Mary Woodward PSO

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November is almost over and families are getting ready for the holidays! As I look back on the last month of school, the PSO sure has been busy!

We held class harvest parties on October 31st that allowed students to take a break from school work and enjoy the company of their classmates and teachers. A huge thank you to all of the room parents that stepped up to plan a fun afternoon for the students! As part of the harvest celebrations, we held our annual staff pumpkin decorating contest. A huge thank you to those that joined in on the fun. The entries each year get more and more creative! I am glad the kids got to vote, as I am not sure that I could have picked a winner (they were all so good!).

We thank you for continuing to “dine out” to support Mary Woodward each month. We recently did a successful event at Panda Express and have Red Robin lined up for December. I don’t know about you, but any excuse to not have to cook is welcome.

Last Friday was our first Movie Night of the school year and I could not believe the attendance! Kids and parents both seemed to have a great time. We ran out of popcorn, pizza and candy, so I guess that says something! If you were not able to join us this time, don’t worry, we plan to host another movie night in the spring.

The PSO is hosting Volunteer Training on Monday, November 27th from 4:30 -5:30 PM at school in the library. We encourage all volunteers to attend whether you are a committee chair, room parent or classroom volunteer. We will cover all you need to know about volunteering, how to get reimbursed for expenses, expectations and more. If you plan to attend, please sign-up using the following link, so we can plan accordingly. Volunteer Training 2023 — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com

While we continue to plan fun events for this school year, we are already starting to think about next school year (sounds crazy…I know!). Several of our committee chairs and/or PSO board members have students moving on to middle school. If you are interested in learning more about the PSO, we would love to hear from you. Getting involved this year will give you the opportunity to see how it all works and hit the ground running for next year. We have our December PSO Meeting scheduled for the evening of December 7th at 6:00 pm using Google Meet. Everyone is welcome to join!

As always, we hope you will stay connected with us as we have so many exciting things planned! We thank you for all that you do to help support the PSO and make our school a wonderful place to learn!

Susan Purfield

PSO President 2023-2024

Each month, we ask for the help of 2 grades to stock the staff room. Families who are interested are asked to bring in drinks, fruit, yogurt, individual size snacks, etc. for teachers and staff to enjoy. Donations can be brought in any time during the month and left in the wagon just inside the front doors. These donations are so appreciated by staff, just see the note below!

In December, 4th and 5th grade families are invited to stock the staff room. Thank you for keeping the spirits of our staff high!

It's that time of year again! The MW staff LOVE the annual cookie exchange the PSO puts on for them every year- it's one of their favorite events.

How it works:

• use this link to sign up and let us know what you plan to bring
• label your goodies if they are nut/gluten/dairy free etc.
• drop off 2-4 dozen homemade or store-bought cookies/treats to the office on Wednesday, December 13th or by 12pm on Thursday Dec 14th
• Make sure your platter or containers can be disposed of (or you don't need them back).
• Cookies and treats will be set out for staff on Thursday, Dec 14 and they will fill their plates with your goodies to take home!

Thank you!

~Karen Jensen, Your Staff Appreciation Chair

Dear Mary Woodward Families and Friends,

Get ready for an evening of excitement, laughter, and community spirit! We are thrilled to announce that tickets are now available for purchase for the upcoming Mary Woodward Elementary School Spring Auction! To purchase tickets visit our website!

Attend the Auction Live or Online: Join us on Saturday April 20, 2024 at Tualatin Country Club for an evening of fun, camaraderie, and community spirit! Bring your friends and family along to enjoy the excitement of the auction, bid on fantastic items, and support our school's initiatives. Can't attend the onsite event on Saturday, April 20, 2024? Online Bidding is available to all Mary Woodward families and friends April 13-20, 2024!

This is your chance to come together with fellow parents, teachers, and friends to support our school in a fun and meaningful way. The Spring Auction promises an array of fantastic items up for bid, from unique experiences to must-have treasures, all while raising funds to enhance the educational journey for our students.

How You Can Get Involved:

Purchase Your Ticket:

$60 Per Person

Tickets include light appetizers, buffet dinner prepared by the head chef at the Tualatin Country Club & complimentary glass of champagne!

VIP Table for 8 People - $600

Want to sit with 7 of your favorite Mary Woodward Supporters? Get a VIP Table! VIP Tables are $600 and include early entry to the auction and 3 bottles of wine.

Spread the Word: Share the news with your friends and family! The more, the merrier. Let's make this event a true community celebration.

Stay Tuned: Keep an eye out for more details and sneak peeks of the incredible items that will be available for bidding. We guarantee there's something for everyone.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we can't wait to see you at the Mary Woodward Elementary School Spring Auction. Let's make it a night to remember!

Warm regards,

Mary Woodward Auction Committee (auction@marywoodwardpso.com)

Do you have any fun and memorable photos from volunteering in the classroom or attending a school event? They can be submitted for consideration in the school yearbook!

Two ways to submit:

- Head over to www.ybkpix.com and create an account (Mary Woodward School Code: 716908)bor

- Email them directly to: Yearbook@marywoodwardpso.com (there is also a QR Code on the PSO Board in the lobby at school to send photos via email)

We had so many incredible submissions for our 3rd-5th Grade Yearbook Cover Contest. Keep an eagle-eye out in the next few weeks via Newsletter (or Eagle's Nest) that will reveal the winning design for our 2023-2024 Yearbook Cover!

Jane Waldron

Mary Woodward PSO Yearbook Team (yearbook@marywoodwardpso.com)

Parents don't often have the chance to get to know anyone besides the child's classroom teacher and maybe some office staff. This year, the newsletter will feature a couple of staff each month just to help you put a face to some of the names that your student might come home talking about.

Angie has been teaching music at Mary Woodward for 29 years! Her experience and passion are obvious when you attend one of the grade-wide music performances featuring sweet songs and fun hand motions.

Angie's love of music started at a young age; she played the piano at 8 years old, started the flute in the 5th grade, and then went on to participate in various bands and choirs.

She and her husband have two adult daughters who are TTSD graduates and were once Mary Woodward Eagles! Angie enjoys hiking, concerts, photography and gardening. This winter you might find her working on a jigsaw puzzle, snowshoeing and spending lots of time with family and friends.

Suzanne is the Spanish bilingual secretary and bookkeeper of the school. She’s a former MW parent with four daughters who are now all college graduates. Suzanne’s prior experience in public health has made her a great addition to the team in 2020; she helped students stay connected during the pandemic by delivering food and clothes, troubleshooting technology, and more! Since then, Suzanne has been able to step into her bookkeeping role as Mrs. Shannon has taken over these responsibilities as the Family Partnership Advocate.Suzanne is always available for any Spanish-language needs!

Two fun facts about Suzanne are: she is fluent in three languages, and she has triplet

daughters!

Kristen has been a Learning Specialist with TTSD for 14 years at a variety of locations. For the last several years, we've been lucky enough to have her with us at Mary Woodward in the Learning Center. She has a second grade daughter in Mrs. Van Vleet's class and will have a son joining us for kindergarten next year. Kristen is even a Woodward graduate herself!

Kristen enjoys getting outside with her kids, shopping, and watching funny TV/movies. Right now her family is really in to The Grinch!

• Volunteers are still needed for a variety of things! Please review below and contact Bill Brown at volunteers@marywoodwardpso.com if you're interested in learning more!

  • Art Lit: help lead a 1 hour art project for the class once a month; additional volunteers are still needed for Orchard, Walker Otto, Rice, and Lowe
  • PSO Vice President: shadow the President this year and become the President next year
  • Library Helpers: volunteers are needed for Orchard (every Friday 9-9:30a) and Lowe (every other Thursday 9:05-9:35a)
  • Multicultural Night Chair: oversee Multicultural Night in May with the support of a committee
  • Room Parents: take charge of class parties and auction baskets; help is needed for Rice, Bell, McCombs-Frye, Van Vleet and Petersen
  • Afterschool Enrichment: arrange for contractors to provide activities to take place after school
  • Carnival Committee: help choose a theme, select activities and food for this May event

The PSO reserves a premium parking space to be given to one volunteer each month. The lucky winner is chosen from a raffle of the top 5 volunteers in the previous month. Their name is added to the sign and they're welcome to park in that space during all hours for the entire month.

It is still too early in the month to select this month's parking space winner, with a whole week of November left, but expect to see this announced on Facebook soon. Now is the time to log in and report any volunteer hours that aren't already logged! Just go here: https://www.helpcounterweb.com/ci/volunteer. Good luck!

The PSO funds field trips, reading instruction, the garden, the science fair, staff appreciation, OBOB and Art Literacy among other things. The PSO has become an essential part of Mary Woodward, bringing regular family events to the school such as movie and bingo nights, the family dance and multicultural night. We work hard to fundraise to keep these events going and truly could not do it without the support of our amazing Woodward families and community.

However, the PSO cannot exist without a PSO President. This role is filled by the President Elect each year. Last spring, we elected a President Elect for this year, but a change in circumstances prevented the elected person from being able to serve on the PSO this year. We now find ourselves without a President Elect, meaning that we don't have a President slated to take over next year!

Please consider joining our 2023-24 PSO team as the President Elect. This role allows you to truly learn what you'll be taking on the following year. Two people could also choose to be co-President Elects if they prefer.

If you have any questions at all about the role, please reach out to Susan Purfield at president@marywoodwardpso.com.

PSO hosted the second annual pumpkin decorating contest for staff. Students and staff alike were excited to see the pumpkins suddenly turn up in the library. Students each got to vote for their favorite pumpkin and Mrs. Van Vleet's Dog Man pumpkin took first place! Ms. Bell took 2nd place with her gumball machine pumpkin and Mrs. Cox got 3rd place for her movie night popcorn pumpkin. It was a huge hit.

Our Staff Appreciation Chair put together a continental breakfast for staff earlier this month. There was more than enough food for everyone...for days! Thank you for your generous donations that made this possible. These efforts are always so appreciated.

The fall garden clean up is complete! Thanks to all the hard workers who came out to lend a hand. A special thanks to the National Honors Society from Tigard High. It may not have been possible without them!

Our first movie night of the year was a packed house! We ran out of food and space! Kids loved showing up to school with blankets in their pjs, ready to see friends and watch a movie. Volunteers helped keep lines short and started popping popcorn hours before doors opened. Thank you all for your help!

November's dine out event was Panda Express. Thanks for supporting the PSO and local businesses. We hope you enjoyed treating yourselves to a night off from cooking and easy clean up!

The spirit wear orders have been delivered and proudly worn about school! It is fun to see how excited students get to find they're wearing the same shirt as their classmates. Don't forget that every Friday is school spirit day at Mary Woodward!

Mary Woodward PSO has an active presence on Facebook and Instagram. At either site, you'll find up-to-date information about upcoming events and other fun reminders. Our social media is the most immediate communication between the PSO and Woodward families, so you are encouraged to check it out! Links to both resources are below.

Jane Waldron is our fantastic social media coordinator. She can be reached at facebook@marywoodwardpso.com if you are running a PSO event that would benefit from online advertising.

Have something you want to see in next month's newsletter? Contact Stacey Beckman at newsletter@marywoodwardpso.com. PSO Newsletters come out the 4th Friday of the month.

These are a couple of easy opportunities to donate to Mary Woodward PSO.

We accept donations from Box Tops. All you need is the Box Tops app. Then you just submit photos of your receipts and the app scans for any qualifying purchases. The money goes straight to the PSO!

We also have a BottleDrop account. You can contribute to this two ways.

1. Pick up blue BottleDrop bags from the office. Fill them up and drop them off at the BottleDrop location at 14411 SW Pacific Hwy.
2. If you already have a BottleDrop account, you can donate from your account balance to the PSO. So, even if you've used the green bags, you can still help out! Go here to log in and donate from your personal account.

Thank you for helping to fund the PSO which supports the school with instructional assistants, fun events, teacher appreciation and many other ways.

Have something you want to see in next month's newsletter? Contact Stacey Beckman at newsletter@marywoodwardpso.com. PSO Newsletters come out the 4th Friday of the month.