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PTC Financials - Footnotes

Footnotes PTC Budget 2008/2009

Income

General note to the total budgeted income for the year 2008/09

All income, except for the Book Fair income, is used to finance PTC activities as reflected in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2008/09. Please refer to the footnote on the Book Fair for more information.

Invest in Our Children (IIOC):

IIOC is one of the PTC’s major fundraiser which begins at the beginning of the school year. Although all parents are automatically members of the PTC, parents are asked to donate money to enable the PTC to organize and fund activities as described and reflected in the proposed budget for the year 2008/09. The budgeted amount of $20,000 is based on the actual result for fiscal year 2007/08.

Early Release Days:

These activities are organized for grade 1-5, once a year, on an early release day. They are held at the Boston Sports Club in Wellesley and the students are charges a nominal fee to participate.

The Book Fair:

This event is run by the Book Fair Committee and is held once a year for a full week in the school’s Media Center. Generally, this is during the month of November.  The proceeds have historically been used to buy books for class rooms, reading specialists and the Media Center.

Box Tops for Education:

The Newman community raises money for the PTC by collecting/cutting out box tops, from General Mills product packaging, by sending them into school. The Box Top coordinator counts and sends in students contributions twice a year.

Gift Wrap:

In partnership with Innsbrook Gifts, the PTC through the students sells high quality gift-wrap, chocolates and gift items. This is a major fundraiser for the PTC and its profits directly support PTC programs. Fifty percent of all sales go to the PTC. The gift-wrap fund-raiser is held in the early fall each year. The sale starts 2-3 weeks after school begins and lasts for two weeks. 

Silent Auction:

The Silent Auction takes place once a year. During last fiscal year it was incorporated in Springfest. Newman parents, community members and businesses are solicited to donate goods and services. We are estimating proceeds of $10,000 for the current year.

Class Baskets/Teacher Donations:

During the annual Springfest in May, teachers donate time and activities to be auctioned. Each class room makes a “theme” basket from donated items to be auctioned as well.

Springfest:

Springfest is the Newman PTC’s annual fun family event and the major fundraiser of the year. There are games, food, prizes and a lot of fun. The income line item “Springfest” shows the budgeted net proceeds from registration, ticket and food sales. This event is typically held in May.

Expenses

Curriculum Enhancement (“CE”):

The Newman PTC Curriculum Enhancement Committee strives to assist the classroom learning by providing a variety of artists and presenters throughout the school year in support of a variety of curriculum areas across all grade levels. This provides an alternative angle or a different presentation or repetition of the curriculum in support of all learners, including differentiated learners. Many events are cross-curricular, supporting more than one curriculum area and creating synergy between different curriculum units. All events have been previewed by the committee, and are booked and executed in close cooperation with the teaching staff as well as school administration. Feedback is collected to ensure that events continuously meet the needs of the teachers.

Curriculum Grants:

Every year the PTC sets aside money to help teachers fund special classroom projects through Curriculum Grants. Grants allow our teachers to be creative and collaborative in developing projects for their classrooms that enrich the education of our children. The Curriculum Grant Committee consists of teachers and parents representing each grade, which meets monthly to consider proposals submitted by Newman teachers, or Newman parents or students (with teacher sponsors). Curriculum Grant proposals can be submitted for any activity designed to enrich and supplement the curriculum. Grants approved by the Committee have funded a wide variety of items each year ranging from books and videos to recess enhancements and digital microscopes. 

Grants will be considered from any teacher, staff member, parent or student of the Newman School community (K-5); parents or students must include a sponsoring staff member. Grants will be considered for single or multiple classes, cross-grade or grade level, or whole school activities. Grants will be considered for projects, which enrich the current curriculum in some way.  Grants may be written for materials, stipends to outside resources, books, or other ideas that will support and enhance the curriculum. 

Technology Grants:

PTC has financed technology purchases for the school and classrooms. Past examples have included digital cameras for classrooms.

Smart Board:

One smart board has been budgeted for fiscal year 2008/09.

Garden Project:

The budgeted $ 500 is for the gardens next to the kindergarten playground area.  Two teachers, Mr. Warren and Ms. Cuoco took this project on last year and will be continuing in 2008/09.
 

Health and Wellness:

The purpose of the Health & Wellness Committee is to bring information to the school community that supports and promotes the physical, emotional, and social health and well being of children and families. One activity that is organized by the Health and Wellness Committee is the annual Mayrathon event – the run/walk/jog around the Newman school. The Mayrathon is the Newman version of the Boston Marathon and raises money for charity.

Green Kids (GKN):

Green Kids Newman is part of an elementary school wide initiative created to promote eco-awareness in the school community. The focus has been Small Changes Make a Big Difference.  If we all make small changes to our lifestyles, as a community we can have a big impact. 2007/08 projects included monthly Green Tips, old cell phone and ink cartridge collection, canvas bag promotion, no idling campaign and a walking school bus. The big event of the year is the April Earth Day celebration.  

New Diversity:

The New Diversity Committee seeks to support the educational process for both children and adults in the area of race, culture, family structure, and adoption. The committee has a common mission toward promoting, enhancing, and celebrating cultural, ethnic, racial, religious and familial diversity in the Newman Elementary School community. The committee creates/sponsors programs to support a multi-culturally diverse curriculum.

Metco:

The PTC has a new Metco item in the budget to help foster community support for the program and its participants.

Disability Awareness:

The primary goal of the disabilities awareness committee is to raise awareness of a variety of visible and invisible disabilities that students may encounter within their school experience and throughout life.  Through this raised awareness, it is the secondary goal that students become more familiar and comfortable with a variety of disabilities, and therefore will be better able to interact with as well as exhibit support and empathy towards those who have a disability, nurturing the creation of social bonds across disability divides. Students may be made familiar with a variety of disabilities through large-scale presentations by e.g. vision or motion-impaired individuals, as well as small-scale workshops, where smaller groups of students experience a particular disability through simulation. A close cooperation with similar committees at the Eliot and Hillside schools is planned.

Grade Level Projects/Reading & Writing:

To support Newman's collaborative culture that is integral to working in a professional learning community, the PTC supports a Grade Level Grant Project to begin in the Fall of 2008. Should grade levels choose to apply for this grant, the money received would serve to provide a shared experience for all students in an individual grade level from first to fifth grade. As these projects will be curriculum-based, we do not see this as an "add-on" to the preexisting curriculum, but as a support to it. Funds for Grade Level Projects are available for grades 1-5, up to a maximum of $5 per student (approximately $600 per grade).
 

Insurance:

General Liability is 3^rd Party Bodily Injury and/or Property Damage Coverage.  This was set up due to the PTC being a separate entity from the Town of Needham and therefore not covered under the Town’s insurance coverage.  The General Liability covers most activities that the PTC engages in. 

Communications & Email:

The PTC pays $60/year for web site hosting.  The PTC will also pay $375/year (after 15% discount for 12 month pre-pay) for the Constant Contact email system.  The Constant Contact expenses are being billed to a personal credit card and reimbursed.  Expenses back to June 2007 were not submitted so on a one-time basis, this year's budget contains an additional $458.50 to cover past Constant Contact expenses.

Office, Printing and Postage:

These are expenses associated with the PTC level items such as the trifolds given to all parents at the beginning of each year describing the PTC, volunteer opportunities and important dates.

Software: 

Balance allocated to enable PTC administrative functions; examples have included updating financial software Quicken.

General Note on Family and Children Events.

The PTC is planning to organize more community building family and children events for fiscal year 2008/09. This explains the increase in budget from fiscal year 2007/08 to fiscal year 2008/09.

Bingo Game Night:

 The PTC sponsors an annual Family Bingo Game Night. We sell tickets for a nominal fee to cover the expenses with hopes of breaking even and fostering a spirit of community.

Newman World Dance Tour:

The key educational goals for the program include: Introducing students and their parents to music, dance, and food from around the world Enabling students and parents to participate in a shared Newman community event, with both familiar and new experiences. Expanding student’s horizons beyond the familiar American culture
Providing students with another avenue of fitness. This program aligns well with the academic beliefs of the Newman Community, including: The importance of the social curriculum, as introduced through the Responsive Classroom curriculum The importance of knowing students and their families individually and culturally, and is also supported in the Responsive Classroom curriculum The importance and joy of dance as a form of exercise.

Skating Party:

Annual PTC Family Skating Party is held at Babson College. The PTC sells tickets in an attempt to offset the cost of the ice rink rental.

Yearbook:

The PTC offers a yearbook to all students who attend Newman Elementary during the year. The price for the yearbook is set to equal the costs and is budgeted as a break even activity.

Ice Cream Social-Back to School Event:

An amount of $200 has been budgeted to finance this event at the beginning of the year to cover the cost of ice cream.

End of the Year Picnic:

An amount of $ 250 has been budgeted to finance the annual year end picnic in June. The majority of the expenses are related to town assessed custodial fees and a band.

Fifth Grade Activities:

The PTC sponsors 5^th grade activities in relation to their “graduation”. These events vary year to year and may include Graduation Night Reception (after the concert) including a parting gift for each child (locks), Class Day - field day, luncheon and talent show. The PTC may charge various fees as an offset to some of the costs.

Monsterball:

This is a community building costume party held in October. The PTC charges a nominal fee in an attempt to break even and foster a sense of community. The majority of the ticket sale proceeds offset the cost of pizza.

Community Building Committee:

An amount of $450 has been budgeted for new community building activities during fiscal year 2008/09.

CAPP Program :

The PTC sponsors the Child Assault Prevention Program, a program for grade K – 5. The CAPP is a curriculum whose main goal is to teach children and communities to reduce vulnerability to threatening situations. It is a community based program that is implemented by trained prevention specialists in schools and other educational settings. 

Community Service:

Community service programs organized by the PTC are school wide projects. Past examples have included Crayons to Cradles.

Gifts and NEF Spelling Bee:

The PTC contributes to the Needham Educational Foundation through participation in their annual fundraiser Spelling Bee. The majority of this account is the entry fee of $350

Hospitality and Appreciation:

The PTC sponsors four faculty and staff appreciation breakfasts/lunches each school year.  The budget helps defray the costs of coffee, eating utensils, paper products and miscellaneous food items. The PTC also supports grade level coffees, Kindergarten Welcome/Orientation/Play Dates and other one time faculty and staff recognition (retirement, bereavement, recognition of significant achievement).

Additionally, the PTC offers appreciation twice a year by giving the faculty and staff mail box gift bags.  The bags offer a note of appreciation and may contain a sweet, office supply or gratis from a local business. 

Principal Discretionary:

An amount of $2,000 has been budgeted to be used at the discretion of the Newman Elementary School Principal.

Staff Reimbursements:

The budgeted amount of $ 3,500 represents the gifts for the teachers and other staff during the holidays. The PTC sponsors a gift certificate for an amount of $50/teacher. An amount of $25/person has been budgeted for 0.5 FTE’s, secretaries and custodians.

Scholarship Funds:

The PTC has set aside funds to families who request financial assistance to participate in our activities, purchase yearbooks or books offered by the Curriculum Enhancement Committee as part of author visits to Newman Elementary School.