Arrowhead PTA received the prestigious 2009 Outstanding Local Washington State PTA Unit of the Year in large part due to the devotion and hard-work of Arrowhead PTA volunteers helping to enrich our students and strengthen our school community. The PTA sponsors many programs that have become longstanding traditions at Arrowhead. This year the PTA has added several new activities such as skating night and knitting class. Read all about the offerings and be sure to TAKE ADVANTAGE!
Recurring Activities
Ø PTA General Meetings – Attend a PTA meeting to hear what’s going on and how you can help. Attendance is not synonymous with volunteering so feel free to come for informational purposes only. Coffee, snacks, door prizes and childcare present at every meeting. Mark your calendars for meetings at 7pm on Oct 5th, Dec 7th, Feb8th9, April 12th, and June 7th.
Ø Hawk Highlights - Every Tuesday, your youngest child will come home with “kid mail” including informational flyers from the PTA. You will receive this weekly PTA reminder flyer detailing upcoming events and registration deadlines.
Ø Hawk Talk – Your child will come home with this monthly comprehensive newsletter detailing more information about upcoming activities, PTA meeting details, legislative issues, PTA volunteer thanks and other information. A copy of this will also be posted on our website.
Ø Popcorn Fridays – Once a month (usually on the first Friday), your child may buy a bag of popcorn for 25 cents during recess.
Family Events
Ø Kindergarten Playdate – This event offers a chance for the new incoming kindergartners to have a playdate on Arrowhead school grounds just prior to the first day of school.
Ø New Family Welcome Dinner – The new family welcome dinner offers new Arrowhead families an opportunity to meet the principal, ask questions and get to know other new families. Come hear more about the school and the PTA. Attendees can ask questions and eat free food prior to joining the rest of the school community at the ice cream social. Sept 2nd @ 6:00pm in the Library.
Ø Ice Cream Social – Enjoy ice cream served to you by the teachers of Arrowhead and check out and register for some of these great PTA programs that will be offered this year. Sept 2 @ 6:30pm in Gym.
Ø Morning Coffee Socials - The PTA offers two coffee socials where parents can come drink coffee, eat tasty baked goods and socialize just after dropping off their children. Both are at 8:45am on Sept1st in the library and Jan 7th (room TBD)
Ø Science Fair – Students of all ages are invited to participate in this event (K-6). Students can classify collections, build models or apparatuses, test a hypothesis by doing an experiment or do a research project and display their findings at the science fair. Students and family members can participate at different hands-on science experiment stations and participate in yearly fun challenges such as an egg drop contest or a catapult contest. Every student entering a project in the fair will receive a custom participation certificate and a ribbon. Everyone is invited to attend the science fair (not just project participants) . A great night for family fun and learning. Mar 22nd @ 6:30 pm in the Gym.
Ø Movie Nights – Throughout the year, the PTA sponsors movie nights in the gym. Kids can dress in their pajamas and bring pillows, blankets, or sleeping bags to watch the chosen film. Popcorn and candy are for sale. This is not a drop-off event so a parent must attend. Movies are family friendly so good for the younger siblings as well. Oct 7th the movie will be geared towards students grades K-3rd grade, and Mar 17th @ 6:30 in the gym-this movie will be geared towards students in grades 4-6th grades. * Please note students are welcome to attend both, all are welcome.
Ø Skating Night –The PTA sponsors two fun nights of roller skating at Lynnwood Bowl and Skate. They are scheduled for Wed. Nov 10th 6-8pm and Friday, Jan 7th from 5-7pm. All family members are welcome. There is fun music, contests and prizes!
Ø Dads-n-Donuts – What father can resist an opportunity to eat donuts and coffee with his kids? Just before school on Feb 11th, Dads bring your kids and enjoy donuts, coffee, and the chance to chat with other dads.
Ø Pancake Breakfast & Garden Work Party – This community favorite offers the biggest and best tasting pancakes, ham, and eggs around. Our pancake flippers are non-other than our own beloved Arrowhead staff! Every child wants pancake made by their teacher! Other fun activities include the bike rodeo, my ID club and a chance to climb inside a real fire engine. You can also offer some time to clean up the Arrowhead grounds and gardens. Mar 5th @ 8am in the Gym.
Ø Clothing Exchange – Doing a Spring cleaning of your closet or your kids’ closets? Bring your clothes to the clothing exchange. For each article of clothing you bring, you receive a ticket to peruse other clothes. Last year kids had the best time shopping for “free” clothes. All leftover clothing is taken to a local charity. Feb 10th
Ø School Dance - Arrowhead families (including younger siblings over 2 years) get treated to a night of good family fun. Our PE teacher incorporates dance moves into the PE curriculum before this dance night. A hired DJ plays great songs and helps lead the dances the kids have been working on. Don’t miss this fun family night. Last year, parents voted this night as one of the activities that must continue in years to come. Apr 22nd @ 7:00 – 9:00pm.
Ø Art Night – This was a new event for Spring 2010 and was a lot of fun and a big success. Come celebrate arts of work from every student at Arrowhead, as well as review the submissions to the National PTA reflections programs. The school wide art auction will also be happing during this event. Apr 26th @ 6:30 in the gym.
Ø Talent Show - Show us your best! Arrowhead Student Talent show in the Spring. Fun and exciting event to showcase our own talented kids with 3 minutes or less routines by groups and individuals. May 13th @ 7pm in the gym. Free event!
Child Enrichment
The before and after school programs below that use an outside vendor for instruction will be offered at a price set by the vendor. Scholarships are available if needed.
Ø Foreign Language – Foreign Language for Youth is offering language classes to students in grades 1-6 at Arrowhead Elementary. Classes begin October 5th and continue until March with 40 lessons following the school calendar. Classes are offered before school (8:25am-9:05am) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This year both Spanish and French will be offered. This is a great opportunity for your student to learn a foreign language from a teacher who is fluent and eager to share language and culture. The class sizes are small (10 students) allowing for individual attention. Students learn through the natural approach where they play games, sing songs and physically respond to fun commands. They partner with other students to work on problem solving. The active learning environment accommodates for different learning styles and short attention spans. Parents are invited to attend two student presentation days. Ask about scholarships.
Ø Green Team - Are you and your kids interested in the environment? Love growing things? The Green Team, combined with the Garden Committee, might be the perfect fit! We’ve got big plans this year, including an after-school program featuring fun, educational projects aimed at increasing Arrowhead students’ eco-awareness, not to mention many exciting combined gardening and Green activities!
Ø Art – Using a local art instruction company, kids can participate in up to 3 sessions (Fall, Winter, Spring). Each session meets on Tuesdays for 6 weeks. This year there will be a new and improved curriculum. This is a wonderful enriching program and appropriate for kids of all ages (K-6).
Ø Science – If your kids enjoy learning the science behind airplanes, the earth’s atmosphere, magic tricks, toys and more, you will want to sign them up for after school science. We bring in Mad Science to teach a session in the Winter and in the Spring. Classes will be held on Wednesdays after school and the first session begins on Mar 2nd. Look for registration forms to come home with students after the holidays.
Ø Knitting – For 8 weeks after Winter Break parent volunteers will teach older students (4-6) to knit on Wednesdays, after school. The only cost will be for supplies. Space will be limited, in order to ensure enough help for the students. Currently seeking additional volunteers to assist with this program and allow for more participation.
Ø Drama - Enjoy Theater sports (fast thinking, confidence building, and imagination games) short skits, monologues, enunciation games, how to audition, using props, stage directions, the opportunity to attend a local show, performing for your parents and more! This is a fun and dynamic class. This after school Drama club can give kids confidence in front of a group, improve reading out loud skills, exercise the imagination and develop quick thinking. It also stresses the importance of team work. Three - 6 week sessions are offered - Fall, Winter and Spring.
Ø Chess – PTA sponsors after-school chess using instructors from Chess4Life. The instructors focus on positively encouraging students at all levels, developing sportsmanship and ''team play'', and providing the opportunities that students need in order to succeed. Mondays with a Fall session starting on Oct 4th.
Ø Missoula Children’s Theatre – Each year, Arrowhead hosts Missoula Children’s Theatre, a traveling theatre group, for a week of theater with our students. Children audition and then, rehearsals are held the remainder of that week with two performances on Saturday. This is a great opportunity for kids to be immersed in an intensive fun-filled musical theater experience. Lots of roles for boys and girls of all ages and lots of opportunities for parent volunteers. Feb 18th-23rd.
Ø Reflections – The National PTA Reflections Program is an arts recognition and achievement program for students. The program provides opportunities for students to express themselves creatively and to receive positive recognition for original works of art inspired by a pre-selected theme, while increasing community awareness on the importance of the arts in education.
Ø Book Club - Does your child enjoy reading? Or perhaps needs a little incentive to read? Book Club might be just the thing! Arrowhead PTA Book Club for grades 3rd through 6th are grade level specific & meet at lunch time once a week for 4 to 6 weeks (date of first week TBD). Books are approved by the district and if mom & dad want to help with the reading that's okay.
For Arrowhead Staff
Ø Fall Staff Appreciation Luncheon – On Oct 8th @ 11:30, the PTA will host an Arrowhead Staff appreciation lunch. Please join us show our gratitude for such a wonderful, hardworking staff.
Ø Spring Staff Appreciation Week – During this week in the Spring, PTA volunteers pamper the Arrowhead staff to show appreciation for the wonderful job they do teaching and helping our children. Activities include providing lattes in the morning, washing staff cars, providing breakfast, offering lunch, and presenting gifts.
Ø Library Volunteers– PTA organizes parent volunteers to help Sally Noland in the library throughout the year. Parents assist, throughout the year, with book checkout for their child's class as well as with projects the students do in the library with Sally.
PTA Fundraising Events
Ø Read-a-thon – Arrowhead students of all ages receives goals for reading minutes over the course of several weeks. Students collect donations and receive prizes. This year, the read-a-thon begins on Oct 5th.
Ø Hawk Walk – In June, kids participate in this fundraiser by walking or running laps around the track to the sound of their favorite tunes. Kids collect donations and are entered into drawings to collect fabulous prizes donated by local vendors based on the level of donations collected. No matter what, the kids have a great time!
You can learn more about these PTA-sponsored activities by going to the Arrowhead PTA website at http://ptaarrowhead.org. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact one of the members of the 2010/2011 PTA Executive team listed below.