OPT November 2020 Newsletter

It's already the end of the first trimester! Time seems to be both flying and crawling along! We had our November OPT meeting over Zoom on November 5th, and much of this newsletter will cover the things we discussed in that meeting. Thank you to everyone that joined us! We hope that you'll be able to join us for our next meeting, on Zoom, on December 3rd, 2020.

While more detailed information can be found below under "Meeting Notes", some events that are quick approaching in the next couple months include:

• Season of Gratitude (and Giving)
• Parenting Seminar and Q&A on Zoom | Helping Families Thrive
• Gingerbread House Building
• Nutcracker or Polar Express Viewing Party
• Secret Santa

We have a lot of things we'd like to do this year, but in order to do them, we'll need volunteers! See something you are interested? Reach out to anyone on the Board or drop an email to evergreenopt@outlook.com to see how you can help. The best way to see events you'll enjoy is to get involved!

Thank you for attending the OPT General Assembly Meeting on Thursday, November 5th! This month we discussed the success of the Halloween event(s), reviewed the proposed calendar for the year, heard from Mrs. Ashmore about possible upcoming assemblies, listened to updates from a few of our committees, learned about an upcoming parenting seminar and Q&A, discussed the Season of Gratitude and other holiday events on the horizon, heard from our Treasurer and Fundraising VP and received a great update from Principal Amy Morey.

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 3rd at 6 PM. Meeting details will be posted on the OPT Facebook page as well as sent out via email as we near the event date. We look forward to “seeing” you then!

Thanks to the spearheading of Treasurer Doug Mangini, we hosted our first ever Goody Bag Giveaway and Spooky Storytime on 10/30. At carline pick-up, the children were delighted to receive their goody bags stuffed with Halloween surprises. The Online Academy as well as the 4th and 5th graders (who are still Distance Learning) participated in a drive-thru parade with teachers in costume. That evening, three guest story tellers hosted Zoom meetings, broken down by grade level pairs, to share some fun and spooky Halloween tales. Thank you to our readers and those families who attended!

We reviewed the proposed OPT calendar for 20/21. While events look different this year, due to safety and social distancing, your OPT is hard at work to make this year a success. Look in Friday Folders and email for the OPT calendar and get excited to get involved! Some events headed your way:

· Season of Gratitude

· Gingerbread House Making

· Secret Santa

· Family Trivia Night

· Virtual Talent Show

· Drive-In Movie

· Parenting Seminars and Q&As

· Book Clubs for Parents and Students

· S.T.E.A.M. Fair

· And much more!

See something you are interested in helping with? We have volunteer opportunities for anyone interested! Please contact VP of Family Engagement, Keri Sliger at kerisliger@gmail.com to get involved!

Mrs. Ashmore joined our Zoom call to discuss some of the assembly ideas that are in the works. While assemblies have historically been in-person and often, hands on, this year will look different. Mrs. Ashmore has been hard at work finding opportunities to educate, entertain and excite! As in the past, some assemblies are free of charge while others have associated fees that the OPT often helps fund. Some ideas Mrs. Ashmore shared are:

· Eco Show (similar to King County Waste Division assembly in the past)

· African Drumming

· The Toy Maker

· (New) Matt Wilhelm BMX

· Nutcracker (virtual show)

· New York City Children’s Show

· Social Justice Committee: Meeting days and times will be changing to weekday/early evenings in hopes of drawing a larger audience and allowing teachers a more convenient time to participate. Look for information coming soon. Are you passionate about social justice, have ideas, experience or simply want to be a part of the conversation? Join us!

· Teacher Appreciation Committee: To date we have provided an OPT sponsored lunch from Panera and other goodies to celebrate and thank our wonderful teachers. More surprises are in the works! If you have ideas or would like to volunteer to help, please consider joining our committee.

To join, volunteer to help, or share ideas with either of the above committees, please reach out to Kim Kertson at kimmykaykertson@gmail.com.

On Wednesday, November 18th at 6:30, the OPT will soon be sponsoring a Zoom seminar, followed by a Q&A session, with psychologists Dr. Shanna Alvarez and Dr. Jenna Elgin of “Helping Families Thrive.” We would love to know which of the following topics our Evergreen community most wishes to learn about. Complete a very simple and quick (one question) survey to guide our conversation!

1. “Helping Your Anxious Child”

2. “Establishing Effective Routines”

3. “3 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Child (and improve behavior too!)”

There is no wrong choice, they’re all great topics! Please use the survey link below to make your desired topic known and we look forward to learning alongside you!

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GKCM3HH

In combination with an in-house fundraising competition, to support your OPT, we are excited to host a month of gratitude and giving! These strange and unusual times we are living have reinforced the importance of reaching out to neighbors, family and friends.

· Thanksgiving Directed Draw and Read Aloud | Bring your Kindness Notecards!

Join us Thursday, November 19th at 6:30 PM on Zoom for a Turkey Directed Draw, followed by a Thanksgiving Themed Read Aloud! Bring your Kindness Notecards and decorate with the Turkey we draw together, or use your own imaginations and decorate them with love. A Zoom link will be emailed/posted on FB as we near the event.

*Completed notecards should be returned to the main office no later than Monday, November 23rd to ensure timely delivery to the recipients at Brittany Park.

· Academic Support Fee Competition: Turn in your Academic Support Fee form and payment and help your child’s class win a chance for an OPT sponsored class party! The first class to reach 100% participation will earn a fun filled (and Covid friendly) class party. If the whole school reaches 100% participation, Mrs. Morey will get “creamed” during Launch! The last day to make your contribution count toward the competition is 12/4. ! You can also pay through Square, our online collection process. Don’t forget, you can DOUBLE your donation through corporate matching.

Academic Support Fee: https://checkout.square.site/buy/BHPNZR4YAF2CQUWQCFC6WO5I

Additional children:

https://checkout.square.site/buy/BAZQAKQOGJBVNST3GCNRY2NF

· Food Drive: This year Evergreen Academy will be collecting donations of food, and other much needed items, for our neighbors (just 3 miles from our school) at Woodin Elementary. This local food pantry serves the children of Woodin Elementary and has been heavily utilized during the pandemic. Your donations make a difference in the lives of others! See the flyer that went home last Friday or view the flyer at the OPT page of the school website.

· Notes of Kindness: Look for blank “Notes of Kindness” in your child’s Friday Folder this week (or materials pick-up boxes) and return them to the main office at any time during the week of 11/16. These notes will be sent to the residents of Brittany Park, a senior living facility in Woodinville. Each child will receive two blank notecards to color and fill with warm thoughts of kindness. We appreciate your support and know our senior friends will too!

While still in the works, the OPT is hard at work to ensure a fun filled end to a very crazy year! More information about these fun events will soon be headed your way:

· Gingerbread House Building

· Nutcracker and/or Polar Express Viewing

· Secret Santa

Interested in helping with any of these exciting events?! Contact Melinda at melinda.kong.2015@gmail.com.

Contact: Julia K at jvgendel@gmail.com

This spring we plan to hold a VIRTUAL AUCTION! In order to make this a success, the planning needs to start now and we need your help, connections and talents. Together we are better! We will need help in the following areas:

· Procuring auction items (Be creative! Use your connections!)

· Volunteers for organizing the event (Are you a marketing pro? A great writer? Have past auction experience? We need YOU!)

If you are interested in helping in any manner, reach out to our VP of Fundraising, Julia, at jvgendel@gmail.com.

Mrs. Morey was all smiles as she talked about how good it feels to have many of the children on campus again and see their happy faces in person!

· Who’s Back? |Kindergarten and 1st-3rd grade are all back in their classrooms and things feel “normal.” While we had hoped to have 4th and 5th grade back on campus by now, the return dates have been moved due to rising Covid numbers in King County. More information on their pending return is expected soon and will be shared by Mrs. Morey in the near future.

· Watch for Survey(s) | A Survey from Spring Education will be headed your way soon. This survey (for both in-person as well as online families) will ask for your honest feedback on how the school is doing during these unprecedented times and will guide future decision making. If you are a part of the Online Academy, you will receive a second survey, specific to your Online experience.

· Fall Weather | As a reminder, please be sure to send your child to school with warm clothes as they are outside for recess and PE as much as the weather permits. If you have a pair of rainboots you want to leave at school, feel free to send them in!

· Carline Schedule | Carline looks and feels a little different this year and your cooperation and patience is greatly appreciated. Please stick to the drop-off and pick-up schedule as provided for your grade level so the line can move as efficiently as possible.

· Temperature Checks | Chilly fall mornings mean warm cars…which also means warm kids! Please be advised that in order to receive an accurate temperature check, many kids are having to step out of their cars and/or take their coats off to get an accurate reading. In an effort to minimize the time it takes to receive an accurate reading, please roll your windows down and cool your car and child off before drop-off. This will help the staff check your child in as quickly as possible, and as accurately as possible. Thank you for your cooperation!

Have questions or ideas? Feel free to reach out to any Board member. We want to hear from you!

Next General Assembly Meeting: Thursday, December 3rd at 6 PM on Zoom

Thank you to everyone that participated in our Online Book Fair! We did $1,150 in sales, which Evergreen Academy gets 25% back in Scholastic Dollars, for books for our classrooms and library!

It was great to visit the Evergreen Academy Zoo, and see all the wonderful costumes for Halloween from everyone!

Thank you again to our Halloween chair, Doug Mangini, as well as our Storytellers, Ms. Morey, Kim Kertson, and Julia Kulyk. Additionally, thank you so much to everyone that donated candy and items for our goodie bags, and joined us for Story Time! We hope you had a wonderful time!

OPT is the Organization of Parents and Teachers for Evergreen Academy. Everyone of our families are part of OPT. If you're reading this, that means you! We're here to support to teachers and community, and create the best Evergreen Academy we can, together.

Your OPT Board this year is:

• President: Melinda Kong
• Vice President of Fundraising: Julia Kulyk
• Vice President of Family Engagement: Keri Sliger
• Secretary: Kim Kertson
• Treasurer: Doug Mangini

Email: evergreenopt@outlook.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/EvergreenAcademyOPT