See Shaw Shine
Shaw Montessori Newsletter Week of April 13th
IN THIS ISSUE
- Letter From Willoughby
- Message From Laura Hildwein - Shaw Montessori Social Worker
- Message From Petra
- Shaw PTA Announcement
- Tax Credit / Class Trips
- Information and Student Meal Resources
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Letter from Willoughby
Dear Shaw Friends,
It’s your rabbit friend Willoughby here, touching base with you all this week. I haven’t seen you all in a while and I hope you are all doing very well. Here at Shaw, there are a lot of plants in bloom. The foliage that surrounds my rabbit hutch is growing by the day and there are flowers blooming all around the campus. It’s just me, the birds, the tortoise, the chickens, and the cats that live in the parking lot here these days.
You know me, I like to make my way all around the campus in search for good things to eat. If I am lucky, someone will accidentally leave the garden gates open and I hop right in there. It’s a feast! There are all kinds of herbs and vegetables to nibble on, it’s a school rabbit’s dream!
I sure miss seeing your smiling faces. I miss when you come by and pet me and the carrots and celery you sneak out of the cafeteria to give me (don’t worry, I will not tell Mrs. Engdall!). But don’t you worry about me, there are the good people at Shaw checking on me and nature abounds on our campus so there is plenty of company here.
You all take good care and I can’t wait to see you when you come back.
With Love,
Willoughby
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Message From Laura Hildwein
Greetings from Shaw!
Click HERE to view video message from Ms. Laura!
“Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful”
These are definitely challenging times and it is so important to take care of yourself. You cannot help others if you have not put fuel in your tank.
Here are a few lesser publicized tips for getting through social distancing::
Dress for the life you want. It is easy to stay in our pj’s all day when we have no place to go. Getting dressed gets us into a positive mindset.
Stay hydrated and eat well. It is very easy to eat out of boredom and to reach for unhealthy foods. Try to cook healthy meals (have the kids help, this is a great learning experience!) and sit down to eat as a family.
Find a retreat space. Make sure everyone in your home has a place to go if they want to be alone. It may be a fort under a table, a quiet corner with a beanbag, a relaxing bath a separate room, iIt is important that although we are all in close proximity that we each have a place of our own.
Spend extra time playing with your children. Some kids may have difficulty expressing their feelings and concerns in words. Imaginative play gives them an outlet to express themselves.
Find something you can control. Organizing a drawer or closet, making a list of things you want to do, limiting screen time. You need to feel that sense of accomplishment each day.
7 social emotional activities for the week
- Close your eyes and be completely still for 1 minute. What did you notice about yourself and your surroundings?
- Play a game with someone. Practice telling yourself it is ok if you don’t win.
- Create a sensory jar (fill a jar with water and glitter or rice)
-take a family walk/bike ride
- practice yoga
- go on a scavenger hunt (it could be held inside or outside)
- spend time with your pet
Stay safe!
Laura Hildwein
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Message From Connie & Petra - Gabriel’s Angels Therapy
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Hello Shaw Community!
Hope everyone is staying safe. I would like to share communication we recently received from the AZ PTA with regards to what current Arizona PTA Bylaws and Local Unit Bylaws allow. Please read this document in its entirety as there is information specific to our community. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
The Arizona PTA Board of Managers met virtually and unanimously voted to allow for Arizona PTA President, Mr. Chavez to convene a special committee on Covid-19. The Board of Managers and the Covid-19 Committee held an emergency vote and voted to give Mr Chavez emergency powers based on the Non-Profit Corporation Revised Statutes to suspend only the part in the Arizona PTA Bylaws which requires in-person meetings for executive boards.
This vote will allow for local unit leaders to meet as an executive board/committee virtually or over the phone during school closures due to Covid-19.
What this means:
As of right now we at Arizona PTA have voted to allow your Executive Board/Executive Committee (your officers) to meet virtually as needed.
What this doesn't mean:
Arizona PTA is monitoring the closures of schools in Arizona. As of now General Meetings are NOT ALLOWED to happen virtually - the Arizona PTA Bylaws still require in person meetings for General Membership. This means your executive board should postpone any scheduled general meetings including elections and simply hold executive meetings as needed to make decisions about scheduled events, virtual spirit weeks, etc. Your executive board can NOT change your budget or reallocate funds; your executive board cannot create new fundraisers. However, your executive board can reach out to vendors and event coordinators and cancel events, postpone fundraisers, seek refunds or assistance as needed, etc.
What does this mean for the SHAW COMMUNITY? :
The PTA Executive Board for Shaw Montessori met on Sunday, March 29th @ 9:00PM. The items discussed were as follows:
- TEACHER SUPPLY FUND - In September 2019, the members voted and approved a $300 reimbursement to each teacher for supplies they’ve purchased for their classroom. The fund consists of monies for twenty four teachers, eighteen classrooms and six specialty areas. On April 2, 2020 new online procedures were sent out to all of the teachers who had not yet submitted their expenses for reimbursement, which was approximately half of the staff. We will be processing the reimbursement payments for the remaining staff through May 15, 2020.
- ELECTIONS – The board is considering splitting up some of the PTA board and coordinator positions for the 2020/2021 school year. Over the next few weeks, we will be creating new job descriptions for those positions. We will share the proposed positions along with any open board positions for the 2020/2021 school year with the community in May. The Arizona PTA is working diligently on new guidelines for conducting virtual General Meetings and Elections. Once we have this guidance, we will inform the community via See Shaw Shine.
- SPRING CARNIVAL – In February, a $350 deposit was made to the large inflatable vendor. The vendor issued a “Raincheck” for the deposit that will remain on file for up to 1 year. We will discuss the timing of this event at the first PTA meeting once school resumes in the fall.
The executive board members meet virtually and communicate with Principal Susan Engdall weekly. COVID-19 has created a challenging time for all of us and we know many of you are concerned about the welfare of our students and staff members. Shaw Montessori PTA will offer its support and assistance as we adhere to the certain rules set out by the AZ PTA at this time. We will continue to work under the guidelines set forth by the AZPTA until the situation improves and/or we’ve received further direction. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me via email at addie.weddington@gmail.com.
Sincerely, Addie Weddington (2019/2020 PTA President)
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Tax Credit Information / Class Trips
The cancellation of the end of year trips is very difficult for our community.
We have been in contact with the vendors for these trips to either receive refunds or credits, depending on their policies. Next steps will be determining refunds to our families. Our office manager Ms. Girard along with our Business Services Department will be working through this process for the next couple of months.
We will send updates as they become available. Please know that if you paid for part of your child’s trip with an Arizona Tax Credit, it is non-refundable but may help you reduce your Arizona State taxes. Please consult with your tax preparer.
If you have a question for Ms. Girard she can reached at: Christina.girard@phxschools.org
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Information and Student Meal Resources
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Shaw Montessori Facebook
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Contact Us
Email: Susan.Engdall@Phxschools.org
Website: https://phxschools.org/shaw
Location: 123 North 13th Street, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: 602-257-3914
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1614897512101327/?ref=group_header