In This Issue:
l Annual Family Bingo Night
l Art walk and third-grade musical performance
l washington state supreme court rules two-thirds
requirement unconstitutional; page 7 to learn more
l how chloe clark elem. pta funds are utilized
l Spanish Class is Back
Issue 7
March 2013
Parents, Teachers and the community working together to promote educational excellence for our children.
Co-Presidents’ Corner
by Diane Henderson and Kristi Mitchell, CCE PTA Co-Presidents
I love March! I love that the crocuses start sticking their heads out of the soil and planting the
thought in our heads that spring is coming. Of course here in Washington State, it takes a while
for that process to happen, but I still love the prospect of it. Really, what’s not to love about
spring. I love this time of year for the PTA too. It’s when we can start to think about possibly
holding an outside event or two, and new things are happening. We begin to look forward to next
year by electing our officers (this will happen at the Art Walk and 3rd Grade Music Performance
on March 26th), awarding Golden Acorn Awards to one outstanding volunteer, teacher and advocate (also happening at the Art Walk and 3rd Grade Musical Performance), and working on a
budget for next year (although we will not vote on that until closer to the end of the year). Just
like the crocuses, these things forecast the coming changes and it’s exciting!
I hope you’ll take a little time to consider being a part of the change. It starts with the election
of the new executive board, but there are lots of positions to be filed and one might just be the
perfect opportunity for you to start something new too…
Diane and Kristi
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Annual Family Bingo Night
March 15
Please join us on Friday, March 15 for an exciting evening of Bingo.
Doors open at 7:00 pm, bingo cards are $1 each and there will be
lots of amazing prizes, refreshments and pizza.
Once again we are happy to announce our Grand Prize,
donated by Dhane Orthodontics, will be a
$250 gift-certificate to the Great Wolf Lodge!!
Other bingo prizes include, gift certificates to Odyssey 1, Laser Fun
Zone, Tiffany’s Skate Inn, Narrows Plaza Bowl, AMC Theatres,
Barnes and Noble, Red Robbin, The Rock, Yogurtini,
plus many cool toys and games.
Additionally, the PTA will be holding a silent auction
during Bingo, where parents and families can bid
on some fabulous items generously donated to the PTA to
raise funds for future programs and fun nights like this one.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Family Math Night
by Bonnie Landes, Math Night Coordinator
On February 21st nearly 80 students and parents enjoyed Chloe Clark PTA’s Annual Math Night.
Students practiced math skills without even realizing it- they thought they
were just having fun playing games with their parents! Fifteen families won
math-related games such as Phase 10, Blokus, and Rummikub during the
raffle. A special thanks goes out to Mr. Slater for introducing parents to
Dreambox in the computer lab, and helping parents to see how they can use
Dreambox access at home. If you missed it, make sure to put it on your
calendar for next year!
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Art Walk March 26th
by Janelle Mock, Art Club Coordinator
The 2013 PTA Art Walk and 3rd Grade
Musical Performance are scheduled for
Tuesday, March 26th, beginning at 6:30
pm.
Walk around the hallways and enjoy
an impressive display of artwork from
every Chloe Clark student. Experience the
‘Future of America’ portraits and discover what Chloe Clark students want to be
when they grow up. View the individual
class artwork projects displayed outside
of their classrooms.
Also, throughout the school there will be
an I-spy game of famous American artwork. Don’t forget to bring your camera
for fun photo opportunities.
UPCOMING
Events
Family Bingo Night
& Silent Auction Fundraiser
Friday, March 15 at 7:00 pm
OJP Field Trip “Pinocchio”
Grades K & 1, March 21, 12:30 pm
NO SCHOOL ~ March 22
PTA General Membership Mtg.
March 26 at 7:15 pm
Community Room
Art Walk &
3rd Grade Musical Performance
March 26 at 7:00 pm
The walk begins at 6:30pm and musical
performance begins at 7:30pm. Plan to
bring the whole family for this exciting
night celebrating the fine arts at Chloe
Clark!
Half-Day 12:35 pm release
Friday, March 29
SPRING BREAK ~ NO SCHOOL
April 1 - 5
PTA Board Meeting
Tuesday, April 9, at 6:15 pm
Questions or volunteer opportunities
please email: artclub@chloeclarkpta.com
ACE Early Release
Wednesday, April 10 at 2:35 pm
Science Night
April 10 at 6:30 pm
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Art Club Recap
by Janelle Mock, Art Club Coordinator
Chloe Clark families enjoyed a
night of art exploration at Art
Club onMarch 6th. Families created wire mobile art sculptures
and studied the unique style of
American Artist Alexander Calder.
Students enjoyed using wire and
beads to create fun fish sculptures.
Art Club is funded by generous
donations to the PTA.
Thank you foryour support!
Questions/comments:
artclub@chloeclarkpta.com
Overview of PTA Spending
by Diane Henderson, PTA Co-President
We often get questions about where the PTA’s funds
are spent, so here is a brief list of some of the items
we have spent money on to date, along with expenses we know are in process and will be spent in the
upcoming months.
Event/Item Paid Amount Spent
Mike Thaler Author Visit
$
Art Club
Staff & School Board Appreciation
Family Game Night & Math Night
Explorer Science Club
School Enhancements
(new paper cutter for staff work room)
1,200
345
337
242
400
Total Year to Date Spent
$
2,814
Events/Items Outstanding
Amount Est.
Staff Appreciation
$
Assembly
Chloe Creations/Art Walk
Science Club
Fitness Club
Run 4 Fun
Teacher Grants
Grade Level Grants
School Enhancement Grants
(library, music grants outstanding)
Total Outstanding
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290
200
800
1,250
600
900
2,000
3,400
3,000
1,700
$ 13,500
www.chloeclarkpta.com
Spanish Class Offered
at Chloe Clark through
A.C.E. World Language
Join A.C.E. World Language & Culture
Ambassadors for Spanish classes at Chloe
Clark this spring! Classes are Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 8:20 – 9:00 am and will run
March 19th through May 20th.
A.C.E. World Language & Cultural Ambassadors is an enrichment program that empowers kids to become global leaders by
teaching them world languages and exploring other cultures. A.C.E. is a nonprofit
organization.
You can register online at www.cultural.org/
wlca/registration or pick up a registration
form at the Chloe Clark front office. (registration packets can also be found just outside the office at Chloe Clark). For more
information, please contact Elke Armajo at
elkearmajo@live.com.
Volunteer of the Month
by Jennifer MacDonald, Volunteer Coordinator
Tammy Parsons is our volunteer of the
month for February. She was nominated
by Donna Robinson who said this about
her: “Tammy did an awesome job this past
weekend with the 76 fundraiser this, standing outside for hours with signs she made.”
Indeed, Tammy made our Pump up the PTA
fundraiser an amazing success and we are
ever grateful for her amazing efforts. Way
to go Tammy! Thank you!!
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March is Music in our Schools
Month, as Third-Grade
Students Present a Concert
What: Music Across America – a tribute
to American music
When: Tuesday, March 26th, 7:30 p.m.
(following the Art Walk at 6:30)
Where: Chloe Clark Elementary School
Community Room
Dress: Students should wear dark pants and plain white shirts
Third grade students received participation forms on February 13th and March
6th. If your student has not yet returned
the form indicating whether or not he/she
will be participating in this event, please
complete the form included in the Chloe
Clark e-newsletter and have your student
return it to his/her classroom teacher this
week.
If you have questions, please contact Mrs.
Jeffreys or Mrs. Peddy at
tjeffreys@steilacoom.k12.wa.us
kpeddy@steilacoom.k12.wa.us
or 253-583-7109
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PUMP UP the PTA
a Huge Success
Treasurer’s Report
February 2013
Carolyn Demaree, Treasurer
Beginning Balance:
$21,585.59
Income:
$ 3,886.59
Expenses: $ 1,562.66
PTA Board Member Nominations
by Laura Rockwell, Nominating Committee Coordinator
All PTA Board positions are open for next year.
Please consider volunteering your time and
talents to help out the PTA. Becoming a board
member is a great way to increase involvement in your child’s education, and give back
to your community, all while having fun. No
previous experience is required and all interested parents are encouraged to learn more.
Fill out a Nomination Form to nominate yourself or someone else and email it to:
nomcom@choloeclarkpta.com
or drop it off at the front desk at Chloe Clark.
Please contact the nominating committee with
any questions, we would love to speak with
you and figure out the perfect way for you to
become involved.
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by Tammy Parsons, Fundraising Coordinator
Thank you to everyone who came to the Union 76
Gas Station February 23 - 24 to fill their vehicles.
We received $0.10 for each gallon pumped, plus
donations for coffee. Volunteers, including Mr.
Yoho, stood on the corner of Barksdale Ave and
Dupont-Steilacoom Road all weekend to encourage patrons to pull in and pump up. Other volunteers pumped gas, washed windows and talked
to customers about the event. All the hard work
was worth it. Our total raised came to $2,300
that the PTA will put right back into our school.
This fundraiser was possible because of the generosity of Mr. Ishmael Arslangiray, owner of
Union 76, our supportive parents
and
volunteers, and the wonderful
Dupont community. Thanks
to everyone who supports
Chloe Clark Elementary
and the PTA!
Yearbook Sales
We want to make this year’s
yearbook a special one and
are looking for more photos
of school events, field trips
and special events in the class
rooms.
Please send your photos to:
yearbook@chloeclarkpta.com.
Yearbooks will be going on sale
soon, Look for preorder forms in
the Wednesday envelopes.
l March 2013
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Court Strikes Down the
Two-Thirds Requirement
for Revenue
Ramona Hattendorf, Government Relations Coordinator,
Washington State PTA with contributions by Sean Eagan,
Chloe Clark PTA Legislative Chair
On February 28 The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Initiative 1053 unconstitutional. Initiative 1053, passed in 2010, required a two-thirds majority of the Legislature
to raise state revenue. The 6-3 ruling penned
by Justice Owens declared, “The Supermajority Requirement unconstitutionally amends
the constitution by imposing a two-thirds
vote requirement for tax legislation. More
importantly, the Supermajority Requirement
substantially alters our system of government,
thus enabling a tyranny of the minority. The
framers were aware of the extraordinary nature
of a supermajority requirement as evidenced
by their decision to use it only under special
circumstances.”
The Washington State Parent Teacher Association opposes placing “super majority” barriers
to funding that children rely on, and the association welcomes the state Supreme Court
ruling this week that strikes down the twothirds majority requirement for state revenue
increases. This ruling gives policymakers the
flexibility they need to make practical and balanced choices for children.
The association has long opposed budget
policies, deficit reduction efforts, and other
legislative proposals that negatively impact
funding for child-related programs. It supports
tax policies that are fair and equitable, and that
provide stable, adequate revenues for public
education and for programs that benefit youth.
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(continued)
Last fall’s Initiative 1185 promised to do the
same, and Washington State PTA opposed it for
these reasons.
The association also opposes SJR 8205, which
seeks to embed the two-thirds requirement into
the state constitution.
Here is where years of budgeting under the
two-thirds requirement have left Washington’s
K-12 school system:
• This state underfunds maintenance costs at
schools by at least half a billion dollars annually, and has since at least 2008.
• It funds on average three out of four teachers, and in the state’s largest district fewer
than that. Again, since at least 2008.
• It still has not implemented new graduation requirements that align with college and
workplace requirements.
The reason? The state has not provided the
money to give every high-school student a full
six-period day. Local districts count on teenagers to drop classes and take fewer credits.
We struggle to accommodate students who
might fail a class, or who need an intervention
class.
Today in Washington, we have PTAs and community foundations raising millions in cash to
prop up our schools, and volunteers donating
tens of thousands of hours in free labor. This
is what the two-thirds majority for revenue has
brought us: Parents manning the phone banks
every few years and raising the paddle at auctions to cover basic school maintenance and
instructional costs, hoping desperately votes or
(continued on page 8)
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(continued from page 7)
donations come through so their school doesn’t
shut down.
The inability of legislators to effectively and
efficiently deal with the significant underfunding of our K-12 educational system is hurting
our children. This fall, the state association
voted to support additional revenue to pay for
children’s education and programs that keep
them healthy and safe. Washington’s tax structure is much different than the national norm.
• Washington raises less revenue, per capita,
than the national average
• Washington relies twice as much on the
sales tax ($2,061 per capita, versus $992)
• Washington is one of only seven states that
does not impose a personal or corporate income tax
• Washington’s “business tax,” the B&O, taxes gross receipts rather than profit or income
Our state’s major tax sources include:
• Sales tax – which provides 49 percent of
state revenue
• Property tax – 12 percent of state revenue
• Business and Occupation (B&O) tax – 22
percent of state revenue
This system is inherently unfair to small and
start-up businesses and to middle and low-income earners. It has also failed to bring in the
stable revenue necessary for the state to amply
fund a general and uniform system of schools
that prepare children for career, college and
citizenship, while also making sure we have
a safety network in place to protect our most
vulnerable, and adequate funds to run essential
government services.
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Leaf Your Mark at
Chloe Clark Elementary
Dear Chloe Clark Parents,
Is this your student’s last year at Chloe
Clark? If so, then maybe it’s time to
“Leaf Your Mark”.
You may or may not know what we mean
by that, so let us explain. You’ve probably noticed the tree mural in the foyer at
school and the ceramic leaves attached
to it. This is our “Leaf Your Mark” tree.
You can purchase a leaf and personalize
it with up to 16 characters. It will be a
permanent fixture at Chloe that shows
your support for the school and the PTA.
And it helps us continue great programs
for future students. The same programs
your student has come to love. Essentially, it’s a way to leave your mark at
Chloe Clark.
What a great opportunity this would be to
honor your 3rd grader before they move
on to Salter’s Point. Or to give your military child a feeling of permanence here
at Chloe. Or to remember your families time here. Leaves are $50. And for
such a generous donation, we will send
you a picture of your child and their leaf
so they will always have a reminder of
their connection with Chloe Clark and
the Dupont Community.
We hope you will consider purchasing this
lasting reminder of your student’s time
here at Chloe Clark. If you have any
questions regarding the program or
would like information on purchasing a
leaf, please contact us at
president@chloeclarkpta.com.
Sincerely,
Diane Henderson & Kristi Mitchell
Co-Presidents Chloe Clark PTA
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