Category Archives: Fund Raising

FUNDRAISING: it’s not too late to donate

Charitable Contribution, Fund Raising

We are excited to say that we have surpassed our fundraising goal of $187,000. It was because of YOU the school has the much needed supplies and support to help our children become successful in academics and in the community.

It takes a village to raise a child, and we are THAT village.  – Nazleen, Fundraising Chair

 

However, as we look forward to next school year, there are changes ahead. Those changes will depend on HOW we act now.  As you know, our math curriculum is in jeopardy as The Seattle Public Schools Math Adoption Committee has recommended enVision Math for all Seattle schools.  We may need to fund our math program once again, which adds a potential $80,000 to next year’s fundraising budget that was not accounted for in in this year’s.

In order to continue and upgrade a math program that has not only enriched our children’s education, but will provide our teachers with valuable tools not previously available to them via Singapore Math, we need to have 100% participation in the One Campaign from our parent community.
Many families have given already, however we have a few in each class that have yet to do so.  Our goal was $320 per child but whatever amount is greatly appreciated and will help to offset the costs and fundraising budget for next year. Thank you to all the families who have generously supported and believed in Schmitz Park. Your financial support, whatever the amount, is greatly appreciated.  
Please contact Fundraising@schmitzparkpta.org with questions regarding donating to Schmitz Park. Click here to make a gift online

Mariners Update – fantastic success!

Charitable Contribution, Cohort, Community, Events, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Fun, Fund Raising, Kindergarten, Local, Second Grade, Sports, Third Grade, Uncategorized

We had our biggest turn-out ever to the event this year, and even got to see the Mariners extend their winning streak!

If you were there or not there’s a few things you should know

1) They missed our call out in the Welcome section, yet made up for it with an extra special message as you can see in this picture

Mariners Welcome Schmitz Park Elementary
Mariners Welcome Schmitz Park Elementary

 

 

 

 

2) Congratulations to Dorienne Raynolds for selling the most tickets – please look out for your prize

3) A hilarious shout out to Robert Ruvkun (and family) for your awesome dancing that was captured on the big screen! If you missed it, here’s a link to a previous camera moment of his

4) We are very happy to say we raised over $2k from this event and had a lot of fun doing it.

5)  Be sure to join us next year!

 

Excellence in Math – future in question

Fund Raising, Issues, math curriculum, PTA Meeting, Subjects, Uncategorized

Seattle Public Schools will adopt a new math curriculum for the 2014-2015 school year. The Math Adoption Committee reviewed the final 3 programs and will recommend envision as the program to implement.

Rick Burke, a Math Adoption Committee Member states in his post at Save Seattle Schools, “Although the public feedback clearly favored Math in Focus, the program ranking [was] based on the CCSS-based evaluation criteria. MIF, following the Singapore framework, was noticeably advanced compared to the CCSS topic pacing. “

Thanks to years of commitment from Schmitz Park faculty and PTA support, Schmitz Park’s proven use of Singapore Math Curriculum has our kids entering middle school with a solid understanding of math. They are consistently at an advantage over non-Singapore math students in their grasp of the curriculum.

What did it take to make this happen? First, the school leadership, with PTA support, successfully lobbied the school district to grant a waiver, to give the school permission to use a different curriculum. Second, PTA supporters contributed over $180,000 over the past several years to pay for the curriculum and materials.

Next steps? If the school board adopts the recommendation, we will be faced with two choices:

  1. Use the school district’s new math curriculum, and risk leaving our legacy of excellence in math behind
  2. Go through the process of lobbying the district for another waiver, and raise $30,000 a year (plus a one-time $30,000 fee in the first year) to provide our own curriculum again

We need your help now to continue our legacy of excellence! Help us convince the school board of the importance of our tradition. Here’s how:

Marty McLaren
MS 11-010
PO Box 34165
Seattle, WA 98124-1165

Let us know you are taking action, and stay in touch as this issue develops. Send a message to PTA Legislative Chair Derek Birnie.

Buy Child’s Photo, Support Schmitz Park

Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Fun, Fund Raising, Kindergarten, Second Grade, Third Grade

Copyright Gene Hsu PhotographyGene Hsu, a photographer and fellow parent, volunteered his time to take B&W photographs of Schmitz Park kids. He is donating all profits to the Schmitz Park PTA.

Details will be emailed to you after you opt. Please email photos@schmitzparkpta.org if you have questions. Include your child’s first, last name, and grade.

Your opt-in provides permission for your child’s photo to be posted on a password protected website, which can be viewed by other Schmitz Park parents.

Student names will not be listed. Pricing options and sizes vary. Details will made available on the password protected site that will be emailed to you.

Royal Court Nominations as of 4/2 12 pm

Auction, Cohort, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Fun, Fund Raising, Kindergarten, Second Grade, Third Grade, Uncategorized

Looks like Kindergarten is saying, “Heck No We Won’t Go.” The votes keep coming in and they’ve raised their score to 31% of the funds raised. 2nd is still trying to catch them but has dropped down to 21%. This is the last day of voting. We will send out up dates all day long!! I would just like to point out the amazing participation rates, we have five cohorts with over 30% rate! This is amazing! Keep the votes coming, next update will be posted at 8 pm tonight!

Help your child’s cohort (grade level) secure the coveted honor of the Auction Royal Court by making a $5 vote on the VOTE FOR ROYAL COURT via PayPal or by bringing in cash or check to the front office (be sure to put your child’s name and room # on it). Don’t forget the top FUNdraising cohort will win a Popsicle party with masks and beads, as well as send their teachers to the auction in a swanky limo, and kick off the dance party. Get your votes in by April 2nd, 11:00 pm. 

Royal Court rankings as of April 2nd, 12 pm:

  1. Kindergarten: $1,655 raised, 331 votes, 51.4% voter rate, raised 31% of funds
  2. 2nd Grade: $1,050 raised, 210 votes, 32.3% voter rate, raised 21% of funds
  3. 1st Grade: $1,090 raised, 218 votes, 40.8% voter rate, raised 17% of funds
  4. 3rd Grade: $780 raised, 156 votes, 37.2% voter rate, raised 17% of funds
  5. 4th Grade: $385 raised, 77 votes, 32.1% voter rate, raised 10% of funds
  6. 5th Grade: $155 raised, 26 votes, 6.2% voter rate, raised 4% of funds

Rankings are based off of funds raised/total # of students in each cohort (#s equalize among grade levels). For a breakdown by classroom, click Royal_Court_4-2_12pm_Ave-funds Results Short.

School wide TOTALS thus far: $5,115 raised, 1,018 votes, 35.2% voter rate and average spend per voter $24.77 and rising. We are $4,885 away from raising $10,000!!

Royal Court Nominations as of 3/30/14

Auction, Cohort, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Fun, Fund Raising, Kindergarten, Second Grade, Third Grade, Uncategorized

CrownNow 1st grade is rallying, they’ve knocked 3rd grade down to 4th place. Come on 3rd grade you can rally. Kindergarten is holding steady at 29% of the funds raised, followed closely behind 2nd grade. Game on people, we can do it!!

Help your child’s cohort (grade level) secure the coveted honor of the Auction Royal Court by making a $5 vote on the VOTE FOR ROYAL COURT via PayPal or by bringing in cash or check to the front office (be sure to put your child’s name and room # on it). Don’t forget the top FUNdraising cohort will win a Popsicle party with masks and beads, as well as send their teachers to the auction in a swanky limo, and kick off the dance party. Get your votes in by April 2nd. 

Royal Court rankings as of March 30th:

  1. Kindergarten: $875 raised, 175 votes, 37.6% voter rate, raised 29% of funds
  2. 2nd Grade: $700 raised, 140 votes, 24.2% voter rate, raised 26% of funds
  3. 1st Grade: $655 raised, 131 votes, 26.2% voter rate, raised 19% of funds
  4. 3rd Grade: $320 raised, 64 votes, 22.3% voter rate, raised 13% of funds
  5. 4th Grade: $180 raised, 36 votes, 12.3% voter rate, raised 8% of funds
  6. 5th Grade: $105 raised, 21 votes, 5.5% voter rate, raised 5% of funds

Rankings are based off of funds raised/total # of students in each cohort (#s equalize among grade levels). For a breakdown by classroom, click Royal_Court_3-30.

School wide TOTALS thus far: $2,835 raised, 567 votes, 22.9% voter rate and average spend per voter $21.16 so far. Let’s try to get the participation up to 100% of the school.

We raised $9,000 last year, we are only $7,165 away from $10,000! We raised all the money last year in this last week. We can do it!!

Royal Court Nominations as of 3/27/14

Auction, Cohort, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Fun, Fund Raising, Kindergarten, Second Grade, Third Grade, Uncategorized

CrownWow, 2nd grade swooped in and knocked 3rd grade down to 3rd place and is now nipping at the heels of Kindergarten. Watch out Kindergarten, I believe 2nd grade is saying game on.

Help your child’s cohort (grade level) secure the coveted honor of the Auction Royal Court by making a $5 vote on the VOTE FOR ROYAL COURT via PayPal or by bringing in cash or check to the front office (be sure to put your child’s name and room # on it). Don’t forget the top FUNdraising cohort will win a Popsicle party with masks and beads, as well as send their teachers to the auction in a swanky limo, and kick off the dance party. Get your votes in by April 2nd. 

Royal Court rankings as of March 27th:

  1. Kindergarten: $705 raised, 141 votes, 109 students, 31.2% voter rate, raised 28% of funds
  2. 2nd Grade: $595 raised, 191 votes, 99 students, 18.2% voter rate, raised 26% of funds
  3. 3rd Grade: $320 raised, 64 votes, 94 students, 22.3% voter rate, raised 15% of funds
  4. 1st Grade: $455 raised, 91 votes, 128 students, 21.5% voter rate, raised 15% of funds
  5. 4th Grade: $160 raised, 32 votes, 70 students, 9.9% voter rate, raised 9% of funds
  6. 5th Grade: $105 raised, 21 votes, 73 students, 5.5% voter rate, raised 6% of funds

Rankings are based off of funds raised/total # of students in each cohort (#s equalize among grade levels). For a breakdown by classroom, click Royal_Court_3-27_Ave-funds.

School wide TOTALS thus far: $2,340 raised, 468 votes, 586 students, 19.3% voter rate and average spend per voter $20.71 so far. Let’s try to get the participation up to 100% of the school.

We raised $9,000 last year, let’s see if we can beat it and raise $10,000 this year!!!

Donations Accepted

Your 2013 Donations are Tax Deductible

Charitable Contribution, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Fund Raising, Kindergarten, Second Grade, Third Grade

Your 2013 Tax Deductions
As an incorporated Washington State non profit, donations to the Schmitz Park PTA are tax deductible. This is good news, especially at this time of year when April is fast approaching. However, this does not mean that all funds received by the PTA are tax deductible. For example, your PTA membership is not tax deductible as you get something for your funds ie you get membership into the PTA. The same would be true for a Movie Night event or participating in the After School Enrichment program. Funds that are tax deductible include donations to the One Campaign, Move-a-Thon, and portions of the Auction. Let me describe further.

One Campaign
This is our first call to action of the school year, and the one that best helps the students, teachers, and staff at Schmitz Park Elementary. Our goal is to raise $30,000 in the One Campaign, and yet it only costs of $200 to advertise, leaving over 99% of those donations to help the school directly. All donations to the One Campaign are 100% tax deductible, and are included in the letter that we sent to families. Most of these donations come to us electronically through PayPal, and are easy to track.

Move-A-Thon
This is fun Fall event where we get the kids outside running laps and raising funds. The classes that earned the most also got a popsicle party, which is often all the incentive elementary school students need (I’m not sure I like this sentence). Several area businesses sponsor this event, and the kids wear their shirts with pride throughout the year. Like the One Campaign, 100% of your donations are tax deductible, and are included in the letter we sent to families. Unlike the One Campaign, very few of these donations come electronically. We have a committee of dedicated parents who count up all the loose change, checks, and IOUs and report the totals to the PTA. Please note that IOUs are unfortunately not tax deductible. The Feds are sticklers about that.

Auction
Each year, roughly 20% of the Schmitz Park community gathers for a fun filled evening of merriment and running up their credit cards to support our children. We run this event through a separate financial program designed to be used with auctions. Each attendee receives an email after the auction detailing out the amount of money donated, and how much is deductible. This can be quite challenging to calculate. The admission ticket is not deductible, as you get dinner and entertainment for those dollars. Additionally, money spend on drinks, LED Martini glasses, and raffles is also not deductible, as you “get something” for those purchases.When you participate in Raise the Paddle or the desert dash, those are considered “donations” and fully deductible.

If you were lucky enough to win an item, only the amount you paid above the value of the gift is deductible. Let’s say you purchased a brand new copy of Microsoft Office, retail value $250, for $75. That is a great deal! Of course, the $75 does go to help the PTA, but is not considered tax deductible. Had you run up that auction to $350, though, then the extra $100 would be deductible. Do you see how that works? Our auction software calculates this number for us, and sends the details to the attendees directly. This information is not included in the letter we sent. Therefore, if you were one of the 20% attending the auction, who also donated to the One Campaign / Move-a-thon, you will have two notices from the Schmitz Park PTA.

A few final thoughts
We don’t yet have a system where we know who is married to whom, who is filing their taxes jointly, etc. If you and your partner each made donations to the school, it is possible that you will be receiving two letters from us.

I hope this helps clarify what is, and isn’t, included in the tax letters you received. If you have any questions, please email our Vice President, Joe Turcotte.

-Ed Hansen
Treasurer@schmitzparkpta.org

Give Back Campaign Gains Momentum

Fund Raising

Schmitz Park PTA President, Jeff Rayner, recently spoke with the West Seattle Blog on our PTA objectives for shopping locally this year, and explained how the Give Back Campaign is helping to make that objective a reality. An excerpt from the article:

Jeff Rayner, Schmitz Park PTA PresidentThat’s why Schmitz Park has started a new program called “Give Back”.  The purpose of Give Back is simple — support the businesses through organized patronage. They don’t need to lift a finger except to ring the cash register. Schmitz Park has more than 600 students, which means there are more than 1200 parents we can mobilize.

In December, our goal is to shop at as many local stores as we can. In January, we’ll patronize health and fitness businesses in honor of New Year’s resolutions. Every month will bring one or more themes.

If these businesses support our school down the road — great. If not, others will. What goes around comes around. The stronger West Seattle businesses, the stronger West Seattle schools.

Check out the full article here.