• April 4, 2022 Newsletter •
Hello Tulita Families!

I can’t believe it is already April and spring break is just around the corner. Last month concluded with a fabulous assembly run by the “BNice” moral awareness program to close out our Yellow Ribbon Week kindness activities. The kids heard messages focused on being pro-friend, kind, and inclusive, and on improving their self-esteem.

We are in the final stages of producing the 2021-2022 yearbook. Big congratulations to Zoe Dwomoh for winning the 5th grade yearbook cover contest. Be sure to purchase your yearbook by April 15th to see her winning design. If you have any photos you would like to see in this year’s yearbook, you have until Friday, April 8 to submit them to Tulita.yearbook@gmail.com or via the TreeRing website.

Check below for what’s happening this month, including some important deadlines. Be sure to check out the Tulita app and attached flyers for additional information.

APRIL 4 – 5th Grade Yearbook Ads Due.  Create a special message for your 5th grader with a yearbook ad. Contact Katie Laughrey at laughreyfamily@gmail.com with questions.

APRIL 4 – ELA Curriculum Adoption Open House from 2:45-4:45pm in the Tulita library. The ELA curriculum for Redondo elementary schools is changing and RBUSD wants YOUR feedback on the options. Come to learn more and have your say.

APRIL 6 – PTA Association Meeting at 8:15am in the cafeteria. We are so excited to hold our Association meetings back IN-PERSON! All PTA members are warmly invited to attend to hear and discuss the PTA’s plans for the coming months.

APRIL 6 – Stop-Motion Movie Contest Entries Due. Calling all future movie makers! Using what you created and learned during family art night, create and submit your very own stop motion film.  The movie should be 15 to 45 seconds long and entered into one of the following categories: Suspense/Horror, Adventure, Comedy, or Romance.  Winning movies will premiere as the trailers at Tulita’s upcoming Family Movie Night on April 29thClick here to submit your entry. Contact Hayley Salus at haysal08@gmail.com with any questions.

APRIL 6– 4th/5th Grade District Battle of the Books Battle. Congratulations to our ‘Green Team’ for winning the Tulita BoB battle. They are headed to the District battle on April 6 to Battle against teams from the other Redondo elementary schools. Best of luck Team Tulita!

APRIL 7 & 8 – 3rd Grade Culinary Kids interactive assembly. The 3rd grade teachers will send additional information about this in-school event.

APRIL 8 – Dress up as Book Character! To celebrate Library Week, our Tulita Student Council is organizing a special spirit day. Students are encouraged to come to school dressed up as their favorite book character, or even their favorite book!

APRIL 8 – Last Day to Submit Photos for Inclusion in the Yearbook. Please send them to Tulita.yearbook@gmail.com or upload them via the TreeRing website or Tulita app. Thank you for all your photo contributions!

APRIL 15 – Last Day to Purchase Yearbooks. Click HERE to go to the TreeRing website to purchase, and enter Tulita's code: 1015930312054053

Looking to volunteer with the PTA? We are always looking for more volunteers to help with our initiatives. Click here to express your interest in joining a PTA committee.

Connect with the Tulita PTA: Take a look at our website, download our App, and find us on Facebook/Instagram.

Feel free to reach out to me at tulitaptapresident@gmail.com with any questions, comments or concerns.
Warmly,
Cari Lesser
President, Tulita PTA
SAVE THE DATE
APRIL 29 - Family Movie Night at Tulita
Join us for a movie evening at school. Wrap up warm, bring a chair or blanket, and get ready for a movie night under the stars! More info to follow.
MAY 6 - Multicultural Night
Save the Date for the return of the Tulita Multicultural Night Community Scavenger Hunt! More details to follow.
UPCOMING EVENTS
GRATITUDE CORNER
Another round of "thank you"s to our amazing Battle of the Books chairs – Holly RebbeckStacy Buss and Amy Gammill – who led the 4th and 5th graders in an exciting BOB battle.  Special thanks to Mrs. Whaley and Mrs. Daly for being our question readers, and to all the parent volunteers who helped make it a success.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Green Team - Amia Kisiler, Curtis Bunker, David Edwards, Kate Steinbrun, and Sebastian Martinez - for being book stars and winning the battle with an impressive 413 points. Only 1 point separated our 2nd and 3rd place teams - the Blue team had 323 points and the Red team had 322 - and the yellow and orange teams weren't far behind.

The Green team, along with newly promoted teammate Christopher Kadala, will be heading to the District battle on Wednesday, 4/6 to go up against teams from the other Redondo elementary schools. We have some super star readers representing us, and we wish them the very best of luck. Go Team Tulita!
Our winning GREEN TEAM!
2nd place Blue Team
3rd place Red Team
The Yellow Team
The Orange Team
PTA MEMBERSHIP
Congratulations to Mrs. Martin’s class for reaching 100% participation!  The class enjoyed a pizza party to celebrate last month. 

The Tulita PTA is 520 members strong! 

How to join?  Click here to join the PTA!

Why join? Your $12 membership not only helps pay for programs at Tulita, it strengthens the PTA’s ability to advocate for our children at the local, state and national levels.

Do I have to volunteer? No, you only have to volunteer if you want.  There’s strength in numbers so sign up yourself, your student, grandparents, aunts, uncles – everyone who wants to make a positive impact on our children.
K-5 ELA ADOPTION COMMITTEE UPDATE
RBUSD will be adopting a new English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum for the 2022-23 school year.  

As a part of this process, all elementary schools will be hosting curriculum viewing open houses. During these open houses, members of the community are invited to view the final two curriculum options (Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) and Wit & Wisdom) and provide feedback.  

You are welcome to attend any open house that works with your schedule. To preview the two curriculum options, please CLICK HERE.  

Tulita’s ELA Curriculum Adoption Open House will be on April 4th from 2:45-4:45pm in the library.  

Click HERE for a link to the committee page on the RBUSD website.

Curriculum Adoption Open House Schedule:
DEI CORNER
Diversity
Equity
Inclusion
  • Autism Acceptance Month.  Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. The Autism experience is different for everyone. It is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is often referred to as a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees.  Throughout the month, Autism Speaks (a non-profit organization focused on advocacy and support, increasing acceptance, and advancing research into causes and better interventions for ASD), focuses on sharing stories and providing opportunities to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism and fostering worldwide support. The #celebratedifferences campaign works to create connections and empower everyone in the Autism community to live fully. For more information, check out autismspeaks.org and autismsociety.org
  • Genocide Awareness Month.  Genocide Awareness Month is commemorated in April because this month contains many significant dates in the history of genocide. These include the beginnings of the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda and many others.
  • National Poetry Month

  • April 2: Ramadan Begins.  Also spelled Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan, this holy month of worship occurs during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide through a month of fasting (sunrise to sunset), prayer, reflection, and community.
  • April 5: Qingming Day.  This is a traditional Chinese festival observed by the Han Chinese of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and by the ethnic Chinese of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. It is traditionally a day to visit and remember family ancestors. Qingming translates to “clean” and “bright,” and it is also a day to celebrate the beginning of spring. People enjoy outdoor activities during this three-day public holiday.
  • April 6: Chakri Day.  This is a public holiday in Thailand, officially called the Chakri Memorial Day. It is the day to commemorate the founding day of the still-reigning Chakri Royal Dynasty 1782 and to honor all their contributions throughout history.
  • April 7: World Health Day.
  • April 10: Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday is a Christian holy holiday that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast on Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week for Christians.
  • April 10: Rama Navami. This is a Hindu Spring Festival that celebrates the birthday of Lord Rama.
  • April 13-15: Songkran Festival.  Thai New Year marks the end of the dry season with religious ceremonies and water fights, which are a trademark of the festival.
  • April 14: Vaisakhi. This is the Sikh New Year festival and one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. It marks the start of the Punjabi New Year, but it is also a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith.
  • April 15: Good Friday.  Many Christians around the world observe Good Friday on the Friday before Easter Sunday. It commemorates Jesus Christ's Passion, crucifixion, and death, and is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.
  • April 15 – 23: Passover.  Also known as Pesach in Hebrew, Passover is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites as told in the book of Exodus. During Passover, Jewish families celebrate the holiday through a special family meal called the Seder and refraining from eating leavened food.
  • April 17: EasterEaster is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In commemorating the resurrection of Jesus, Easter also celebrates the defeat of death and the hope of salvation. Eggs are often associated with Easter as they represent new life and rebirth. 
  • April 21- May 2: Festival of Ridvan. This festival is the holiest of days in the Baha'i tradition and commemorates the 12 days when Bahá'u'lláh, the prophet-founder, lived in paradise, which is called Ridván.
  • April 22: Earth Day.  First held in April 1970, Earth Day is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
  • April 23: Day of Silence - LGBTQ+.  This is an annual day of action to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students. In the United States, some students take a day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBTQ students.
  • April 24: Armenian Martyrs Day. This day is a public holiday in Armenia and observed by many in the international Armenian community, which honors the memory of the victims of genocide that began on April 24,1915. 

Click here to access the DEI Book Nook to find a list of elementary-age books that celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Click here to visit the Redondo Beach Council DEI home page.

SAVE THE DATE: DEI Forum, May 16.
RBEF
SAVE THE DATE: The RBEF Light Up the Night "Vegas Style" gala will be held on May 27, 2022 at the Portofino Hotel & Marina. Click here to purchase your ticket and for more information.
UPCOMING WEBINARS/ COMMUNITY EVENTS
LET'S SUPPORT OUR TULITA COMMUNITY
Tulita PTA is compiling a list of local, small businesses owned by Tulita families. We will share it with Tulita parents so people can seek out, and support, those businesses that are so crucial to our community.

Simply click here to fill out the FORM to be included.
CORPORATE MATCHING
Thank you to all of our members who have signed up for corporate matching through their companies to help double their support for the Tulita PTA.  

If you are enrolled/plan to enroll in the corporate matching program, please click here to fill out a simple form to help us manage the payments.
 
Click here to find out if your company will match your donation to the Tulita PTA and for frequently asked questions about the corporate matching program.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
DO YOU SHOP ON AMAZON?
Amazon is giving free money to Tulita! 
 
HOW DOES IT WORK?

Amazon Smile is a program through Amazon where they donate 0.5% of the purchase price of all items to the charity of your choice: Tulita Elementary PTA
 
Shopping at Amazon Smile is identical to shopping at Amazon with all the same items, so you use your existing Amazon account, and, if you are a Prime Member, your purchases are eligible for Prime just like before. Sound easy? It is! 
 
To shop, go to https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7063162 and select Tulita Elementary PTA as your chosen charity. After that, remember to visit smile.amazon.com to shop instead of amazon.com
Tulita Elementary PTA

Cari Lesser
- President


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