PTA Programs

Challenger Publishing

Challenger Publishing invites Mt. Bethel students (K-5) to publish their very own book! To learn what a real author does to get published, this is what you need to do:

1.   Write and illustrate a story.  The length and content are up to you! The only rule: BE CREATIVE!

2.   Put your story in a manila envelope with your name and contact information on the outside of the envelope.  Place the envelope in the Challenger Publishing box in the back room of the Media Center.

3.   An editor will call you to schedule a time to meet before or after school in the Media Center.  You may need to meet with your editor more than once in order to complete your book, but this is not an ongoing commitment.

4.   Join other authors at the PUBLISHING PARTY in the spring to celebrate your new status as an accomplished author.

You will have a bound, illustrated, typed book when you are done. Your story will also be published in a Mt. Bethel Anthology, which will be available in the Media Center and classrooms for all to enjoy. 

For more information or to schedule an editing session contact Joan Griffith.

Honoring our Heroes Essay Contest

Once again, the Eastern Cobb County Council PTA, along with Mt. Bethel's Character Education Committee, is sponsoring an essay contest entitled “Honoring Our Heroes.”

This essay project encourages students (K-5) to write about a “hero” who has personally made a positive difference in their lives. These heroes should exhibit valued traits such as trust, compassion, dedication, service, leadership, generosity, courage, etc.

Click here for entry form and additional information.

 All entries must be submitted by Friday, February 22, 2008 to the “Heroes” box in the Media Center. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Karen Huban or Samantha Holt.

Reflections 2007

What a great year for Reflections!  We appreciate the support of the parents and teachers who encouraged students to enter this contest.  Thanks to all the students who entered and special congratulations to the winning students who will represent Mt. Bethel at the Eastern Cobb County Council level.  

Click here to view a slide show of visual arts entries.

Click here for a list of participitants and winners.

Big Help

This is a PTA-sponsored community service club for third, fourth and fifth graders. 

The Big Help Kids are ready for their 2007-2008 challenges! 

We are a group of energetic kids who are ready to “make a difference” in the lives of others.  This year we have a calendar full of exciting and rewarding projects. 

Upcoming Projects

Share a present - Click here to view flyer

Calling all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to "Share a Present" at our "Sister School" Powers Ferry Elementary, Thursday, December 6th 3:30-5:00 (meet at Mt. Bethel at 3:00)

We're collecting new playground equipment and indoor games for Powers Ferry's ASP Program.  Donations are to be placed at the BIG HELP station just outside the cafeteria Nov 14th - Dec 5th.

Meeting News

The Big Help meeting on October 16 was a big success!  We drew pictures and wrote letters to soldiers in Iraq.  We are "adopting" a battalion.  We will be sending them packages and letters all year long.  We are also continuing to collect soda can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.  We look forward to a great year of helping others!

We announced our events to the students on Friday, September 28, at our first meeting where "real" soldiers spoke to us about ways we can help.  We'll get together again on Oct 16th to assemble care packages and make cards to send to the soldiers.

Whatever the Big Help Kids are doing… they have FUN!!!

Please contact Kelly Hawley or Chris Ronchetti if you have any questions.

This is a PTA-sponsored community service club for third, fourth and fifth graders. 

The Big Help Kids are ready for their 2007-2008 challenges! 

We are a group of energetic kids who are ready to “make a difference” in the lives of others.  This year we have a calendar full of exciting and rewarding projects. 

Upcoming Projects

Share a present - Click here to view flyer

Calling all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to "Share a Present" at our "Sister School" Powers Ferry Elementary, Thursday, December 6th 3:30-5:00 (meet at Mt. Bethel at 3:00)

We're collecting new playground equipment and indoor games for Powers Ferry's ASP Program.  Donations are to be placed at the BIG HELP station just outside the cafeteria Nov 14th - Dec 5th.

Meeting News

The Big Help meeting on October 16 was a big success!  We drew pictures and wrote letters to soldiers in Iraq.  We are "adopting" a battalion.  We will be sending them packages and letters all year long.  We are also continuing to collect soda can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.  We look forward to a great year of helping others!

We announced our events to the students on Friday, September 28, at our first meeting where "real" soldiers spoke to us about ways we can help.  We'll get together again on Oct 16th to assemble care packages and make cards to send to the soldiers.

Whatever the Big Help Kids are doing… they have FUN!!!

Please contact Kelly Hawley or Chris Ronchetti if you have any questions.

Community Outreach / Sister School

We work closely with our Sister School, Powers Ferry Elementary, and other Cobb County Schools to support the needs of their PTAs and their students.

Click the link above to view the Powers Ferry Elementary website for information about the school, including directions.

Time … The Most Meaningful Donation

Volunteer Opportunities at our Sister School:  Please consider sharing an hour or two of your time each month with the students at our sister school, Powers Ferry Elementary.

Descriptions of some of the volunteer opportunities are below. If you would like to volunteer or make a visit to Powers Ferry with someone already working in one of these roles and take a tour of the school, contact Susan Thrash, PTA Community Outreach / Sister School Chair.

Media Center Volunteers: Work a shift on a rotating schedule in the Media Center. Duties include shelving books, helping students with book selection and AR tests, and of course, working at the checkout.   

Classroom Readers: Visit a classroom (K-5) and read to the group. Once a month, twice a month, or weekly.   

Book Fair and Inventory Volunteers: Help with these events on an “as needed” basis. Dates and schedules to follow.   

THANK YOU MT.BETHEL!

BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE 2007: The teachers and staff at Powers Ferry Elementary were thrilled to receive 70 boxes of tissues, 65 bottles of hand sanitizer, and 484 dry erase markers donated by the students of Mt. Bethel.   Powers Ferry Elementary counselor, Kristin Moffett, said “the distribution was like an Oprah’s Favorite Things show.”  Who knew that these ordinary items would take on such extraordinary meaning for the teachers and students at Powers Ferry?

If you have questions about how you can help at Powers Ferry, contact Susan Thrash.

Recycling

We’re Taking Our Planet Seriously with a fun art project!  As part of our ongoing recycling efforts at Mt. Bethel, we are collecting plastic bottle tops and cardboard toilet and paper towel tubes.  Collection bins are located by our recycling bins on the kindergarten hallway and the copier room, as well as by the front door of the school.  In the spring, many of our students will reuse these items in Ms. Duvall’s class to create art pieces inspired by modern artist Louise Nevelson.

Each Georgia resident disposes of approximately 6.3 pounds of trash each day.  In one year that adds up to more than 2,300 pounds, or eight baby elephants!

We encourage parents and students to join Mt. Bethel’s green efforts, which not only help the environment but provide extra funds to our school.  Throughout the school property are collection bins for aluminum cans, plastic water bottles, newspapers, magazines, as well as ink jet printer cartridges (no toner please), digital cameras, DVDs, CDs, cell phones, and portable DVD/CD players.

For more information about Mt. Bethel recycling, please contact Alison Paul.

NOVEMBER 2007:  WATCH FOR THE GREEN TEAM !

Book Publishing

Bare Books:  Teachers can order blank books for students to publish original work!  How exciting to be a published author before the age of 11!

Challenger Publishing:  Students will be given the opportunity to work with an "editor" to produce an original publication of their own. 

Character Education

Mt. Bethel PTA works in conjunction with the school counselors to recognize students who embody excellent character traits!  To see a calendar of character traits celebrated monthly, click here.

Cultural Arts

Our Cultural Arts Committee is looking forward to bringing in new artists this year who will provide a dazzling and culturally diverse array of curriculum-based performances in music, dance, theater, and literary and visual arts. 

Mt. Bethel students are very fortunate see these various artists who, through their performances, enable the children to express themselves creatively, promote individuality, bolster self confidence, strengthen problem-solving skills, and develop a sense of craftsmanship.

October 2007

Click here for information on the most recent performances Mt. Bethel Students enjoyed.

Contact Judy Woodman and Lisa Jones for more information.

On October 17th, the 4th and 5th graders got to see a rendition of what it was like to live on the prairie through the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, a subject they are studying this year. The performer Holly Stevenson brought Laura's experiences to life growing up during the Westward Expansion, the struggles as a pioneer, and the power of the human spirit. The students enjoyed participating in the storytelling, wearing the costumes, and visualizing the dangers the Ingalls experienced.

The K and 1st graders enjoyed Wendy Bennett's Storybook Alive! performance where she brought Captain Hook, Dorothy, Fairy Godmother, and Peter Pan to life through drama and music. She involved the kids by teaching various character roles and how an actor transforms into different characters. They were singing, dancing on stage, and learning the importance of imagination and role play!

The 2nd and 3rd graders then saw Wendy Bennett performing Twentieth Century Songbook where she takes them on a trip through the musical history of the last 100 years using various costumes and a parade of tunes. The kids learned how historical events, customs, and attitudes are reflected through popular music. They were engaged with her performance by singing and dancing on stage, and seeing their peers and teachers in the spotlight!

On September 19th,  Ron Anglin performed for the kindergarten and 1st graders.  His juggling show taught students that cheating is a failing proposition.  The children watched a team of jugglers as they illustrated the pitfalls of cheating and the benefits of teamwork through circus-style club passing, dueling yo-yos, and other comic juggling routines.  It was very entertaining! 

The 2nd through 5th graders enjoyed “Rhythm in Motion,” performed by the Manga African Dance group, in which the dancers demonstrated the evolution of dances and the cultures of the Congo, Caribbean, and even South Carolina.  The students clapped along and helped demonstrate the similarities between Sunu dance and modern dance.  It was great drumming and music!

On October 17th, the 4th and 5th graders got to see a rendition of what it was like to live on the prairie through the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, a subject they are studying this year. The performer Holly Stevenson brought Laura's experiences to life growing up during the Westward Expansion, the struggles as a pioneer, and the power of the human spirit. The students enjoyed participating in the storytelling, wearing the costumes, and visualizing the dangers the Ingalls experienced.

The K and 1st graders enjoyed Wendy Bennett's Storybook Alive! performance where she brought Captain Hook, Dorothy, Fairy Godmother, and Peter Pan to life through drama and music. She involved the kids by teaching various character roles and how an actor transforms into different characters. They were singing, dancing on stage, and learning the importance of imagination and role play!

The 2nd and 3rd graders then saw Wendy Bennett performing Twentieth Century Songbook where she takes them on a trip through the musical history of the last 100 years using various costumes and a parade of tunes. The kids learned how historical events, customs, and attitudes are reflected through popular music. They were engaged with her performance by singing and dancing on stage, and seeing their peers and teachers in the spotlight!

Visiting Authors

Last school year, we had a visit from award winning author, Peter Parente, to speak to the 1st and 2nd graders.  He brought his friends, Peeper and Mo, a kinkajou and a two-toed sloth.  To visit his website, click here.

We were also fortunate enough to meet Michael White, the artist and illustrator who works in conjunction to bring us the amazing literary works such as The Library Dragon and the Secret of Old Zeb.  Mr. White met with fifth graders, sharing his techniques--including how to sketch and airbrush!  Each student left as an illustrator!  To learn more about Michael P. White, click here.