A farewell letter from our 2023-24 PTA President, Amanda Durett Cercone

6/20/2024 6:51 am

As we move into the final week of the 2023-2024 School Year, I wanted to reflect on the past year and send my sincere appreciation for allowing me to lead this community. 

Becoming the PTA President was never on my wish list, but when the opportunity presented itself, I took the position so I could advocate for and reach out to families who felt like their voices were not being heard. 

Being a creative person with zero management experience, I was highly nervous, but I approached every challenge presented to me and did my best to find solutions. Having been at Tuscan in the “before times” (as I like to call the pre-pandemic years), I also had a goal to bring back some of our Tuscan traditions and events that had gotten lost over the years. I learned SO MUCH this year, more than I could have possibly imagined. 

Thank you to all of the parents and families who volunteered their time and energy to make all of the events and programs happen. We started off the year by bringing back the summer “Welcome to K” playdates and moved right into the most delicious Ice Cream Social ever. 

October had our Farmer’s Market (in our brand-new courtyard!), the Harvest Festival and Green Clothing Swap (last-minute successful move indoors due to the rain!), and our Socktober donation drive. 

November was the Walk-a-Thon, where we raised over $30,000, and December was our annual Pajama Drive. 

The new year was slow, but behind the scenes, we were preparing SO MANY spring events. 

Spring arrived and brought back the Book Fair, everyone’s favorite, the Tuscan Show, and the Art Show, plus a brand new event, Let’s Glow with Someone Special. 

We went right into Teacher Appreciation Week and the Tuscan Fair. We ended May with the Memorial Day Parade and the first-ever event from a brand new parent group, Team Unscreen. 

We closed out the year with our 2nd Annual Movie Night, which went on despite a last start due to technical difficulties. None of these events would have been possible without your help and support and you all have my sincerest appreciation. 

To my Executive Board, thank you for doing all of the things to keep the PTA running. From writing the newsletters to managing the website to taking minutes to staying on budget and cutting checks to approving the numerous requests that come in to keeping things equitable and inclusive. 

I’m happy to say that our entire Executive Board will be returning next year, led by our current VP, Jessie Kaye. Please welcome Lauren Rosen, who will be replacing Jessie in the VP position. You are all in good hands next year!

Finally, thank you to our teacher liaisons, Ms Wrembel and Ms Thomas, who kept me aware of what the teachers needed. Extra, extra special thanks to the Tuscan admin staff, Ms Fay, Ms Sabrina, Ms Majeed, and Mr Bertaini. The PTA could not function without the support of the Tuscan Admin and Tuscan teachers. 

Please join us for our final PTA meeting of the year, which will be held this Wednesday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. My dreams of having an in-person get-together did not come to fruition, but I hope you will join me virtually for my final updates as we say goodbye to the 2023-2024 school year. 

Amanda Durett Cercone

Tuscan PTA President, 2023-2024