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Maple Avenue Parents Network Newsletter

MAPN MISSION:  

To organize, utilize and direct our substantial resources of parents, teachers, students and funding in directions that will enhance the educational experience for all; and to provide a conduit for communication and collaboration between Maple Avenue parents, teachers, administrators and students.

WELCOME TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR

Hello Maple Avenue Community!  We hope you have noticed throughout the first semester an increased presence in our school as your new MAPN Board has been acclimating to the needs and desires of our community. 

Please take a few moments to become a MEMBER OF MAPN in this year’s annual drive, link is below. Also read about our activities and some of the “behind the scenes” accomplishments so far this year, and consider joining us for our first upcoming in-person MAPN GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING on February 12th, details below.

MAPN MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

We are super excited to announce our First Maple Ave Parents Network Membership Drive!!  Your membership is integral to not only provide funding for our school but to aid in creating a welcoming and collaborative community that shares the common goal of enhancing the educational experience for all!  Don’t forget to like our Facebook Page and check our website!

Join to show support of MAPN initiatives and to stay up-to-date on the very latest!

  • Family Membership – $10
  • Teachers & Staff – FREE!

JOIN MAPN HERE: https://mapn-membership-2023-24.cheddarup.com

STAY TUNED FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

  • FEBRUARY 12TH – MAPN GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING  – Please join us for our first meeting of the year on February 12, 2024 at 7 pm in the large group conference room at Maple Avenue Middle School.  Desserts and coffee will be served.
  • Be on the lookout for upcoming volunteer opportunities in the Kindness Closet and LiveSchool Shop Distribution Center. Also, crafters, please check out this REQUEST.
  • Spring FUNdraising events – learn more at our MAPN General Membership Meeting
  • Teacher Appreciation Day in May

FIRST SEMESTER ACTIVITIES

  • Coordinated “Back to School” welcome breakfast for all Maple Avenue teachers & staff.
  • Organized Teacher Appreciation Holiday event including breakfast for all staff, gift card donations, games/prizes, and coffee & donut cart delivery to bus drivers.  
  • Coordinated volunteer help for the Book Fair, Picture Days, Kindness Closet, LiveSchool Shop – Thank you to everyone who has graciously donated time!!!
  • Provided food truck fundraiser during Fall Open House.
  • Coordinated restaurant nights and fundraising events (Chipotle, Burger Fi, Panera, Ninja Night).  Stay tuned for another Chipotle night coming soon!
  • Collected information in the Parent Involvement Survey (results to be shared at the first meeting in February).  
  • Updated website and forms to request MAPN Support: Request funding from MAPN HERE.
  • Currently working to fill two important positions – MAPN Fundraising Chair, and Arts In Education Chair.  Positions can be shared as co-chairs.  Please reach out to the MAPN Board at MAPNBoardPresident@gmail.com for more information.

MEET YOUR MAPN BOARD

Nicole Messier, Co-President  MAPNBoardPresident@gmail.com – I have children in Lake Ave, Maple Ave and the High School, and am leading the MAPN through strategic planning and growth initiatives to benefit our community at Maple. I am an active volunteer with our elementary PTOs and live in Saratoga with my husband and three dogs.  I am currently the President of Mission North, a strategic communications firm in Silicon Valley and Brooklyn.  

Dan Eliskas, Co-President – MAPNBoardPresident@gmail.com – I have a daughter in Maple Avenue Middle School and one in Greenfield Elementary and want to be a part of the MAPN Board to ensure my daughter and other students have opportunities that will be fun and innovative. I have been deeply involved with fundraising and children for years as I have a background in pediatric nursing. I currently work for the University of Texas leading their Clinical Quality Value Analysis program as well as an Assistant Professor to the College of Nursing. 

Erin Freeh, Treasurer – mapntreasury@gmail.com – I am new to the board this year, like most of us are, and I am excited to participate in supporting the Maple Ave community. My family and I moved to the Saratoga area in the summer of 2021 and we have found a kind and hospitable community that we are very happy to call home now. I have two very active children, one at Maple Ave and one at Geyser. In addition to being the coordinator of some very busy, and often conflicting, calendars, I also co-run the Samaritan Counseling Center in Scotia and provide relationally focused mental health services to the Capital Region. I look forward to getting to know the Maple Ave community even better over the coming year, and to meeting its many members!

Tara Fear, Secretary: MAPNBoardSecretary@gmail.com – This is my third year on the MAPN board, and I am looking forward to serving the Maple Avenue community again this year in a new role as Secretary. I have two kids in the district, one in middle school and the other in high school. I am a teacher in a different district and have had a career in education for over twenty years. I am excited for the energy that this MAPN board brings and the opportunity to grow the network through the membership drive!

Danielle Bedard, Parent Involvement – MAPNinvolvement@gmail.com – Hello, Maple Families  –  I’m excited to be your MAPN Parent Involvement Chair. I have a daughter in 6th grade and we’re so thrilled to be part of this amazing school! I know the power a strong foundation of parent involvement has on a community and am eager to engage and support the students, staff, and families at Maple Ave. I’ve held several PTA and volunteer roles at school over the years, and also have a passion for supporting arts and music programming – volunteering as part of school productions, as a member of Friends of Music, and as a board member of Saratoga Children’s Theatre (SCT). In my professional life, I work in marketing, communications, and coaching/development. In my spare time, you can find me enjoying our wonderful town, at SCT, or coaching volleyball. This year on MAPN, I’ve been focused on identifying and facilitating opportunities for families to be involved in supporting our Maple Ave community. I look forward to sharing opportunities and meeting you where you are, and with the time you have. This may look like volunteering at school, being involved behind the scenes, attending an event, or providing input and ideas. I welcome it all and look forward to partnering with you – it’s been a fantastic start so far and I’m eager to see what we can continue to do together. 

Rebecca Carulli, Communications – MAPNcommunication@gmail.com – This is my first year on the MAPN Board and my son Reid is in 7th Grade.  I have two other children who have been through Maple Ave – Johnathan who is in his first year at Lehigh University and my daughter Olivia who will be graduating from SSHS this June.  I was involved for many years in the Lake Avenue Elementary School PTA, first as Treasurer then as Co-President for 4 years.  Participating in a parent/school organization was the most rewarding thing that I did when my family moved to Saratoga Springs almost 10 years ago.  It has sparked a passion in my life that has brought me many friends and opportunities, including starting a new business focused on bringing before and after school child enrichment programs to students in local schools.  But most importantly, has allowed me to witness how parents’ involvement in our schools pays dividends immediately and lasts for years to come.