DISTRICT 29 PTO MONTHLY MATTERS
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
Monday, February 3, 2025
February is here and with it comes brighter days and a whiff of hope that spring might just be around the corner (come on Punxsutawney Phil!). Despite being the shortest month, we still manage to pack plenty of celebrations, events, and opportunities for our students and their families. Be on the lookout for Valentines Day parties, requests for PTO slate nominations, another round of PTO Gifts applications and more!
Our next meeting will be Monday, February 10th at 9AM, hope to see you all then.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 818 3080 9002
Passcode: 423325
Pro tip: If you don’t want to miss any future PTO or D29 event please be sure to subscribe to the district calendar here.
Ranjini Shankar
STAY INFORMED
Winter Benefit 2025
🌴🎉 Miami Nights Await! 🎉🌴
The wait is over — tickets for the District 29 Winter Benefit: Miami Nights are officially LIVE! 🎟️☀️ Join us on Saturday, March 8th for a night of tropical fun, exciting auctions, live entertainment, and endless vibes.
🍷 Wine Donations Needed! Help make our themed wine pull a success by donating your extra bottles. Email miaminightsd29@gmail.com for drop-off or pick-up details—thank you for your support!
💃🕺 Don’t miss the hottest event of the season! https://givebutter.com/miaminights
Board Reports and Committee Budgets
Reminder: please send in your board reports!! Once your event/activity is done for the year, update the old board report while it’s fresh on your mind. Please ensure you have submitted all your receipts for reimbursement and that you have updated the expected budget on your board report. These are so important as we start thinking about next year’s budget!
Email completed board reports to Katie Lutz: kj.lutz@gmail.com and send any budget related questions or updates to Karie Smith: treasurer@district29pto.org
PTO Gifts
Do you have an idea that you'd like to see come to life at Middlefork or Sunset Ridge? A speaker you'd love to bring to an assembly? Does your child have a student club they've expressed interest in starting? The PTO Gifts Program application is open for our 2nd round of funding this school year! Pair up with a teacher or school admin and submit an application. We'd love to support you!
The super short application can be found on the PTO website. Deadline to apply is Feb 21st!
As a reminder, we are looking to fund projects in these three areas: 1. Experiential education opportunities that enrich the current academic curriculum (ex: service learning projects, guest speakers, field trips, project-based learning initiatives, etc.); 2. Enrichment activities or events that build a stronger District 29 community; 3. Start-up “seed money” to pilot a new student club. Important to note is that our Review Committee is specifically seeking to maximize the number of students we impact with funded projects.
Parent Connections
There will be two more opportunities for parents to meet with Dr. Linda Yonke to help with the superintendent search by sharing your perspective on the priorities/needs of the district and qualities of the next superintendent. The first will be February 18, 2025 @ 7:00pm (In-Person at Middlefork School) and the second will be February 27, 2025 @ 7:00pm (In-Person at Sunset Ridge School).
International Night
Save the Date: April 30th, 6PM at Sunset Ridge School!
All families are invited to D29’s First Annual International Night at Sunset Ridge. Come celebrate different cultures with food, student performances, art, and more! Any questions? Email Carolyn Kelley at carolyn@alumni.nd.edu.
8th Grade Committee Update
The 8th Grade Committee has been busy planning and organizing exciting activities for our eighth graders! Most recently, they enjoyed a delicious Jimmy John’s lunch following Career Day. Just before winter break, students came together to craft 20 fleece tie blankets for Project Linus and created paper snowflakes to decorate the local senior center—a wonderful way to give back to the community.
As we enter the final stretch of the school year, we still have a few more surprises in store for our eighth graders. We’re also excited to announce that this year’s graduation party will be held at Sunset Ridge Country Club on June 1st!
A huge thank you to all the parents for paying their dues—your support allows us to continue providing these special experiences for our students. Stay tuned for more updates!
CALLING ALL PARENTS – PTO Board Positions for 2025-2026 school year
The PTO programs are only possible because of our dedicated parent volunteers. It's a great way to get involved with your child's school and to meet other parents!
It's time to start filling the various PTO Board Positions for next school year. Not sure which role you are interested in? Check them out here PTO Board Positions. Click on a position to see a short description at the bottom of the webpage, or click on the paper icon to the right to see more details.
Reach out to the PTO Nominating Chair, Sandy Norbot, at sandynorbot@yahoo.com or 847-826-8630 with any questions or to express your interest in a position. All are welcome!
PLEASE NOTE: This will be an open slate, which gives all parents an opportunity to raise their hand and try something new. If you are a current PTO board member and would like to continue in that role, please notify Sandy.
COMMUNITY NEWS
A Message from the Northfield Park District
Please visit the Northfield Park District website for information and registration for the upcoming 2025 Summer Camp and Day Off Field Trip on February 17th. If you know someone interested in applying for a summer camp counselor or seasonal maintenance job, they can apply here.
The Park Board of Commissioners recently voted to place a referendum on the ballot for the upcoming April 1st election. The referendum will propose an increase to the limiting rate to support sustainable Park District growth including the implementation of our Comprehensive Master Plan. More information on the referendum can be found here: https://northfieldparks.org/about/expand.
Sign up to receive the Park District news here and follow the Northfield Park District on Instagram and Facebook!
A Message from The Alliance for Early Childhood
This year we are working with 40 different schools across the region to provide teacher and professional learning, parent education, and family experiences in the Let’s Play! series. Here is a link to the 2024-2025 Member School Program Guide.
A Message from the Northfield Library
Please visit the Winnetka-Northfield Library website for information on upcoming events and more!
BATTER UP! Trevians Fastpitch Softball Announcement
Trevians Fastpitch Softball is looking for 10U players (birth year 2014-2016) to join the 2025 Summer travel season. We are looking to hold an open tryout later this Winter/Spring. If you are interested, please go to https://trevians.org/contact/ and fill out the form submission. Please include your daughter’s full name and her birthday, along with any questions you may have. GO TREVS!
PTO SHOUT OUTS AND THANK YOUS
6th Grade Social Dance Chairs Gretchen Swank, Stephanie Stefanik, and Kelly Caruso for kicking off the tradition of our middle schoolers having a great night with dinner and a dance lesson, not once or twice but four times!
Teacher Appreciation Chairs Devon Pearce and Phoebe Nitekman for all their efforts in ensuring every teacher birthday (or half birthday!) is celebrated with a special Crumbl cookie.
Junior Great Books Coordinator Jayaa Poddar for successfully organizing parent volunteers for those early 7:30AM discussion sessions with the 3rd graders.
COMING SOON & NOTES
Important Dates
February 10: PTO Meeting 9AM
February 11: Board of Education Meeting 7PM
February 13: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 14: No School – Teacher Institute Day
February 17: No School – Presidents’ Day
February 18: Parent Connections Meeting 7PM
February 27: Parent Connections Meeting 7PM
March 8: D29 Spring Gala
March 10: PTO Meeting 9AM
March 11: Board of Education Meeting 7PM
March 19: Parent Connections Meeting 9AM
March 24-28: No School – Spring Break
All Zoom links can be found on the District 29 Calendar.
How to Help
Community involvement is instrumental in making the PTO a success. Please consider volunteering your time! Contact Ranjini Shankar at president@district29pto.org to get involved or with any questions.
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