Welcome to the final two months of school! I can’t believe it is May already! I can almost smell the summer. Although the last few months have been very busy and stressful we have made it to the home stretch! We have had some wonderful events at Wanaque School and I would like to thank everyone for their support, enthusiasm and encouragement. We are an amazing school and community and it is who is within the halls and walls that it is all about….our children.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Tricky Tray Committee for doing such an amazing job. This was the most successful fundraiser we have had in years. I know that this is a very time intensive project which begins in September and doesn’t end until the week after the event. Thank you to all those who have shopped, solicited, packed, wrapped, donated, decorated and organized! I would also like to thank the businesses and families that donated and supported this year’s Tricky Tray.
There have been other successful events at our school in the past two months. Thank you to Kathy Dykstra, Mrs. Mateo, Mr. Trahan and Mr. Periu for organizing and participating in our first ever 5th Grade Fun Night. The children had a fun filled night of games, relays, taekwondo and volleyball followed by a large array of healthy foods.
Thank you to Lori Sahanas for organizing our Skate Night and Tricia Acenzo for organizing Wendy’s Night! These were very successful events which brought in money that we will be able to use for more programs and events for our children next year.
If anyone is interested in organizing an event please feel free to contact me anytime and I will help you to begin the process. We have nearly 600 students in our school and it only takes a little creativity and a little time to bring smiles on all their faces!
The Drama Department has also been very busy. I hope you all had the opportunity to see the 3-5th grade perform in “Guys and Dolls”. They were absolutely amazing! It’s so hard to believe that they were not professionals! I would like to thank Teresa Ernest, Erica, Stacey and all the committee members and volunteers who helped to make this such a great success. Please come and see the 6th – 8th grade perform in “Beauty and the Beast” on May 7th and May 8th. More information can be found on the PTA website. This is guaranteed to be a magical night!
We have formed a Nominating Committee for the 2010-2011 Executive Board Positions that have expired. The positions that will be available are 2nd Vice President, Treasurer and Recording Secretary. If you are interested in any of these positions please contact one of the Nominating Committee Members below:
Lisa Sebilia – tazkurasz2@aol.com
Jen Reiff – reiffla@aol.com
Sue Malson – susieqm12@yahoo.com
Patty Carson – pjcarson@optonline.net
We are also trying to organize a Garden Club. If you have a green thumb or just love to plant please contact Wendy Weisse at Weisse@optonline.net
Please mark your calendars for Field Day which will take place on May 28th. Please sign up to volunteer this wonderful event. You may volunteer to help serve lunch, decorate, help with events etc. The sign-up sheet is available on the PTA website at www.wanaquepta.com.
This week is NJASK testing for grades 3-6 and the 2nd graders will be taking the Terra Novas the last week in May. Remember to send your children to bed early, give them a healthy breakfast and get them to school on time. The teachers give our children the tools to do well on the tests but we must do our part.
Let’s wish our 8th graders a very safe trip to Washington! I know they have been looking forward to this trip for years. I hope they have a wonderful time!
The PTA meeting has been rescheduled for May 6th at 7:30 pm. One of the reasons for this change is that the Town Council will be meeting on May 10th at the Borough Hall at 7pm. I encourage you all to attend this meeting. They will be discussing the finalization of the budget for the 2010-2011 school year.
Last but definitely not least, I would like to wish all the teachers at Wanaque Elementary School a very Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We have the very best teachers at our school who truly care for our children. Please thank a teacher this week for all they do. Thank them for the many hours they spend doing their lesson plans, thank them for the times they volunteer their time at an event, thank them for coming to a play, performance or game, thank them for tutoring your child after school (unpaid), thank them for the pizza parties, movie parties and motivational techniques they pay for, thank them for their advice, support, love and compassion. Thank them for teaching your child /children for 6 ½ hours a day. We appreciate our teachers this week and every week!!!
Enjoy the beautiful weather and remember summer is right around the corner!
Anne Marie Frascella
PTA President
