Tag Archives: Webster Central PTSA

Webster community mailbag

23 Sep

I’d like to lead this week’s mailbag with a huge THANK YOU from the Webster Museum.

The recent Museum Barn Sale, held Sept. 15 to 17, was a tremendous success, reportedly the best ever. Museum volunteers would like to thank the Webster community for all the donations, purchases and “delightful company.”

Your support for this — the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year — assures that the Webster Museum will be with us for another year, carefully preserving our town’s rich history.

The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster, and is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Webster Public Library brings these two events your way:

  • Hispanic Heritage Month Night, Thursday Sept. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. Celebrate the month with a culture-filled evening of food, dance, music, crafts and more. All ages are welcome, and registration is requested. (Click here)
  • Hispanic Heritage Month Crafts, Saturday Sept. 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All ages are welcome, drop in anytime and no registration is required.

Also from the library, their big Fall Book Sale is right around the corner.

It happens Thursday through Saturday Oct. 6 to 8, with the best deals saved for Friday and Saturday. Check out all the details in the flyer below.

If your kids are REALLY into fire trucks, then you’ll want to mark these dates on your calendar.

The West Webster Fire Department will hold their open house on Sunday Oct. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m., and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department will hold their open house on Saturday Oct. 29 (during Halloween in the Village). These events offer much more than fire trucks, too. There are demonstrations, giveaways, a chance to check out all sorts of emergency equipment and talk to real first responders. But of course, there’s definitely plenty of opportunities to take a picture of your young firefighter sitting in a real fire truck.

The West Webster Fire Department is at 1051 Gravel Rd., and the Webster Volunteer Fire Department is on South Ave. in the Village of Webster. These events are both free and open to everyone.

Gleason Orthodontics, on South Ave. in the village, will be hosting a winter-wear donation drive from Oct. 1 through Nov. 20.

You can drop off adult and youth-sized coats, hats and gloves at the office, 246 South Ave., during regular business hours.

The Webster Recreation Center, Webster Central PTSA and Webster Teachers Association are also hosting a Concert Apparel and Coat Drive. They’re looking for any size (toddler through adult) of the following items in good condition:

  • Winter coats, jackets, pants, boots and accessories
  • Concert apparel: white and black tops, shoes, bottoms and accessories

Collection boxes are loated at each Webster Central School building through Oct. 27.

On Saturday Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Dr., anyone who needs winter or concert gear can come “shop” for gently-used items for free.

The Webster Aquatic Center will be hosting a Blood Drive on Tuesday Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Aquatic Center, 875 Ridge Rd.

Call 1-800-RED-CROSS or log onto RedCrossBlood.org to make an appointment.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

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(posted 9/23/2022)

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What does the PTSA actually DO, anyway?

3 Sep

I was chatting with a friend recently. She admitted that some time ago, the only things she knew about the PTSA was from watching Saved by the Bell and the movie Bad Moms, which pretty much depicted the organization as a cutthroat, no-holds-barred, Survivor-like clique.

In reality, of course, the Webster Central PTSA is nothing like that.

For starters, unlike in Bad Moms, the PTSA’s focus is not on the parents who run and volunteer for events; it’s squarely on the students, and the teachers and staff members who work so hard to support them.

PTSA parents help organize after-school clubs and school-wide activities like festivals and dances; they coordinate in-school events and class pictures, create the school yearbook and purchase school supplies. But PTSA members also have their fingers in dozens of other activities behind the scenes, supporting classroom teachers and administrators with their day-to-day responsibilities.

Those roles are pretty obvious to everyone, but the goals of our Webster Central PTSA go well beyond that, and provide more intangible benefits as well. For example, this year watch for a lot of new events encouraging not just student involvement, but also student leadership. The PTSA recognizes that today’s students are tomorrow’s future leaders, so we need to them to know that they have a voice, they have opinions, they have opportunities.

The Webster Central PTSA is also laser-focused this year on building a stronger school/community connection, which they’ll accomplish through supporting community events and collaborating with organizations and agencies that benefit Webster as a whole. Our schools have always been a One Webster community; the PTSA wants to make sure that everyone in the Town of Webster knows they’re an integral part of that community as well, whether they have children in the schools or not.

These are ambitious goals which will require many dedicated volunteers. But these efforts also need to be funded, and that’s where everybody can help out.

This year’s PTSA membership drive is in full swing. You can help support all of the PTSA’s ambitious goals by becoming a member. It costs just $10 for adults and $5 for students, and there’s no volunteering or meetings required.

Plus, members enjoy discounts all year at Nourished, Buffalo Wild Wings, The Waffle Factory, Color Me Mine, DQ Gill & Chill, Lala and Whimsies, Yolickity and more.

For more information and an on-line link to join, click here.

So, to answer that question I posed in the headline, our school PTSAs are more than book fairs and bake sales. They provide a vital link between school, students, families and the greater Webster community. They deserve — and need — our support.

That friend, by the way, who used to know so little about what the PTSA does? That was Jaime Richey, who is now the Webster Central PTSA co-president. The more she learned, the more she wanted to get involved. And now she hopes you will, too.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

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(posted 9/3/2022)

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Community Arts Day returns!

3 Apr

As soon as I saw the news that Community Arts Day is returning this coming weekend, I knew that life is finally getting back to normal. This year’s event is going to be especially sweet since it’s the first one we’ve had in three years.

This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. This very family-friendly festival, which is marking its 45th year, showcases the musical and artistic talents of Webster School District K-12 students, and involves the entire community in a day to celebrate the arts. It was created as a collaborative effort to raise money to encourage and enhance fine arts programs throughout the district. (Below are a few examples of the artwork from previous years. Click here for a full gallery from 2019.)

Dozens of activities are planned throughout the day, including art displays, carnival games, crafts, community group exhibits and more. Webster student groups will present musical performances throughout the day, and the Webster’s Got Talent talent show will feature aspiring student singers, musicians, and dancers from 12 to 1 pm. Community performing groups will fill out the schedule of events, and all the performances are free.

Admission to Community Arts Day is free. Proceeds from concessions, craft, and carnival booth sales will benefit cultural arts programs within the Webster Central School District.  

A whole schedule of events and map of exhibitors have already been posted to the Community Arts Day Facebook page. Check it out to keep tabs on the latest updates!

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)

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Community Arts Day is back!

3 Mar
Decorative art.

As sure as sighting a robin is a sign of spring, I know that April is just around the corner when I start getting emails about Community Arts Day. And this year, that news is more exciting than ever, as it will be the first in-person Community Arts Day in three years. Because, well, you know…..

This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd. This very family-friendly festival showcases Webster CSD students’ creative talents and involves the entire community in a day to celebrate the arts. It was created as a collaborative effort to raise money to encourage and enhance fine arts programs throughout the district.

Dozens of activities are planned throughout the day, including art displays, carnival games, sweet treats sale, plant sale, crafts, community group exhibits and more. Musical groups and demonstrators (karate, gymnastics, etc.) perform free all day, and you can even grab lunch and snacks. PLUS, this year there’s going to be an opportunity for ALL students to exhibit art at Community Arts Day (stay tuned for details about that).

Volunteers are always welcome and very much needed. Each of the 11 schools in the district contributes volunteers to the CAD committee to run the events, make baked goods, and make the day a great event for the entire community. Organizers are also looking for sponsors, and there are plenty of opportunities for exhibitors, performers and vendors.

To find out more about all of these opportunities, click here.  You can also follow the Community Arts Day Facebook page to keep up on the latest.  

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)

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Thank you, Webster PTSA!

25 Jan

Do you remember the village’s super fun White Christmas celebration back on December 4? Hopefully you and your family were able to make it down to Gazebo Park that afternoon to take part in a winter wonderland of crafts, music, stories, Christmas cookies and visits with Santa Claus.

The activities were awesome, but what really made the event extra special were the lights and decorations which turned the park into a real North Pole wonderland. And that transformation can be largely credited to the efforts of the Webster Central PTSA (WCPTSA).

On very short notice, the PTSA gathered an army of volunteers — about 75 parents, students, staff members and administrators — who started showing up early Saturday morning to spend the next many hours hanging lights, stringing garland, setting up cookie and hot chocolate tables, arranging materials for Santa’s Toy Shop, and much more. And that doesn’t even count the hours spent before the event actually building and painting many of the decorations.

By the time the festivities officially began, visitors could enter the park through a light tunnel, walk down Candy Cane Lane to see Santa, then along Peppermint Lane to decorate a Christmas cookie, make a craft at the Toy Shop, and warm up with some hot cocoa. Even more volunteers arrived to help out during the afternoon.

At the recent meeting of the Webster Business Improvement District (BID), the organization which ran the event, the BID showed their appreciation by presenting the PTSA with a check for $650, proceeds from the White Christmas Parade of Lights.

The whole experience was a tremendous example of how the One Webster community can come together to create something wonderful. And according to WCPTSA president Jaime Richey, that is exactly what the organization wants to achieve.

“In the last few years the schools have been able to do very little fundraising, especially in-person events,” Richey said. “One of our goals is to create a One Webster feel, to bring our community and schools together. This is the first event where we were able to do that, collaborating with our community, bring our schools together.”

After all, she added, “Our school is our community and our community is our schools.”

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One Webster community comes together to help others

17 Oct

The Webster Central PTSA and the Webster Teachers Association (WTA) will be joining forces this year for the 2021 Concert Apparel and Winter Coat Drive.

Organizers are asking for donations of gently used concert attire (white dress tops, black dress bottoms and black ties) and gently used winter coats of any size, which will then be offered to other families who could really use them. This is a great chance to clean out your closets, get rid of that old concert stuff you bought for the kids two years ago, and make room for some new winter gear.

The PTSA has placed large bags in the main office of every school in the district, where families can drop their donations. WTA president Chris Wojtas has gotten the teachers on board as well, asking them to donate winter coats. This is the fourth year the PTSA has held this drive, and with the additional help from the teachers, they expect it to be the best one yet.

Donated items will be available free to anyone who needs them, on the “shopping day,” Saturday Oct. 23. PTSA will have tables set up at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Look for the tables outside (weather permitting) or just inside the lobby doors.

You do NOT have to donate an item to take an item (did I mention they’re FREE?) Any leftover items will be taken to the clothes closet at Schlegel Elementary School and/or to HOPE House in Webster.

Families have until Friday Oct. 22 to donate their items, or you can even bring them to the “shopping” day.

In years past, this event was greatly appreciated by many, who were grateful to go home with some free concert clothes or winter jackets. This year especially, with so many families facing financial harships due to COVID, this is a heartwarming way for the greater One Webster community to come together in support.

FOOTNOTE: The “shopping” day is the same day that Webster Parks and Rec is accepting jack-o-lanterns for their Pumpkins on Parade luminary event that evening. So make a pumpkin, drop it off, and do some shopping, all at the same time!

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Help this school year end on a high note: Adopt a Senior!

23 Apr

This awful pandemic has affected all of our students — young and old, elementary, middle and high school. But arguably those who have been most affected are our current seniors, the class of 2021. They’ve lost out on so many of their rites of passage, starting last year with their junior prom.

To help soften the blow and to show how proud we are of these young people, the Webster Central PTSA has organized an Adopt-a-Senior program. The idea is to “adopt” a senior from Webster Thomas or Schroeder high school, and surprise him or her with a care package or some other memorable gift. There really are no guidelines, no minimum or maximums and no mandatory purchase items. It’s all about having fun and bringing a smile to a senior’s face.

Since the program was launched last week, most seniors have been adopted. But as of yesterday there were still 77 at Schroeder, eight at Thomas, and four GOAL students still needing adoption.

Signing up is easy. Just click this link, which will bring you to a form where you can choose your student. Once you’ve signed up, the organizers will send a waiver form, followed by an email with information regarding your adopted senior(s). You can contact the parents if you’d like additional information about the student.

Then, just put together your surprise and deliver it to the senior.

If you have any questions about the program email websteradoptasenior21@gmail.com.

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Here’s an awesome way to support our teachers

19 Feb

I think you’ll agree with me that our teachers are superheroes.

I mean, recall that last March, on a week’s notice, they were asked to finish up the year by going completely online. Even this school year, they’ve been juggling Covid restrictions, remote lessons, half days or half weeks, doing their best to deliver as much learning as possible. And given all those challenges, I think they’ve been doing an amazing job.

So now more than ever, we should show them how much we appreciate them, and throw as much support behind them as possible. One of the best ways to do that is to join the Webster Central PTSA and — better yet — get involved as a volunteer.

The PTSA has sent out an urgent request for anyone interested in filling one of several open committee and executive board positions for the 2021-2022 school year. Committee positions include PACE, Community Arts Day, Reflections competition, PTSA Calendar, Recognition (Oak Tree and other district-wide recognition programs), Grants, Advocacy and Programming.

All of these committee lead positions are OPEN for the coming school year. Plus, on the executive board, both co-presidents, 1st VP (elementary), 3rd VP (communications) and secretary positions are open.

The need is great. Please consider lending a hand. For more information you can email CENTRALPTSA@WebsterPTSA.org.

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Celebrating our 2021 senior class

25 Jan

You may recall that last year, after the pandemic shuttered the schools in March, our seniors lost out on a lot of the fanfare and celebration normally marking the end of high school. Even though things still aren’t back to normal, everyone is hoping the experience for this year’s seniors will be much more positive.

Our Webster Central PTSA has plans to make sure that’s the case.

Once a month through June, the PTSA will be surprising each senior with a fun gift or special event, planned for on or around the 21st of each month (in honor of 2021 of course). Every student at Webster Thomas and Schroeder high schools, whether remote, hybrid, GOAL or other, will be included.

According to Webster Central PTSA programming co-chair Stacie Peters, the effort is part of a movement happening all around the country, where PTSAs are celebrating the senior class of 2021. She first heard about it from Schroeder parent Amy Peterson. From there, Peters, Schroeder High School PTSA/WTA liaison Linda Law, Thomas PTSA/WTA liaison Denise Warren, and Thomas PTSA Chair Bridget Ziskind organized a team of parents to brainstorm ideas.

Each senior received a baggie like this one (S. Peters)

The PTSA got things rolling last Thursday and Friday, handing out small bags of Hershey’s Kisses, complete with inspirational messages, to almost 360 Schroeder seniors and 335 Thomas seniors. They included in-school and 100% remote students, EMCC students, early senior graduates, early-graduating juniors, and a dozen GOAL students.

The whole undertaking was “more complex than we thought,” Peters wrote.

“Since most every senior has to take a social studies and English class, we used those teachers to pass Kisses out,” she wrote. “We had them bagged up and dropped off to teachers with senior names on them. … The awesome secretaries in both buildings broke lists down for us” to help with the distribution.

“(Schroeder principal) Mr. Benz, (Thomas principal) Mr. Widor, and all the teachers in the buildings have been supportive in helping us with this effort,” Peters added.

The whole idea is to do something special for the class of 2021, and inject some excitement into their final year of schooling. Judging by the smiling eyes you see in these pictures, the effort so far has been a success. (Thank you to Jen Calus for the student photos.)

Stay tuned in the next several weeks to find out what the next senior surprise will be.

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Check out this Community Arts Day slideshow

3 Jun

penguins

These penguins, created by Melissa Pennington’s students at Klem North, are a great example of the art you’ll see in the slideshow.

I love Community Arts Day.

This all-day event, which is normally held every April at Webster Schroeder High School, is a terrific opportunity to reconnect with old friends and neighbors, and check out what’s new with many of our area non-profit agencies and organizations.

But mostly, Community Arts Day is our school district’s annual show-off day. Students from every one of our elementary, middle and high schools have artwork on display, plus there are music, dance and martial arts performances.

This year’s Community Arts Day had to be canceled, of course. But I’m happy to report that you can STILL check out some of our kids’ incredible artwork, albeit virtually.

Our district’s art teachers have each taken a selection of their students’ work and compiled photos of them in this Community Arts Day 2020 slideshow. Click through, sit back and enjoy hundreds of  stunning works of art, including sketches, paintings, sculptures, pottery and more. Every single one of our elementary and secondary schools is represented.

It’s going to blow you away. And best of all, you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas to appreciate them this year!

Here’s the link again.

drawing one

Sample pieces from students in Kate Zalewski’s Drawing One class at Webster Thomas.

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