Thank You, Thank You, Earth Fair Volunteers!

dudek Ecology Club

The Ecology Club would like to give a great big thank you to everyone who volunteered at the 2018 Earth Fair. Without the help OLIVE you, the Earth Fair would not be the fun and informative event we have all grown to love! Without amazing OMS volunteers this unique PTA event wouldn’t happen.

A special thank you to the Kurzynski family for creating the wonderful soil and worm education table. I hope everyone had a chance to learn about the soil under our feet last Wednesday night!

Mr. Demarco and Mrs. Pusateri thank you for heading up the famous trash to treasure station.Trash to Treasure is always a big hit!

Thank you second grade families without your recyclable contributions fair goers couldn’t create new treasures. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

Thank you OMS Ecology Club families for going above and beyond! Thank you Degala family, Roura family, Phillips family, Bersch family, Fung family, De Rosa family, Brown family, Lischett family, Schaner family, Mimi Hill, Ashley Linscott, Jake Linscott, Marks family, Balyeat family, Eichorn family, McDonnell family, Gryfakis family, Hany family, Wellner family, Wendle family, Coffey family, Kerpec family, Vander Klay family, Zaprianova family, Ciupeiu family, Stannis family, Gilbert family, PTA co presidents Kelly Gabrione and Megan Puzen. Principal Rebecca FitzPatrick, Vice Principal Erin Davis, The amazing OMS custodial staff Mr. Bob Sesterhenn, Mr. Jimmy Stewart, Mr. Duane Martin and Mr. John Quaranta.

5th Grade Track Meet – Wednesday, May 23

dudek PTA

District 25 2018 5th Grade Track Meet is on Wednesday, May 23 from 4:15 – 6:00 pm at South Middle School.

This is a great way to experience an interscholastic event. Other than the Mile Run, all participates are placed in heats according to time/ability. All details and a permission slip are attached. Permission slips are due on Monday, May 14 and will also be available for students at school. Please email Mrs. Pusateri if you have any questions.

Track Meet 2018 permission slip.

Book Fair – Read a Message from the Co-Chairs

dudek PTA

To all the amazing book fair volunteers,

A great big thank you for making the fair run so smoothly. Without you we could not have had such a successful event! A special thank you to Melanie Varrato and Nicole Arguelles for working side by side with us in preparation for next year, good luck to our new chairs!

Monica Hartman and Katie Starzyk

PTA Meeting, Wednesday, May 9th

dudek PTA

Join us in the Commons!

Please join us in the school commons on Wednesday, May 9 at 7:00 for our last PTA meeting of the year. We will be voting in our new Executive Committee. Everyone is welcome!

We also have tables reserved at Jimmy D’s immediately following the meeting. The Wednesday night specials are great, it should be fun night of socializing!

Please contact olivepta@gmail.com

Volunteer Appreciation May 9th, 6:30 pm

dudek PTA

We would like to honor and say thank you to all of our outstanding Committee Chairs, Room Reps and 5th Grade parents.

You should have received an Evite to attend a special Thank You night. If you did not receive the Evite, please accept our apologies and know that you are also invited.

Please contact Angie Frye with any questions.

Bring Small Electronics to Recycle to the Earth Fair

dudek PTA

Recycling Avenue will have a table at Earth Fair and will be accepting small electronics for recycling. Bring your family’s old electronics to dispose of them in an eco-friendly way.

Electronic collection:
● desktop computers
● computer servers
● mp3 players
● digital & video camera
● LCD flat monitors
● printers
● game consoles
● cell phones/house phones
● GPS system
● wires computer parts
● laptops/notebooks
● radar detectors
● routers & modems

Staff Appreciation Week – Volunteers and Donations Needed

dudek PTA

Please help us celebrate our Out Of This World OMS staff during Staff Appreciation Week April 30th – May 4th. We plan to honor them with special treats throughout the week, but we can’t make it happen without help from all of you! Please consider signing up to volunteer your time or make a needed donation by clicking the sign up links below. We appreciate your help in making this a special week! Please contact Erica Williams or Mary Hoffman with any questions.

Volunteers sign up

Donation sign up

Staff Appreciation Week – April 30th – May 4th

dudek PTA

Please join us in showing the OMS staff that we think they are “Out Of This World”. All systems are go for Staff Appreciation Week and we are getting ready to launch. We have optional daily activities planned that we think the students will have fun with. Let’s celebrate the shining stars that they are!

Monday: Star Student – Write a “Hoot” for a staff member!
Tuesday: Starry Night – Pajama Day!
Wednesday: Lucky Star – Bring a staff member a special treat of Starburst, Eclipse Gum or Orbit Gum!
Thursday: Star Light Star Bright – Write or bring a poem for staff member!
Friday: Rock Star – Have fun dressing like a Rock Star!

Spring Camp Fit Sign Up

dudek PTA

Camp Fit is back with new activities to keep your child active and healthy. Camp Fit will be offered Wednesdays starting May 2nd & ending May 23rd (rain date May 30th) from 3:35-4:30 at OMS. Our goal is to teach the kids how to have fun while being active with their friends.

WE CAN NOT MAKE THIS PROGRAM WORK WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS. PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US OUT.

Parents with younger siblings – feel free to bring them along to join in the fun. Sign up today, space is limited.

 

Nominees for PTA Executive Board

dudek PTA

Thank you to all who submitted names for our PTA Executive Committee search!
We are excited about the candidates we have found! All of the nominees come into their position with a wonderful skill set. They bring leadership, knowledge, creativity and the love of Olive to the PTA Executive Board Team.

The Board Nominations are:

For President: Mrs. Megan Puzen
For Co-President: Mrs. Sarah Galla
For 1 st Vice President: Mrs. Mary Beth Canty
For 2 nd Vice President: Mrs. Becky Hany
For 2 nd Vice President: Mrs. Stacey Esposito
For 3 rd Vice President: Mr. Jonathan Patrick
For Treasurer: Mrs. Sarah Van Huis
For Secretary: Mrs. Liz Gabianelli

The nominees will be sworn into their position at the May 9th PTA meeting. Please come to the meeting to congratulate them and find out all the great things the PTA is doing for Olive!

2018/2019 Open Committee Positions

dudek PTA

Do you want to get more involved at OMS? We have a few open committee chair positions to help you get started!

We are looking for co-chairs for Chess Club,, and new this year, Social Media Chair and Social Chair. We’d love for someone to start shadowing existing chairs ASAP so throw your hat in the ring! Click here for position details.

Reply to olivepta@gmail.com with any questions or to apply.

Spring Cleaning?

dudek The Owl Way

While we are all anxiously awaiting Spring here in Chicago, the Owl Way would like to remind you about our annual Shoe Drive.

Every April, in honor of Earth Day, we do a shoe drive to benefit “Share Your Soles”. This non-profit organization collects gently used footwear for children and adults in the most impoverished areas of the world.

Collection will run from April 16th-25th, including at the Earth Fair.

Both adult and child size shoes, in good/clean condition, will be accepted. The best way to recycle is to reuse, so during your spring cleaning, hold on to shoes that can be donated.

Share Your Soles Drop Site

Eat-to-Benefit Results

dudek PTA

The Owl Way would like to thank all the OMS families and staff that participated in our Garbaldi’s Eat-to-Benefit on 3/12. Today, Garbaldi’s cut a big check for Pencils of Promise, a non-profit that builds schools and increases educational opportunities in developing countries.

By joining forces with Garbaldi’s, we raised enough money to educate eight children for a year!

Together we are making a difference by helping to increase global literacy rates.

4th Grade Girls: Linda Talk – Wednesday, April 11, 7:00pm

dudek PTA

Parents of 4th Grade Girls:

Wednesday, April 11th, 2018: The fourth grade girls will have the opportunity to attend the “Linda” program presented by the Robert Crown Health Education Center. This program has been developed to acquaint the girls with the physical development and personal hygiene associated with growing up. The program will be presented in the Commons at Olive-Mary Stitt School at 7:00 p.m. It will end by 8:30 p.m.

Every girl attending must be accompanied by a parent or an adult chaperone. A permission slip was sent home March 20th and must be returned to the office by Friday, April 6th.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah Klancnik.

Linda Permission Slip 2017-18

Excess Funds Suggestions?

dudek PTA

Each year, PTA collects suggestions from the parent, teacher and school administration on how to spend any excess funds. Although we try to budget accordingly, this year we have had very successful PTA fundraisers and anticipate we will have extra money to spend. The actual amount of excess funds available will not be known until the end of June, and any chosen suggestions will be incorporated into the 2018-2019 PTA Budget.

Click here to submit your suggestions through our online form. Please submit your requests by April 18th.

When possible, links to websites, quotes, etc., should provide the exact amount your suggestion costs and where we would purchase it. An Excess Funds committee led by the PTA treasurer will evaluate the suggestions and vote on which ones to move forward, which will be presented at the PTA meeting on May 9th. If you have any questions, please contact olivetreasurer@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support!

 

Spring into Action: Sign up to Help at the Earth Fair; Wednesday, April 18th

dudek PTA

The Earth Fair volunteer sign up form is live on Sign Up Genius now.

You do not have to be an Ecology Club member to assist with the Earth Fair. There will be exciting earth-conscious games and activities, outside vendors and giveaways. Click on this link and sign up today. Earth Fair is Wednesday, April 18th from 6:30-8:00 pm. Thanks in advance for you help. The kids are excited!

Contact Megan Hill or Regan Sonnabend with any questions.

OMS Parents Rocked the Decades and Trivia

dudek PTA

Thank you to the nearly 140 parents who attended our Inaugural Olive Mary-Stitt Trivia Night! We truly appreciate you helping us bring this event to life and making it such a great success. Congratulations to Team Groupies for winning the Trivia Night Trophy. The Rock The Decades fashion for the evening was fantastic! Congratulations to Team 3’s Company, but 8 is Enough for winning Best Theme Table! Congratulations to all our Door Prize Winners!

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and judges, our amazing emcee, and to all our Door Prize Donors. We could not have done it without all your hard work and generosity.

We hope everyone truly enjoyed a night of laughter, memories and brain busting trivia!

Jen Rich, Bridget Stannis, and Daniella Wolff
Trivia Night Co-Chairs

See the pictures!

Cultural Arts In-School Performance – Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great

dudek PTA

On Tuesday March 13, students enjoyed a lively performance by ArtsPower National Touring Theatre: Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, adapted from the novel by Judy Blume. This musical transported students along with ten year-old Sheila on her summer vacation in the country, where through meeting new friends and facing old fears (like spiders, dogs, swimming, and big sisters), she learned to be more honest with herself and others, finding confidence and self-acceptance.

Be sure to ask your kids how they enjoyed the show! The Cultural Arts Committee is pleased to coordinate music, drama, and dance performances each year, through your continued support of the PTA.

Thank you!

Get Paid Today!

dudek PTA

Do you have receipts that the PTA should reimburse? Now is the time to hand them in! Requesting reimbursement is easy. Either:

* Put receipts and a check request in the Treasurer’s binder in the OMS office, or
* Scan and email the receipts and check request to olivetreasurer@gmail.com

PTA Meeting on Tuesday, April 10

dudek PTA

Please mark your calendar for the next PTA meeting on Tuesday, April 10th at 7 pm in the LMC.

We will have a light PTA business review followed by guest speaker District 25 Superintendent Dr. Lori Bein. Dr. Bein’s talk with focus on a heavy and topical issue that most of us have top of mind: school safety.

If you have specific questions for Dr. Bein please email olivepta@gmail.com before Friday, April 6.

Forget about Cooking on Monday 3/12!

dudek PTA, The Owl Way

The Owl Way is at it again, helping others with an ALL day Eat-to-Benefit at Garbaldi’s.

Every March, The Owl Way extents a loving wing to support Pencils of Promise. Pencils of Promise, also known as PoP for short, is a non-profit organization that builds schools and increases educational opportunities in the developing world. They believe every child should have equal access to education with a goal of increasing literacy rates.

Last year we were able to raise enough money to educate eight students for a year. Let’s come together and help more children around the world have access to an education.

Stop by Garbaldi’s from 10am to 10 pm on Monday, March 12th and mention “Olive fundraiser”. Twenty percent of your purchase will go to Pencils of Promise. FYI – they deliver too!

Garibaldi March 2018 poster

World of Work Was a Success!

dudek Events, PTA

OMS fifth graders went to work on Friday, March 2nd with our new Olive World of Work program. We had interns learn about journalism, marketing, acting, designing and running library to name a few.

In all we had twenty two local business host this amazing learning experience for our students. Everything ran smoothly considering we had three buses, three bus routes and seven bus stops. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all 30 chaperones who helped make this day possible!

Click here see short video

Box Tops Results Are In!!

dudek Fundraising, PTA

The Box Tops have been collected, clipped and counted….Olive-Mary Stitt collected just over 3,200 Box Tops! That’s $320 for our school! Amazing job everyone!

The winning homerooms are Mrs. Vittore’s 1-2 with 329 Box Tops turned in and Mrs. Grimm’s 4-4 with 413 Box Tops turned in!

This school year we have made about $650 for Olive…just by cutting a label off of products that we use everyday…SOOOO EASY!

Please continue clipping and saving, and even recruit your family, friends and neighbors to clip too. We have 8 months til our next challenge so start saving today. I think we can double what we made this year…if anyone can, Olive-Mary Stitt can!

Also, a great big thank you to all of the clipping and counting volunteers! I truly appreciate all of your time and effort.

Thank you!