Join the Adventure: Support the King Auction

We are asking the community to “Join the King Adventure” by supporting the auction through solicitations. Full information about how you can help is available here.

King PTO’s role at WinteRush cancelled

King will not have a concession stand on Feb 7 as previously announced.

No Bake Cake Sale Total

We are thrilled to announce we collected just over $2300 in our first annual fundraiser.  This is a great start and gives us the fuel to start supporting the school in tangible ways.

Minutes from 12/16

Attending:

Frank S
Mary Anne L
Deb S
Mary B
Gail L
Jonathan N
David G
Mary-Jean O

Content:

Fund Raiser

The meeting began with a discussion of the on going fund raiser — the No Bake Cake Sale.  The state of the fundraiser is at just over $1000.  

Deb, an ELL teacher at King, described the challenges of raising money to bring students to cultural / arts events, for example.  

The group discussed the need to develop a process for determining how money from this and future events would be allocated for work in the school.

 

International Potluck Celebration

The event, which was initially scheduled for the 29th of January, is now being considered for February, date uncertain.  It was clarified that the event is not a fund raiser.

Deb S talked about being in touch with the multilingual translators to get out the word about the event, and to encourage the translators to come to planning meetings for the event.  One is tentatively scheduled for January 8.  Jonathan, Deb S and MJ agreed that that could be a good start date.  Deb will be in touch with Jonathan to confirm.

Dave and Deb agreed that King staff and kids would take responsibility for advertising / PR, and that the process of creating PR would be a way to get kids excited about the event.

It sounds like Deb, Joe F, and Marcia S from King are going to be the principle energy building-side for the event.

Winter Rush

The Winter Rush is being planned district wide as a celebration and community fundraiser for PPS.  The event is being scheduled for some time in February. Jonathan was contacted by the district and members of the school board to consider the King PTO’s role in the event.

Jonathan asked the group to think about what group or body associated with King might be able to take on  King’s role at the event.

More to come.

Growing PTO Involvement

The meeting finished with an acknowledgement of the scope of upcoming events and our needs for planning.  It was suggested that each person who attended this meeting be sure to ask another community member to join us for the next meeting.

PTO sends out appeal letter for No Cake Bake Sale

In an effort to meet the school’s on-going financial needs, the PTO has organized a No Cake Bake Sale this holiday season.  Full information about the event, including how to make a contribution is available in the attached letter.

Minutes from 11/18

Attending

Jonathan
Mary
Mary Anne
Dave Grant
Frank
Jane
Mike McCarthy
MJ
Ellen
Pandika
Gail
Beth
Christina

Topics

No Bake Cake Sale

The meeting began with a discussion of the letter Jonathan drafted to ask for contributions, and to explain the PTO’s fundraising goals and strategies for the year.  The letter announces the No Cake Bake Sale.  It was agreed that the school would distribute the letter to all parents through conferences, on the web, at the school concert, and through backpacks at the beginning of December.  Mary Anne agreed to have a donation box available in the front hall for receiving donations during conferences.  It was agreed that the No Bake Cake Sale would end with the end of the calendar year.  Mike and Dave agreed that they would provide language for the letter that would clarify how the money raised would specifically support learning at King.  Jonathan agreed to redraft the letter to include the finish date and get it to the school by Weds morning.  Mike explained that a translation sheet will be included for families that need it.  Pandika might be able to print the letter, and will be in touch in the morning.  Otherwise the school will do it.

Talent Show Fundraising Event

The proposed date for the Talent Show fundraising event is April 30.

Potluck Event

The proposed date for the potluck is January 22, from 5:30 – 7:30.  The intention of the PTO is to make this event a celebration of King’s diverse community.  The PTO discussed strategies for inclusion in bringing people to the event and for helping people feel included at the event.  One area of particular interest of the group was doing something to help people feel included through language.  The group discussed being in touch with Joe Farrell and Deb Simmons (King faculty who have organized the King cultural celebration program) to set up performances by kids for the event.  PTO members who volunteered to help organize this event included Jane, Mj, Ellen, Pandika and Christina.  Jonathan is happy to help the group too.  Mary Anne encouraged the group to look into getting environmentally responsible plates, spoons, etc.

Next Meeting

It was mentioned that the group would like to have an ELL teacher at the next PTO meeting.

Notes from March 11 PTO Meeting

Attending:

Deb Rothenberg

Jill Roland

Pandika Pleqi

Susan Thompson Brown

Sue Carlson

Jennifer Southard

Susanni Douville

Eric Altholz

Eva McVicar

Jonathan Nolan

Mary-Jean O’Reagan

Ellen Pompenoe

Ed Suslovic

Dave Grant

Item 1 :  Advertising for the PTO at the parent-teacher conferences. 

We reviewed Pandika’s handout and discussed other ways to get the message out.  Decision:

The handout will include the kingpto.wordpress.com link, mention of the 2nd Tues of each month regular meeting time; an invitation to contact David Grant at King for more information, and a sign up sheet available in the front hall for parents to sign up directly.  Mary-Jean volunteered to coordinate having PTO reps at the table.  David Grant agreed to have the docs ready for teachers at conferences. 
Item 2:  Silent Auction

May 1, at 6 pm
Last year’s talent show made about $2k;

Things that sold well:  restaurant certificates, museum memberships;

Eva McVicar volunteered to be the main communicator with Sue C;

Ellen P volunteered to coordinate the food for the event;

Pandika volunteered to coordinate publicity;

Jonathan talked about Longfellow’s database, and business contributions.

How about a “What was it worth?” bucket.

Raffle idea was discussed for baskets. 

Classroom projects were auctioned at other schools, such an auction was discussed for King’s Silent Auction.  Good idea for King?

Sue expressed her intention to pretty much run the event this year, and readiness to hand it over to the PTO for next year.

The group also discussed the possibility of a letter-based campaign asking King families to make contributions to the school irrespective of events like auctions, talent shows, etc.
Item 3:  King’s Celebration of Learning

May 8 during school hours at the Portland Expo

Group discussed having businesses support the Celebration through the publication of a document, handed out at the COL, with advertising from supporting businesses.
Item 4:  Our King Community — Our PTO Community

The group acknowledged the aspiration that the PTO could better represent the diversity of the King student body.

Ideas to attract a more inclusive population to PTO meetings included having the PTO sponsor educational or community events at the school.

One suggestion was a “How we have built an inclusive and supportive community at King” event hosted by students for the community, where the kids do the talking and the parents get to learn.

Another suggestion was to have kids present something at PTO meetings.

Our next meeting will be on April 8 from 7 – 8:30.

auction/talent show

Sue Carlson is coordinating this year’s silent auction fundraiser to be held on May 1, 2008 at King Middle School. The fundraiser was a great success last year and coincided with the faculty talent show which always proves to be enormously fun. She would love parent help to organize this year’s auction. Sue is looking for the following:

 

1. Parents who would like to solicit businesses for donations

2. Donations from parents who have their own businesses/talents

 

Please contact Sue at carlss@portlandschools.org or 874-8140 with questions, or to sign up to help.