This year, we hosted a Staff Appreciation event every month to constantly remind our El Carmelo Staff how much we value them. We are so thankful to the many El Carmelo PTA volunteers who showered the staff with love through home baked goods and desserts, specialty coffee and lattes, buffet style lunches, yogurt parfait breakfasts, a fruit frenzy day, handwritten letters of appreciation, and more!

With the closure of our school sites and the cancellation of in-person promotion ceremonies and parties, Mrs. Reynolds, Ms. Atieh, Ms. Jafri, Ms. Mason, and the PTA partnered together on a plan to virtually promote, honor and celebrate our 5th Grade Dragons since we couldn't celebrate this moment together in person and on campus.

On the last day of school, 5th Graders and their families attended a virtual promotion ceremony in each of their classes. Each 5th grader shared their favorite El Carmelo memory, watched greetings and well-wishes from all three 5th Grade teachers and Principal Reynolds (who stopped by each ceremony for a live congrats), heard Pomp and Circumstance played by music teachers, heard final well-wishes from their teacher, and waved goodbye to each other. 5th Grade Families were so fortunate to have had the opportunity to share applause, tears, and heartfelt well-wishes with each other once more. Instead of our in-person annual 5 ^th Grade Promotion Reception and Party, the PTA supported the virtual 5 ^th Grade Promotion with an El Carmelo 5th Grade Celebration Package. Each 5th Grader received their promotion certificate, an exclusive 5 ^th Grade T-shirt that included all 5 ^th Grader names, and their Memory Book in color at Student Pick-Up on June 2nd. The PTA also joined the school in giving special acknowledgement to families whose only/youngest child are 5 ^th graders in 2020 and are experiencing their final days as an El Carmelo family from a distance.

Thanks to Mrs. Reynolds, Ms. Atieh, Ms. Jafri, Ms. Mason, the PTA Executive Board, our 5th Grade Parents, and a few Student Leaders for their input on what became a wonderful culmination of our 5th Grade's elementary years.

CONGRATS & BEST WISHES 5TH GRADE EL CARMELO DRAGONS!

YOUR PTA IS SO PROUD OF YOU!

By: Rachel Grumman Bender

No one could have anticipated that we would be spending the last few months of the school year sheltering in place and trying to parent during a global pandemic. For many parents, it’s been a challenge adjusting to the “new normal”: staying home and managing their kids’ remote learning — in some cases, while simultaneously juggling their jobs or caring for family members. Teachers have also had to quickly adjust to these changes, rising to the occasion and ensuring there are engaging lesson plans each day.

But even during these challenging times, there are some silver linings. For our family, we’ve started biking together every weekend — something we never did before the pandemic. We’ve also been playing more board games together, and my husband and I have been introducing our kids to some classic movies from our own childhood, including Christopher Reeve’s “Superman.”

El Carmelo second grade parent Rabia Bajwa says she’s also found some joy in the midst of this pandemic. “It has forced us to stay at home, slow down, and rekindle the small joys of life — sleeping in, a BBQ in the back garden, playing with each other, and reading tons of great books!”

Marie Vida, another El Carmelo second grade parent, says there’s an upside to working from home during shelter in place: “We are able to spend more quality time with the entire family, playing basketball, games, etc.”

Echoing the sentiments of many families, Bajwa is looking forward to when life returns to normal, but adds, “We will never forget this special time we got together.”