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PTO Update
PTO Newsletter (20 October, 2020)
PTO Executive Board Update (4 August, 2020)
Dear Ludlow-Taylor Families,
We hope you are having a safe and enjoyable summer. With the start of virtual learning quickly approaching, we wanted to reach out and provide an update. As always, the PTO remains committed to assisting the school administration and faculty to ensure that virtual learning is successful for all students.
The PTO Executive Board met once with Principal Daniel to introduce ourselves and is looking forward to our second meeting with her in the coming weeks now that DCPS has announced how we will be moving forward. Following the information sent out on Friday by Principal Daniel, the PTO has some announcements that we would like to share with you before school starts.
PTO MEETING:
Our first PTO Meeting of the year will be on Thursday, October 1st at 6:00pm. A Zoom link for the meeting will be sent out closer to the date.
PTO ELECTIONS:
In a typical school year, PTO elections are held in the spring. This past spring, four positions would have come open on the Executive Board: President, one of our two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Assistant Treasurer. However, in May, Principal Smith asked the PTO Executive Board if we would continue in our current positions for another year given the COVID-19 pandemic and then the changes to the school’s administration, and we agreed to do so. (The Secretary position, however, became vacant as our prior Secretary’s son graduated from the school.)
While we believe continuity on the Board is important given this time of transition, we also want to ensure that any family member who is interested in running for the Executive Board has that opportunity. So, we will be holding elections for all the positions that would have been open in the spring. Here are the positions, all of which require a two-year commitment:
· President,
· One of our Vice-President positions,
· Secretary, and
· Assistant Treasurer (this position transitions to Treasurer in the second year).
Duties of the Executive Board are to:
1. Carry out such business as may be referred to it by the LTES community;
2. Present information at the regular general meetings of the LT PTO;
3. Prepare an annual budget;
4. Approve payment of routine expenses;
5. Form Committees, and appoint standing Committee chairs and members; and
6. Approve the work of the Committees.
We realize that it may be difficult to commit to assuming a leadership position given all the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming school year. For that reason, the Executive Board members whose positions are open are willing to consider running again. However, we are also keenly interested in bringing new voices and new perspectives into leadership roles, so all interested family members are strongly encouraged to run for an open position.
As a majority of the positions on the Board are up for election, we will designate a parent who is not on the PTO Executive Board and/or a teacher to run the election.
In the meantime, we are exploring the best systems to facilitate a full and fair election, which we anticipate will take place later this fall. We encourage all family members interested in running for the PTO Executive Board to email their nomination to pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
PTO COMMITTEES:
Currently, the PTO has six committees:
· Auction
· Communications – Chaired by Karim Lebhour and Jen Biancaniello
· Events
· Fundraising – Chaired by Gena Edens
· Grants – Chaired by Rachel Turow and Julie Anglin
· Grounds – Chaired by Melanie Knapp and Oliver Fischer
In addition, the PTO will be forming two new committees:
· Family Engagement, and
· Teacher Appreciation.
Four of our committees are without chairs and a fifth needs a co-chair. We are encouraging any member of the LTES community who would be interested in co-chairing a committee to reach out to us at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
Specifics of the five committees that need co-chairs are as follows:
Auction Committee- The Auction Committee Co-Chairs traditionally plan and implement our annual Spring Auction. Last year, due to COVID-19, the event was cancelled; however, our online auction was an incredible success. This year, we are looking for new ideas regarding how we can hold the auction in some fashion. This event, coupled with our Fall Campaign of Giving, is the school’s primary fundraising vehicle.
Events Committee– Throughout the year, the PTO would normally hold approximately one community event per month, including our annual Thanksgiving Potluck, Pancakes and Literacy, and Movie Night, to name a few. There will not be events during the fall semester, but we remain hopeful that we will be able to have events in the spring. This position would be a two-year commitment with this fall being a learning and planning stage and possibly the spring and next year being the implementation of our community events.
Fundraising Committee – The Fundraising Committee is currently chaired by Gena Edens and needs a co-chair. The Fundraising Committee co-chairs are responsible for organizing and implementing the Fall Campaign of Giving. They also assist with the spring Auction as needed.
Family Engagement Committee – The PTO Executive Board envisions this Committee as the facilitator of innovative ways for families, particularly families that do not already know each other, to meet and engage. This would include, for example, Zoom meetings on specific issues such as families of struggling readers, a family group to work on equity and social justice matters, a single parents group, a book club, among other opportunities we have to bring diverse families together. When in-person events resume in DC, this Committee would also be responsible for planning occasions for families to come together, such as organizing adults pick-up basketball games in the evenings, for example. The PTO Board thinks there are a lot of opportunities to engage the many families in our diverse community and their variety of interests. If you cannot take on one of the co-chair positions, but have ideas of how we can make this new committee flourish or different ways for families to come together, please email us at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
Teacher Appreciation Committee – Opportunities to show our amazing faculty and staff our appreciation have normally been organized by the PTO Executive Board, but we think this deserves its own committee. Responsibilities would include organizing the quarterly breakfasts/coffees we put on for teachers (once we are back in school) and Teacher Appreciation Week.
If you cannot take on the responsibility of a co-chair position on one of our committees, but would still like to volunteer, we will have more information about how you can do that at our September PTO meeting.
W6PSPO:
The Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organizations is a group of parents from Ward 6 schools who meet regularly to discuss both DC and Ward 6-specific school issues. The PTO needs a representative from our school to attend the meetings. If you are interested, please let us know at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
LSAT ELECTIONS:
Elections for positions on Ludlow-Taylor’s Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) will also take place in September.
The LSAT is a group of elected and appointed members that shall exist in every DCPS school, is constituted according to these guidelines, and conducts the business outlined herein. The team consists of parents, teachers, non-instructional school staff, a community member, and in some cases students, to advise the principal on matters that promote high expectations and high achievement for all students. The Local School Advisory Team was previously called the Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT); LSRTs were established by the Superintendent of DC Public Schools in collaboration with the Washington Teachers’ Union in 1992. These teams were established, as the initial guidelines stipulated, “. . . to serve in an advisory capacity to the principal for the purpose of improving student outcomes.” The continuing achievement of DCPS students is the goal of all Local School Advisory Teams.
The LSAT will be looking for four individuals to serve a one-year term. Additional information about running for the LSAT will be forwarded in the coming weeks from members of last year’s LSAT.
We thank you for your continued support of our Ludlow-Taylor community. We look forward to receiving your nominations for Executive Board or your interest in Committee Chair positions and W6PSPO representative at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
The PTO Executive Board
Lauren McDermott, President
Danielle White, Vice President
Kyle Evans, Vice President
Todd Hettenbach, Treasurer
Tom Sellevaag, Assistant Treasurer
Dear Ludlow-Taylor Families,
We hope you are having a safe and enjoyable summer. With the start of virtual learning quickly approaching, we wanted to reach out and provide an update. As always, the PTO remains committed to assisting the school administration and faculty to ensure that virtual learning is successful for all students.
The PTO Executive Board met once with Principal Daniel to introduce ourselves and is looking forward to our second meeting with her in the coming weeks now that DCPS has announced how we will be moving forward. Following the information sent out on Friday by Principal Daniel, the PTO has some announcements that we would like to share with you before school starts.
PTO MEETING:
Our first PTO Meeting of the year will be on Thursday, October 1st at 6:00pm. A Zoom link for the meeting will be sent out closer to the date.
PTO ELECTIONS:
In a typical school year, PTO elections are held in the spring. This past spring, four positions would have come open on the Executive Board: President, one of our two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Assistant Treasurer. However, in May, Principal Smith asked the PTO Executive Board if we would continue in our current positions for another year given the COVID-19 pandemic and then the changes to the school’s administration, and we agreed to do so. (The Secretary position, however, became vacant as our prior Secretary’s son graduated from the school.)
While we believe continuity on the Board is important given this time of transition, we also want to ensure that any family member who is interested in running for the Executive Board has that opportunity. So, we will be holding elections for all the positions that would have been open in the spring. Here are the positions, all of which require a two-year commitment:
· President,
· One of our Vice-President positions,
· Secretary, and
· Assistant Treasurer (this position transitions to Treasurer in the second year).
Duties of the Executive Board are to:
1. Carry out such business as may be referred to it by the LTES community;
2. Present information at the regular general meetings of the LT PTO;
3. Prepare an annual budget;
4. Approve payment of routine expenses;
5. Form Committees, and appoint standing Committee chairs and members; and
6. Approve the work of the Committees.
We realize that it may be difficult to commit to assuming a leadership position given all the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming school year. For that reason, the Executive Board members whose positions are open are willing to consider running again. However, we are also keenly interested in bringing new voices and new perspectives into leadership roles, so all interested family members are strongly encouraged to run for an open position.
As a majority of the positions on the Board are up for election, we will designate a parent who is not on the PTO Executive Board and/or a teacher to run the election.
In the meantime, we are exploring the best systems to facilitate a full and fair election, which we anticipate will take place later this fall. We encourage all family members interested in running for the PTO Executive Board to email their nomination to pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
PTO COMMITTEES:
Currently, the PTO has six committees:
· Auction
· Communications – Chaired by Karim Lebhour and Jen Biancaniello
· Events
· Fundraising – Chaired by Gena Edens
· Grants – Chaired by Rachel Turow and Julie Anglin
· Grounds – Chaired by Melanie Knapp and Oliver Fischer
In addition, the PTO will be forming two new committees:
· Family Engagement, and
· Teacher Appreciation.
Four of our committees are without chairs and a fifth needs a co-chair. We are encouraging any member of the LTES community who would be interested in co-chairing a committee to reach out to us at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
Specifics of the five committees that need co-chairs are as follows:
Auction Committee- The Auction Committee Co-Chairs traditionally plan and implement our annual Spring Auction. Last year, due to COVID-19, the event was cancelled; however, our online auction was an incredible success. This year, we are looking for new ideas regarding how we can hold the auction in some fashion. This event, coupled with our Fall Campaign of Giving, is the school’s primary fundraising vehicle.
Events Committee– Throughout the year, the PTO would normally hold approximately one community event per month, including our annual Thanksgiving Potluck, Pancakes and Literacy, and Movie Night, to name a few. There will not be events during the fall semester, but we remain hopeful that we will be able to have events in the spring. This position would be a two-year commitment with this fall being a learning and planning stage and possibly the spring and next year being the implementation of our community events.
Fundraising Committee – The Fundraising Committee is currently chaired by Gena Edens and needs a co-chair. The Fundraising Committee co-chairs are responsible for organizing and implementing the Fall Campaign of Giving. They also assist with the spring Auction as needed.
Family Engagement Committee – The PTO Executive Board envisions this Committee as the facilitator of innovative ways for families, particularly families that do not already know each other, to meet and engage. This would include, for example, Zoom meetings on specific issues such as families of struggling readers, a family group to work on equity and social justice matters, a single parents group, a book club, among other opportunities we have to bring diverse families together. When in-person events resume in DC, this Committee would also be responsible for planning occasions for families to come together, such as organizing adults pick-up basketball games in the evenings, for example. The PTO Board thinks there are a lot of opportunities to engage the many families in our diverse community and their variety of interests. If you cannot take on one of the co-chair positions, but have ideas of how we can make this new committee flourish or different ways for families to come together, please email us at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
Teacher Appreciation Committee – Opportunities to show our amazing faculty and staff our appreciation have normally been organized by the PTO Executive Board, but we think this deserves its own committee. Responsibilities would include organizing the quarterly breakfasts/coffees we put on for teachers (once we are back in school) and Teacher Appreciation Week.
If you cannot take on the responsibility of a co-chair position on one of our committees, but would still like to volunteer, we will have more information about how you can do that at our September PTO meeting.
W6PSPO:
The Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organizations is a group of parents from Ward 6 schools who meet regularly to discuss both DC and Ward 6-specific school issues. The PTO needs a representative from our school to attend the meetings. If you are interested, please let us know at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
LSAT ELECTIONS:
Elections for positions on Ludlow-Taylor’s Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) will also take place in September.
The LSAT is a group of elected and appointed members that shall exist in every DCPS school, is constituted according to these guidelines, and conducts the business outlined herein. The team consists of parents, teachers, non-instructional school staff, a community member, and in some cases students, to advise the principal on matters that promote high expectations and high achievement for all students. The Local School Advisory Team was previously called the Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT); LSRTs were established by the Superintendent of DC Public Schools in collaboration with the Washington Teachers’ Union in 1992. These teams were established, as the initial guidelines stipulated, “. . . to serve in an advisory capacity to the principal for the purpose of improving student outcomes.” The continuing achievement of DCPS students is the goal of all Local School Advisory Teams.
The LSAT will be looking for four individuals to serve a one-year term. Additional information about running for the LSAT will be forwarded in the coming weeks from members of last year’s LSAT.
We thank you for your continued support of our Ludlow-Taylor community. We look forward to receiving your nominations for Executive Board or your interest in Committee Chair positions and W6PSPO representative at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
The PTO Executive Board
Lauren McDermott, President
Danielle White, Vice President
Kyle Evans, Vice President
Todd Hettenbach, Treasurer
Tom Sellevaag, Assistant Treasurer
PTO Executive Board Update (9 April, 2020)
Hello LT Families,
It’s been just about a month since our last day in school. And what a month it’s been.
We have a few important updates that we wanted to share with our community, but first and foremost, we want to let you know that we are here to help in any way we can. You can always reach us at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
THANK YOU TO OUR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:
In these extraordinary times, our teachers have unsurprisingly stepped up in extraordinary ways. Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week in May (4th-8th), but with the uncertainty of if and when we are returning to school, we wanted to start planning now to still show our teachers our heartfelt gratitude. In lieu of the activities we would have normally had during Teacher Appreciation Week, each teacher will get two gifts cards from the PTO. We are still determining which gift cards can be transmitted electronically, but our intention is to get them from local H Street businesses thus having the win-win of supporting our teachers as well as our neighborhood businesses that have supported LT throughout the year.
We are also asking families to send messages, take photos, or film videos for your children’s teachers to show them how much we love, appreciate, and miss them. You should feel free to send these messages right to your teacher up until and during Teacher Appreciation Week. These messages can also be sent to Karim Lebhour and Jen Biancaniello, our PTO Communications Chairs, at communications@ludlowtaylor.org. They will be posting some of these messages throughout Teacher Appreciation Week to our FB page and LTESConnects on Instagram. If you don't have a certain teachers' email address, you can send your message to Karim and Jen and they will forward it to the teacher it is for (please just put the teacher's name in the subject line). And please don’t forget our specials teachers and administrators who are working hard to stay in touch with our children during distance learning.
MEDICAL FUNDRAISER FOR MS POWELL AND MS HALL:
Sadly, two Members of our community - Ms. Powell and Ms. Hall - are currently battling cancer and could use our support. Erin Johnston has set up a GoFundMe page to assist with their medical expenses. The money raised will be split evenly between Ms. Powell and Ms. Hall. If you would like to support this fundraiser, you can access the page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-for-ms-powell?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
REALLOCATION OF PTO FUNDS:
The PTO Executive Board met virtually and we have been working with Principal Smith and Assistant Principal Addison to reallocate PTO funds to support our community during distance learning, including technology and programs that will assist our students and teachers.
Both Ludlow-Taylor and DC Public Schools Central Office have equipment such as computers and tablets available for families who need them. If you need technology assistance, please reach out directly to Principal Smith.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARENTS:
We want to take a moment to thank Kathleen Grealish, who set up and administered the GoFundMe assistance for our families a few weeks ago. It is a great example of why Ludlow-Taylor is such a special community.
We want to thank Gena Edens, our PTO Fundraising Chair, and Rebecca Thomas, Kristy Littman, and Maureen Cleaver, our PTO Auction Co-Chairs - as well as all the other family members who served on the Auction Committee - for their work to successfully raise funds for the school through the Fall Campaign and the Auction. Both the Fall Campaign and Auction set new records for the amount of money raised, even with the actual auction needing to be cancelled.
Lastly, though certainly not least, we want to thank you - our families - for your support throughout the year, for your continued support of our teachers and our community during this challenging time, and for your generosity to the Fall Campaign and Auction. Because of you and your contributions, we are able to continue to support our community in important ways, such as redirecting funds to make distance learning a success.
Hoping you and your family are staying safe and healthy,
The PTO Executive Board
Lauren McDermott, President
Danielle White, Vice-President
Kyle Evans, Vice-President
Melanie Moore, Secretary
Tom Sellevaag, Treasurer
Todd Hettenbach, Assistant Treasurer
Hello LT Families,
It’s been just about a month since our last day in school. And what a month it’s been.
We have a few important updates that we wanted to share with our community, but first and foremost, we want to let you know that we are here to help in any way we can. You can always reach us at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
THANK YOU TO OUR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:
In these extraordinary times, our teachers have unsurprisingly stepped up in extraordinary ways. Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week in May (4th-8th), but with the uncertainty of if and when we are returning to school, we wanted to start planning now to still show our teachers our heartfelt gratitude. In lieu of the activities we would have normally had during Teacher Appreciation Week, each teacher will get two gifts cards from the PTO. We are still determining which gift cards can be transmitted electronically, but our intention is to get them from local H Street businesses thus having the win-win of supporting our teachers as well as our neighborhood businesses that have supported LT throughout the year.
We are also asking families to send messages, take photos, or film videos for your children’s teachers to show them how much we love, appreciate, and miss them. You should feel free to send these messages right to your teacher up until and during Teacher Appreciation Week. These messages can also be sent to Karim Lebhour and Jen Biancaniello, our PTO Communications Chairs, at communications@ludlowtaylor.org. They will be posting some of these messages throughout Teacher Appreciation Week to our FB page and LTESConnects on Instagram. If you don't have a certain teachers' email address, you can send your message to Karim and Jen and they will forward it to the teacher it is for (please just put the teacher's name in the subject line). And please don’t forget our specials teachers and administrators who are working hard to stay in touch with our children during distance learning.
MEDICAL FUNDRAISER FOR MS POWELL AND MS HALL:
Sadly, two Members of our community - Ms. Powell and Ms. Hall - are currently battling cancer and could use our support. Erin Johnston has set up a GoFundMe page to assist with their medical expenses. The money raised will be split evenly between Ms. Powell and Ms. Hall. If you would like to support this fundraiser, you can access the page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-for-ms-powell?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
REALLOCATION OF PTO FUNDS:
The PTO Executive Board met virtually and we have been working with Principal Smith and Assistant Principal Addison to reallocate PTO funds to support our community during distance learning, including technology and programs that will assist our students and teachers.
Both Ludlow-Taylor and DC Public Schools Central Office have equipment such as computers and tablets available for families who need them. If you need technology assistance, please reach out directly to Principal Smith.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARENTS:
We want to take a moment to thank Kathleen Grealish, who set up and administered the GoFundMe assistance for our families a few weeks ago. It is a great example of why Ludlow-Taylor is such a special community.
We want to thank Gena Edens, our PTO Fundraising Chair, and Rebecca Thomas, Kristy Littman, and Maureen Cleaver, our PTO Auction Co-Chairs - as well as all the other family members who served on the Auction Committee - for their work to successfully raise funds for the school through the Fall Campaign and the Auction. Both the Fall Campaign and Auction set new records for the amount of money raised, even with the actual auction needing to be cancelled.
Lastly, though certainly not least, we want to thank you - our families - for your support throughout the year, for your continued support of our teachers and our community during this challenging time, and for your generosity to the Fall Campaign and Auction. Because of you and your contributions, we are able to continue to support our community in important ways, such as redirecting funds to make distance learning a success.
Hoping you and your family are staying safe and healthy,
The PTO Executive Board
Lauren McDermott, President
Danielle White, Vice-President
Kyle Evans, Vice-President
Melanie Moore, Secretary
Tom Sellevaag, Treasurer
Todd Hettenbach, Assistant Treasurer