Easley PTA Quarterly Update

We are so excited it’s almost Apex time again! After years of partnering with this fundraising company, I can tell you how excited the students get when the Apex team comes in to do leadership lessons in the classroom–not to mention the excitement of the dance party when they complete their moves to raise money through the pledges they have secured.

I still get questions sometimes about why we choose to partner with this company for fundraising–so I’ve included a Q&A below.

Also, as a reminder, we have chosen to do one large fundraiser rather than lots of small ones, to make it easy on our community. As a result, this fundraiser is very important to our school. As you’ve heard me say before, our PTA is critical in helping fund initiatives like STEAM and other specials, make facility improvements like new curtains for our stage, and offset field trips costs for chartered buses in some cases, so the burden doesn’t continue to fall on families. In addition, I am grateful for the grants they provide each teacher for supplies to keep them from paying out of pocket, and all the ways they make sure our community is supported and appreciated.

We are lucky to have such a strong community at Easley and the PTA and Apex fundraiser are a big part of our success.

Jennifer Hauser, Principal

We are so grateful for all of the volunteers who have helped us honor our teachers and staff through the following activities:

• Thanksgiving Pie Drive - This drive was such a success that we provided a pie for all teachers and staff, plus members of the afterschool team and bus drivers.

• Holiday giving tree - Thank you for helping to support Easley families who needed a little extra boost during the holiday season.

• Staff and teacher appreciation events– We’ve held several activities, including a special week of appreciation for our classified staff with breakfast, goodie bags and a catered lunch. More events are in the works to celebrate our amazing staff and teachers, including early release lunches and coffee carts–plus lots of fun surprises for Teacher Appreciation Week this spring.

• Crayons2Calculators - Thank you to the volunteers who helped shop and deliver orders at this non-profit that provides free supplies to DPS teachers. Please see more below about how you can help support Crayons2Calculators.

In addition to the previously reported projects of neurodiversity professional development for staff (more info in this video), sensory and anxiety support aids for students, professional development for Fifth grade math, and transportation for a Fourth grade field trip, PTA special project funds have also been approved for the following:

1. $11,608.00 for new stage curtains

2. $347 for professional development - This allows our Fifth grade math teacher to complete the professional development she is undertaking in her free time.

“The past few weeks have been really hard, but feeling the love from our community through PTA has really helped make things easier.” - Classified staff member note after the Week of Appreciation for Classified Staff

"The Fourth-grade team was fortunate enough to receive a generous grant from our PTA to offset the cost of our field trip to Winston-Salem. This grant made our field trip affordable for almost all of our families. That is so important, especially this year, as the Fourth grade goes on many field trips far from Durham due to our Social Studies curriculum which focuses on the State of North Carolina and its regions. We do not want our heavy travel year to be a financial burden on our families. We felt so happy that the trip really was in reach for everyone! Thank you, PTA!" - Fourth-grade team

“We have long needed new curtains for the stage and would not have been able to get them without the support of the PTA. I’m thrilled that we will have them installed before our Fifth grade graduation ceremony.” - Jennifer Hauser, Easley Principal

“These grants have been an essential part of my math education which translates into HOW I teach. I think it is working, as Fifth grade has exceeded its middle of the year goals!” Teresa Parkinson, Fifth Grade Teacher

Did you know the PTA pays the power bill for this sign?

Apex Fundraiser: February 26 - March 8, 2024

Spring Fling: May 3, 2024

Spring Book Fair: May 6 -10, 2024 (with a special night on May 3rd)

March 11, 2024

April 8, 2024

May 13, 2024

**All meetings are at 6:30 pm in Easley's media center and via Zoom

Many of you have asked us what you can do to support other DPS schools, so we wanted to share a few ideas:

• Donate to Crayons2Calculators, a nonprofit which provides free supplies to teachers. More info here.

• Link your Harris Teeter Vic card to Easley and up to four other schools. More info here.

• Attend an event to support public education co-organized by an Easley parent. We invite you to gather at the Haw River Ballroom on Sunday March 24, 2-5 PM, for a day of action and celebration for public schools. Join parents, educators, advocates, and other folks from nearby counties to share stories, get information, and brainstorm all the ways – big and small – that we can take action TOGETHER to support our public schools. Register HERE, or email Easley parent Liz Radzicki at liz.rhoads.parrott@gmail.com for more information.

  
  

APEX PTA Fundraiser Frequently Asked Questions From Principal Hauser

Where have the funds benefited Easley and at what cost? We review our budget at every PTA meeting.

All PTA meetings are open to the public and we welcome, and encourage, folks to attend either in-person or via Zoom. It’s a great way to let your voice be heard and stay informed.

The Apex fundraiser is a PTA fundraiser and funds our PTA operating budget, including but not limited to:

Leveled bookroom: We have spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years to build up our leveled book room. As a result, we have one of the best, if not THE best, bookroom in the district. This affords our students the opportunity to read just-right texts daily which we know is critical to growth in reading. Our efforts in providing students with an abundance of leveled texts continually places us among the highest-achieving schools in the district in literacy. The PTA has been a huge supporter in funding this important endeavor.

Teacher Grants: This line item provides each teacher with discretionary funds to use in their classroom. It is no secret teachers are always spending their own money and this line item provides funds (usually $250-$300) so they can be reimbursed for items they purchase or need for their classroom.

Special Project Grants: This line item is open to anyone on staff to submit a proposal which is then reviewed and voted on by the PTA. Over the years we’ve used this to cover a variety of projects such as professional development for teachers and staff, literacy materials, supplies for Specials like robots in STEAM or ukuleles for Music, supplementing the costs for charter buses for field trips to keep costs down for families and much more.

Media Center: Each year the PTA provides our media specialist with $6,000 to enhance our media program. This enables Mrs. Hartley to purchase new and updated books and digital resources. As a result, our media center is regularly updated and is extremely high functioning when it comes to the amount and quality of books our students access.

Free-of-charge Community Events: Our PTA hosts a variety of family events at no (or very minimal) cost to our families such as the Welcome Back dinner, Fall Festival and Spring Fling.

Professional Development: The PTA has routinely paid for professional development for the staff. These sessions have included Restorative Practices training, Equity PD, and technology workshops–and upcoming neurodiversity training.

What cut does APEX take and how much money do we make? We receive approximately 60% of the funds brought in through the fundraiser. We have been partnering with Apex for several years and typically the PTA brings in approximately $35,000 to $40,000 after we pay APEX for the service. This covers the bulk of the PTA operating budget.

What do we get out of partnering with APEX? The Apex Leadership Company sends three staff members to school each day over a two-week period. The team provides daily lessons to our students in each classroom. They interact with the students at recess, playing and reinforcing the concepts they are teaching in the lessons. The team runs all aspects of the program in terms of collecting funds, the online forum, and keeping track of class and student totals. At the end of the two weeks, they run the Remix event for the students. In addition to the time spent with us during the actual fundraiser, Apex partners with us throughout the school year, providing DJ services to us for our Welcome Back Dinner, Fifth Grade Graduation, Fall Festival, and Spring Fling.

Why can’t we just do the typical wrapping paper and cookie dough fundraisers? Fundraisers such as wrapping paper, cookie dough, and coupon books don't raise the kinds of funds we are able to raise over a two-week period with a fundraiser like Apex. Those types of fundraisers typically raise anywhere from $3,000-$10,000; therefore, to reach the amount of money we make with APEX we would need several fundraisers over the course of the year. In addition, it is important to note that each of those fundraisers would need someone to spearhead and organize it. We have conversations about this at PTA each year and determine the best course of action and vote on a plan. If you have strong opinions about the type of fundraising we do, I would highly encourage you to attend PTA meetings as this is where we discuss our fundraising for the year.

What did we do before partnering with APEX and why did it change? In the past, we have done a variety of different fundraisers. Prior to Principal Hauser’s time at Easley, and during her first year, we had a silent auction that took place at a local country club. To attend this event, parents purchased tickets, dressed up, and enjoyed an evening out while bidding on items that were up for auction. This event typically raised around $15,000. This type of fundraiser brought up a great deal of concerns around equity and access and the administration and PTA decided against moving forward with this type of elitist fundraising event that was fun for some but exclusive to many families and students alike. In addition, the bulk of the work to pull off this type of fundraiser fell on one or two parents. Therefore, the PTA also decided against doing a Fall Carnival as a fundraiser instead of a community event.

What about the students whose families aren’t able to make donations to the Apex Fundraiser? Don’t they feel left out of the fun? One of the benefits to this fundraiser is that all students can participate in all aspects of the program. Each student attends the daily lesson, receives a daily theme bracelet, participates in all the classroom awards, and participates in the culminating event. In addition, many staff members and other Easley parents sponsor students who may not have many pledges.

Where are the funds from the district and federal government? Why are we doing such extensive fundraising at the school level? We are not a Title 1 school (we have less than 40% of students who receive free and/or reduced lunch) and therefore we typically do not receive additional federal funds. One of the things that has historically made Easley such a strong school is the high level of parent involvement and supportive school community. We tend to rely on our PTA to provide supplemental funds for additional school projects and enhancements. Our state and local funds are used to fund our daily operations such as supplies and materials.

Easley PTA Website https://www.easleypta.org

Easley PTA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/easleyeaglespta/

For any questions, please email easleypta@gmail.com

The PTA wishes you a spectacular rest of the third quarter. Thank you again for your support of Easley's PTA and making our school so great!

Erin Medlyn, President

Ryan Kelly, Vice President

Leigh Muller, Treasurer

Megan Kilb, Secretary