Boston PTA: Committees

Committees

Arts in Education:

The Arts are an important part of education. Arts programs promote self-esteem, open the horizons of the creative mind, and enhance scholastic skills. As a result, students’ lives are enriched and their visual and auditory skills are strengthened.

The Arts in Education Chairperson, with the help of the Arts in Education Committee, is responsible for developing and implementing programs which encourage a school wide awareness of the importance cultural arts play in a student’s education. Dance, theater, voice, playing an instrument, story telling, visual arts creation, writing and photography – all help a child build confidence and add joy to the learning experience. Activities of this committee may include:

Encouraging participation in the National PTA “Reflections” Program.

Hosting a guest artist at the school.

Planning a cultural arts event at the school to improve communication among parents, teachers, students, and the community.

Suggesting home projects for family fun with arts and crafts. Submit articles about them to the PTA website and newsletter.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Business Donation Coordinator:

The Business Donation Coordinator organizes donation efforts from local vendors and corporate businesses. This is ongoing throughout the year. Donations are used for:

Entertainment at the Fall Festival

Raffle prizes for PTA meetings and Family Fun Events

Student snacks for GCRCT Testing

Community Outreach:

Community Outreach is an effort by individuals in an organization to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations. It is PTA's goal to encourage parent and community involvement in all phases of our programs and activities, not only to help and enrich our community, but to promote character education and inspire civic values in our students.

The Community Outreach Chairperson, with the help of the Community Outreach Committee, is responsible for developing a school wide community outreach plan that responds to the needs of our community. Activities of this committee may include:

UNICEF collections at Halloween time.

Winter coat drive to benefit a needy local organization.

Grandparent adoption days to encourage elders in the community to volunteer in the school.

Welcome packets for parents and students new to the school.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Dad's Club:

The purpose of the Dad’s Club Committee is to encourage, strengthen, and support the efforts of fathers’ involvement in the education of their children. The ultimate goal is to provide opportunities for fathers to become more engaged in the education of their children.

Currently, the GA PTA Dad’s Initiative Committee is involved with All Pro Dads (www.allprodad.com), a non-profit organization supported by the National Football League. Founded by former NFL coach Tony Dungy, the group promotes fathering by hosting monthly breakfasts, dad-and kids activities, and a daily email on topics ranging from marriage to raising teenagers.

The Dad’s Initiative Chairperson, with the help of the Dad’s Initiative Committee, is responsible for developing and organizing activities which support the goal of this committee. Activities of this committee may include:

Hosting a Dad’s sports event.

Organizing a Dad’s social with dads-and-kids activities.

Starting a Dad’s educational support group.

Sponsoring a Dad’s Career Day, Lunch Bunch, or Favorite Book Day.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Family Fun:

This committee hosts events that are fun for the whole family. Boston PTA would like a chairperson for each family fun event. The Family Fun Chairperson, with the help of the Family Fun Committee, is responsible for promoting, organizing, and holding these events. Scheduled fun events for this year include:

Movie Night with Pizza

Bingo Night with Spaghetti Supper

Lotteria Night with Mexican Food

Talent Show

Committee Contacts:

Amber Hite - VP of Family Fun

Fundraising Events:

This committee hosts fundraising events to sponsor other PTA programs and activities. Boston PTA would like a chairperson for each fundraising event. The Fundraising Events Chairperson, with the help of the Fundraising Events Committee, is responsible for promoting, organizing, and holding these events. Scheduled fundraising events for this year include:

Fall Festival

Spirit Wear

Funny Hat Day

Teacher Appreciation Week Flower Sale

Grant Writing:

The Grant Chairperson, with the help of the Grant Committee, researches and completes applications for grants that are available to our school. Grants that are awarded are used to help fund various PTA programs.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Grounds Beautification:

The Grounds Beautification Chairperson, with the help of the Grounds Beautification Committee, is responsible for enhancing and maintaining the school grounds by coordinating the delivery of mulch, pine straw, and other landscaping needs. This committee works closely with the PTA Board to suggest and implement improvements for the front and back playgrounds, including checking maintenance of playground structures and picnic tables. Activities of this committee may include:

Establishing work days throughout the year to encourage participation from parents, teachers, students, and others in the community to accomplish these goals.

Coordinating with teachers and students for a beautification project for Earth Day.

Committee Contacts:

Lynn Robertson - Grounds Beautification Chair

Health/Wellness Education Chairperson:

In an ongoing effort to combat childhood obesity, Georgia PTA, with the support of the Georgia Department of Education School Nutrition, has created a funding opportunity to encourage local units to implement programs focusing on the promotion of healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity.

The fund provides grants to PTAs to implement projects that are designed to improve nutritional and physical environments at home and school for children. Projects should be designed to provide opportunities for learning, organizing, action, celebration and assessment in any amount up to $1,500.

The PTA Board is looking for a Health/Wellness Education Chairperson who is willing to implement the Promoting Healthy Habits program at Boston Elementary. This person will be responsible for documenting all aspects of the program and grant submission.

While there are many other topics and activities this committee may address, the Promoting Healthy Habits Grant will be their primary focus.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Hospitality Committee:

The Hospitality Chairperson is the official host of the PTA unit and, with the help of the Hospitality Committee, has the responsibility of establishing a friendly, comfortable atmosphere at PTA meetings and events. They help create a sense of belonging that invites parents to become involved in PTA activities.

The Hospitality Chairperson will consult with other chairpersons to discuss dates of planned events where refreshments and/or concessions will be provided by PTA. They will develop a clear plan for all hospitality events, which includes:

Determining who will be in charge of organizing food, ice, paper products, etc., so that items needed are present at the event.

Clarifying who will be responsible for making reservations for a meeting place and booking it well in advance.

Preparing decorations, name cards, and/or registration sheets if they are to be used at an event.

Checking the physical setting for the event: number of chairs for the audience, lectern, microphone, water and glasses, room temperature, table and chairs for presiding officer and others, seating for program participants, flags and standards, blackboard, etc.

Ensuring food, equipment, and supplies are available.

Developing a clean-up plan prior to every event.

Committee Contacts:

Victoria Mealer - Hospitality Chairperson

Latino/Hispanic Committee:

The Latino/Hispanic Committee advocates for Latino families whose children attend Boston Elementary. The committee’s purpose is two-fold:

To inform PTA groups of Latino’s culture and educational beliefs

To familiarize Latino families with the purpose of parent education, family engagement, and parental involvement procedures.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested

Literacy Room Volunteers:

The Literacy Room Coordinator recruits and schedules volunteers to assist staff in the Literacy Room. Literacy Room Volunteers help by cataloging, organizing, and maintaining the books used by teachers in the reading resource center.

Media Center Volunteers:

The Media Center Coordinator recruits and schedules volunteers to assist staff in the Media Center. Media Center Volunteers are responsible for:

Shelving books

Helping students find library materials

Checking library materials in/out through the Media Center computer

Helping at the fall and spring Book Fairs

Membership Committee:

The goals of the Membership Committee are to:

Promote and increase PTA membership.

Build an informed, active membership that supports the mission, objectives, policies, and programs of the local, state, and national levels of PTA.

Develop a membership recruitment and retention plan that emphasizes a year round effort to involve new members.

Committee Contacts:

Mary Ann Walter - VP of Membership

Newsletter:

The PTA newsletter is an important tool in educating parents about PTA as well as keeping them informed of upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities. The Newsletter Coordinator is responsible for communicating with each PTA committee and putting together a bimonthly newsletter.

P.A.S.S. Program:

Parental Awareness for Safe Schools is a program of the Cherokee County School Police Department. It is designed to create safe schools through parent, community, and police partnerships. The P.A.S.S. and P.E.R.T. (Parental Emergency Response Team) Programs have been recognized nationally as the first programs of their kind in the country to involve parents directly in promoting school safety and actively preventing and responding to school emergencies.

It is the responsibility of the P.A.S.S. Coordinator to “pass” along information to parents and others in the school community about critical issues related to providing a safe environment for teaching and learning. Making parents aware of these issues is an important way to help them protect their children, both at school and at home.

The P.A.S.S. Coordinator works closely with other coordinators in the Etowah Zone (Boston ES, Bascomb ES, Oak Grove ES, Chapman IS, Booth MS, and Etowah HS) to sponsor informational meetings about issues such as:

Crisis Response Teams/Procedures at each individual school

Internet Safety

Child Abuse Awareness

Home Alone Dangers

Drug Awareness

Gang Awareness

Teen Driving

Parent and Family Involvement:

Parent Involvement is the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication about student academic learning and other school activities. This includes ensuring that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning, that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their children’s education at school, and that parents are full partners in their children’s education. The goal of this committee is to strengthen, support, and sustain the involvement of parents in the lives of their children.

The Parent and Family Involvement Chairperson, with the help of the Parent and Family Involvement Committee, is responsible for researching, developing, and implementing programs which accomplish the above goal. Activities of this committee may include:

Implementing the “Three for Me” National PTA program. By signing a promise card, parents commit to volunteer three hours of their time per year to the school.

Inviting school staff, or others in the community, to speak at educational family nights to provide parents with relevant and timely information impacting their children’s education.

Holding a PTA Expo at the beginning of the year to explain what PTA does and how parents and other volunteers can help.

Writing articles for the PTA newsletter and website. Include parenting information and links to parenting websites.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Photography / Bulletin Board:

Photo buffs are needed to take pictures at our PTA events. This committee would also be responsible for decorating the school lobby display case and bulletin board with current PTA information and activities.

PTA President:

Committee Contacts:

Tara Forrester - President
Stephanie Metcalf - Co-President

Recycling:

The Recycling Chairperson is responsible for insuring the proper policy and procedure is followed for submitting the printer cartridges for reimbursement along with the appropriate paper work. The Recycling Committee coordinates the school wide collection of printer cartridges. They also keep track of the cartridges submitted per classroom so the class with the most donated cartridges gets an ice cream or popcorn party.

General Mills Box Tops and Campbell‘s Labels: The Box Top Chairperson is responsible for insuring the proper policy and procedure is followed for submitting the box tops and labels for reimbursement along with the appropriate paper work. The Box Top Committee coordinates the school wide collection of General Mills Box Tops and Campbell’s Food Labels. They also keep track of the labels submitted per classroom so the class with the most donated box tops and labels gets an ice cream or popcorn party.

Reflections:

Reflections is a cultural arts program sponsored by the National PTA. Students may submit entries in six arts areas for the Reflections Program. The categories are:

Literature

Visual Arts

Musical Composition

Dance/Choreography

Photography

Film/Video Production

National PTA does not limit the number of entries a student may submit. The student’s work is entered by grade level and the entries are judged and awarded separately at
the state and national level. The 2009-2010 Reflections theme is “Beauty is...”

The Reflections Coordinator is responsible for insuring the proper policy and procedure is followed for submitting the student’s art work along with the appropriate paper work.

Report Writing:

Reports are a record of the work accomplished by the PTA during the course of the school year. The process of report writing helps us improve our PTA and serves many purposes such as:

Recording the work, programs, and activities accomplished by our local unit.

Providing incoming officers with a documented history of work completed and successful programs and activities (no need to reinvent the wheel).

Serving as a guide for goal setting while helping to maintain consistency and developing strong leadership.

Enabling the state PTA to find new and innovative ways to serve local units.

Substantiating your efforts as an advocate for all children.

The Report Writing Coordinator should ideally have a background in English or some related field. This person should be willing to take the online Report Writing Workshop available through the Georgia PTA website and write a report after each of the PTA's events, programs, or activities. The due date for submission of these reports to the Cherokee County Council is the last business day in February.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Room Parents - Coordinator:

Room Parents at Boston Elementary provide an invaluable service to the teachers, parents, and children at our school. You are communicators, conveying information from the PTA to the parents in your classroom. You are facilitators, assisting (when called upon) with duties that make the teacher’s job in the classroom just that much easier. You are also “social event coordinators”, helping to put together classroom parties.

Room Parents have two basic responsibilities to the PTA. First, you are the point of contact person for PTA when information needs to get out to the parents in your classroom. Occasionally, when volunteer help is needed, PTA will ask you to communicate with your classroom parents on our behalf. For example, when we need volunteers to work the Media Center Book Fairs, the Santa Shop, Family Fun Events, and the Candy Gram sales.

Second (and probably the biggest PTA responsibility you will have) is putting together the theme baskets for Fall Festival, our biggest fundraiser of the year. This year the festival is on Friday, October 16th, from 5:30 - 8:00 PM. PTA will divide each grade level into two groups and basket themes will be assigned. The Room Parents will then be in charge of letting their class know the theme, asking parents in their classroom for donations, and putting the basket together for raffle at the festival. More detailed instructions will be provided to you at the first meeting of Room Parents.
Your child's teacher will chose the room parents for their classroom.

Spirit Wear:

The Spirit Wear Chairperson is responsible for promoting, coordinating, and distributing Boston’s Spirit Wear for youth and adults. The Spirit Wear Committee sells the items at PTA events throughout the year. The Spirit Wear Chairperson works closely with the PTA Board and is a liaison with the vendor. This position may require working with the vendor during the summer in order to have the new Spirit Wear available for the next school year.

Recycling: The Recycling Chairperson is responsible for insuring the proper policy and procedure is followed for submitting the printer cartridges for reimbursement along with the appropriate paper work. The Recycling Committee coordinates the school wide collection of printer cartridges. They also keep track of the cartridges submitted per classroom so the class with the most donated cartridges gets an ice cream or popcorn party.

General Mills Box Tops and Campbell‘s Labels: The Box Top Chairperson is responsible for insuring the proper policy and procedure is followed for submitting the box tops and labels for reimbursement along with the appropriate paper work. The Box Top Committee coordinates the school wide collection of General Mills Box Tops and Campbell’s Food Labels. They also keep track of the labels submitted per classroom so the class with the most donated box tops and labels gets an ice cream or popcorn party.

Volunteers:

The Volunteer Coordinator organizes volunteer efforts by working with the PTA Board and other committees throughout the year to determine their volunteer needs.

Committee Contacts:

Position Available - Please contact Co-President if you are interested.

Website Coordinator:

The PTA website is a crucial tool in educating parents about PTA as well as keeping them informed of upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities. The Website Coordinator is responsible for communicating with each PTA committee and updating the website with their current information. The website will encourage parent attendance at PTA meetings and involvement in PTA activities. It will also foster cooperation with the school by keeping parents informed about school functions. The website coordinator will also be in charge of the e-newsletter.

Committee Contacts:

Tammy Gibbins - Website Developer and Coordinator