Additional kudos goes to those who recognized the teachers and staff at Mason during Staff Appreciation Week. The staff was treated to a 1950s Diner themed luncheon by Kimberley Poole and her fantastic group of volunteers.

To recognize our volunteers, please plan to attend our Volunteer Tea coming up on June 12th. Also in June is our Barnes and Noble event where we will be having special teacher readings and scavenger hunts throughout the store. Go to our Mason Website for dates and information. Not to be outdone - Dads will be recognized on June 13th with a Dads and Donut event.

We are planning for next year so we need your suggestions for any events or ideas to support our school and our students. Please forward your suggestions to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

We have all heard about the impending budget cuts and staff reductions. Next year it would be imperative that we get parents to help out to ensure the quality programs and educational support that our students deserve. I would like you to consider the PTA Three for me pledge. Please plan to make a commitment to donate three hours of your time next year to support your student’s school. The time spent can take on many forms. Whether you help out during school or after, we have lots of opportunities that can accommodate your work commitments.

Some of the activities to consider: volunteering as a room parent, reading to your child's class; tutoring students; helping distribute the PTA newsletter; helping with a school program; helping in the library; participating in the planning of PTA and school events; working to beautify the school and grounds; being a field-trip chaperone; making calls for the school or PTA; creating classroom decorations; attending parent-teacher conferences and PTA meetings; sharing your concerns with the principal and school board; asking your employer for donations—all these things, and many others will help our children and our school.

Hopefully you've witnessed that when parents, teachers, and school staff work together, everyone's job is easier. No matter what or how much you do, your contribution to your child's school makes a difference. A little really does mean a lot.

I like our school.  And like everything you are fond of, you hope that it can get better. I am reminded of the book – Good to Great by Jim Collins. Although the author examined corporate America, I think some of the same lessons learned can be applied to Mason. Mr. Collins asked the question, “Why do some organizations (schools) make the leap from good to great?” Perhaps we should examine the same question.

I submit that all schools will feel the pressure of school budget cuts and the slow economy. But what makes one school stand out, while some appear average? I remember what our principal, Ms. Hardson, said a few months ago at a principal’s coffee, “The state guarantees our children an education, making it a great education is up to us.”

By terming it “up to us” I take that to mean that people are that part of the equation.  I remember a quote that goes, “There are three types of people: those that make it happen, those who watch it happen and those that wonder what happened.”

As for those that make it happen, I would like to thank those who participated in the annual Mason Beautification Day. Mike Davis from the Mira Mesa Heroes group made a major contribution in helping paint our school. I would also like to thank Rich Burns, a Mira Mesa professional painter, for spending about eight hours painting our auditorium.  Rich led a dedicated group of people who transformed the auditorium with a new coat of paint.  Volunteers also helped paint the Teacher’s Lounge and members of the Miramar Marine Corps Base helped refinish the teacher’s cabinets.  In addition to the dedicated parents and teachers who contributed their time, we also had students from SDSU helping out. Andy Mercado and Shahnaz Ahmadeian also donated their artistic talents. We had about 75 people show up during the day to help out with clean up and painting, and my only regret is that we don’t have enough room here to list everyone who participated.

On another note, I would like to encourage everyone to sponsor a student in the upcoming Jog-a-thon.  This is our Spring Fundraiser and we will be donating a majority of the money to the school to support the technology and student learning.

As for next year PTA leadership needs, we still have a couple of positions available on the PTA Board for the 2008-2009 school year.  If you would like to help out with coordinating one or more of our fundraising activities, I would like to hear from you.  In addition, I would also like assistance with some of our upcoming events.  For those interested, please contact me at my e-mail address below.

Thanks for your support of Mason Elementary.

From our PTA President

“Whatever it takes, our kids are worth it.” – a Mason Parent.

As we move into spring, we have some PTA events to look forward to.  Our March PTA Meeting will be featuring a Family Science Night.  We have partnered with the Mira Mesa High School Science Departments who will offer our students hands-on displays and interactive activities.  We will also hold a short PTA Meeting to ratify our PTA Bylaws and elect the new Board for the 2008-2009 school year.  We need a few more volunteers; no experience necessary – just a commitment and passion to help our children.

Coming up in April we are planning a Restaurant Night at Chuck E. Cheese and in June a fundraiser at Barnes and Nobel.  May we will host a Mom’s and Muffins event to honor Mother’s Day. Our Dad’s will also be recognized in June with a Dad’s and Donut event for Father’s Day.  Check out the future editions of this newsletter for dates and times.

Our biggest event of the spring will be our School Beautification Day on April 26th.  Although the name doesn’t sound really cool (we are open to a different name if you can think of one), we have a lot of high impact projects planned to make our school appear more inviting.  We are still in need of additional artists to help paint our logo on a few of the buildings.  So, if you know of anyone who could volunteer their artistic abilities, please have them contact me.  Please plan to participate in the event; together we will be able to make our school a better place for our children to learn.

Before I sign off, I wanted to touch on one more thing that I think would help our school prosper – FUN.  I am sure I am not alone when I occasionally forget about this key ingredient when dealing with my child, their teacher, my fellow parents, and even the school administration.  With all the multi-tasking we do and the stress that we sometimes endure, I think adding a little fun into our lives would help everything work out a bit better.  As I drop my daughter off at her class each day, I remind her to “have fun and learn something new”.  Perhaps we would all be better off in the future if we heed the same advice.

Have a great Spring Break,

David Keely, Dad to a 2nd Grader
PTA President
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