September 2011

Welcome to Clinton School! If you are a returning family, you know that our building is staffed by talented, hard-working, and creative individuals who seek to motivate and challenge all of our students each day. If you are a new family, we know you will quickly come to see how great a place it is for our children to learn and grow.

At Clinton, we take pride in our diversity. As you notice that Spanish and Haitian Creole are our two most spoken languages after English, you may also hear Igbo, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Albanian, Pashto, and many other languages being spoken by our families. Our motto at Clinton, Sharing our Similarities and Celebrating our Differences, was chosen because it reflects who we are and what we stand for – many different people who come together to support and strengthen the education our school provides for all of our children.

We hope that you will choose for each adult member of your household to join the PTA. Of your $12 dues, almost $5.00 goes to the national and state PTAs. The remainder helps enrich our children’s learning and strengthen our teachers’ capacity to serve our students. In the last several years, your support of our PTA has helped fund major upgrades to our auditorium’s sound system and our playground, purchased a computer tablet for our school nurse, bought a set of iPod touches for classroom use, bought laminating tools to help teachers to create learning centers, and provided Mimeo screens and projectors for our classrooms. The PTA also provides every teacher with $100 to buy supplies for his or her classroom, funds cultural enrichment assemblies, and gives a budget to each grade for class trips.

We also hope that you will attend and support our many school events. Mark your calendars for:
September 9th: School Pride Day! Be sure your student
wears Clinton gear or Clinton red!
• September 14th: Ice Cream Social, 6:30 pm
• September 21st -28th: Book Fair
• September 22nd: General PTA Meeting, 7:15 pm
• September 26th (K-2) and 27th (3-5): Back to School Night
• Tuesday, October 4th: Parents as Partners/Leap to Success

If your question is “How do I get involved at Clinton School?”, the answer is easy. Fill out and return our volunteer form, sign up for our PTA email list, answer our calls for help at school events and activities, and then roll up your sleeves and help us do what we do best – support the staff, teachers and families of Clinton, and the work of our SOMSD schools and leaders.

Our public schools are as good as we choose to make them. We are happy that you chose Clinton and look forward to seeing you this year.

Best regards,

Elizabeth Aaron
Clinton PTA President
973-761-4094