirts and pajama pants. Samples are displayed in the cafeteria. Order forms can be downloaded from the PTA website. Completed order forms with payment should be returned to the PTA mailbox. Delivery will be November 6th. Items will come home in your child's backpack. Contact Kathleen DeCarlo at kdecarlo@verizon.net with any questions.
Pokemon and Other Trading Card Family Fun Night
Join us for Mantua's annual PTA Family Fun Pokemon and Other Trading Cards Game Night on Friday, October 18th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the school cafeteria. Pack up your Pokemon cards or other trading cards and bring them for an evening of card trading and game playing with friends. If you are new to Pokemon then learn how to play the game with our expert game guide, Tim Foley and his staff. There is no fee to attend, however children must be accompanied by an adult to attend. Contact Kathleen DeCarlo at kdecarlo@verizon.net with any questions.
AMC-8 Mathematics Exam to Be Administered at Mantua
Is your child a mathematics lover? If so you may want to learn about the American Mathematics Competitions 8 (AMC-8) examination. As a parent initiative, the test will be administered on Tuesday, November 19th at Mantua Elementary School.
The AMC-8 exam is a challenge appropriate for students very interested in mathematics that are enrolled in 6th grade, as well as 5th grade students capable of solving at least half the questions on an previous AMC-8 exam. The exam format is 25 multiple choice questions during a 40 minute period and is administered by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). For additional information about the exam and a list of sample questions, go to http://www.maa.org/math-competitions.
If you are interested in taking the test or have further questions, please contact Mantua parents Jin Kang at jinkang1997@yahoo.com or László Péntek at Mr_Laszlo_2@yahoo.com or telephone (703) 725-3818. Please contact Mr. Kang or Mr. Pentek no later than Friday, October 26th to sign up for the test. Also each participating student’s parent is encouraged (but voluntarily) to donate $5. We will collect it and give it to PTA as an appreciation of its support.
Kids Care Club
Mantua's Kids Care Club was established in 1997 as part of the nationwide Kids Care Club. The mission of the Mantua Kids Care Club is to help those less fortunate and encourage Mantua students to participate in community service activities. The Kids Care Club is open to all children in Kindergarten-6th grade and is run by parent volunteers. We meet after school on the third Thursday of the month in the upper pod from 4:00-4:45 p.m. The first meeting is planned for Thursday, October 17th. All are welcome!
Following are examples of this year's planned activities: - Raking leaves for senior citizens in the Mantua neighborhood
- Assisting with the annual Roberta Romano "Raccoon Run" 5K fundraiser for Life With Cancer
- Organizing various donation collection boxes throughout the year
To sign up, please use the following link to MemberPlanet: https://memberplanet.com/packetview/mantuaelementaryschoolpta/registrationptaclassesclubs. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Smith at ndbames@gmail.com or 703-383-5808. Amy is looking for 1-2 parent volunteers to assist with each meeting.
Box Tops Contest
The Fall Box Tops Contest is under way! Please send in your box tops through Friday, October 18th. Send in Box Tops and Labels for Education labels in a plastic zip bag with your teacher's name and grade on it. Labels should be dropped in the collection box by the front office. Please do not send in expired labels. A special prize will be awarded for the class bringing in the most labels. Please contact Sandy Spector at sandy.spector@gmail.com with any questions. More information can be found at http://www.mantuapta.org/documents/boxtops.pdf.
Reflections 2013!
It's time to Dream, Believe and Inspire! If you want to showcase your talent in the areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts, then the PTA Arts Reflections program is for you! Take some time to reflect on the theme - "Dream. Believe. Inspire" - then let your creative juices flow! All entries must be submitted to the PTA mail room no later than November 1st. To obtain an entry form and participation rules visit the Mantua PTA website. If you have additional questions, please contact Lori Prendergast at loripren@yahoo.com.
Counselor's Corner
International Walk to School Day: For the third consecutive year, students in Fairfax County Public Schools will join together to participate in International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 9th. The day is celebrated as a way to promote physical activity while reducing traffic congestion and pollution near schools. All students are encouraged to walk or bike to school where safe to do so or walk to their bus stops on October 9. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school.
Making Fairfax County Public Schools the Very Best It Can Be
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Karen Garza invites employees, parents, and citizens to share ideas on ways to make the Fairfax County school system the very best it can be. Please share your idea by entering it into the box below. After submitting your idea, click the “Search” button. You’ll be able to assign your idea to a category and weight its value by placing votes. You can also vote and comment on existing ideas. Thank you for your participation!
http://fcps.uservoice.com/forums/217796-making-fairfax-county-public-schools-the-very-best
Advanced Academic Programs Parent Conference
This conference will be held on Saturday, October 26th at West Springfield High School. The time of the conference is 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The topics covered will include Levels of AAP Services, Identification, Creative & Critical Thinking Lessons, Parent Forum, and more.
Translators
Translators comprise another vital part of our outreach efforts. We want every Mantua ES family to feel included and connected—should families need to have a document translated into their native language, our volunteers are here to help!
Email Shoshi Kalderon at shoshi.kalderon@yahoo.com if you have any questions about or would like to volunteer as an ambassador or translator with Mantua ES’s Community Building Network. |
