Good afternoon, wonderful Jie Ming community! This is a quick note urging everyone to attend tonight's virtual PTA meeting (7pm at meet.google.com/mog-reuc-vew) to share your priorities and help guide the PTA's new leadership for the remainder of this school year and the 2023-24 school year. Christine Nesseth is eager to step into the position this year along with some fellow parents in co-leadership positions. Thank you thank you to all who are willing to take on these roles!! Our PTA has a two-year limit on leadership positions so I've already overstayed my welcome. (: I look forward to the fresh ideas and approaches this new group of leaders will bring, especially as we are more comfortable gathering in person now and in the months ahead.

It's been an incredible joy to work with all of you parents and teachers over the past two-plus years full of such tumult and creative opportunity. And thank you enormously to the PTA's co-leaders over the past couple of years (and ongoing!), Rebecca Tsai, Ross and Maggie Mau, Michael Stoick, Carol Guy-Stapleton, Joe Waln, Michelle Mennicke, Christine Nesseth, Renata Gilmore, and many others in many roles! (Can anyone forget Keiko Nakagawa leading field games at last year's spring festival??!!) And all the room parents, too! We have such a talented and committed crew -- thank you. You are wonderful!
 

We've done a ton to be proud of over the past couple of years! Thousands of dollars were raised and shared with teachers for classroom supplies and celebrations of all types and awesome programming, like butterflies for 2nd graders, IXL for 3rd-5th graders, and LEGO parts for LEGO-Leaguers. THANK YOU, everyone, for your generosity! We had online clubs during the worst of the pandemic, joyful meetups as we emerged from it, a gorgeous bike-to-school day and a beautiful, free, nearly-no-waste community festival last spring -- such happiness! We shared ideas with each other and with Jie Ming's staff on everything from teacher support to Covid protocols to racial justice to student mental health to summer camps -- we proved that we can thrive amid just about anything when we step up for each other.

There are opportunities ahead! We have several standing committees in need of members: the Community Committee helps with community-facing events, like festivals (think Chinese New Year!) and family meet-ups; the School Committee helps with school and staff-related matters, like managing teacher grants and leading our efforts to be a no-waste, green-certified school; and the Equity Committee's role is to ensure that the PTA's efforts and events are designed and executed with the entire community in mind. Please express your interest using this form.

Thanks to all who have made this PTA possible since its founding in 2013 (looking at you, Joe Waln!) and to those continuing the journey. It is an ongoing, collective effort on behalf of our irreplaceable teachers, kids, and community -- and what an effort it's been. I can't wait to see what's ahead, and I look forward to staying involved. Join us!

All best,

Leah (mom to Soren in 2nd and Dag, a JM graduate now in 6th at Highland)

leahcyoung@gmail.com