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 [email protected] 11/29/2020 |