BF PTO CORNER
(get on our email list
here)
BEN FRANKLIN SANTA SHOP
Santa Shop starts on Tuesday, December 2 and runs thru Friday, December 5, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. We are in need of volunteers to help students shop and to help wrap gifts. If you can help, please get in touch with Christine McCann at christinemccann71@yahoo.com to let her know what days and times you can help. Here is the information sheet that was sent home with the students in case you lost yours.
Thanks For Your Help!
2008-2009 PTO Officers
President - Christine McCann
Vice President - Cathy Bryner
Secretary - Rachel Strauser
Treasurer - Patty Franks
If you have been wondering how you could get involved...you've clicked on the right page. The Ben Franklin PTO is a parent sponsored group at Ben Franklin who's main objective is to raise funds that all of our children can have the special events that are so needed to relax and be a child. Today's schools are light years apart from the schools that most of us attended. The children are expected to learn at a much higher level at a much higher pace. The school day is packed with education with little time for "being a kid".
The Ben Franklin PTO supplies the much appreciated in school dances, field trips, Holiday presents, Santa Shop, book fairs, class parties, special equipment requested and needed by the teachers, and other special events that our school just does not have in their budget, nor are the teachers able to help with these programs. As we are sure that you are aware, their job has become as high pressure as our children's education.
So what do we need from you?
Fundraising
In order to provide these programs to our children, we need a
budget of about $ 20,000.00 per year. Unfortunately, that
money is not in our check book at the beginning of the year. Each year
we start anew...and that means fundraising. In the past we were
fortunate to have a good participation and would only need 3 major
fundraisers through the year. Unfortunately, if we do not receive full
participation, we have no other option than to cut programs or have MORE
fundraisers. In fact, if we had 1 great fundraiser with 100%
participation that would be all that we would need. An example is our
Corbi's Pizza fundraiser. All it would take to reach our goal is for
each student to sell 6 units and we would be done for the year.
Unfortunately, we have had 10-13% participation in the past years. We
need your help to make that better.
This year we are also offering alternatives to the fundraisers. You can make a straight donation, or you can obtain sponsors for our school. We will have a recognition program for all donators and sponsors at some point during the school year. You can download and print your Donation and Patron sponsorship forms by clicking on them.
We are also tracking total fundraising for each student and for each homeroom this school year. Great prizes will be awarded to the highest grossing student, the highest grossing classroom, and a special prize for the teacher of the highest grossing homeroom. We want to reward you for your hard work. A little bit of competition could also jump start the higher participation numbers that we so desperately need.
Volunteer
Of course all of the planning, organizing, and
execution of the programs and fundraisers takes time. We do not ask
for a lot of your time. This year we have the 2 Hour Pledge
Program. You can get more information about the program by viewing and
printing the Pledge
here.
Click here to get copies of the announcements and reminders that your children bring home.
