We can't have a successful sale without our awesome volunteers! Please sign up to help with the Wickliffe PTO Spring Flower Sale Pick Up on Thursday, May 13!: https://www.signupgenius.com/spring_flower_pickup_volunteers

• We need your help with the unloading/passing out flowers/clean up. There are multiple time slots from 1:30pm to 8pm on 5/13.
• We also need wagons to cart the plants to customers' cars--please sign up if you can loan us your wagon! 

Contact Steph (stephanie.webstercheng@gmail.com), Marta (martaroberson@hotmail.com) or Nichole (Nlredinger@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.

May is the last month of the school year and teacher appreciation week, making this a great month to sign up! :)

We want to show the teachers and staff at Wickliffe how much we appreciate all of their hard work and support during the school year! We invite you to sign up and adopt a teacher or staff member today. Up to 3 families can sign up to adopt the same teacher/staff member. 

During the time you have adopted the teacher/staff member let them know that you are thinking about them! Send them encouraging e-mails, mail them a card, drop off a small treat at the Front Office, etc. 

You do not need to spend a lot of money adopting the teacher/staff member just let them know you and your family are thinking about them and are thankful for all of the hard work!

Sign up to adopt a teacher or staff member The teachers/staff members completed a survey about their likes, favorite candy, etc. Click here to find out more about your teacher/staff member.

There is currently no charge for elementary students to buy school lunch through the end of the school year due to a USDA National Waiver.

• IN-SCHOOL: Students let their teacher know their lunch choice on the day (no ordering ahead). To view the full lunch menu, with meal descriptions and nutrition information click here. Below is this week's lunch menu:

• ONLINE ACADEMY: the meal pickup services will continue. Updated information and details will come from Ms. Evans, and on the UA Nutritional Services webpage here. 

If you have any questions, please contact our Nutritional Services department at (614) 487-5244, or by emailing ihunt@uaschools.org.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Our May restaurant fundraiser will be on Wednesday May 26th at Rita's Italian Ice on Henderson. Treat your kids (and yourself) to celebrate the end of the school year! And, Wickliffe benefits too! More details to come.

A few reminders as we head into the month of May.

• Morning Mindfulness will continue to meet on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8:30-9:00. It is not too late to join!
• And a reminder that IDEA Mentors, our amazing group of social justice advocates, will be creating a *wish tree* for the Wickliffe community to focus on our individual and collective hopes and dreams that we have to make our school, neighborhood, and world a more just and equitable place. This activity will be done in school, so no need to do anything at home other than engage your children in conversations about what matters to them. Please be on the lookout for this tree to emerge early in May in the front of the school.

As we begin the month of May, I wanted to share some resources with you about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) which pays tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success. 

Why it's important: The Asian American or Pacific Islander populations is the fastest growing demographic in the United States, yet the experiences of this group have long been overlooked and misinterpreted. And an increase in anti-Asian violence over the past year underscores the need to foster more awareness and understanding. But what does that mean for kids? Decades of research show that representation matters: When children see themselves reflected in books, movies, and other media, it empowers them to imagine more possibilities for their future. And for all kids, learning about other cultures nurtures empathy and a broader view of the world.

• This article from Parents magazine provides a brief look at the history of AAPI month as well as many activities to do with your children to help them celebrate their identity or better understand the identity of their AAPI peers.
• Although this webinar is designed for educators, I am passing it along to you as another resource. It is on my summer list of “Books to read, Webinars to watch, and Podcasts to listen to” so I have not watched it, yet. But it comes from a trusted nonprofit org, Learning for Justice, which promotes racial justice and the human rights of all people.

I am also excited to share that two UAHS students, who are Wickliffe grads, reached out to me about creating a program that connects our high school students with elementary schoolers during lunch. Their goal is to “educate younger students about the diverse voices found here in UA, as well as to provide the opportunity to talk about discrimination.” I will be meeting with them this week, so stay tuned for updates on this exciting idea.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions at fkassoy@uaschools.org.

https://www.parents.com/holiday/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-history-and-activities-for-kids/

https://www.learningforjustice.org/professional-development/webinars/teaching-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage

Onward,

Felice