Below you will find descriptions of the PTA committees serving Freedom Elementary. Please feel free to contact our volunteer coordinator if you are interested in serving on any of these committees. We would welcome your help!

PTA Program Descriptions

Accelerated Reader (AR)
This is a reading incentive program managed by Mrs. Wong, Computer Lab Assistant

• List of books with reading level and point value
• Lists are found on Freedom Elementary School site, http://www.carrollk12.org/fes/ under “Accelerated Reader” on left-hand side of screen
• Lists are ordered by book title, author’s last name, and reading level
• Over 2,930 books
• After the book is read, the student takes a computer quiz and receives AR points based on his/her score
• An adult may read the quiz to kindergartners, first graders, and students whose teacher has given permission
• Quizzes are taken in the student’s classroom or in the computer lab
• Students earn points one month and spend the points the next month at the AR store
• The PTA funds the AR quizzes
• The AR store, run by volunteers, is open on Mondays before school in the cafeteria
• The store “sells” pens, pencils, lead, stickers, squishy faces, key chains, erasers, pencils, writing pads, rulers, highlighters, animal clips, etc
• End of Year prizes are given to each student per grade that earns the most points
• Volunteers order items for the store. The PTA funds the AR store

Audit
The PTA Audit committee audits the PTA Treasurer materials annually.

Back To School & End of Year Picnics

• The PTA funds the picnic sand and PTA volunteers organize the picnic.
• PTA volunteers and school staff serve food and refreshments at the picnic. School balls and jump ropes are provided during the picnic.

Back To School Teacher Luncheon & Parent Teacher Luncheon

• The PTA funds a back to school luncheon for all school personnel the week before classes begin.
• The PTA funds a luncheon on the fall parent-teacher conference day for teachers.
• PTA volunteers organize and run the luncheon.

Celebration/Birthday Books

• The Freedom principal and vice-principal rotate through each classroom and present a program based on a specific book. Each child in the classroom receives a book to take home.
• Books are funded by the PTA.

Child Advocacy

• Speak and show support at the state and county level for issues that affect children.

Communique (PTA Newsletter)

• A monthly PTA newsletter is distributed to all students on the 2nd Thursday of each month. It keeps parents informed of PTA information and events.
• The PTA Communique committee records information at the PTA meeting that should be included in the Communique. PTA officers and committee heads also send information to the committee for inclusion in the Communique. The committee prepares the Communique, has it reviewed, copies it, and has it distributed to the students.

Community Outreach

• PTA volunteers research programs that the school could do to benefit our community. The volunteers work with the school administration and staff to determine what programs might work best.

Cultural Programs

• The PTA Cultural Committee reviews pamphlets and gathers information on cultural programs that could be presented to the students. They try to choose programs that benefit all students.
• The committee works with the school staff to choose suitable programs and to determine the best dates.
• Past programs include:
• Author visit and discussion about writing and publishing a book
• Nada Brahma Music Residency Program
• Reptile Man

Field Trips
The PTA funds $500 per grade.

Fifth Grade Promotion
The PTA provides funds to support the fifth grade promotion ceremony and picnic.

Food Label Programs

• PTA volunteers process the Box Tops for Education labels, Campbell’s Food bar codes, and other food label programs.
• Some grades are given ice cream coupons, funded by the PTA, if they help cut the labels.
• The school receives all profits from these programs and reports to the PTA where the profits are being used.

Game Club
The PTA funds and runs the after school game club. Children are separated into three groups: K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. They have a snack and then play board games.

Grocery Cards

• PTA volunteers work with the school administration to gather parent’s grocery card numbers so that the school can earn money when parent’s shop at certain grocery stores.
• All profits earned through this program go to the school.

Hardware and Technology Support
In the past the PTA has helped fund:

• Wireless headset microphones, digital cameras and docking stations so each grade has a camera, computer cables, video cards, and headphones.
• Poster makers, supplies, and special projectors.
• BrainPOP - an educational program that provides curriculum-based content spanning seven main subjects including: Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Health, Arts & Music, and Technology.

Kindergarten Dinner
The PTA provides funds to support the spring dinner for incoming Kindergarteners and their parents. The kindergartners take a school bus ride and parents get familiar with the school and staff and ask questions.

Movie Nights

• The PTA buys a one-time movie license to show a movie in the school cafeteria.
• Students bring sleeping bags and pillows. Parents either sit on the floor or in their own chairs around the sides of the cafeteria.
• Free popcorn and drinks are provided by the PTA. PTA volunteers run the popcorn machine, bag popcorn, and prepare drinks.
• Normally 2 – 3 movies are shown per school year.

Physical Education
The PTA provides funds for prizes for the Project ACES fitness program, the spring play day, and supports the school with physical fitness initiatives.

Publications Used by Teachers
The PTA funds the Time For Kids and Scholastic News publications used by teachers.

School Directory

• PTA volunteers gather and enter student data for the School Directory.
• The PTA provides funding to print the directory.
• A directory is given to each Freedom family whether or not their child’s information is entered.

School Grounds

• PTA volunteers work with the school administration to decide how to help beautify the school grounds.
• The PTA provides funds to purchase mulch, flowers, and plants to beautify the school.
• PTA volunteers work on the grounds to rake leaves, prune bushes, pick weeds, spread new mulch and plant. Volunteers and school maintenance personnel do a full grounds clean-up before the back to school picnic.

School Supplies

• PTA volunteers work with a school supplies company to offer parents packaged school supply kits for the school year.
• School Supply Kit orders are taken in May.
• The kits are delivered to school before the Back to School Orientation in August. Volunteers deliver the kits to the student’s desks so they are ready by the orientation.

Teacher Classroom Support
The PTA provides $100/teacher for classroom support and also funds the student’s magnets showing their Specials weekly schedule.

Teacher Appreciation Week
PTA volunteers organize a week-long teacher appreciation event in the spring. This involves special food and gifts for the teachers. This is PTA funded.

Science Fair
April 22, 2010 - 6:30pm

Science Fair Registration Form - This form will tell us what scientific question the student is trying to answer for the fair. In the beginning of March we will send home a flyer asking you for the title or the project question. Now available - the 7th Annual Science Fair Registration Form & the Science Fair Handbook. Freedom Elementary's Science Fair is sponsored by the PTA and will take place Thursday, April 22nd , 2010 at 6:30 pm. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email Silke Elsner or call Mrs. Castner, Mrs. Will or Mrs. Finch at Freedom Elementary at (410) 751-3525.

• Freedom teachers and PTA volunteers form a Science Fair committee to organize a school-wide science fair in April.
• Participating students submit science questions and provide T-shirt sizes to the Science Fair committee. Cardboard display boards are sold.
• The Science Fair committee sends Science Experiment information home to each participating student, orders T-shirts and science fair medals, locates “visiting scientists to evaluate each science experiment, prepares a brochure showing where each student’s display is to be set up (either in the cafeteria or the gym), sets up and breaks down the tables, checks in participates and hands out brochures at the door, and provides refreshments during the event.
• The PTA provides funds for this event.

Spelling Bee

• The fourth and fifth grade teachers give all their students a written spelling pre-test. The students with the top 15-20% scores are asked to participate in the oral spelling bee.
• The oral spelling bee participants are given a packet containing the spelling bee rules, permission slips to participate in a practice oral spelling bee and the final spelling bee, and a list of practice spelling bee words.
• The practice spelling bee and the final spelling bee are held in the spring. Parent volunteers and teachers plan and run this event. This event is funded by the PTA.

Summer Reading Program
Provides rewards for those students that participate in the Freedom summer reading program.

Sunshine Committee
Provides birthday cards, get well cards, sympathy cards, flowers, etc. for staff. Also supports other special days/weeks like Secretary’s Day, Bus Driver Week, Custodial/Janitor’s Week, etc.

Welcoming

• The PTA Welcoming Committee prepares a Welcome Packet and provides it to parents at the New Freedom Families Orientation, at the Kindergarten back to school night, and also when requested.
• The packet contains information about the history of the school, school mascot, school staff, school layout, school calendar, school policies, programs, events, PTA objectives, PTA officer duties, PTA committees, PTA officer phone list, and Child Care providers.
• The committee also asks new families to fill out a short form so that the committee can call new families and provide any further school or PTA information.
• The committee maintains the PTA bulletin board on the wall across from the school office.