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The PTA is proud to announce our newest art teacher, Tori Caldwell. Ms. Caldwell is a native Mobilian with an art degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. Being very active in our local art community, she has worked with the Mobile Arts Council, floral designer Ron Barrett, and many other local artists to gain knowledge and experience through various creative styles. Her ultimate goal is to enrich the Mobile community by inspiring our youth to find their inner artist. Ms. Caldwell has been teaching private art lessons for 4 years to children ages 3 to 18 and is so excited to expand her teaching style, directly benefiting our students at Mary B. Austin. Welcome, Ms. Caldwell! The PTA is excited to welcome Laura Scott back to her second year of teaching art at Mary B. Austin Elementary! Mrs. Scott comes from an education background and has been an avid art maker her whole life. She is an Austin parent and co-owner of New Hand Signs. She is thrilled to have Ms. Caldwell join her this year as they work in tandem to offer weekly art lessons to every student at every grade level throughout the year. Welcome back, Mrs. Scott! We are so excited to jump in and have a great year! If you have any questions, you can reach us at marybaustinvolunteer@gmail.com Please meet Your 2021/2022 PTA board members: President: Ryann Wilcoxon Vice President: Stephanie Bradford Secretary/Parent-Communications Coordinator: Catherine Rainey Treasurer: Annie Strange Student Opportunities/Recognition Coordinator: Taja Mack Teacher Appreciation Coordinator: Erin Cooke Yard Improvement Coordinator: Raven Johnson Special Events Coordinator: Christie Rothschild Art from the Heart Coordinator: Shellie Teague Mary B. Austin is the place to BEE!  Thank you 2020-2021 PTA Board! As we wrap up the 2020-2021 school year, we want to thank our dedicated and hard-working PTA Board for a job well done in this most challenging pandemic school year! Our PTA board, along with countless other parent volunteers, worked hard to make sure our students and faculty had the best year possible. A huge thank you goes to:
Celebrate the Staff in May To show our love and gratitude, the PTA coordinates with a different grade level each month to provide our teachers/staff with some special treats or snacks. Our teachers and staff loved their Old Dutch ice cream provided by our fourth grade parents in April! As we close out the 2020-2021 school year, its time for our fifth grade parents to show our faculty some love! Fifth grade parents are assigned the month of May and are collecting donations to cover the cost of Frios pops for teachers/staff on Monday, May 24. Thank you to those who have already contributed. Fifth grade parents still wishing to help out can send a contribution via Venmo to @Austin-PTA. For questions or more information, contact your child's room parent. Box Tops for Education As the school year wraps up and summer break begins, don't forget to scan your grocery receipts in the Box Tops for Education app! The Mary B. Austin PTA can earn CASH year-round through the Box Tops for Education program. If you haven't done so already, make sure to download the app and start scanning your grocery receipts today! Visit the Box Tops for Education site to learn more and get started. Amazon Smile Even during summer break, your Amazon purchases can continue to support Mary B. Austin! Through the Amazon Smile program, Amazon will donate a portion of qualifying purchases to the Mary B. Austin PTA. Please take a few moments to set up Amazon Smile in your Amazon app, or in your browser. Every little bit helps and this is a no-brainer way to support our PTA and school. For a quick step-by-step to get started, visit this page.
Art from the Heart 2021 - a virtual Student Art Show & FundraiserMonday, April 19, marks the start of the 14th annual Art from the Heart Student Art Show & Fundraiser. Due to continued Covid-19 precautions, the event will be held virtually this year. Art from the Heart raises the funds necessary to continue Mary B. Austin’s PTA-supported fine arts program, which includes year-round, weekly art instruction for ALL students and weekly music instruction for 1st and 2nd grade students. The event will take place online and includes an opportunity to view and purchase student art, as well as an auction featuring some amazing and unique Mary B. Austin experiences. All of the info you need for the event can be found in this newsletter, on the Art from the Heart web page, on the Mary B. Austin PTA Facebook page and the Art from the Heart Facebook event. We can’t wait for a full week of celebrating and supporting Mary B. Austin’s PTA-supported fine arts program!  Student Art Show - How it works!Our student art show will be open from Monday, April 19-Friday, April 23 and can be found HERE. Here’s how it works: Go to the Student Art Show anytime between Monday, April 19-Friday, April 23.
 Online Auction - How it works!Would your student love to be a teacher for the day, or maybe even principal for the day? Or maybe your student would enjoy the chance to smush a pie in a teacher's face? How do you feel about a prime spot in the carpool line? The Art from the Heart 2021 online auction will provide the opportunity to bid on "teacher for the day" experiences, special Mary B. Austin privileges, and "pie in the face" opportunities, all in support of our PTA-supported fine arts program! Here's everything you need to know about this year's Art from the Heart auction:
 We extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to the following sponsors of the 2021 Art from the Heart Student Art Show & Fundraiser! Platinum Level - $1,000
Silver Level - $500
Partner Level - $250
$150
Supporter - $100
Thank you volunteer committee!A big shout out to the amazing Mary B. Austin parents who joined together to make Art from the Heart 2021 a reality!
 "Austin Artists" T-shirtsIf you ordered a special edition "Austin Artists" t-shirt for your student(s), please have them wear their shirts on Friday, April 23 in celebration of Art from the Heart week! These shirts are official Mary B. Austin spirit shirts and can also be worn on Fridays during the rest of the school year (and future school years). We only have a few extras available, so check out the Mary B. Austin Spirit Store to snag one while they last.
Art from the Heart - Become a sponsor today!
Limited Edition "Austin Artists" T-shirt benefitting Art from the Heart
Download the Box Tops app and be entered to win a prize!
Calling all 3rd grade parents: March Teacher/Staff TreatsTo show our love and gratitude, the PTA coordinates with a different grade level each month to provide our teachers/staff with some special treats or snacks. In February, our second grade parents provided Bake My Day cookies and our teachers/staff were thrilled with their sweet treat (see photos above). Now its time for our third grade parents to show our faculty some love! Third grade parents have the month of March and are collecting donations to provide all teachers and staff with a coffee treat from Yellowhammer coffee. Thank you to those who have already contributed. Third grade parents still wishing to help out can send a contribution via Venmo to @Austin-PTA. For questions or more information, contact your child's room parent or class representative. Virtual PTA Meeting - Tuesday, March 23
Spirit Store Sale
Take a look at these important updates and events happening at Mary B. Austin Elementary this month: Art from the Heart 2021: an online student art show and sale We are thrilled to announce plans for Art from the Heart 2021! Due to continued Covid-19 safety precautions, the PTA has decided to shift from an in-person event to an online student art show and sale. Throughout the week of April 19-23, student art will be displayed online for viewing and purchase. Stay tuned for more information coming soon! Calling all 2nd grade parents: Let's show our teachers some love!To show our love and gratitude, the PTA coordinates with a different grade level each month to provide our teachers/staff with some special treats or snacks. Our teachers and staff loved their Mardi Gras themed treats provided by our first grade parents in January (see photos above). Now its time for our second grade parents to show our faculty some love! Second grade parents are assigned the month of February and have something extra "sweet" planned. Thank you to those who have already contributed. Second grade parents still wishing to help out can send a contribution via Venmo to 2nd grade parent Ryann Wilcoxon (@Ryann-Wilcoxon). For questions or more information, contact your child's room parent. Save the Date: Virtual PTA Meeting, March 23, 2021 Mark your calendars and plan to join our virtual PTA meeting on Tuesday, March 23 at 8pm. More details coming soon! Two easy ways to support Mary B. Austin: Amazon Smile and Box Tops for Education Did you know your Amazon purchases can benefit Mary B. Austin? When you purchase qualifying items, Amazon will donate a portion of the price to the Mary B. Austin PTA. Please take a few moments to set up Amazon Smile in your Amazon app, or in your browser. Every little bit helps and this is a no-brainer way to support our PTA and school. For a quick step-by-step to get started, visit this page.  Another easy way to support our school is through the Box Tops for Education program. You shop for your usual groceries, scan your receipt in the Box Tops app, and Mary B. Austin PTA receives a percentage of purchases in CASH. Visit the Box Tops for Education site to learn more and get started! If you have unexpired box tops, you may send those in to school with your student in a plastic bag or envelope marked "Box Tops" NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 25.
Take a look at these important updates and events happening at Mary B. Austin Elementary this month: Campus Clean-up - January 23 Make plans to lend a hand on Saturday, January 23, 8am-12pm, for our first campus clean-up of the year. Mary B. Austin volunteers will be spreading new mulch on the playground, as well as general schoolyard cleanup tasks such as picking up limbs, trimming hedges, etc. Wheelbarrows/carts, pitchforks, shovels, and garden rakes are needed to spread the mulch. Many hands make light work! Make plans to help our school look its best for 2021! Help us spread the word by sharing the event on Facebook. Earn cash for Mary B. Austin with the groceries you already buy An easy way to support our school is through the Box Tops for Education program. You shop for your usual groceries, scan your receipt in the Box Tops app, and Mary B. Austin PTA receives a percentage of purchases in CASH. Visit the Box Tops for Education site to learn more and get started! If you have unexpired box tops, you may send those in to school with your student in a plastic bag or envelope marked "Box Tops" NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 25. Calling all first grade parents: Stock the Break Room Our teachers and staff go above and beyond every day for the students at Mary B. Austin. To show them our love and appreciation, the PTA coordinates with a different grade level each month to stock the teacher break room with treats and special snacks. First grade parents are assigned the month of January and we ask that parents send in prepackaged items like snacks, bottled drinks, Keurig coffee pods, or sweet treats. For more information, contact your child's room parent. Support Mary B. Austin PTA with your Amazon purchases Did you know your Amazon purchases can benefit Mary B. Austin? When you purchase qualifying items, Amazon will donate a portion of the price to our school. Please take a few moments to set up Amazon Smile in your Amazon app, or in your browser. Every little bit helps and this is a no-brainer way to support our school. For a quick step-by-step to get started, visit this page.
Dear Mary B. Family,
One of the many unfortunate consequences of life in the time of COVID is the limited opportunities we have to get to know each other. There are so many families at Mary B. Austin that I have not met yet. I am writing this letter to introduce the PTA leadership team and give you a short update on some of the things going on with MBA PTA. As you know there has been very little that is “normal” about this year. It seems like everything we do in 2020 requires treading new ground. We are thankful that the MBA teachers and staff have done such a wonderful job navigating everything from online school to COVID precautions (and so much else). Be sure to thank your teachers, Mrs. Whigham, and the whole staff for going above and beyond in this difficult time! With our currently limited fundraising capability, we haven’t been able to do all the things we normally do to encourage our teachers and staff. However, we have several things in the works. In December, we will be delivering gifts to teachers and staff to say “thank you” for all they do. We are also coordinating a monthly stocking of the break room with goodies to encourage everyone doing so much for our kids. We want to support however we can. If you know of (or are) a teacher who needs something for the classroom, please let us know. We will do everything we can to meet any classroom needs that arise. In October, we had our school yard clean up day. We got a lot done and had a good time doing it! We are especially thankful to the good folks at Spring Hill Presbyterian for partnering with us. It was a great opportunity for parents, staff and the community to come together to do good for the school. We will do another clean up day in January to spread mulch and continue improving our school grounds. We really hope you’ll make plans to join! Our Art program continues to run strong as Mrs. Couch has stepped up and taken on all grades this year. We appreciate her great work and are so thankful to have her. Know that PTA remains committed to providing art opportunities for all of our students. I am so proud of our PTA Board for stepping up during this challenging year. Erin Cooke (VP & Merchandise), Raven Johnson (VP), Annie Strange (Treasurer), Stephanie Bradford (Secretary), Andy Rodriguez (Parliamentarian) & Crystal Galloway (Teacher Representative) have gone above and beyond what is expected of a team of volunteers. But there is so much more we want to do! We need more parent involvement. We want parents involved in areas in which they are passionate. If you want to be more involved please email me and we will get you plugged in! Finally, be sure to mark your calendar for our next big PTA meeting on Tues, 3/23/21 at 7pm. We really hope to see everyone then. We will be posting the details of this meeting as well as everything else happening in our Facebook group. Be sure to join so you can stay active and aware of meetings and events coming up. Thanks y’all! Sincerely, Johnny Peters, PTA President Johnny@BlueBirdTherapy.com 11/29/2020 |
