Thornhill Elementary PFC Newsletter
Volume 31, Issue 35, May 7, 2024
In This Issue (bolded items are new for this week)
- From our PFC co-Presidents
- 2024-25 PFC Board Slate Positions
- Last Hosted Party of the Year! Karaoke at Taps and Takeout!!
- This THURSDAY Dine & Donate at Round Table Pizza
- Inclusion and Belonging
- End of Year Party at Taps and Takeout - May 22
- Thank You for Supporting the Ridwell Plastic Film Drive!
- OUSD Announcements
- Calendar of Important Dates
HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!
Open House and Science Fair @ 6pm TONIGHT!
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From our PFC co-Presidents
Happy May!
It’s hard to believe that there are only about two weeks of school left and summer is just around the corner! We want to take a moment and give a big shoutout to our incredible teachers for their unwavering dedication, love, and support they've shown our students throughout the year. As it's Teacher Appreciation Week, now is the perfect time to show our gratitude. Whether it's through homemade cards or special treats, let's make sure our teachers know just how amazing they are. A heartfelt thank you also goes out to the members of the PFC and Room Parents for coordinating a week's worth of goodies to celebrate our hardworking educators. Yay!
May also means budget talks, the PFC co-Presidents and co-Treasurers work behind the scenes to ensure we can finance all the enriching activities that make our school exceptional. From prioritizing programs to supporting personnel, we strive to create a safe and nurturing environment for the students of Thornhill. With over $300,000 raised per school year, it’s important to maintain transparency about how these funds are allocated.
With all this work on the budget, we need your help at our final PFC meeting of the school year! Join us NEXT Tuesday, May 14 at 6:00pm in the Thornhill library…and bring the kids along; we've arranged childcare and there'll be pizza!
The agenda includes a crucial vote on the PFC 2024-25 budget and board slate. Plus, we're thrilled to welcome two special speakers from our neighbor, St. John's Church, who will present information on the MAJOR parking lot and bridge construction plans.
Warmly,
Catrina Vrankovich & Evie Nagy
PFC co-Presidents
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2024-25 PFC Board Slate Positions
Per our bylaws, we are publishing the PFC (Parent Faculty Club) Board Slate for the 2024-25 school year. Roles and responsibilities for each role are summarized under the PFC menu on our website here.
Not involved yet? Consider taking a role within the PFC; you can even partner up with a friend! Reach out to president@thornhillschool.org, we're eager to connect with you and fill some key positions!
We will be voting on this board slate during our last PFC meeting of the year on Tuesday, May 14 at 6:00pm in the Thornhill Library. Everyone is welcome to come to the meeting!
PFC Board Slate 2024-2025 *Executive Board
*Co-Presidents: Catrina Vrankovich + Becky Gonzales
*Secretary: VACANT
*Co-Treasurers: Madeleine Buck + VACANT
*VP Communications: Jill Evans
*VP Fundraising: VACANT
*VP Personnel: Evie Nagy
*Member-at-Large (TK-2): Selam Brown
*Member-at-Large (3-5): Chelsea Boniak
5th Grade Liaison: VACANT
Auction Chair/Committee: Bart Lounsbury
Annual Fund co-Chairs: Stefani Miller, Selam Brown, + VACANT
Fall Festival Chair co-Chairs (PFC + BAC): VACANT x2
Merchant Partnerships: VACANT
Hospitality co-Chairs: VACANT x2
Grants & Solicitations: VACANT
Inclusion & Belonging co-Chairs: Sophie Astier + VACANT
Newsletter: Annie Sartor
Parliamentarian: VACANT
Site Safety Chair: Bruce Cowles
Sustainability: Deepa Lounsbury
Room Parents Chair: VACANT
Traffic Safety Chair: Ian Storrar
Spirit Wear: Nisan Perera
Webmaster: Sylvia Sudat
Walk-a-thon co-Chairs: Alison Bunker + Brenna Gustafson
TK/K Chairs: VACANT
Thank you to all those who have volunteered!
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Last Hosted Party of the Year! Karaoke at Taps and Takeout!!
When: Saturday May 18
What: This all-inclusive night out at our local eatery means: super fun karaoke, great food and beverages (booze and nonalcoholic drinks alike) and a rollicking good time! Owner Joe Frankel is also a Thornhill dad and all-around model of hospitality! Gather with other Thornhill folks for a great party the last weekend before the end of the school year! Make it a grownup night out - OR bring your kids if that's easier.
Cost: $65
Get your tickets here: Karaoke Party at everyone’s favorite pub - Taps and Takeout!
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This THURSDAY Dine & Donate at Round Table Pizza
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Inclusion and Belonging
Welcome to May!
We are excited to let you know that back copies of Thornhill’s Inclusion Book Club are now on Konstella! You can find them on Konstella at school/more/files and links. The goal of the book club is to provide ideas on how to incorporate anti-racist practices into our lives and into how we raise our wonderful kiddos, so please check it out sometime! You’ll find some great book ideas for adults and children, including Raising Antiracist Children and Our Skin, a First Conversation About Race.
We would also like to let you know our next Local Social will be a visit to the African American Museum and Library of Oakland on Saturday, May 11 at 12pm. Our local visits are an opportunity to explore Oakland culture in community with our fellow Thunderbirds, so please reach out to diversity@thornhillschool.org if you would like to come along with your families! We will be organizing more opportunities for Thornhill families to get together and enjoy Oakland in the coming months so keep an eye out for more information soon.
Additionally, our last BAC Ally Brainstorm and Social of the year will be taking place Monday, May 20 6pm at El Agavero, 2071 Mountain Boulevard, Montclair. Please come if you can; even if you haven’t been to a meeting before, we would love to see you and hear your ideas on how to keep our school working towards a more equitable and just future.
And now, check out the events that are taking place in May:
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
This month recognizes the many contributions Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander Americans have made to our culture and history. Keep an eye out for how your children will be celebrating in class, including the AAPI read-in Ms. Fox has organized for the 2nd-5th graders to honor this celebration.
Around Oakland, maybe you could visit the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, visit OMCA’s Gallery of California Art, which features many Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, or visit the Compassion, Peace and Community Mural at Lake Merritt, which celebrates the 60 year friendship between Oakland and Fukuoka, Japan. You can find more details of all of these here.
Jewish American Heritage Month
This month, take time to remember the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped forge American culture and society. Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, takes place during this month and is a time to remember the millions of Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. If you would like to know more about how to honor Jewish contributions to American society, please click here.
World Day for Cultural Diversity
Every year on May 21, UNESCO leads the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity, Dialogue and Development. The event highlights not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development.
UNESCO highlights that with 89% of all current conflicts in the world occurring in countries with low intercultural dialogue, strengthening intercultural dialogue must be a priority. Think about how to celebrate this day with your kiddos, whether at the 2nd and 3rd Grades’ Heritage Potluck, choosing books from the library reflecting a culture different from your own or even doing some diverse craft activities: Polish folk art, Japanese kids crafts or this pattern drawing from the Philippines.
Finally, we hope everyone had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo! ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Thank you for reading and please reach out to diversity@thornhillschool.org if you have any questions or contributions.
Thornhill Inclusion and Diversity Team
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End of Year Party at Taps and Takeout - May 22
Details: Wednesday, May 22 starting at 1:25pm at Taps and Takeout. Hope to see you then!
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Thank You for Supporting the Ridwell Plastic Film Drive!
Thanks to our Thornhill community members who have joined Ridwell, our school has won a Ridwell plastic film recycling program membership for the 2024-2025 school year. This will help us recycle all of the plastic film that comes with school lunches and snacks, food from home, and other packaging.
As part of our school plastic film drive, we will be collecting your plastic film waste from home on Friday, May 10, by the front gate. Please bring in whatever plastic film items you have for recycling.
Thank you for helping our school help our planet!
The Green Team
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Calendar
Wednesday, May 8: TK-2nd Music Concert @ 9am
Wednesday, May 8: Open House and Science Fair @ 6pm
Thursday, May 9: Dine and Donate @ Round Table Pizza 11am-10pm
Friday, May 10: Ridwell Plastic Film Drive (details in Konstella)
Saturday, May 11: Inclusion and Belonging Local Social to AAMLO @ 12pm (details in Konstella)
Tuesday, May 14: 3rd-5th Music Concert @ 9am
Tuesday, May 14: Last PFC Meeting of the school year IN PERSON @ 6:00 PM
Wednesday, May 15: 2nd-5th grade author visit (details in Konstella)
Saturday, May 18: Taps and Takeout Karaoke Party (buy tickets here)
Monday, May 20 - Thursday, May 23: Minimum Days
Monday, May 20: BAC Ally Brainstorm and Social @ 6pm (details in Konstella)
Wednesday, May 22: 5th Grade Promotion
Wednesday, May 22: Taps and Takeout End of Year Party @ 1:25pm
Thursday, May 23: Last Day of School
Be sure also to subscribe to the Thornhill Google Calendar here, and download the OUSD District calendar here.
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About the Thornhill Newsletter
The Thornhill Parent-Faculty Club (PFC) Communications team publishes this weekly newsletter each Tuesday in the school year to communicate school, PFC and OUSD news, events and information. We all have plenty of other things to do, but please try to read it weekly, as it will more than likely answer most questions you have about what’s up at school. Information about how to submit to the newsletter is below, but you can reach out at any time at newsletter@thornhillschool.org.
Email submissions to Annie Sartor, at newsletter@thornhillschool.org by 8 p.m. Thursday for approval—nothing sent after this will be included in the following week’s newsletter unless there are extremely compelling extenuating circumstances. It’s fine to include text in the body of the email with links and no formatting, and attach photos preferably as 150 x 150, 72 dpi JPG or GIFs only (not embedded in email or word file). Submissions may be edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity. Advertising and items not related to Thornhill are not accepted, as we need to keep the newsletter focused on need-to-know info for the community.
THANK YOU to everyone who submits articles and to PFC Board Members, Teachers, VP of Communications Jill Evans, PFC Presidents Evie Nagy and Catrina Vrankovich, and Principal Steve Daubenspeck, member of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).
Email: webmaster@thornhillschool.org
Website: thornhillschool.org
Location: 5880 Thornhill Drive, Oakland, CA, USA
Phone: 510-339-6800