At lunch on Wednesday, June 6, Miner students participated in the 6th Annual Strawberries and Salad Greens Day. This DC tradition is sponsored by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and is designed to "to showcase locally grown produce in school meals. This event will educate students about both the health and environmental benefits of eating locally grown fruits and vegetables, and how healthy eating leads to healthy educational outcomes."

Strawberries and greens were served as part of the students' regular lunches. In addition, OSSE provided root pouches containing salad greens (collard greens. flashy trout lettuce, red Russian kale and butter crunch lettuce), and a strawberry plant was on display on the stage. The kids were THRILLED to have strawberries with their meal and many asked for seconds. Unfortunately, the excitement for greens was not quite the same caliber!

As part of the event, students were quizzed with strawberry-related trivia questions such as:

• How many seeds are on the average strawberry? 125, 200, or 250? (A: 200)
• Are strawberries grown in all 50 states? (A: yes)
• Do any other fruits have seeds on the outside? (A: no)
• When are strawberries "in season"? (A: spring)
• Bonus: Which state grows the most strawberries? (A: California)

Results from the election for SY18-19 PTO Executive Board were announced last night at the final PTO General Meeting of the year. Those elected to the Board are:
​

• President: Julie Muir (parent)
• Vice-President: Katy Thomas (parent)
• Treasurer: Derek Herr (parent)
• Secretary: David Treat (parent)
• ECE Teacher Representative: Tarren Cummings (ECE educator)
• K-2 Teacher Representative: Christin Riddick (2nd Grade educator)
• 3-5 Teacher Representative: Katherine Unger (5th Grade educator)

Their terms began at the conclusion of the meeting.

​Congratulations!

​Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week, so the Miner administration and PTO worked together to host a variety of meals, snacks, and surprises to let our teachers and staff know just how special they are. The PTO sponsored a waffle bar breakfast Monday morning to start the week off right.  Throughout the week we provided goodies to teachers such as granola bars (because our teachers "raise the bar"), delivered thank you cards hand-made by some of our Miner Bears, passed out sweet treats (because we wanted our teachers to know just how "sweet it is" to be taught by them), and created a beautiful thank you banner with the help of some young student artists.

On the school side, Dr. King and his team planned special events and meals, and left gifts and momentos in teacher mailboxes every day.

The PTO owes a very special thank you to Jessica and Justin Burniske of the Appreciation & Recognition Committee who planned and coordinated all of the PTO activities this week.  And we also want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to our incredible teachers for everything you do for our students.  You truly are the best!

The Miner PTO would like to express our gratitude to the parents, staff, and community members who made our Third Annual Community Yard Sale such a success! Every year the sale keeps getting bigger, and this year we received more donations and had more visitors than ever! We truly appreciate the support that the surrounding community gives to Miner

The sale raised over $2,000 for the PTO’s general fund, which is used in myriad ways to further the PTO’s mission to “enhance and support the educational experience at Miner, to develop a closer connection between school and home by encouraging family and teacher involvement, and to improve the environment at Miner.”

After the sale, we hauled the collection of e-waste and hazardous waste up to DPW’s Fort Totten Transfer Station, and donated the unsold clothing, toys, books, games, and household items to Goodwill.

We would especially like to thank Holly Harper, a Miner parent alum, who headed up this effort. She was joined by a small army of parent volunteers, including David & Amy Treat, Julie & John Muir, Derek Herr & Beth Craft, Katy Thomas, Lolly Axley & Marc Borbelly, Terri Rupar, CarolAnne Otto, Sarah & Mike Bell, Sara Saxton, Sarah Sayko, and Emily & Ryan Cahill. Several Miner staff members went above and beyond the call of duty to help us get ready for the sale. The PTO is greatly appreciative of the assistance provided by Dr. King, Ms. Bonilla, and Mr. Moore. We couldn’t have done this without each of you!

The Miner PTO wishes to thank the students, staff, and families who participated in the wide variety of health- and fitness-related activities during Every Kid Healthy Week!  During the day, Miner students got physical with stretching and exercises, and then became mindful through mediation sessions with Mr. Faison. Students also had a chance to taste test delicious tropical fruits pineapple, kiwi, and mango with Miner’s garden partner, Cultivate the City.

The PTO sponsored two events. On Tuesday, we welcomed amazing yoga instructor Felicia Taliaferro who helped us get our zen on as we stretched our minds and bodies (even though some of our younger Miner Bears had trouble staying peaceful and centered).  Then, on Thursday, Capitol Hill fitness guru Michelle Cain helped us get in shape from head to toe with fun exercises involving stretching and cardio.  Thank you to Mariana Jones and Katy Thomas for recommending the perfect instructors!

Mr. Robinson, Miner’s Health and Physical Education teacher was the guiding force for the activities all week, and the PTO thanks him for all his hard work in making Every Kid Healthy Week such a success!

Lastly, Miner’s involvement in Every Kid Healthy Week wouldn’t have been possible without a generous Game On grant from Action for Healthy Kids!

Check out some photo highlights below:

Hello Miner Community,
 
As the 2017-18 school year comes to a close, we find ourselves with a new opportunity – springtime elections for Miner’s Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) and Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)!  In the past, elections have been held in the fall, but thanks to our energized and engaged community, we are now able to hold them at year-end.  As a school and a community, we are on the right track, but we need our Miner Bear Family to help keep up the momentum!
 
We are truly lucky to have such an incredible community of parents, staff, and neighbors committed to helping Miner and its students succeed.  So, if you’ve ever thought about getting involved in leadership at Miner, this is the time—the nomination period is now open!
 
If you’ve ever wanted to...

• Help improve student achievement
• Advise the principal on important issues
• Develop our school’s strategic plan

…then run for election to Miner’s LSAT!
 
If you’ve ever wanted to…

• Help organize fun events for students
• Seek out partnerships and resources to benefit students, staff, and parents
• Continue building and strengthening our community

…then run for election to the Executive Board of Miner’s PTO!
 
For parents and staff interested in learning more about these and other leadership opportunities, the PTO will hold three informal information and Q&A sessions on Wednesday, May 9.  Sessions will be at 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30 in the Library.
 
Election packets with detailed information about nominations for LSAT Parent Representatives and PTO Executive Board, as well as the election process in general, are available online at minerelementary.org/election or can be downloaded here. Paper copies of the packets will be available in the Main Office. You can also fill out the Nomination Form online.
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to either of us or to any current PTO leader. You can also email the PTO: minerpto@gmail.com.
 
Thank you Miner parents, teachers, staff, neighbors, and friends! The PTO looks forward to another fantastic year working together to make Miner a great community school of choice!
 
Go Mighty Bears!