Dear Cloverly Families,

We hope that everyone had a great summer, with lots of fun family adventures and quality relaxation time. But we also hope that you are all excited for the beginning of a new academic year at Cloverly Elementary School!

For those of you starting at Cloverly, either as kindergarten families or transferring into one of the higher grade levels, welcome! We are delighted to have you joining our community.

For those of you who are already Cloverly veterans, welcome back!

One of the things that makes Cloverly so special is the commitment and involvement of the parents, grandparents, and other caregivers. We all care deeply about our kids’ education and want to provide them with the finest possible elementary school experience. One of the best ways to support your child’s education is to join our Parent-Teacher Association, the Cloverly PTA, and participate in the programs and activities that we plan throughout the school year. Working together with the teachers and staff at the school, we assist the Cloverly educational mission in many different ways:

• We sponsor educational and enrichment events throughout the year, both in-school assemblies (music performances, nature shows, motivational speakers) and after-school clubs (foreign language classes, Chess Club, Lego Club, and Creative Art Adventures). We also plan big annual events like the Fall and Spring Book Fairs, Family Heritage Night, and the Science Fair.
• We run fundraisers of many different sorts, from Read-a-Thons to Boxtop collection to Fun Runs, and then provide those funds to the school when urgent needs arise which are not covered by usual channels. Past examples of PTA assistance include replenishing the classroom libraries at all six grade levels and purchasing digital projectors for classrooms that were lacking them.
• We host regular Staff Appreciation events – usually including some delicious food – to show our kids’ teachers and staff members how much we appreciate their hard work.
• We plan fun events to build our school community, including Fall Movie Night, Spirit Nights at local restaurants, and the wildly popular Variety Show that takes place every spring at the Olney Theater. These gatherings provide us and our kids an opportunity to socialize outside of the context of the school day.

But none of these marvelous events and activities will happen without the participation of dedicated parents and caregivers. That’s where YOU come in. Please become a PTA member this fall, and sign up for our email list to stay informed about PTA news. As your schedule permits, attend our public meetings (the first Tuesday of each month), and volunteer for the activities that match with your interests and availability.

The PTA plays a big role in making Cloverly a great school, and we have a lot of fun in doing so. Please join us!

The Cloverly PTA Officers for 2016-2017 are:

• President — Brad Behr
• VP of Fundraising and Programs — Theresa Phillips
• VP of Membership and Administration — TBD
• Corresponding Secretary — Laurie and Sam Mertens
• Recording Secretary — Wendy Clifford
• Treasurer — Kristine Manlove-Casa

If you have any questions, please contact Brad at president@cloverlypta.org.