Welcome to Another Great Year

The PTA welcomes you back for another great year at John Muir Elementary.  We have plans for many fun and exciting event this school year-from the first annual Walk-a-thon, to the Auction Dinner Dance, to the Spell/Map/Math-a-thon, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  These fundraisers are a crucial part of the PTA budget.  Last year we were able to fund the Timberwolf reading program, field trip buses for all grade levels, 5th grade planners, 5th grade promotion, tile wall and t-shirts; we hosted a family bingo night, family tile night, Red Ribbon Week and Teacher Appreciation Week; and purchased new musical instruments and sports equipment.  We also furnished each student with a John Muir Elementary School folder at the start of the school year, and provided snacks during the week of STAR testing.

Over the years, the PTA has become one of the strongest voices in the educational process that directly supports our childrean and school.  This year will be no different.  Your PTA Executive Board has been busy developing the details for a very productive and exciting year aimed at enhancing the educational environment for all students.  One of our major objective this year will focus on offsetting the impact of increased class sizes due to the state budget crisis.  Our hope is to not only raise enougth money to put teachers aides in the classroom, but to focus on setting up a volunteer committee to work in various classrooms when needed.

We not only encourage all of you to show your commitment to JME by joining PTA, we ask that you show your support by participating in the numerous events and programs that we have planned throughout the year.  The children love to see their parents, grandparents and family members participating at school. Your participation might be that of a committee member, volunteer, or as an attendee.  Whatever level of participation you select, your time and invlovement will certainly be appreciated.  

This year we are starting off with 106 PTA members at the start of school!  This compares to 23 members at the start of school last year.  Thank you to all who attended check-in day.  Our goal this year is to have 250 PTA members.  Remember not just mom and dad can join, we welcome grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, etc.  There will be a contest between the classrooms and the winning room will receive a pizza party provided by the PTA.  Please fill out the membership envelope that was sent home in your PTA packet and enclose your $8.00 membership fee and return to your teacher.

Thank you again, and we look forward to a successful year at John Muir!

Ice Cream Sales 8/24-9/2

PTA will hold Ice Cream Sales from 8/24-9/2 after school.  Ice Cream sells from $.50-$1.00.  If you would like to volunteer to sell ice cream please contact Nicole Morrill at jmepta@gmail.com or leave it in the comments below.

House Passes Bill to Save Teacher Jobs

August 10, 2010 3:43 PM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved legislation that will save or create 319,000 American jobs in local communities, including 161,000 teacher jobs, and also discourages American corporations from shipping jobs overseas. By a vote of 247 to 161, the House passed H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act. President Obama indicated he would sign the legislation into law later today.


...Under the bill, California will receive an estimated $1.8 billion in Medi-Cal assistance and $1.2 billion in emergency education funding. It is estimated that 16,500 California teacher jobs would be saved by this funding, including an estimated 249 education jobs in Miller’s 7th Congressional District, which includes portions of Solano and Contra Costa counties.



Miller said that he has indicated to the Department of Education that the education funds should be sent out to the states and distributed to local communities as quickly as possible.

We can only hope between the 24 or so school districts in Solano and Contra Costa, that Martinez Unified secures enough federal aid to save a few jobs. Our teachers at John Muir however, will still need our help in the classroom. We're looking forward to a volunteer corp to help alleviate the loss of Class Size Reduction (CSR) in grades 1-3. Kindergarten will most likely retain CSR with funds raised from the $20 for 20 campaign.

P.S. 172 in Brooklyn Scores High Despite Poverty - NYTimes.com

Interesting article about a Title 1 school in Brooklyn, who's entire 4th grade class except for one, scored proficient or advanced on their state tests; outperforming more affluent neighboring schools whose parents raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for aides & enrichment programs.
80% of students at this school qualify for free or reduced lunch & this school's cost per pupil is less than the city's average. One more point for the 'It's not how much you spend, it's how you spend' camp.
P.S. 172 in Brooklyn Scores High Despite Poverty - NYTimes.com

Martinez School Cuts

February 9th was the first of three public meetings held by MUSD to discuss the current budget deficit of our school district. See the story on the AP wire on this link:

Martinez School Cuts
 
How do you cut $2.6 million from a $30 million dollar budget when the majority of expenses comes from staff? How do you stick to your budget cuts when the numbers keep changing? Only last month, the number to cut was $2.3 million. Tough decisions coming up for the school board & most likely harsh consequences for our kids.
 
Superintendent Rami Muth, and Chief Business Official Liz Robbins attended our February John Muir PTA meeting. Here's the link to the district's website where you can find a copy of the presentation, links to email our state officials, questions and answers from the Superintendent and other information on the current state of the fiscal impact to our district from state wide budget cuts to education.
MUSD Budget Info

After School Enrichment Update

John Muir PTA has arranged the for following after-school enrichment classes for John Muir kids:

CHESS
This Thursday, February 4th is the last meeting for the Chess Club from 2:50 to 3:50. The kids had a really great time & hopefully we can do this one again.  Click on the link below to learn more about their other programs.

Pacific Chess Academy

FIT KIDS AMERICA
The Fit Kids America Hip Hop Class Started on Tuesday, 1/26/10 & goes for 8 weeks. You may send your child today with payment & completed registration for a pro-rated fee. The class is at 2:45 in the cafeteria.

Fit Kids America is also holding a Fun Fitness Class starting on Thursday 2/11/10. This is also an 8 week class and is $85. You can enroll your child in either Fit Kids class by clicking on the link below.

Enroll in Fit Kids America

YOUNG REMBRANDTS
The Young Rembrandts classes start this Wednesday, 2/4/10 at 3:00 in the cafeteria. A parent will be present after school until the start of class.  There are 4 unique sessions for February, March, April & May. Each 4 week session is $60. You can click the link below to enroll.
Enroll for Young Rembrandts 

Welcome!

Welcome to the John Muir Elementary PTA blog!

Ms. Foss~
As most of you know, Ms. Foss had requested a position over at Morello Park Elementary. Ms. Foss was our computer technician at John Muir. She updated our website (hence the blog) and attended most, if not all of our PTA meetings. We are sad to see her go and we will miss her very much, however we wish her all the best at Morello.

PTA Meetings~
PTA meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 in the teacher's lounge at John Muir. Parents, teachers and students who wish to participate are all welcome & are encouraged to attend the PTA meetings. They usually run about an hour & a half & they are for the most part, very informative. We'd love to hear from students, teachers & parents about which programs are loved, & which programs we could do without. We'd also love to hear how you can help! The meetings aren't just for the volunteer board, but for all members of the John Muir community. We currently have 143 members; if you haven't joined yet, please make sure you do so soon! The last chance to become a member this year, will be at the John Muir Pasta Feed on February 26th at the cafeteria at John Muir.

~Upcoming Events~

Family Pasta Feed
Friday, February 26, 6:00 PM, John Muir Cafeteria

Join us for a family night of pasta, & ice cream! You'll also have an opportunity to take a family portrait & purchase a 5 x 7 photo for $5 or an 8x10 for $8! This will be the last opportunity to become a PTA member for this school year; memberships are $8, and the last chance to buy your auction tickets at the early bird price of $20 per ticket.

Reach for the Stars Auction & Dinner Dance
Saturday, April 17th, 5:30PM, Martinez Sportman's Club
Wine toss, silent & live auction, dessert auction, music, dinner & dancing!
Early bird tickets are now on sale for $20 per ticket. Teachers will receive one complimentary ticket with their purchased ticket.



Sincerely,
~John Muir PTA