Mercer Mailbox
April 27, 2018
Mercer Mailbox is a weekly publication of the   Mercer PTO .  
Sign up to receive PTO news.
Mercer Weekly Calendar 

Upcoming Dates to Remember

May 7-11  Teacher Appreciation Week & Career Week
May 10     Open House for Kindergarten-Grade 3, 6:30 pm
May 16     PTO Meeting, 7 pm
May 18     Mercer Mini Marathon/Field Day, Details below.
May 23     Grade 4 IB Concert & Exhibition, 6 pm
May 25     Mercer Family Picnic, 6 pm  
May 28     Memorial Day, No School - Enjoy the Memorial Day Parade
June 4      Grade 4 Clap Out and Flag Lowering, 2:15 pm
June 5      Grade 4 Celebration, 2 pm
June 5      Last Day of School for Students!!  
 

Visit the  Online Calendar  and filter by Mercer  for more upcoming events.
From Mr. Florence
Again, the Shaker Heights City Schools have been named one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) for their commitment to music education, an honor bestowed on only four percent of districts nationwide. Mercer students begin their musical journey with performances at every grade level throughout the school year. This helps prepare them for transitioning to Woodbury where all students have the opportunity to choose instruction for a band or orchestra instrument. 
 
I would like to again remind students to include reading or being read to for at least twenty minutes daily at home. Why is this important? Reading stimulates brain activity, improves listening and literacy skills, provides an uninterrupted bonding time, and enhances overall academic performance. Practicing math facts for five minutes daily outside of school time builds confidence in recalling all four operations quickly and accurately. This helps to create building blocks for higher mathematics concepts. Reading and math fact fluency are needed foundational skills as our students address problem solving and comprehend various resources and materials. Such a simple request has far reaching learning implications for our students. 
 
AIR testing for third and fourth grade students in English Language Arts and Math was completed today (with the exception of makeups). The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments will begin during the week of May 7 for students in kindergarten to fourth grade. Our goal is for our students to always do their very best. We must be cautious to not put too much into one test on one day. Our focus must be on the work our students have done over the course of the school year and having them consistently give their very best effort in all they do.



Slate of Mercer PTO Board for 2018-19 School Year 
The PTO nominating committee has been hard at work planning for next year. Thank you to everyone who helped out and to our nominated board members. We are excited to share the slate of PTO officers for the 2018-19 school year. A vote on this slate will take place after it has been publicized for 30 days. 
 
Co-Presidents - Amy Karfeld and Margot Prokop ; Co-1st Vice Presidents - Eric Weingart and Darnell Parker;
VP of Communications - Abby Botnick; Educational Enrichment - Lauren Goodnow; Co-VPs of Outreach - Brenda Phelan and Kelly King; 
VP of Parent Education and Advocacy - Lisa Farmer Cole; 
VP of Financial Management - Kris Gobel, Treasurer - Alex Smilovich; 
Secretary - Julia Sifford; Nominating Co-Chairs - Candace Scheffler and DeAndrea Springer
 
WE LOVE OUR STAFF & TEACHERS!
Help show our Mercer staff how much we appreciate them by signing up to contribute during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11. Check out the signup list at  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b4aaaa923a3f49-2018 and email any questions to Jill Lipman at [email protected] .
 
Career Week at Mercer
Career week will be held at Mercer from Monday, May 7 - Friday, May 11 . We need your help to ensure a successful learning experience for our students. Just contact your child's teacher and schedule a time to visit the classroom that week to talk about your career. Your child's teacher will provide specific details. Thank you! 
 
Woodbury Music Staff Visit
The Woodbury Music staff will visit the Mercer Fourth graders on Wednesday, May 16 from 9:15-11 am to try out instruments for next year! There is also an optional Woodbury Music Open House on Monday, May 21 st from 6:00 - 8:00 pm in the music wing of Woodbury Elementary School. The Woodbury Music Staff will answer questions and assist your child in trying-out an instrument(s). Please contact us with any questions. We are here for you and your child. For additional information contact Tom Deep at 295-4888 or [email protected]
 
Click the link for more information about the:  Woodbury Jazz Band Auditions
Click the link for more information: Woodbury Band FAQ for 4th grade parents
 
Mercer Mini- Marathon and Field Day
Mark your calendars! This year, the Mercer Mini Marathon and Field Day have been combined into one, exciting event for the kids and will be held on Friday, May 18th. The students will run a shorter, modified marathon course, and then enter the gym to have fun on a number of inflatables for the Field Day portion. As always, to make this a successful and safe day, we need plenty of volunteers! Please sign up at  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4cadae22aaf85-mercer  if you can help out. If you have any questions, please contact Debby Downing at  [email protected]  or Claire Brinkley at  [email protected] . 
 
The Mercer Mini Marathon/Field Day schedule will be as follows:
-   Kindergartners start at 9:30 a.m. and finish at 10:15 a.m.
-   1st graders start at 10:15 a.m. and finish at 11:00 a.m.
-   3rd graders start at 11:00 a.m. and finish at 11:45 p.m.
-   4th graders start at 11:45 a.m. and finish at 12:30 p.m.
-   2nd graders start at 1:45 p.m. and finish at 2:30 p.m.
 
Yard signs are here!  
Show your pride for Mercer! Yard signs are available for $10 at upcoming PTO sponsored events. 
 
Raider Roundball Basketball Camp
This basketball camp is for boys entering grades 4-9 from June 18 - June 22 at Shaker Height Heights High School. The cost of the camp is $95. Please mail payment to: c/o Danny Young, Woodbury Elementary School, 15400 South Woodland Ave, Shaker Heights, OH 44120. This camp is not affiliated with the Recreation Department. See the flyer here for more details.
 
Stay In Touch With Your Child's Classmates Over The Summer
Summer's coming quickly and you don't want to lose touch with your child's classmates! Make scheduling playdates and Thornton Park meetups easier and join the Shaker Heights PTO's A-to-Z Directory, a convenient and user-friendly online or app-based way to find contact information for your fellow families.
 
To signup for the A-to-Z Directory, click here . For more information on the Directory, go to www.shaker.org/FamilyDirectory.aspx .
 
Attention Parents of Rising 5th Graders
It's time to fill the PTO positions at Woodbury for the 2018-2019 School Year. 
The Woodbury PTO invites you to get involved! Please take the time to look at the available PTO positions at  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080549acaf29a31-thewoodbury  for the next school year and sign up to volunteer.
If you have any questions, please contact Jen Pethel, Nominating Chair at  [email protected]  or at  (248) 918-1861
 
Parents and guardians of 4th graders we need your pictures of your 4th grader/friends engaging in Mercer/School events over the last 4 years for inclusion in the 4th grade slide show! Please submit photos by April 30 via email to [email protected] . Thank you!
 

 
Mercer Mailbox is a publication of Mercer Elementary. The submission deadline is Noon Wednesday to Sharon Galin at [email protected] .
Helpful Links
The Shaker Heights Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is dedicated to facilitating the active and informed involvement of all parents and families to achieving the educational success and well being of children. You are receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Shaker Heights Schools PTO. 
 
You may  unsubscribe  if you no longer wish to receive our emails.
‌