January 22, 2024 – Dolphin Digest TPES PTA Weekly Newsletter

Reminder: NO SCHOOL Next Week: Monday, January 29th!

TPES/PBES PTA Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes from our PTA Meeting held last week on January 18th, are now available at our website and by clicking here.  While the slide deck that Ms. Oberdorf and Ms. Hollis presented are linked in the minutes, you may also find a shortcut here.

Support a TPES Family During a Time of Crisis
On behalf of a dear kindergarten student at TPES and his family, Ms. Paz has created a GoFundMe page. His mother, 26 year old Maria, passed suddenly from complications due to her leukemia. There are many medical expenses and the sudden death has complicated the family’s finances. Help is needed to pay for the hospital and funeral expenses, as well as continued care for the Kindergartner. Any contribution will be enormously appreciated. Click here to contribute to the GoFundMe.

Meal Train to Support a TPES Family in Crisis
Please consider signing up for a meal train to support this kindergarten student. There are no dietary restrictions. The meal can be delivered to Ms. Paz at TPES’s front office for the day you sign up. Please consider using a container that does not need to be returned like a disposable aluminum foil pan. Please provide a note (in Spanish preferred) of how to prepare. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Paz. Click here to sign up for the meal train.

PTA Working Group on Smartphones: Tuesday, January 30, 8-9PM
Did you get excited about the Wait Until Eighth campaign introduced at our October PTA meeting? A follow-up working group is meeting next week! Here’s the meeting link. Please contact Amber (amber.rieke@gmail.com) with any questions.

Next Food Forest and Gardening PTA Committee on Wednesday, January 24th 8-9PM
We have some great updates to share! Agenda includes planting in the spring, Spring Gardening Club update; and Green School recertification. Please email Erin Mohan mohan.erin.m@gmail.com for the Google Meet link.

Seeking Book Donations and Read-a-thon Co-Chairs
Like last year, we will kick off the 2024 Read-a-thon with a book giveaway! Each student will get to pick out a free book to jump-start their reading adventures. We are seeking donations of lightly-used books suitable for grades K-2. Because each child will receive a book, we need LOTS! If you have book donations, please reach out to Amanda Wagner (helloamandawagner@gmail.com). If you’d like to hear more about parent volunteer opportunities during the Read-a-thon or if you’d be interested in co-Chairing this event, please reach out about this as well!

Green School Recertifcation at TPES: Bring in dried-up markers and used-up glue sticks
There are 2 boxes in the Atrium, one for dried-up markers and one for used-up glue sticks. Please send your used items in with your child! We will send them to be recycled once the boxes are full! Let’s see how many pounds of plastics we can prevent from going into our landfills!

Kindness Day 2024: Saturday January 27 from 10:30-1pm at Piney Branch ES.  
In honor of Tommy Haskins, Small Things Matter is organizing its second annual Kindness Day. TPES PTA will have a table to invite families to write valentines to teachers and staff. There will be many other organizations and activities to spread kindness to the community!

Obeying Traffic Laws
Cars and trucks CANNOT go down the bus loop,(entering from Holly Avenue). If you find yourself going downhill through the bus loop, past the school (on your left), you are driving unlawfully. Vehicles should only be going uphill (entering from Philadelphia Avenue) with the school on the right. It is unsafe for drivers and pedestrians when drivers drive unlawfully. Please keep in mind, the bus loop is only to be used by school buses from the hours of 9:05 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Proper Dress for the Weather
Please be sure your child is dressed properly for the weather. At this time of the year, children should have a coat or jacket when coming to school. If there is an emergency and the school is evacuated, your child may be uncomfortable standing outside for extended periods without a coat. A coat worn to school will be required for recess, emergency evacuations and dismissal. The adults on staff will make the determination if and when jackets can be removed. If your child needs a coat, please let us know.

NEW Amharic TPES Parents WhatsApp Group
Thanks to our parent volunteer, Alfia Ali, we have an active Amharic-language WhatsApp group for TPES parents. Help us spread the word!

Advice on Lice
Each week, we’ll feature one of the many tips that Dr. Gadsden highlighted in her newsletter to help remind our community that we all need to be vigilant!
TIP #4: Check hair and scalp regularly: Examine the hair and scalp of all family members regularly throughout the year. This means all adults and children living in the same house. In addition to regular checks, you should check your child right away if you see them scratching their scalp, ears or neck. Early detection is key!

Upcoming TPES Events
January 24: Food Forest and Gardening Committee Meeting, 8-9PM
January 26: End of Quarter 2
January 29: No School
January 30: TPES PTA Working Group on Smartphones

Upcoming Community Events
January 26: Blair HS STEM Night for K-5
January 27: Kindness Day in honor of Tommy Raskins, kindness stations at Piney Branch ES, 10:30-1pm
January 27: Takoma Woods Cleanup (Rescheduled from MLK Day), 10-12pm

Translation | Traducción | ትርጉም