We have a very special guest joining us at a Ben Rush PTA Membership Meeting on Thursday, May 13^th at 7pm on Teams.  Rose Hill Middle School Principal Joe Gorder will join us to discuss transitioning to middle school and answer questions from parents. This is a great opportunity for any of our families, especially those with 4^th or 5^th grade students.

During this Membership Meeting we will review our PTA budget and hold an important vote to spend funds in order to purchase for a 2020-2021 yearbook for all Ben Rush students – and legacy students of Ben Rush who are PTA members that may have chosen to homeschool this year.  We hope you will join us for this vote!  If you are not yet a member of Ben Rush PTA we welcome you to join (scholarships are available through the membership form).

Ben Rush PTA is extending national Teacher Appreciation Week through the month of May to celebrate our school staff!  We have some suggested activities below, see our website for more details on how to use Flipgrid video.

Give a flower: Have your student color one of these flower outlines, take a picture, and send it to a teacher, specialist, and/or staff member. There are many wonderful staff members who help Ben Rush students succeed, we encourage you to send-a-flower to one of our non-teaching staff members. We will have limited copies available for you to pick up in a PTA box under the stairs at the front of the school.

Floral collage: Once your student has colored their flower, it can be returned to the school by Friday, May 21st (to the same box under the stairs) and Ben Rush PTA will create a floral collage to remind Ben Rush staff how much we appreciate them.

Flipgrid Message: Have your student submit a video on Flipgrid sharing a message of thanks to all those at Ben Rush who make a difference to them. Encourage them to think broadly! Include a shout out to teachers, specialists, and other school staff that care for our school and students in P.E, Music, Library, ELL, Recess, front office, janitorial, and much more!

It was great to see those who attended School Picture Day on May 5^th!  We are scheduling a retake day and will have more information to share in next week’s newsletter.

Join our “Creating a Healthier Environment Challenge” to win a “Green Cleaning Consultation” by May 19th.

On April 21, a panel of experts including Nancy Bernard from the Department of Health, Kathleen Compton from the EPA, Robert Foster from LWSD Support Services and Pauline Osborne, RN and Parent Advocate, presented on “Creating Healthier Indoor Environments for Children to Thrive”! It included information about why we need to work on improving our indoor air and how to do it at school and at home.

If you missed the event or would like to re-watch the presentation, you can watch it until May 19, 2021. 

For links to panelist presentations and resources shared at the event, visit this webpage.

To join the challenge, watch the presentation and complete this survey.

Our LAST Math Challenge this year (MC # 15) is now available. Go to Ben Rush Math Challenge page to download it.

The last day to submit MC # 15 or any late challenges is Wednesday, May 19^th 2021, in order to have enough time to process the solutions and prepare the prizes for all our winners this year!

Questions? Please contact us at mathchallenge@benrushpta.org

Are you struggling with schooling your child at home? Are you wanting to feel more connected to others in the community? Join  “Tea Time” hosted by the Ben Rush PTA to connect with other parents, share experiences and receive support. The purpose of this virtual gathering is to provide a supportive environment for parents of Ben Rush students as we navigate this challenging time. Face to Face connections within the virtual world while sharing stories can be empowering and helpful. Feel free to join us with some tea, snacks or dinner.

Date: Tuesdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25
Time: 5 – 5:30 pm
Join us via Microsoft Teams Meeting

Questions/Contact: Pauline Osborne at sustainability@benrushpta.org