PTA Happenings - 2014-2015 Year in Review

My name is Lisa Friedman, and I have served as the Elementary & Middle School PTA President this year. I have 3 children at Moreland Hills School in 5th, 4th, and 2nd grade. I am a graduate of OHS, and completed all of my schooling here, grades K-12.

The Orange Elementary & Middle School PTA is a vital link between parents, teachers, administrators, and community members. Our purpose is to enrich the emotional, academic, and environmental experiences of our children. Our Mission is to cultivate a close relationship between the home and school by advancing opportunities for families to become involved in the Orange School Community. Our goal is to promote a strong school community by increasing involvement and improving communications among its members.

A special thanks to all of you, who as valuable members, volunteers, and supporters of our organization, enable us to provide different programs and activities to help enhance the learning and environment for the children in our district. Please visit our Website, highlighting our 2014-2105 YEAR IN REVIEW: http://www.orangeschools.org/mhsbmspta.aspx as well as tons of information, contacts, and much more! We are all fortunate to have a wonderful group of dedicated individuals serving on the Executive Board this school year. Additionally, members of the various Executive Committees have been busy at work. A special thanks to our many co-chairs for executing wonderful programs and events. Each year we have many new families move into our district. We hope you all felt welcomed and informed by our information packet as well as the new family events.

It is exciting to see so many children, teachers, staff, and parents walking through the halls with the various spirit wear items. So many great items to choose from to show your Orange School spirit! Hope you are looking forward to seeing next year's selections!

This year's reflection theme was "The World Would Be a Better Place If...” What a wonderful opportunity for our children to explore the "Arts". We were excited to have three entries place at the State level this year.

What an opportunity to promote reading and books.... MHS and BMS both proudly sponsored successful book fairs and were able to put books in the hands of many of our students!

Hopefully many of you were able to attend our 11th annual community art fair this May. We were fortunate to have a diverse and talented group of vendors and artists.

Don't forget, we are proud to be a "market day" school with a wide selection of family friendly foods to order.

Thanks again to all of you for your support!

Best wishes to everyone for a great finish to this school year and a wonderful summer!

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PTA MEMBERSHIP: Fanette Yelsky & Michelle Silverstein PTA Membership had a great year. For the 2014-2015 school year, we added several new features: ● A new designation of our membership levels was created to be more consistent with the purpose of membership dues as a fundraiser for PTA; ● Credit card payment for membership was available through PTA PayPal swiping devices and/or email invoicing; and ● Our PTA membership is proudly listed on the PTA website at -- http://www.orangeschools.org/Members.aspx.

PTA Membership again received very generous support from the following local businesses: ● to kick off our membership drive, Fleet Feet Sports donated $10 gift cards, which were given to our first 350 members; and ● Heinen’s Teaming Up For Education Program donated $5,715 to PTA, as a result of 177 people who took 5 minutes to sign up for the program – that is a lot of money for doing your regular grocery shopping!

Thank you so much to Fleet Feet and Heinen’s for supporting PTA!

Most of all thank YOU – our 412 members for your support of PTA through your membership donations! Your support and annual membership is vital to the ongoing success of our PTA. As is outlined in this Newsletter, your membership dollars funded wonderful, engaging programs, grants, and services for our students, our teachers, our schools and our community. We look forward to continuing to grow our membership numbers and dollars in the 2015-2016 school year. Have a wonderful summer vacation!

TREASURER: Tracey Leiken

Thanks to our educational grants committee, we were able to award 38 grants this year, in addition to new playground equipment and the electronic bulletin board at MHS, totaling almost $15,000 to OIP, MHS and BMS teachers and staff.

We were also fortunate to be able to support the district students with many events including programs and assemblies, the Ice Cream Social, Pastries for Parents, Staff Appreciation, Unity Games, Scholarships, Veteran’s Day, Science Fair, and Spelling Bee to name a few. Thank you to everyone who helped support the Orange Elementary and Middle School PTA. We couldn’t do any of these amazing things without you!

OIP Rep: Megan Jolic It has been an exciting school year for the students and staff of OIP! We participated in the 1st Walkathon PTA Fundraiser in October. The students proudly wore their Orange Pride t-shirts as they walked (and ran!) the high school track. We had the pleasure of enjoying some free entertainment from the high school drum line. It was an amazing day! As a thank you from the PTA for all their hard work and effort the children were treated to an ice cream social. OIP will be hosting an all-family potluck following the Pre-K graduation on May 27th. The PTA is generously sponsoring pizza again this year.

A special thank you to Lindsey Jezek, Lauren Rhodes, Jen Moderick and Zoey Bond for taking on the role of room parent this year. This year’s Staff Appreciation week could not have been as successful without their help and the help of the parent volunteers!

We look forward to increased involvement in the upcoming school year! Stay tuned for upcoming events to kick off 2015-2016!

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Moreland Hills News: Megan Tzefronis It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the 2014-15 school year. There are so many people who have generously donated their time and/or money in support of our schools. Everything you do is greatly appreciated, so thank you. The MHS events would not be successful without all of you. I want to extend a special thank you to the grade coordinators, room parents, and co-chairs of all of the MHS PTA sponsored events and services this calendar year. It was a spectacular year of outstanding events that you made happen. We started the year with the ice cream social and it will soon be coming to a close with Unity Day & the 5th Grade Graduation and Clap Out. Let’s not forgot all of the other events in between: Kindergarten Playdates; Pastries for Parents; BooHoo/YaHoo Breakfast; Collection Drives for Mittens, Toiletries, and Food; Book Swap; Box Top Collections, & Staff Appreciation Week.

We also need to thank all of you “behind the scenes” who help coordinate the Read to Me program, Birthday Books, Library Volunteers, Lost & Found, and provide Hospitality for the various Events. As well as the Grade Coordinators, who attend the Monthly PTA Advisory Meetings and the numerous Room Parents.

A huge thank you to parents and the rest of the Moreland community who gave their time, money or donations to Staff Appreciation. It is wonderful that we have the opportunity to honor the staff within the district, all of whom do so much for all of our children.

This is the time of year in which we busy planning for next year’s MHS PTA events. If you are interested in co-chairing an event please send me an email and I am happy to discuss any of current openings. If you are interested in helping with any future events, but not as a co-chair, complete this MHS Volunteer Interest Form (or download from our website at: http://www.orangeschools.org/Volunteer.aspx)

Keep a look out for more details regarding Unity Day, June 3rd.

Thanks for your continued support! It was my pleasure to serve as the MHS rep these last two years.

Brady News: Maggie Wolf & Wendy Blaszak, Brady Representatives 2014-15 was another busy and successful year at Brady Middle School. The PTA was able to provide many supports to the efforts of Brady students, teachers, staff and parents. The PTA provided refreshments at Open House, sponsored a pizza party to the winning pride in the Food Drive, organized adult facilitators and provided treats for Challenge Day, supplied (allergy-friendly!) mints to the students during PARCC testing, and much more.

Seventh graders celebrated an inspirational Veterans Day with about 75 guest veterans in attendance. Thanks to 7th grade representatives Lisa Goodman, Caroline Lebel-Smith and Kristen Nugent, as well as many PTA parent volunteers, who made the morning a beautiful tribute to our nation’s veterans.

The Brady Science Fair showcased many wonderful projects of our middle school scientists. Thanks to Caroline Lebel-Smith for working with Mrs. Jen McGeown to make it a success.

S-U-C-C-E-S-S was what the Brady Spelling Bee was all about, with students Dayna Rapkin, Sylvia Stewart-Bates, and Orly Wolf finishing first in their respective grades. Thanks to Wendy Blaszak, Melissa Sanders, Cyndi Rosenblatt, Marie Stark, and Adina Wolf for their help with this year’s event.

The annual PTA-sponsored Brady Bash was a glowing success, thanks to the efforts of event co-chairs Wendy Perry and Cyndi Rosenblatt. The kids danced their feet off, noshed on goodies, competed in the game room, and took home some fun selfies from a photo booth.

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Brady teachers and staff enjoyed a delicious lunch and dessert buffet provided by the PTA and many parent contributors. A gift card raffle was an added bonus, with special thanks to Waterway for their generous donation. Thanks to Ann Van de Walle, Caroline Lebel-Smith, Stella Koufman, and Maggie Wolf for organizing the Staff Appreciation luncheon.

Plans are underway for the annual send-off of the Brady 8th graders who will be moving on to high school. The PTA is sponsoring a wonderful breakfast reception for students and their families after their recognition ceremony, thanks to a committee led by 8th grade representatives Therese Shuffer, Michael Haddon, Matt Van de Motter, and Maggie Wolf.

Thank you for another great year!

Programming: Tracy Russo

We had some wonderful programs this year at Brady and at Moreland Hills Elementary! At the beginning of the year, our PTA helped sponsor Alex Sheen, the founder of “Because I Said I Would” for all Brady students. Alex’s nonprofit is dedicated to “bettering humanity through the power of a promise,” and he challenged our middle-schoolers to make a promise to themselves, write it down and share it with the world. The students really enjoyed his motivational program!

At MHS, our PTA brought in Geoffrey Castle, an extremely talented electric violinist who is based out of Seattle, Washington. In April, he performed for the 3rd-5th grade students and had them dancing in their seats, clapping their hands, and absolutely loving his music! He introduced them to music from Turkey, Ireland, Africa and other countries. He ended his performance with an amazing Jimmy Hendrix inspired rendition of “America the Beautiful.” The kids loved his music and his message that school is the place they need to be in order to be successful in life.

Communications: Secretary- Adina Wolf & Web Administrator- Amy Bilsky PTA has a number of ways we communicate with you including eblasts about upcoming programs and events and newsletters. New this year was our Facebook page- like us on Facebook! Then visit our home page and make sure ‘notifications’ are turned on (click on the down arrow, to the right of the ‘liked’ tab → and make sure ‘get notifications’ and ‘following’ have a check mark).

PTA also has a comprehensive website, full of helpful information and links. Minutes of all our meeting are posted as well as volunteer opportunities, photos from events and PTA contact info. We encourage you to check the site often for the most up to date information on PTA events and membership. http://www.orangeschools.org/mhsbmspta.aspx

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Fundraising: Lisa Zucker, Wendy Spitz, & Candice Glover The past few years, we have made a shift from traditional catalogue type fundraisers, to the MHS Olympics and MHS Walkathon, which allows for 100% of the donations to go directly to our PTA. With your support, we are able to provide services and programs that enrich our students’ school experience. Furthermore, it is a great opportunity to educate our children about physical fitness, while supporting a good cause for their school community. MHS Walkathon: We want to thank each and every MHS and OIP family for their participation in our first ever Walkathon. Spirit was heard and felt as the kids walked around the school campus. Each student received an Orange sweatband thanks to the generosity of PTA and Kevin from Lennon & Apparel. Thank you to all the staff for the support in making the Walkathon successful! We were so lucky to have some amazing parent volunteers to help make the day possible. Not only did we reach our goal, but we passed it, so the Moreland Hills principals dressed like Rock Stars as promised! A total of over $33,000 was raised. You continue to amaze us with your generosity and we look forward to continuing all of the events and programming for our school and students. As an extra thank you, PTA provided a special treat for all students. The top three classrooms winning the game truck & bounce house party are: Mrs. Pawlaczyk, Mrs. Bradbourne, & Mrs. Blake In addition, PTA also raised funds with a Malley’s Spring Chocolate Sale and sold ice cream after the 1st -4th grade concerts, which gave everyone a great chance to celebrate and socialize with friends and family. You can also support PTA by: ● Purchasing from Amazon.com → go to this link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/51-0135903 to sign up, or link your current amazon account. This takes you directly to our page- PTA Ohio Congress Orange Elementary PTA. It’s easy! ● Label Daddy- get your kids ready for camp at moreland.labeldaddy.com use code "moreland" at checkout ● Heinen’s - please remember to re-register every fall We are also introducing a Win Big Raffle this year!! Prizes are: an Apple iwatch sport and two-$50 gift cards. Raffle tickets will be sold at the Brady and 5th grade concerts or can be purchased from Wendy Spitz ([email protected] (216.509.5015) The PTA raffle drawing will be held on May 22, 2015.

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Health & Safety: Lisa Goodman, Meredith Glazer, & Maggie Wolf

Based on last year’s success, Health & Safety continued the Before School Running Club and After School Kickball League for all interested PTA Members. Both were very successful again this year at MHS. 2015 PTA Running Club - 49 fourth & fifth graders participating, 6 volunteer staff coaches 2015 PTA Kickball League - 23 second & third graders participating, 3 volunteer staff coaches

PTA partnered with the Sandra Graubard Guest Presenter for the Corinne L. Dodero Foundation for the Arts and Sciences to offer Girls on the Run at MHS and Girls on Track at Brady. Participants met biweekly with volunteer coaches and had the opportunity to run a 5k. PTA also sponsored a Family Night at Skyzone in February.

Our Health & Safety Speaker’s Series was able to bring two very informative sessions to our parents this year. The first one was held on Wednesday, January 28th at Pepper Pike Learning Center and focused on PASS, Parent After School Stress. The second was held on Tuesday, April 21st at Moreland Hills and focused on Self-Esteem, Peer Relationships, Anxiety and Body Image. Both sessions featured panelists from Ellen Caspar PhD D. & Associates.

Justin Bachman of Honor Good Deeds once again spoke to the 7th graders at Brady Middle School. Justin used personal stories highlighting things students see every day. He provided a first-hand perspective into the life of a teenager, discussing bullying, inclusion and differences. His presentation highlighted the impact of disrespect and showed students the importance of self-worth.

ADVISOR: Tracy Russo Do you want to see your PTA dollars at work at MHS? Ms. Schoonover chose to allocate her PTA grant dollars to the playground, and we have spent that $6,500 on the following items for the MHS children: $2000 to new playground balls, bball nets, hula hoops,etc and 3 new storage carts that are on wheels to assist in the organization and maneuvering of the playground toys. Also, $4,500 in 3 new pieces of playground equipment: 1 new twirling bar (a high demand item!) and 2 new see saws. Next time you bring your kids to the playground after school to burn off some energy, we hope you’ll see how much they enjoy the new equipment! Thank you for your support!

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Thank You to All of the MHS & BMS Event Chairpersons,* Executive Committees, and Volunteers throughout the year!**

Elena Abramovich Kristen Fistek Stella Koufman Tammy Pophal Gwen Anderson Linda Fleming Heather Landskroner Missy Price Lisel Ashby Catherine Fleisher Sandy Lazar Allayne Proels Jamie Askari Adele Fowler Kathy Leb Besma Rahim Milla Bartram Lisa Friedman Robert Leb Vicki Reed Mary Balding Jamie Fuller Andrea Lebowitz Stephanie Resnick Marla Berns Maria Garcia Caroline Lebel-Smith Cyndi Rosenblatt Tara Bernzweig Monica Gali Tracey Leiken Toby Rosenberg Miki Beachler Connie Garofoli Abby LeMay Debbie Rosenthal Mara Bernon Yvette Giles Lauren Lepene Stefanie Russo Amy Bilsky Erica Glaude Michele Levy Tracy Russo Melinda Bilfield Candice Glover Alice Lubell Melissa Sanders Melissa Bilsky Meredith Glazer Jodi Lurie Stephanie Schleifer Adrienne Blackwood Nancy Glick Melissa Lynch Lauren Schmidt Christy Blasier Najla Golebiewski Robert Lynch Connie Searby Wendy Blaszak Lisa Goodman Tara Mack Jodi Shagrin Julie Bloom David Gudin Missy Markowitz Therese Shuffer Anna Boardman Michael Haddon Jamie Matthews Cathi Siegel Dawn Brown Michelle Halloran Selina Mathur Michelle Silverstein Kate Brown Kristen Harrell Bashira McIntosh Connie Simonson Leslie Brown Terry Ann Hastings Michael Medina Deb Singer Alla Carran Jamie Hersch Lori Miller Heather Slindsay Jenn Chin Holly Hilbert RoseAnn Miller Caroline Smith Cynthia Chylik Marni Horvat Teresa Miller Sharon Somers Debbie Comella Deb Hurwitz Alicia Munn Becky Spidalieri Leslie Cohen Gilda Ianni Adrienne Munoz Casey Speer Bitty Cook David Jaffe Pam Nilsson Shelley Spies Amy Dawson Randa Jacops Kristen Nugent Wendy Spitz Leah Dery Theresa Jackson Krysta O’Brien Marie Stark Alayne Dovgan Megan Jolic Tique Oeflin Paul Stark Tyra Edwards Jill Katz Katie Outcalt Jennifer Stearns Joanna Erb Julie Kemelhar Karen Paull Michelle Stern Mosetta Evans Felicia King Olga Paz Kim Stewart Heather Evans Caren Kirchik Wendy Perry Amy Stover Rob Fellinger Laura Kochis Jennifer Pflaum David Stover Gretchen Fisher Lisa Konover Julie Pilloff Julie Suh Helen Fineberg Melissa Korland Monica Ponsky Sharon Summers

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Jennifer Swirsky Russell Tye Ann Van de Walle Margie Wochelle Angelika Szakacs Megan Tzefronis Ned Van Valkenburgh Adina Wolf Angelica Thornton Belinda Udeh Olga Vaynberg Maggie Wolf Thatcher Thomas Kim Ullner Debbie Venditti Fanette Yelsky Kate Toohig Dawn Underwood Lindsay Vincent Amy Zack Jody Trostler Sheri Vadakin Jenny Walinsky Zdenko Zovkic Leanne Tyrell Matthew Van de Motter Whitney Weisenberg Lisa Zucker

*Event Chairpersons

A Special Shout-Out and Thanks to All of the Room Parents**

Kindergarten Coordinator: Sheri Vadakin Alina Bodas Suzanne Lahorra Jen Moderick Shari Stern Melissa Bilsky Jenni Kozak Selina Mathur Jen Swirsky Marisa Gindi Allison Cole Keare Jackie Miller Lisa Wade Heather Herzog Olga Khramoy Maxine Miller 1st Grade Coordinator: Lauren Lepene Deborah Arnold Deb Hurwitz RoseAnn Miller Stefanie Russo Kathryn Aronica Danielle Jerabek Jennifer Przybycin Kate Toohig Debbie Comella Bobbi Johnson Amanda Ringenbach Alayne Dovgan Megan Jolic Lauren Rivchun 2nd grade Coordinator: Mary Balding Libbie Campbell Nicole Katz Janet Kemp Erica Starrfield Meredith Glazer Cindy Katzenmeyer Laura Kochis Christy Thomas Eileen Hamidi Julie Kemelhar Erin Owen Kim Ullner 3rd grade Coordinator: Shelley Spies Amy Bilsky Caren Kirchick Besma Rahim Jen Swirsky Najla Golebiewski Heather Landskroner Bindu Sangani Whitney Weisenberg Jamie Hersch Tammy Pophal Shari Stern Lisa Zucker 4th grade Coordinator: Deb Hurwitz Mara Bernon Patricia Guthrie Tracy Russo Amy Tye Dawn Brown Kristy Kopittke Tiffany Sheddon Maggie Wolf Rob Fellinger Bridget Morris Wendy Spitz Kathy Golovan Andrea Rubin Jody Trostler 5th grade Coordinator: Lori Miller Hallie Abramson Karen Davies Abby Leska Leslie Weiss Liz Adhami Meredith Goldstein Jennifer Pearle Gwen Anderson Jennifer Haddon Allayne Proels Maureen Conners Maria Kehres Jennifer Stearns

6th grade Representatives: Helen Fineburg Jodi Lurie Wendy Spitz 7th grade Representatives: Lisa Goodman Caroline Smith Fanette Yelsky 8th grade Representatives: Michael Haddon Therese Shuffer Matt Van de Motter

**apologies to any volunteer whose name is missing 9