#PTAYourWay
E-News - June 18, 2021
The Montgomery Elementary Schools (MES) PTA E-news
is published weekly and provides PTA updates and information related to Orchard Hill
and Village Elementary Schools of the Montgomery Township School District.

Just keep scrolling....you don't want to miss anything!
CLICK on any UNDERLINED ITEM for more information!
**All dates are subject to change.**

If you'd like to subscribe to this newsletter, please CLICK HERE.
If you'd like to contact us, please reach us at montymesptanews@gmail.com.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT TODAY
ARE YOU A VIRTUAL STUDENT THAT PURCHASED A YEARBOOK BY THE MARCH 7 DEADLINE?

THEN PLEASE GO TODAY TO PICK UP YOUR YEARBOOK AT YOUR RESPECTIVE SCHOOL.

OR, Are you looking to make a yearbook purchase? Visit the Memberhub Link to purchase your copy of the OHES or VES Yearbook by Monday, June 21.

Books will arrive in about four weeks. Pick up details will be forthcoming. $25 each. Hurry!


There will be NO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES after this date to order any copies. So please, get online, get your orders in, and secure your yearbooks now!

For any questions, please contact us via email (mespta@mtsd.us).
OHES & VES YEARBOOK PICK UP & SALES
THANK YOU
Second graders celebrate in style as they don their "Clap Off" shirts on Thursday!
Fourth graders leave their "magical" mark in the VES garden.
Dear MES PTA Community-

Wow, can you believe that we finished another school year?? The saying, "days are long but the years are short" rings so true in our minds right now! This will certainly be a year to remember!

As we end this school year, first and foremost, we want to THANK YOU, the MES PTA community, for your ongoing commitment and dedication to support OHES & VES. None of this would be possible without you - the parents, caregivers, teachers and administration. So give yourselves a clap! 

We also say THANK YOU to our PTA board members who have completed their terms.... Jenna Huntley, Co-President; Jaime Gostkowski, Co-Treasurer & Patty Bajaj, VP of Fundraising for OHES. You guys were amazing!!

We want to recognize our remaining board members, Chrissy Hoffman, Rose Ann Sands, Maria Ryan, Jennifer Lafaman, Asma Ahmed, Jennifer Harris and Jennifer Volfson for all their hard work this year. And special shout outs to these wonderful MES PTA volunteers who were instrumental this year - Kelly Guzman, Karen Jeffers, Panina Zaurov, Misti Pasigos, Rania Elghazaly, Jill Perhach, Jocelyn Peña, Lara Katz, Sara Kestner, Samantha Strickland, and Jayshree Srikanth. You guys were amazing!!

We also welcome our new board members Muneera Dahodwala, Jayshree Srikanth and Rebecca Chen. (full list of board below)

On that note, enjoy your summer! Be on the lookout for MES PTA news and events throughout the summer (with some periodic E-News updates along the way), and we look forward to being back together in the new school year.

- Yuna Kim - PTA Co-President '20-'22
- Unnati Patel - PTA Co-President '21-'23
2021-2022 MES PTA Board

Co-Presidents
Yuna Kim
Unnati Patel

Co-Treasurers
Christine Hoffman
Jennifer Lafaman

Secretary
Jennifer Harris

Senior VP
Jennifer Volfson

Fundraising VP (OHES)
Jayshree Srikanth

Fundraising VP (VES)
Asma Ahmed

Hospitality VP
Maria Ryan

Educational VP
Muneera Dahodwala
 
Social/Family Programs VP
Rose Ann Sands

Membership VP
Rebecca Chen
CHROMEBOOK (AND CORD) RETURNS
In person (hybrid) students will return the devices/cords to their classroom at OHES and VES TODAY (the last day of school), June 18th.
 
Virtual only students will return their Chromebooks/cords to Montgomery High School via car drop off around the circle in front of the Science wing eaves on Wednesday, June 23rd from 10am - 2pm and Thursday, June 24th from 10am - 2pm.
OHES AND VES NEWSLETTERS
Yes, it's the last week of school - but before you start your summer celebrations, please review these important newsletters from our principals:


If you have any questions, please contact your child's respective classroom teacher(s).
MES PTA NEWS
Buy Your 1st Day School Supplies by July 1!
You can still secure your kit by clicking here (https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/list.php?school_zip=08558) to select the applicable school/grade level, and add a kit to your cart. Items will arrive no later than two weeks prior to the start of the '21-'22 school year, and your child's eyes will widen to see a big, beautiful box of their (required) school supplies arrive in the mail!

MES PTA Sales of school supply kits run from now UNTIL JULY 1.

Questions? Contact Rose Ann Sands (ramsands@hotmail.com)
Don't Try to Fight It...
Amazon Prime Days Are Coming June 21 & 22!
So you're going to grab that flat screen? We aren't going to stand in your way...but we are going to ask that you go through AmazonSmile benefitting MES PTA to get it...

AmazonSmile is available for Amazon customers with the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app on their mobile phone, including Android devices with version 7.0+ or iOS devices with version 12+. To activate AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping app, simply tap on “AmazonSmile” within the Programs & Features menu or Settings and follow the on-screen instructions.

Select Montgomery Elementary Schools PTA as your supported charity and start Amazon Prime Days browsing by clicking here.
Membership Drive
 
MES PTA is a community made up of parents, guardians, teachers and staff whose goal is to enrich the experience of our students at Orchard Hill Elementary School and Village Elementary School.
 
MES PTA is supported by the generous donations of time, finances and love from our community. Last academic year (2019- 2020), MES PTA raised and provided more than $40,000 of funding for the students for Educational Programs (ex. Character Education, Assemblies), grants for teachers and staff, facility renovations, appreciation events for teachers/staff, etc. 
 
* NOTE: If your family is eligible for free/reduced lunch, please contact your school’s secretary to inquire about a membership fee waiver.
MES PTA
CALENDAR/INFO/RESOURCES
Upcoming Events/Meetings & Related Dates/Deadlines
  • NOW through June 21 - OHES and VES Yearbooks Sale
  • NOW through July 1 - 1st Day School Supplies On Sale
  • September 3 - OHES Open House - SAVE THE DATE!
  • September 3 - VES Open House - SAVE THE DATE!
  • September 22 - OHES Back to School Night: PreKindergarten/Kindergarten/2nd Grade
  • September 23 - OHES Back to School Night: 1st Grade
  • September 29 - VES Back to School Night: 3rd Grade
  • September 30 - VES Back to School Night: 4th Grade
For a calendar of 2020-2021 MES PTA Meetings and Events, please visit our website by clicking here.

For the 20-21 MTSD District Calendar as well as the recently released 21-22 and 22-23 Calendars, please click here.
All The Ways to Follow MES PTA:

Visit the MES PTA Website

Tag us on Instagram @montyes_pta

Tweet at us on Twitter @MontyesPta

Post to our profile on Facebook @MES PTA
If you have any PTA questions, concerns or suggestions, please email mespta@mtsd.us.
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OHES LINKS, INFORMATION
AND RESOURCES
VES LINKS, INFORMATION
AND RESOURCES
Montgomery Special Education PTA (MSEPTA)

The Montgomery Special Education PTA (MSEPTA) is a district-wide organization designed to build strong partnerships amongst teachers, parents, administration, existing PTA’s, and the community so that children receiving special education services of any kind will be better understood, integrated and embraced by our school and community.
We are starting our search for those interested in being chairpersons and those who wish to volunteer. Click Here to see opportunities and an explanation of the difference between being a chairperson and a volunteer.

PLEASE NOTE: The "Know Your Rights" Q&A originally scheduled for June 16 has been postponed to Fall, 2021.

To join MSEPTA and support teachers and students in Special Education, please click here.
Montgomery Special Education Parent Advisory Group
(M-SEPAG)

M-SEPAG is a parent-led group that gives parents and community members the opportunity to share input directly to the school district regarding policies, services and practices that impact students with disabilities and their families. M-SEPAG’s success depends on YOUR input. Click Here for more M-SEPAG information.

If you have any questions please contact montysepag@gmail.com.
Community News
A group of concerned neighbors in Montgomery have joined together to partner with Share My Meals (SMM) to support our local community.

Please click here to learn more and help make a difference for food-insecure families here in Montgomery. Thanks for your support!

Click here to learn about all the exciting things happening at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill and the entire Somerset County Library System.
Montgomery Township News

Below are links to current News, Events and Recreation Information. Check it out!

Click Here for Borough of Rocky Hill News.
MTSD Information
Click here to stay on top of what is happening in our school district!

Below are some important links
to have at your fingertips:

Click Here for the COVID-19 Dashboard
Click here for the 2020-2021 Calendar
Click here for Board of Education Mtg Schedule
Click here for Genesis Parent Access
Click here for Safety Protocols - MTSD Visitors

UPDATE: Lunch is being provided to eligible students. The lunches are being made in South Brunswick, picked up by our transportation department and then delivered directly to students’ homes. Please click here to view the menu of the day.