August 2019
Volume 19, Issue 8
Message from the PTA President
McKitrick Elementary 5503 Lutz Lake Fern Road
Lutz, Florida 33558 813.558.5427
Principal/Administrator: Allison Cline
McKitrick Elementary
Mark Your Calendar
August 6 Newcomers Meet & Greet 8 Open House 12 First Day of School Tears & Cheers Breakfast 29 Volunteer & Homeroom Parent Training 30 All Pro Dads Meeting
5th Grade Activities Committee Meeting
September 2 Labor Day – No School 11 Family Fun Night & General PTA Meeting 18 Fall Picture Day
Welcome, and welcome back, McKitrick families! Your PTA has been hard at work this summer, preparing some fun family events, useful programs, engaging fundraisers, and lots of little ways to bring sunshine into schooldays. We can’t wait to get started! Interested in knowing what we did last year? Click here to read more about last year’s accomplishments. This July, I had the opportunity to attend the Florida PTA Leadership Convention. My plan was to pick up some programming ideas and ways to improve communication with families. Not only did I find those, but I was truly floored by the impact that PTA has at the local, state, and national levels. The portion of our Membership dues that goes to PTA helps us as parents to use one big voice to advocate for our children. Hillsborough PTA was heavily involved in making the ½ penny referendum passage possible, and all summer long our schools have been receiving new tracks, intact roofs, and working A/C systems. Florida PTA worked tirelessly to make texting while driving a primary offense – to keep our children safer on the road. Nationally the PTA advocates for all children’s health and safety, for curriculum that helps them to gain meaningful employment, for access to both arts and STEM. These are just a handful of the ways that PTA creates projects that benefit children and bring valuable resources to our members. As parents, we always want the best for our children. As a community, we want the best for ALL our children. Your membership in the PTA helps you do just that. Join PTA and join the millions of parents who make up the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association. Every member makes our impact that much stronger. Your McKitrick PTA family is looking forward to a great year, and we hope to count you in too! Catherine Paladino PTA President
August 2019 Volume 19, Issue 8 Message from the Principal
To all of our McKitrick Families and Partners:
Ten years as your principal have flown by! My vision of a different type of school has been realized beyond what I expected. It is important to recognize the commitment, talent, excitement and sense of family in our school that continues to be central in moving forward into the new school year. Following that sentiment is this year’s theme of “The Most Amazing Place on Earth”. Upon entering the school campus and spending time here, our goal is to create an environment where not only are you here for the excellent academic success but also for the feeling of warmth and happiness conveyed by our staff, students, and parents.
McKitrick continues to strive for ways to think outside the box and make our students’ experiences
positive and memorable. This year we will be implementing additional methods for supporting social and emotional learning to build self-resilience. We will provide leadership opportunities and methods to increase proficient communication skills which are essential in a child’s foundational years.
We look forward to continuing our partnership in learning with our returning families as well as
those of you who are new to us. As you join us throughout the year, I truly hope that you see why we believe that it is the most amazing place to be.
Allison Cline Principal
Volume 19, Issue 8 August 2019
Thursday, August 8, 3:30 – 5:30pm Meet your teachers and explore the school!
Don’t forget to stop in the cafeteria!
• Spirit Wear sales and order pickup with Mascot Universe
• PTA displays and booths – Find out what’s happening at school this year.
• PTA Membership – Super easy checkout process so you can join on the spot.
• After-School Program Information • Special treats for purchase.
Expect heavy traffic and delays. Please allow for extra drive time if you plan on dropping your child off at school.
If you are walking your child in, you must have your Florida Driver’s License and enter through the front office.
Entrance is not permitted through the Cafeteria. This is for the safety of all students.
Parking is limited!
Helpful Tips for the 1st Day of School
August 2019 Volume 19, Issue 8
Our school is always in need of volunteers and we appreciate your support to help make McKitrick Elementary an enriched learning environment where every child succeeds! There are many ways that you can participate in your child’s education, both inside and outside of the classroom, throughout the school year. Research has proven that parental involvement in a child’s education can be quite impactful regarding raising a child’s self-esteem and academic achievement, especially outside of attending teacher conferences and open house. Your involvement does make a difference! Please consider the many opportunities to volunteer this year and help us make the best use of your time and talents by filling out our online McKitrick PTA volunteer form. This will let us know how you would like to be involved at McKitrick this year. Finally, you MUST complete and submit the Say Y.E.S. county volunteer form every year BEFORE volunteering at school. All volunteer forms can be found on our McKitrick PTA website, under the Volunteer tab. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Amanda Hurst at [email protected]. Amanda Hurst Volunteer Coordinator
Get Involved
McKitrick PTA Business Partner
What does it mean to be a McKitrick Business Partner? Have you noticed the banners hanging on the fence? Ever wonder why they are there? In today’s educational environment, there is a need for businesses to partner with local schools. Budget constraints, federal and state budget deficits and “cut backs” put a strain on the funding of our educational programs. With the help of local businesses, partnerships offer unique opportunities for business owners to give back to their local customer base and make a direct impact on the area youth and families. Local business contributions for Yvonne McKitrick Elementary go toward student incentives, fundraiser goals, teacher give backs and more. If you have a business or know of a business who would like to partner with our school, please reach out to Lindsay Jimison, VP of Ways and Means for more information on the many ways we can work together to build a stronger family and community involvement in our school. Lindsay Jimison VP of Ways and Means
Volume 19, Issue 8 August 2019
Join the McKitrick PTA for the 2019-2020 school year! McKitrick had 620 PTA members for the 2018/2019 school year. Let's do it again this year! There are great reasons to join the PTA. PTA members get discounts at many area companies, including discounted LEGOLAND tickets. You are eligible to vote at PTA meetings. And your money goes to programming and advocacy right here in our community, as well as state and nation-wide. You can join the PTA by going to our McKitrick PTA Store at any time and signing up for your membership or in person at our upcoming open house on August 8th. Thank you for all the support last year! Amy Smith VP1 Leadership
2019-20 PTA Committee
President – Catherine Paladino
VP 1 Leadership– Amy Smith
VP 2 Ways & Means – Lindsay Jimison, Dani Newman, Christine Whitman & Erin Circelli
VP 3 Programs – Megan McCardle
Recording Secretary – Sarah Watson
Corresponding Secretary – Jessica Campbell
Treasurer – Deanna Okun
Volunteer Coordinator – Amanda Hurst
Programs Co-Chair – Lindsay Whitney & Amy Sweeny
5th Grade Activities – Crystal Mix, Jessica Diefenderfer & Amy Smith
Website/IT – Cassandra Johnson
Homeroom Coordinator – April Roberts
Teacher Representative – Mrs. Contreras
McKitrick Cares – Crystal Mix & Gaby Crews
Yearbook – Danielle Lindblom
Holiday Shop – Jessica Diefenderfer & Janaki Tuljapurkar
Newcomer – Kimberly Thompson & Samantha Lyons
Newsletter & Social Media – Analina Medina
Continued…
McKitrick PTA Membership
McKitrick Spirit Wear
Spirit Wear available at Mascot Universe!!!! New Designs! New Sparkle Shirt!
Visit Mascot Universe at 19259 N Dale Mabry Hwy or
shop online at Mascotuniverse.com and beat the lines at open house!
Spirit wear is great to wear to school events, field trips, or
any day of the week to show school spirit! Adult shirts are available and are great to wear as a
chaperone or just to show your Bobcat spirit.
Mascot gives back 20% of sales to McKitrick!
Please contact Mascot Universe at 813-933-2333 with any spirit wear order concerns or questions.
August 2019 Volume 19, Issue 8
2019-20 PTA Committee Con’d
Decorating & Hospitality – Crissy Blair & Erin Dombrowsky
Teacher Appreciation – Viviana Lit, Kristina Crawford & Leslie Kennedy
Concessions – Erika Brock
Box Tops/Recycles – Lisa Peluso & Katie Lawson
Bobcat Bash Coordinator – Heather Foster, Tammy Hsu, Shawn Spiering &
Janaki Tuljapurkar
Reflections – Melissa Cauger
Tutoring – Amanda Hurst
All Pro Dads Club – Jason Crow
Bobcat Parent’s Club – April Roberts & Erin Circelli
Sweetheart Dance – Tanya Kayani, Lisa Peluso & Jessica Diefenderfer
Knights Event – Lisa Crow & Suim Kwak
McKitrick PTA’s Social Media
Stay connected and in the know with McKitrick Elementary PTA's Social Media. Find out important information regarding upcoming events, activities, volunteer opportunities, upcoming deadlines and more through Facebook and Twitter. Like us on Facebook McKitrick Elementary PTA Information or follow us on Twitter @mckitrickpta.
Volume 19, Issue 8 August 2019
Quick Links
McKitrick PTA Website McKitrick PTA Store McKitrick PTA Facebook McKitrick PTA Twitter McKitrick Elementary Website 2019-2020 School Calendar McKitrick Lunch Menus Meal Pre-Pay
YEARBOOK PRE-ORDERS
Yearbooks are on sale NOW! Take advantage of this special pricing. Now-8/31/19 - $25 9/1 - 10/31/19 $30 11/1 - 12/31/19 $35 1/1 - 2/28/20 $40
Don't miss out on buying your child's all color, hardback yearbook.
Buy one today!
To place your order you can visit www.yearbookordercenter.com online or call (866) 287-
3096 and use school order number 10651.
Buying a yearbook through the Yearbook Order Center is the only way to buy one. It's fast, easy, and convenient and you will receive an
email confirmation of your purchase.
SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS! Do you love to take photos of your child? Do you attend school functions and always have your camera or smartphone? The yearbook needs your photos! Please share your candid school photos at our simple-to-use share site. www.hjeshare.com and use school code McKitrick (case-sensitive) We are currently looking for the following photos:
• First Day of School • Classroom Groups • Bus Stop • Classroom Centers • Teacher and Administration Candids • Bobcat Spirit
Yearbooks
Yearbook Photos Needed