• May 2, 2022 Newsletter •
Hello Tulita Families!

I hope you all enjoyed last Friday’s movie night with your family and friends. A great night was had by all and it was amazing to see so many Tulita families. 

We kick the month off with Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week – check below for how we plan to shower our teachers and staff with love! Also, be sure to read about some other events happening in the next few weeks. As always, check out the Tulita app and attached flyers to stay informed.

MAY 2 - Last day to order a 5th Grade promotion lawn sign. 5th Grade parents, celebrate your 5th grader by purchasing a "5th Grade Graduate" lawn sign. Signs cost $10 each. Click HERE to order a sign by the end of today, May 2.

MAY 2 – 6: Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. To honor the tremendous work and effort our teachers and staff members put into their jobs each and every day, the PTA has organized a fabulous spa week complete with a coffee cart, spa lunch, and chair massages. We’re asking students to write a note of thanks to their teacher, and to bring in a flower to make a beautiful class bouquet. Check the itinerary below for the full schedule of events.  

MAY 6: Multicultural Night Scavenger Hunt from 4:30-7:30pm. The Tulita PTA is thrilled to host its second Multicultural Night (MCN) Scavenger Hunt for you and your families on Friday, May 6th from 4:30-7:30pm. We are still looking for more families to sign up to display a cultural item outside their homes for other Tulita families to spot as they walk around the neighborhood (you don’t have to stay with your item to explain or demonstrate anything!). If you don't live in the Tulita area, we can pair you with another Tulita family with front yard space to spare. Click here to learn more about this event and to register to participate (by the end of today, 5/2 please!), or check out the Tulita app.

MAY 9: “The Science of Happiness” Parent Ed night. Please join us in the cafeteria at 6:30pm to hear from Dr. Patricia George about strategies to boost your child(ren)’s happiness in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week. Dr. George is Adjunct Professor of Psychology at USC and a sought-after professional public speaker on the science of happiness – we are lucky to have her visit us! Click here to RSVP for this free event. 

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
Tuesday, May 24 - Blood Drive with Children's Hospital LA at Tulita from 9:30am-4pm. Information to sign-up will be available soon! 
Wednesday, June 1 - Eat 4 Tulita at Handel’s.
UPCOMING EVENTS
GRATITUDE CORNER!
A huge THANK YOU goes to Tijen Loubert for scheduling and organizing all of this year’s field trips and assemblies for our students, and for being so flexible with the many changes we needed to make along the way. 

This year, the PTA was able to fund and organize field trips to local aquariums, Culinary Kids in-classroom demonstrations, California Weekly Explorers Walk Thru’s for our 4th and 5th graders, and three all-school assemblies. As the photo below of last month's Zoo to You/Conservation Ambassadors assembly shows, the students had a blast! 
Another heartfelt THANK YOU goes to Mindy Bjelde and Lacey Minzlaff for organizing last week’s Family Movie Night. Timelines were tight but we knew our families were craving some in-person togetherness and they worked hard to bring this event to fruition. Thank you also to Hayley Salus for stepping up as compère to entertain the kids as we waited for the sun to go down, and to the many parents who helped during the event.
PTA MEMBERSHIP
The Tulita PTA is 521 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 hosted curriculum viewing open houses. During these open houses, members of the community were invited to view the final two curriculum options (Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), and Wit & Wisdom) and provide feedback.  

To review the two curriculum options, please CLICK HERE. The link will also take you to the committee page on the RBUSD website.
DEI CORNER
Diversity
Equity
Inclusion
Mental Health Awareness Month. The month of May has been recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States since 1949. It was founded by the Mental Health America organization (then known as the National Association for Mental Health) in order to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illness, including conditions like depressionschizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Mental Health Awareness Month aims to raise awareness regarding the trauma and societal impact that mental illness can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children, families, and our communities as a whole.

May 1st - Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival, held about halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.  
May 2nd - Eid Al Fitr is the earlier of the two official holidays celebrated within Islam. The religious holiday is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.
May 3rd - World Press Freedom Day
May 6th - Visakha Bucha Day/Wesak Day is an important day for Buddhists, marking the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha. On this day, Buddhists will go to the temple, bring flowers and offerings as well as meditate and listen to sermons. 
May 8th - Mother’s Day and Buddha’s Birthday (Buddhist celebration)
May 15th - Tourette Syndrome Month Begins thru June 15th 
May 17th - International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia is observed on this day and aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights and violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide.
May 21st - World Day for Cultural Diversity is a United Nations–sanctioned international holiday for the promotion of diversity issues.
May 23rd - Declaration of the Bab – Bahai. The Declaration of the Báb is celebrated by Bahá'ís, being one of their nine holy days. 
May 26th - Ascension Day (RC and Protestant) is the 40th day of Easter. It occurs 39 days after Easter Sunday. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven, according to Christian belief.
May 30th - Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.


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
RBEF's Light Up the Night "Vegas Style" gala will be held on May 27th at the Portofino Hotel and Marina.
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.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
CAPTA Legislative Focus Areas. Legislative Action Reports outline CA State PTA’s positions and activities on state legislation. Click here to see the bills PTA is presently watching and/or supporting.   

Take Action: Urge Congress to protect school meals by clicking hereThe pandemic has highlighted the importance of child nutrition programs in keeping hunger at bay for millions of children across the country. USDA waivers have been crucial to mitigating the economic, educational, and health impacts of the pandemic. 

A recent USDA survey showed that 90% of school food authorities are relying on waivers to operate nutrition programs this school year. As 97% of schools struggle with rising food costs, and 95% report staffing shortages, continued flexibilities are vital to keep nutrition programs afloat and ensure children’s access to healthy food amid economic and educational recovery.

Support the Child Tax Credit expansion to reduce the number of children living in poverty by more than 40 percent nationally.  Click here to send a message to your elected officials.

Student Mental Health in CA Schools. The California State PTA Legislation Team hosted a panel on student mental health in CA schools on March 15th, 2022.  Click here to listen to a recording of the panelists, which included experts from CA Association of School Counselors, CA School Social Workers Association, CA Association of School Psychologists, and First 5 California who discussed how our kids’ mental health is impacting their schooling, and their take on what can and should be done.
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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