
Run the DoG Tonight – Registration 5pm – Run/Walk 6pm!
Join MES PTA and the DoG Street running club for a dog and stroller friendly 5k run/walk tonight, Monday March 26th. Registration starts at 5pm – run/walk starts at 6pm. The class in each grade with the highest percentage of participants with earn a lunch time treat! Come out and enjoy the evening -hope to see you there!!

PTA-SHIP Locally Grown Kale Sampling
This week Matoaka students will get to sample locally grown kale during lunch as part of the PTA-SHIP farm to school tastings! Kale is full of vitamins and a great addition to salads, smoothies, soups, and more. PTA is pleased to help bring this wellness choice to all students to assist with healthier choices and lifestyles!

PTA-SHIP Locally Grown Butternut Squash Sampling
On Thursday February 22nd, Matoaka students will get to sample locally grown butternut squash during lunch as part of the PTA-SHIP farm to school tastings! Great reasons to love this winter squash is that it is rich with vitamin A which is good for the eyes and also helps fend off illness. PTA is pleased to help bring […]

Locally Grown Sweet Potatoes Sampled by Matoaka Students
Matoaka students overwhelmingly made a great choice on December 14th to try locally grown sweet potatoes prepared by Chef Marie Homer of SHIP. Chef Marie and Beth Berry helped Matoaka PTA volunteers to hand out samples to students who were rewarded with stickers. Mataoaka’s PTA encourages student wellness through increased activity and better food choices. […]

PTA-SHIP Locally Grown Sweet Potato Sampling
A super food and great source of vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes are very good for you…and PTA/SHIP are bringing them to lunchtime to sample on Thursday December 14th! All Matoaka students will be given an opportunity to sample the recipe (ingredients: sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary, oil, parsley and black pepper). We hope you […]

Healthy Lifestyles Demo – Thank You Chef Long!
Many thanks to Chef Chris Long for coming to Matoaka today to demonstrate the making and offer tastings of sweet potato bread. These sweet potatoes were grown in our garden! The recipe can be found here: Sweet_Potato_Bread

Healthy Lifestyles Week Starts Monday Oct 30th!
Clash of the celebrations – this week we have the king-of-the-candy celebration Halloween land right in the middle of PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles Week! Armed with a little creativity and enthusiasm to circumvent the sugar, there are a TON of ways to enjoy the occasion responsibly! We have a full week planned for encouraging healthier choices every day. We […]

Matoaka PTA tackles childhood obesity with books
Instead of a dozen cupcakes or goody bags to celebrate a birthday at school, Matoaka Elementary School’s Parent Teach Association wants parents to donate a book in honor of their child. Read More – at the Virginia Gazette

February is National Heart Month
The PTA sponsored Healthy Lifestyles Program at Matoaka is committed to advocating health and wellness throughout the school. Operated by PTA Volunteers we offer programs and events that promote, educate and encourage good nutrition, physical activity and healthy behavior. Events & Activities This Month Friday, February 3rd National Wear Red Day Wear red and […]

Heart Healthy Valentine’s Day Alternatives
This year, many classrooms at Matoaka are supporting the “Healthy Celebrations and Snacks Initiative” by having Heart Healthy Valentine’s Day parties that include better alternatives to sugary sweets. Instead of lollipops, cupcakes and cookies some teachers are offering red, pink and white healthy options such as apples, yogurt, cheese sticks, popcorn, mini bagels with cream […]

Healthy Lifestyles Week
The PTA sponsored Healthy Lifestyles Program at Matoaka is committed to advocating health and wellness throughout the school. Operated by PTA Volunteers, we offer programs and events that promote, educate and encourage good nutrition, physical activity and healthy behavior. Each year, we celebrate HEALTHY LIFESTYLES WEEK with fun activities and healthy events for students and […]

Photos
Check out our latest photos from around the school! Have a picture that you’d like to share? Send it to tfitz@hotmail.com

Healthy Halloween Classroom Parties
Between the Tricks-or-Treats and the parties, Halloween can be a time of candy overload for kids. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good time to share some healthy alternatives to cupcakes and candy that are still fun and easy to make. You can find some of our favorites on our […]

Matoaka’s Birthday Book Club
Parents and teachers asked us for a fun and easy option to celebrate birthdays at school without sweet treats, so we created the Healthy Lifestyles Birthday Book Club. How It Works Instead of bringing cupcakes – Donate a book (hardcovers preferred!) to the school library and we will inscribe this lasting gift in your child’s honor. […]

Save the date! Dad’s Fire & a Flick Campout
FIRE AND FLICK EVENT 14 – 15 MAY 2016 The Matoaka Fire and a Flick Campout is an opportunity for fathers (and father figures) to share ideas, learn more about the school, and strengthen the Matoaka Elementary community while enjoying a relaxing evening watching a movie, hanging out, and camping under the stars with your kid(s). […]

Healthy End of the School Year Party Ideas
The Last Day Of School Is Almost Here… There is a lot to look forward to at the end of the school year; Field day, class parties, fun activities, and summer! But it is also the time of year when kids can sometimes get overloaded on sugary treats. The good news is, it is easy […]

October 2015 PTA Newsletter
Welcome back to school! Just a quick note to let you know what’s going on at Matoaka! In September: * We had our annual ice cream social along with the first PTA general membership meeting. We had a great turnout! * Thanks to our first spirit week fundraiser, Papa Murphy’s donated $500 to the school! […]

Healthy Classroom Snack Initiative
Dear Parents, To keep in line with the school wide initiative to have a healthier environment for our students, we are asking that parents only send in healthy foods for daily snacks. Foods don’t just fill the stomach; they also help to fuel the brain to think. The key is we need the right […]

Food Allergies & School Celebrations
In a continued effort to ensure the safety and well-being of our students here at school, we are asking for your understanding and cooperation with the following message from the school administration: Approximately 1:13 school-aged children in the United States have a potentially life threatening food allergy. More than 15% of these have had an […]