Paws For Thought: January 2026 Newsletter

Happy New Year, Panther fam!

Welcome back to Paws for Thought, your PTA check in on what’s happening now, what’s coming up next, and how we keep making Maplewood Heights a fun, connected place to be. January and February are busy in the best way, so let’s get to it!

Our Winter Carnival Is Almost Here!

The Maplewood Heights PTA Winter Carnival is happening Friday, 1/23. Thanks to a strong fundraising year, we’re proud to make this a free community event! There will be games, prizes, and face painting for our Panthers! A suggested donation of $5 per person can be made online or at the door. Volunteers are still needed the day and night of the event and shorter slots are available so you still have plenty of time to enjoy the carnival with your kids. Come make some cotton candy with us!

Scented Pencil Fridays

Another fan favorite is back on Friday, 1/30. Scented pencils will be sold before late start and yes, students are still obsessed. Wanna volunteer to help sell? It’s an easy, fun way to jump in and get to know the student community.

Spiritwear Delivery

Our new Spiritwear designs are officially a hit, so we’re doing another group pickup! Order by Friday, 1/31 and items will be sent home with students before midwinter break. Can't decide and miss the deadline? Our spiritwear store is open for the school year and you can always do an individual pickup in Bellevue or ship to an address anytime. Shoutout to local business, baby!

Hockey Night with the Seattle Thunderbirds

Join the MHE fam on Friday, 2/6 for a night of hockey as the Seattle Thunderbirds take on Portland at the ShoWare Center in Kent. We've scored discount tickets and have a reserved block of seats just for us! A portion of each ticket goes directly back to our PTA so please purchase tickets by Thursday, 1/29.

Lace Up and Give Back

We’ve partnered with Sno-King Ice Arenas for an ongoing fundraiser through Tuesday, 3/31. When you register for a public skate session using code S2RMHES12, 25% of sales come back to us! We’re planning a casual MHE meetup on Saturday, 2/7, but you’re also welcome to plan your own skate outing with friends or family. Keep an eye on our socials for more info on that Saturday session to come.

Join the GLOW DANCE Planning Committee

The Glow Dance Chair is looking for folks who want to help plan and organize one of our student's favorite events of the year! Send us a note to mhepta.board@gmail.com if you’re interested.

$$$ Updates

Your support continues to make a real difference. The Mrs. Fields Cookie Dough fundraiser raised $2,042.40 and the Premier Meat Pies fundraiser brought in $41.17 (That second amount may be small, but every dollar matters for a volunteer run nonprofit!).

Attention Donut Lovers!!!

Our MHE PTA is launching a GroupRaise x Krispy Kreme Digital Dozens fundraising campaign. From 2/6 - 2/14, 50% of orders will be donated back to our cause when you purchase your doughnuts using our fundraising sales page.

Reflections Contest Update

Final voting for the PTA Reflections Contest is complete, and we’re thrilled to share that three Maplewood Heights student submissions have advanced to the next round. We are so proud of our student artists!

Save the Date: February PTA Meeting

Our next PTA meeting is Wednesday, 2/25. You can join via Zoom or in person, and Right At School will provide free childcare for the hour. Come hang out, get the scoop, and help shape what’s next.

We are GROWING!

We’re excited to share that our PTA has been recognized by Washington State PTA with a Bronze Membership Growth Award. This means our membership has grown compared to last year, making our PTA voice louder and stronger in support of our kids.

Your membership directly supports everything we do for Maplewood Heights Elementary, so please consider joining us if you haven't already.

Thanks for being part of this community and for showing up in so many ways. We couldn’t do this without you.

In Community,

Emerald Jones

MHE PTA President, 2025/26