Please join us at the June 5 PTA meeting at 7:30 in the library. As a PTA, we are required to plan our fundraising revenue and budget for all expenses before each school year begins. At this meeting, we will be discussing and voting on a budget for the 2012-2013 school year. If you have any ideas about how we should raise or spend our money next year, now is the time to share those ideas. The Executive Board has proposed a draft budget with target fundraising revenue of $71,450 and program expenses of $82,242. Please feel free to review the draft budget in advance by clicking here: Draft Budget.
Wellness posters posted!
The Jamestown PTA’s Wellness Committee sponsored a wellness campaign to increase awareness in the Jamestown community about the benefits of eating healthy, exercising, and maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Thanks to the talents of Matt Mendelsohn and Maya Vastardis, the Committee is placing the following posters around the school of students and staff to get the message out:
These posters will remain in the school during the 2012-13 school year.
Come to May 1 PTA meeting to vote on wish lists
Please come to the PTA meeting on Tuesday, May 1 at 7:30 pm to vote on “wish list” requests. Once every year, staff members and parents present many ideas to the PTA about how we can utilize any extra funds that we may have at the end of the year. That is how we built the gaga ball pit, installed the new sound system in the auditorium, and purchased many of the iPads for our students.
Given our projections for the current fiscal year, we have $4078 available for wish lists this year and potentially up to $10,278 if we reduce next year’s budget by $6200 relative to this year’s budget. Parents and staff have submitted over $28,500 in wish lists requests. Unfortunately, we do not have funds available to approve all wish lists, so it is very important that you come to vote on the amount that we will approve for wish lists and the individual ideas. Please note that the more that we approve for wish lists, the less we will have for next year’s budget, so this vote is important for anyone with a stake in next year’s budget. We recommend, in particular, that anyone with a wish list request come to the meeting to present his or her idea and answer questions. Please see the attached handout for more detail on the funds that we have available and the ideas proposed: Wish Lists 2011-2012.
We will be voting on a draft budget for next year at the June 5 PTA meeting. The total amount of funds available for program expenses next year will be dictated by the amount of wish lists approved at the May 1 meeting, but we will not allocate the budget to specific areas until June 5. If you have any suggestions for next year’s budget, you should send a written request to Jill Curran at treasurer@jamestownpta.org no later than May 11. And be sure to attend the June 5 meeting to vote on the budget for next year.
Open PTA Positions
We are looking to fill several open PTA positions for next year:
Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer – CPA or finance guru, or just have a knack for business, administration, or managing personal finances? We are looking for someone who has interest in working into the Treasurer role. You may start as an Assistant, helping with the finances behind all of our fundraising activities and programs as well as wish list requests and budgeting. This job may be done almost entirely from home or work and touches almost every area in which the PTA is involved in
one way or another. No particular degrees or experience are required, but you should be detail-oriented, organized, and good at administrative tasks.
Sally Foster Fundraiser Chair or co-chairs – will be done mostly on-line this year so could easily be done by one person or shared between two.
After School Activities- Coordinator(s) would work with vendors and coordinate the schedule for the programs as well as distribute information to the school. This spans the entire school year. A
coordinator is needed immediately for this program to continue.
PTA Webmaster – Manage the PTA website on an ongoing basis. The webmaster will need to approve posts for publication, update merchandise in the PTA store (using Paypal buttons), and make other
updates to the site.
School Board Rep- Representative would attend School Board Meetings once a month and report back to the PTA. This requires minimal effort but is so important going forward with hot school issues
such as capacity.
Wellness Committee- The Wellness Committee is looking for a leader. It has been a great year and programs are starting to take hold. The committee chairman would have active committee members ready to go! We would love someone who has a healthy oriented background to provide some guidance for future programs and events.
Winter Social/Auction- The lead role is needed to coordinate the volunteers and event decisions. Three committee members have already committed to next year. Wendy Noe, the Fundraising VP, will be there to assist but needs to hand over the reins for 2013 and beyond.
Please contact communityrelations@jamestownpta.org if you are interested in any of the above positions. All of the above positions have a minimum commitment of one year.
Send us your ‘wish-list’ requests
It is that time of year when the PTA looks at how well we’ve done for the year and decides whether we have extra funds to grant toward “wish list” requests. Each year staff members and parents present many ideas to the PTA at the May 1 meeting for consideration. That is how we built the gaga ball pit, installed the new sound system in the auditorium, and purchased many of the iPads for our students. If you have any ideas, please send them to Jill Curran at treasurer@jamestownpta.orgby April 20 and attend the May 1 meeting.In the past, the PTA has given most careful consideration to ideas when they have had a detailed cost quote and a champion attending the meeting. While general ideas are welcome, it is very difficult for the PTA to approve immediate funds without knowing the amount of funds required and without having someone willing to champion the idea. It is also very useful to have the champion present to answer questions that may be asked about the idea. Even if you don’t have a wish list request, we welcome you to attend the May 1 meeting to listen to all of the wonderful ideas and vote on them. The June 5 meeting will also be an exciting one where we will vote on a draft budget for next year
Open positions on the PTA Board for the 2012-2013 school year
If you are interested in getting more involved maybe one of these would be a fit for you. It is very rewarding. Please contact one of the members of the Nominating Committee for more information: Renee Clough, Jill Curran, Audrey Lesesne, Karen Apsel or Becky Logan. Don’t hesitate!
PTA Board: Open Positions
1. Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer – CPA or finance guru, or just have a knack for business, administration, or managing personal finances? We are looking for someone who has interest in working into the Treasurer role. You may start as an Assistant, helping with the finances behind all of our fundraising activities and programs as well as wish list requests and budgeting. This job may be done almost entirely from home or work and touches almost every area in which the PTA is involved in one way or another. No particular degrees or experience are required, but you should be detail-oriented, organized, and good at administrative tasks. Our current Treasurer, Jill Curran, will be a great teacher and work partner for you.
2. VP Communications (Corresponding Secretary)-
This 2 year commitment could be a great fit for you. Here is a description of what the job entails:
You attend all Executive Committee meetings and PTA Meetings
You are in charge of communications between the PTA and the community and PTA-sponsored publications.
You oversee the PTA website and the Listserv, and publication of the JES Directory, the Yearbook, the Poetry Journal, and For Kids Eyes Only
You are in charge of any surveys that PTA wishes to conduct of the JES community.
You ensure that decisions taken at the monthly PTA meetings, and any other meetings or events, are communicated to the community as appropriate.
Ready, set, ‘Let’s Go Safari!’
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The Jamestown PTA’s Spring Fair is just a few days away! Let’s Go Safari is Sat., April 21 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There’s still time to:
New games this year:
Of course, your favorite games will be there – moon bounce, money machine, pony rides, face painting, hair art, obstacle course — plus lots of delicious food, cotton candy, popcorn and all sorts of treats! |
Seeking input on special needs services
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Does your child have special needs? Do you have a struggling student who may have special needs? Do you have comments, praise, concerns, or recommendations about how APS serves students with special needs? We need to hear from you. The Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee (ASEAC) is a parent advisory committee that advises the school board through the superintendent regarding the unmet needs of students with disabilities. This year Arlington Public Schools hired a consulting firm, Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG), to conduct an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the services provided to students with special needs. The goal of the evaluation is to improve services for students with special needs. An important part of the evaluation is to review parent and student experiences with the referral and eligibility process, the services provided, and outcomes; please share your stories with us. Consultants from PCG will be at the forum to listen. If you wish to speak, please submit the comment form found on this webpage http://www.apsva.us/site/ Default.aspx?PageID=1290 by April 17 — speakers will be called in the order that we receive the comment forms (you can submit them at the forum). If you cannot attend the forum, or wish to submit comments without speaking, please be sure to complete the form and submit by April 17. To send your form as an email, you will need to save the completed form onto your computer and send it as an attachment to specialneedsevaluation@gmail. com or copy the form and paste it into your email. Or simply send an email with your comments to specialneedsevaluation@gmail. com. You can also mail your comments to Nancy Van Doren, ASEAC Member, 3316 2nd Rd North, Arlington VA 22201. This is your opportunity to influence the future for your child and other children with special needs. Please attend or submit your comments. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Nancy Van Doren, ASEAC member at 703-516-0024 or Linda Arnsbarger at arnsbarger@mofo.com. ASEAC Public Forum Spanish interpretation will be available. |