• Alex Berger, PTO President (president@melrosepto.org)
    • Shopping at Ralph’s can raise money for the Melrose PTO
      • – Visit: https://www.ralphs.com/account/communityrewards
      • – Create an account or sign into your account.
      • – Click on “Community Contributions”
      • – Select the organization “MELROSE ELEMENTARY PTO”
    • Community Coffee Hour this Friday at 8am in the Parent Center
    • Melrose Games Animalympics Fundraiser — **NEW DATE** Friday, May 1st from 8:30am-2:30pm
      • Field day style event where each class competes against other classes in their grade, exact grade level times will be announced later
      • Volunteers will be needed
      • Tshirt Drawing Competition due Wednesday Feb 25 in the front office
        • Design must include “The Melrose Games Animalympics” and some animals
        • Monochromatic drawing (ideally with sharpie or black pen) on paper or computer drawn
        • Winner picked by students during lunch on Thursday Feb 26
        • Looking for tshirt corporate sponsors
          • $500 gets logo on back of their shirt and social media shout outs
          • Fully tax-deductible
      • Questions? Reach out to Julia Wiss (rusyuliya@yahoo.com)
    • Next meeting Wednesday, February 11 at 5pm
  • Mrs. Jackson, Melrose Principal
    • Astronomy Night on Thursday, January 29th from 6pm-8pm
      • Planetariums (two!!) and telescopes are coming
      • Star Science will provide activities
      • Rocket launch finalé
    • Arts Funding
      • ELOP Funds $61,750
        • Field trips outside the school day (after school or weekend)
          • Pantages, Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl, LACMA, Natural History Museum, Grammy Museum, Griffith Observatory, MOCA, Getty Villa
      • Prop 28 Plan Art Funding during school
        • Increase of one semester of art next school year
          • Options include: dance, visual arts, theater, vocal music, instrumental
          • 80% of the fund must go towards an art teacher, the remaining $6,000 could go towards art supplies
          • Arts in school makes my student feels..
            • Confident, calm, joy, expressing themselves
      • Young Storytellers $2,500/semester
        • 5th graders write a play and then cast it with real actors
    • Promoting Positive Behavior and Safety
      • Committee meets the last Tuesday of the month from 2:45-3:45pm
        • Looking for 2-3 parents to join the committee
      • De-escalation and restorative practices is the focus for this month
        • Provide verbal and visual reminders
        • Provide wait time
        • Use START instead of STOP statements
        • Offer choices
        • Break tasks into smaller parts
        • Avoid a question format
        • Restorative Rainbows where 2 individuals come together
          • Person A: I feel / Person B: You feel
          • Person A: You feel /  Person B: I feel
          • Person A: I need /  Person B: I will
          • Person A: I will /  Person B: I need