De
ar Buccaneer Family, 
We're excited that the 2020-21 school year is getting closer! We've been working a lot behind the scenes to make plans for an incredible, albeit different, school year. We know that everyone is now charged with making decisions about what school will look like for their families, and we know these are hard decisions. PTA will be here to support you and the school in any way we can. As you know, many things will be different this year. We've all gotten a lot more comfortable with "I don't know" than we probably ever were before!
We will soon be opening the PTA Toolkit, which is where you will be able to join the PTA, purchase your Buccaneer Bundles, and sign up for Volunteer Opportunities. Please know that one of our priorities this year is to stay incredibly fiscally responsible. We know that some families may be experiencing times of financial uncertainty due to the pandemic, and we are committed to spending all of our funds very wisely and thoughtfully. We've made decisions, with the help of both Ms. Appleyard and Mr. Smith, to reduce some of the financial asks this year. You will notice that the Buccaneer Bundle is lower than in years past. We've removed the field trip t-shirt from the class bundle. There will not be any field trips this year, and we believe that it's an unnecessary expense at this time. We have also asked the teachers to make careful decisions about the other items in the bundle so that we are only purchasing things that they will use. In addition to the typical bundle items, we have built in a little cushion to help purchase additional cleaning supplies as needed. We plan to be well stocked and ready to begin the school year with sanitizer, wipes, etc., but we also want to have some funds to purchase additional supplies later in the year as these begin to run out.
Speaking of cleaning supplies, start stocking up when you see them in stores! We know they are hard to find, but if you see them, now is the time to buy! In addition to needing them in our own homes and classrooms, we would like to begin collecting for our sister schools. Brumby and Powers Ferry have both indicated a need for these supplies. We don't have an official collection plan yet, but hold onto your supplies and we will let you know when we need them! We're staying in contact with our sister schools and will also let you know if they determine a need for gently used backpacks, lunch boxes, etc.
PTA Volunteer Opportunities:
We LOVE our volunteers! One of the things that makes Mt. Bethel great is the incredible support we have from our families. Cobb County policy is that only "essential visitors" will be allowed in the building. This means that many of our amazing volunteer opportunities will not be available this year. We've updated the volunteer opportunities on the PTA Toolkit, but the in-person opportunities will be very limited. Many of the events we look forward to every year will also be canceled this year: Concert on the Green, Fun Run, Immigration Day, and more. It is disappointing, but we know that it's the safe choice for the community. When these events return, they will be better than ever!
Yearbook: As we have mentioned, the school year is going to be very different this year. We will not have field trips, family engagement activities, etc. Without parent volunteers being allowed in the building, it will be difficult to take candid photos throughout the year. This will make the yearbook a very different yearbook than what we are used to. It will likely be only the school pictures for each class. We have created a brief survey to get a feel from our community about whether yearbooks should be ordered this year or not. Please take a moment to complete the SURVEY.
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