We need your help to keep Ecology Club running! A volunteer has stepped up to co-chair, but needs a partner for the 2019/2020 school year. Briefly stated, Ecology Club encompasses the following, which serves as a guideline and can be modified by Committee Chairs:

• Plan after school meetings for students (3rd, 4th and 5th graders) concerning the preservation of the environment
• Provide notification to families through the Twig of any environmental issues, conservation, recycling
• Plan school activities such as waster-free lunch days, etc.
• Maintain recycling center and bulletin board in the Commons by the elevator

Bring your creative ideas to spark enthusiasm in environmental awareness! Students get so much out of clubs such as these, and we need one more person to make this club run.
Please email olivepta@gmail.com with any questions or if interested.

Mark your calendars! AUGUST 19TH @5PM Food tucks, friends & Glowby the Bubbler is making his OMS debut! You won’t want to miss this monstrous bubble fun! (Rain-date August 20th)

It is June – which means we only have a few weeks left of the 2018-2019 PTA budget. Get your receipts in to Sarah Van Huis ASAP. If you can’t get them in by the last day of school please let Sarah know right away. Thanks!

There are two vendor options for school supplies. Please see below for each vendor description and link:

OPTION 1 – 1st Day School Supplies
Order pre-packaged kits online with 1st Day School Supplies.
ONLINE ORDER – https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=34102
DUE June 30th
Use link above or search by zip code for Olive-Mary Stitt School
School Supplies will be delivered directly to the child’s classroom
Option to add accessories like backpacks, lunch coolers, water bottles for additional charges.

OPTION 2 – Yubbler
Order pre-package kits or individual items online with Yubbler
ONLINE ORDER – https://www.yubbler.com/Yub/Details/2454
DUE August 9th
Orders will receive a 15% discount during the month of May, 10% in June, and 5% in July.
Registration with the site is required to receive a coupon code that has to be manually applied and is not automatically deducted
School supplies will be shipped to your home and you are responsible to bring them to school by the first day.
$25 minimum purchase

School Supply List 2019/2020 – https://omspta.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/oms-school-supplies-2019-20.pdf

We have just finished our annual food drive to serve the Wheeling Township Food Pantry and help fill their shelves for the upcoming summer months. Thank you to all who donated!

This was organized by the Owl Way Committee, one of our amazing committees that helps our Owls focus on others and giving back. While we have a dedicated volunteer to lead us into next year, she is in need of a co-chair. Our current co-chair has given much time and effort to help organize two OMS favorites, the annual clothing and food drive, yet will no longer be at Olive for the 2019/2020 school year.

If you are interested in helping lead this committee, especially the drives mentioned above, please contact olivepta@gmail.com and we’d be happy to answer any questions.

Last week your OMS students attended a performance by Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre brought to you by the PTA Cultural Arts committee. They were an engaged audience, active and joyful participants in the dance lessons, and insightful thinkers during the Q&A time. The program took OMS students on a journey through over 100 years of dance and music, demonstrating how different historical and cultural influences play into contemporary music and dance. The vintage pieces were fun and engaging (the children and some teachers loved learning some steps with the dancers!), and the contemporary dances stretched their minds by exploring stories of community and belonging through modern choreography. Please ask your child what they thought about today’s performance, and check out some more information about the dance company and their school performance below!

CRDT uses dance and music to nourish the mind and the soul. They unite artists & audiences to explore themes that shape our community. Their mission is to use dance and music to gather people to contemplate factors that knit our community together and differences that add complexity to our society.

Through a dynamic variety of dances, students saw first hand how movement can tell stories in ways that transcend the limits of words. Featuring rotating pieces from the company’s repertoire, this show historically highlights where different contemporary American dance & music come from and the stories they tell.

The school performance included opportunities for student participation and featured the following pieces: Charleston “Maple Leaf Ragtime” 1900-1918, Swing “Stompin’ at the Savoy” 1930’s, Latin Jazz “Manteca” 1940’s, American Catracho (exploring immigration, language, and making a new home), and ROOT (African Diaspora & community). For more information, please visit their website at https://www.cerquarivera.org/

It’s hard to believe the time has come to get ready to wrap up the 2018/2019 school year. It is also at this time that we in the PTA leadership take time to reflect on the year, noting what works and what needs improvement. We would really appreciate you taking a few minutes to fill out the survey below. It will be open until June 2nd and is anonymous. Please email olivepta@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SZLKT53

There will not end up being an Art Club before the end of the school year. The Art Club Co-Chairs thank you for your patience and flexibility, as they have been dealing with incredibly stressful life events over the past few months. We thank you, Elizabeth Berger and Liz Schrenk, for bringing such an amazing club to OMS! We hope to see everyone back at Art Club next year!

We are so fortunate to have collected so many donations for the Wheeling Food Pantry, we need your help filling the truck! A group of students form a “human chain” to get the bags of food from the Commons to the food pantry truck and our volunteers will help facilitate this process. It is a memorable event and incredibly inspirational to see what a community can do! Below is the link the the sign-up. If you have any questions, please email olivepta@gmail.com.
Sign-up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c49afad23a1fa7-owlway

Field Day Sign up is here! We need YOU to help run the MANY fun activities planned for June 6th (rain date June 7th). Primary grades will be 9:15-11:45, Intermediate grades will be 12:15-3:30. We also need one AM Kindergarten parent volunteer and one PM (9:00-11:50 and 12:40-3:30 respectively) for their Field Day on West Playground.

Sign up link: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0f44aaab2aa7f85-june

First Aid For Little People is a PTA sponsored program for our first and second graders. The program was developed by the American Red Cross and the purpose is to educate children on various health and safety topics.

The topics being reviewed include: fire and water safety, choking, first aid, and poisoning. We are looking for parent volunteers- see the attached sign up genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4dabaa2da4f49-first3

We would like to thank all of our dedicated OMS Committee Chairs, Room Reps, and LMC volunteers. Please join us on Thursday, May 15th at 6:30 p.m. in the OMS commons as we thank you for all of your time and dedication to the students of OMS. You should had received an Evite to this event as well. In the event that you did not receive one, please know that you are invited.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Volunteer Recognition Co-Chairs, Regina Schneider or Holly Dunkel.

Following the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, please stay for our last PTA meeting of the school year at 7 p.m. At this meeting we will also be voting in our new Executive Committee for the 2019/2020 school year. After the meeting we are headed to Eddie’s downtown Arlington Heights for a casual get together. All are welcome, and we hope you can join us! Please contact olivepta@gmail.com with any questions.

It’s that time of year! The Owl Way Fill the Nest food drive starts Monday, May 6 and ends on Thursday, May 23. Please consider joining us in collecting donations that benefit the Wheeling Food Pantry.

In recent years, Olive Mary Stitt donations have sustained the pantry’s stock for the entire summer, serving our local individuals and families. All students received a bag and list of items needed and can drop off any donations in the Commons near the Owl Way receptacle by Thursday, May 23.

Thank you so much for your generosity!

Join us at Chipotle at 338 E. Rand Road in Arlington Heights (Northpoint Shopping Center) on Saturday, May 4th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm for a fundraiser to support Arlington Heights Council Of PTA Scholarship Fund. Bring in this flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 33% of the proceeds will be donated to Arlington Heights Council Of PTA Scholarship Fund. AHCPTA Scholarships are gifted annually to D25 students based on available funds. This year ten scholarships are being awarded on May 2nd to deserving college-bound high school seniors who have attended D25 schools. Also in the past, scholarships for summer programs have been awarded to current D25 students. AHCPTA is hoping funds will allow summer program scholarships to again be available in 2020. Consider donating to the 2020 Fund now: https://sd25.revtrak.net/PTA/AH-Council-Of-PTAs/.

Please consider donating an item or two to help make our second annual Senior Walk special. We plan to make welcoming graduating seniors who were once Olive Owls “back to the nest “to celebrate their graduation with our current students and staff a yearly tradition. This event is an inspiring time for our students and connects our Olive community.

Sign Up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f45afa72aa7fc1-2019

Last week, Olive-Mary Stitt, as a collaboration between the LMC and the PTA, welcomed Illinois Reads Program recommended author, Michelle Schaub, to help celebrate a favorite tradition of Poem in Your Pocket Day! Ms. Schaub’s book, Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day At the Farmer’s Market, was highlighted for her use of descriptive words inspiring the imagination to see a farmer’s market as a treasure hunt for things you just can’t find in a grocery store. She then connected the dots and likened poetry to a treasure hunt as well; looking for that perfect word to complete the poem. She engaged the kids right off the bat with her vegetable-filled green tights and kept them enthralled for her presentation spotlighting poetry. A great way to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day!

More about the Illinois Reads Program – http://illinoisreads.org/aboutillinoisreads.html

We will not be having an April Art Club next week. Look for sign up in a couple weeks for our last class for the school year. You do not want to miss!

OMS is a welcoming school, with a diverse population of students and families from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and cultures. To better celebrate these differences and to support our efforts of inclusion, a PTA Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been formed and is currently planning for the 2019/2020 school year.

To help us finalize the OMS PTA Diversity and Inclusion Committee mission, programs and events for next school year, please take a few minutes to fill out the below survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQTG95D

Please help us celebrate our first class OMS staff during Staff Appreciation Week May 6th – 10th. We plan to honor them with special activities and treats throughout the week, including a breakfast and luncheon, 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 thanking our teachers and staff for Making a World of Difference! Please contact Erica Williams or Deb Oiler with any questions.

Staff Appreciation Donation Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044aadae2ca75-staff3

Staff Appreciation Volunteer Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044aadae2ca75-staff4

Please join us in celebrating our first class OMS staff during Staff Appreciation Week. We have a fun line-up of optional activities that we hope the students will have fun participating in to show this special group that they make a WORLD of difference. **Please pay attention to Friday, as there is a link to a list of each teacher’s favorite color.**

Monday: Words of kindness – write a note to your teacher to tell them something kind about them.
Tuesday: One flower – bring a flower to your teacher to brighten up their day.
Wednesday: Recite a joke to a staff member.
Thursday: Leave a mint on their desk to show them they are worth a mint.
Friday: Dress in your teachers favorite color.

*We will have extra flowers and mints available on Tuesday and Thursday*

Staff Appreciation Donation Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044aadae2ca75-staff3

Staff Appreciation Volunteer Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044aadae2ca75-staff4

Because of her dedication, support and kindness, our very own Rachael Hooker was chosen as the Illinois PTA Outstanding PTA Volunteer of the Year!

She will be recognized at the Annual IL PTA Convention on May 4, 2019. To celebrate as a community, we will work together to spread kindness and good will on Friday, May 3. Each child will come home with a clothespin.

Please work with your child to decorate the clothespin and write a message of kindness. (Think Kindness Rocks, just clothespins!) Once complete, have your child “Pin” someone – a family member, a friend or (safely) someone who needs some cheer – as long as the message is kind! Be sure to take pictures and share the joy with the hashtag #OwlsforRH!

All families who have not ordered yearbooks were emailed via DirectorySpot before spring break. Orders must be submitted by May 1st to guarantee delivery for the last day of school.

Every yearbook includes 2 optional custom pages that are due by May 1st. TreeRing has a great video (https://treering.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013239092-Getting-Started-with-Creating-Custom-Pages) with detailed instructions on how to customize your yearbook.

If you would like financial assistance, please contact the front office or omsyearbookphotos@gmail.com.

Contact Kate Halley or Jeannie Glasstetter with any questions.

Camp Fit will be on Monday’s this Spring starting 4/29-5/13 (rain date 5/20) Please sign your child(ren) up if they are interested in participating in fun, active activities with their school friends after school.

WE CAN NOT MAKE THIS PROGRAM WORK IF WE DO NOT HAVE VOLUNTEERS. PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US OUT.

Parents with younger siblings feel free to bring them along to join in the fun. All activities will be held outside this Spring in the field areas and running track. **Space is limited Sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScF9SGrKsYlIHVKekQrTZQA2f2MAQoeuCNyv5Wxa7nVYmZn8w/viewform

The 5th Grade Track is on Wednesday, May 8 at South Middle School’s track starting at 4:15pm. Participants don’t need to be a track star to join this fun event and get a taste of what future interscholastic events may be like! All runners are placed in heats by their time except for the mile run.

Permission slips will include more information and must be turned in by FRIDAY, MAY 3.

Any questions, please email Mrs. Pusateri.

This event is sponsored and run by School District 25

Per PTA guidelines, we need to update our Bylaws every two years. Please review the updated Bylaws. We will vote to approve at our May 15 meeting.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12sUBN0Q_2j9lAa-W5DvueVVI45JzY-QFyuJXhvIF3HY/edit?ts=5cab5068

We need you! The theme of the OMS Book Fair this year is “A Book is a Gift you can Open Again and Again”. We are so excited and would love some help setting up the evening before, supporting during the day as classes take a sneak peek and in the evening during the book fair.

Thank you in advance for you support!
Sign Up Genius Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4DAFAA2FA2F85-volunteer

Please join us for Cosmic Skating Night at the Mt Prospect Central Community Center, on Thursday, 4/25 from 7 – 9pm. Admission = a donation for the Wheeling Food Pantry.

NOTE: If you have your own roller blades, bring them! The roller blade rentals are free BUT QUANTITIES are very limited!

Save the date for this amazing “girls-only” format for puberty education on April 24th. Students must attend with an adult, but there is no charge & no RSVP required.

Reach out with any questions!

Beginning Monday, March 18 until Thursday, April 18, all around Olive, students and teachers will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded for the Crayola ColorCycle marker recycling program (https://www.crayola.com/colorcycle.aspx). Please help support our efforts by sending your kids in with any used markers you may have around the house – eve non-Crayola brands! Highlighters and dry erase markers can also be included. Drop-off boxes will be located around the school for your child to deposit the markers.

STEAM Night is coming!!!

This long anticipated event is finally just weeks away. Come ready to explore Newton’s laws, see how our Fire and Police use math everyday and how every company in the community needs some form of STEAM to do their jobs! Architects, therapists, doctors, inventors and more, we have plenty to share with all of you!

This is a FAMILY hands-on interactive event!!

Want to help volunteer? Sign up here.