pta handbook 2014-2015

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

1/14

Welcoming Letter Executive Board

PTA Meeting Dates Turn-It-In Tuesdays

Join NHSD E-link Facebook

Check Writing Policies Incentive Programs

Committees

P.T.A. Membership P.T.A. Volunteer Holiday Party Volunteer School Store Volunteer Open House Baskets School Directory Info

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

2/14

The West View P.T.A. would like to welcome you all to West View Elementary for the2014-2015 school year! We are excited to reconnect with returning families, and lookforward to getting to know families that are new to our school. The P.T.A. Board andChairpersons have already been working along-side our Principal, Mr. Jesse Simpson, onpreparations for this school year. We are fortunate to have his support, and as a result, ourP.T.A. has the privilege of hosting many special events and programs many other schoolssimply do not!

But heres the catch, we need YOU to be part of the action so these traditions cancontinue. So, we encourage you to join the PTA and get involvedheres what you need todo:

1. Read over this ! It will help you to better understand how our P.T.A.

operates, and it will be a valuable source of information when a question arisesso tuck it in a safe place for keeping!

2. Complete the enclosed form, and send it in with your membership fee by TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th.

3. Complete and detach the multiple enclosed forms,and send them in by TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th.

4. Come to the ! Where me make event plans, discuss ways to

improve, brainstorm new ideas etc.

5. Stay informed, utilizing the , West View Weeklyand our very own page.

Also, new this year, we are looking to establish routine and consistency with our P.T.A.Deadlines! And so, we are introducing . If something from P.T.A.(registrations, orders, volunteer information etc.) is due for turn in, you will find the Deadlinewill fall on a Tuesday. So, on Monday evening, you can ask yourself, whats due ontomorrows Turn-It-In Tuesday? and have your things in ready to go. As we seek to make it

easier to stay organized at home, we ask that you to strive to meet those very importantDeadlines so that your Student does not miss out on things.

We thank you in advance for your help in making this school year great! Yourinvolvement, from participating in fundraisers, to meeting deadlines, to giving of your timeand talents in big and small waysit all enriches your Students experience here at WestView Elementaryand it will enrich YOUR life too!

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask a P.T.A. Board Member orChairperson - we are happy to help you find your place in the West View P.T.A.!

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

3/14

Monica Anderson [email protected] 412-721-7798

Chris Nolan [email protected] 412-931-0546

Karen Steinberger [email protected] 412-716-4590Kelly Myers [email protected] 412-939-3510

Colleen Mollenauercolleen.mollenauer@gmail.

com412-931-6777

P.T.A. Meetings occur monthly in the school Library and begin at 6:30pm. They

are about an hour in length - give or take! Enter the building using the door onChalfonte Avenue, closest to the wooden fence just before the front playground.Babysitting is available, in a room just down the hall from the meeting. Markyour calendars now, and come out to be involved and share your ideas -everybody is welcome!

Tuesday, September 9th~ 6:00pm Meet-n-Greet prior to Meeting! Tuesday, October 14th

Tuesday, November 11th

Tuesday, December 9th

Tuesday, January 13th~ 6:00pm Holiday Party prior to Meeting! Tuesday, February 10th

Tuesday, March 10th

Tuesday, April 14th~ Elections of Officers Tuesday May (TBA) ~ Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Also, mark your calendar (& make your work requests!) for the following SpecialEvents that we have planned, so far. These are some our biggest events of theyear, and require plenty of P.T.A. Volunteers to make them a success.!

Halloween Parade & Classroom Parties: October 31st

Holiday Shop Week: December 8th-12th

Winter Holiday Classroom Parties: December 23rd

Scholastic Book Fair Week: February 9th-13th

Open House: February 12th

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

4/14

Again this school year, the P.T.A. will be utilizing the North

Hills School Districts E-Link system to communicate with youabout our PTA events and programs. The will be sent out viae-mail every Friday to anyone that has registered for the NHSD E-Link service. Ifyou are not yet registered for NHSD E-Link service, here is how you do it:

1. Go to the district website: .2. Click on the Join tab located on the Quick Links left side bar.3. Fill in your family e-mail addresses and required personal information.4. Select to assure that you receive your

newsletter.This electronic newsletter will cut down on the paper flyers that come home aswell as keep you informed in a more up-to-date manner. If you do not haveinternet access, please fill out and return the form sent home by Principal, JesseSimpson. We will then send home a printed copy of the information with yourstudent.

In general, will be a great source for all your North HillsSchool District information. Once you are in there, choose

under the tab. Once under the West View tab, you will be

able to access our pages containing information ranging from acalendar of school events, to P.T.A. meeting minutes, to P.T.A. forms and an ar-chive of the previously sent newsletters.

If something from P.T.A. (registrations, orders, volunteer

information etc.) is due for turn in, you will find the Deadline will fallon a Tuesday. So, on Monday evening, you can ask yourself, whats due ontomorrows Turn-It-In Tuesday? and have your things in ready to go. As weseek to make it easier to stay organized at home, we ask that you to strive tomeet those very important Deadlines so that your Student does not miss out on

Are you on Facebook? The West View P.T.A. is! We use the FB Page tosend out deadline and event reminders, last-minute updates, NHSD newslinks, PDF files of fliers/forms that are sent home, and post pictures taken byour Yearbook Committee. So if you are on Facebook, be sure to stop by andlike us at

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

5/14

When writing checks for payment for P.T.A. events, orders, etc please:Make checks payable to West View PTA!Write only ONE check per family!

On Memo Line, write students Name, Grade & Teacher!Place payment in an envelope with corresponding form, labeled to the

P.T.A. Committee its intended for!

Once your payment has been submitted, here is the process the check goesthrough.

1. The Committee Chairperson will collect and log in the payments.2. The Committee Chairperson upon collecting ALL its payments, then turnsthe payments over to the P.T.A. Treasurer.

3. The Treasurer will process and deposit the checks into the P.T.A. account.

Because of this multi-step process, carried out by P.T.A. Volunteers, it is possible acheck may not clear your account for a month or so.

However, if your check is returned due to insufficient funds, here is theprocedure:

The P.T.A. is charged a fee from our bank and we will, therefore, charge youa fee.

The P.T.A. will send home a letter requesting that you send in the amountof the check, as well as, the $25 fee to cover any of our bank charges, andany other costs that we may incur due to each returned check.

This new payment must be sent to the P.T.A. in the form of cash or amoney order.

If a check is returned, all items will be held until all monies are paid for.For the remainder of the school year, you will NO longer be permitted to

write checks! You will need to send in cash or a money order.

Thank you so much for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please donot hesitate to ask. We hope you understand that we are trying to do what isbest for the children here at West View Elementary.

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

6/14

Just by using your Bottom Dollar card whenever you shop forgroceries, you are contributing to our school and children.Register your Bottom Dollar Card at:www.BottomDollarfoodconnections.com

West View P.T.A. participates in several retailer and product incentiveprograms. These programs allow you to earn money and/or products for theschool as part of your regular routine! All you have to do is quickly register for

the retailer programs and clip some labels from your groceries! And spread theword to your family and friends, so they can contribute too!

Register your Giant Eagle Advantage Card for Giant Eagle Apples for Students program, and whenever you shop forgroceries and pick up your prescriptions, you are contributing to our school!

Register your Advantage Card at www.gianteagle.comor by calling

1-800-474-4777. Use the 12-digit number noted below the barcode on theback of the Advantage card. West View Elementary's School Code is:

West View Elementary will again participate in the Box Tops for Education Program. This is an easy way for WestView Elementary to earn extra money. Start clipping and saving your Box Tops

There will be two turn in dates, one in October and then again in theFebruary. Please clip, trim and bundle in groups of 50 (preferably in a Zip Lockbag or envelope). Details will follow before each turn in date.

If you or a family member has a Target RED Card, Target Visa Credit Card or Target Debit Card, take a moment to register the card for the Take Charge of Education program.

Target will donate up to 1% of your RED card purchases to West ViewElementary. You can sign up for Take Charge of Education at your local TargetStore, online at www.target.comor by calling 1-800-316-6142. Please be sure todesignate West View Elementary to receive the benefits.

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

7/14

Our P.T.A. is busy, busy, busy! We sponsor a multitude of programs, and eachCommittee requires Parent Volunteers like YOU to give of your time, big or small,

to be successful! Read through our Committee descriptions and see where yourtalents and interests fit best!

We kick off our school year before classes starts with a familypicnic, that gives our students and staff the opportunity to meet some new faces before the year begins.(* Volunteers for this event will not be needed until after this school year ends.)

Once in the Fall and again in the Spring, we host a Book Swap! Students can swap5 gently read books from home for 5 new to them books from our collection of used books. Help isneeded during the day to help set up the books for swapping, as well help students choose books etc.

The P.T.A. is proud to offer the West View Dance Program for our students. If you have a tinydancer in your life, this might be a great place for you to lend your time and service. The Dance Programholds its own fundraisers and an annual year-end Recital.

The North Hills Education Council meets once a month to discuss timelytopics with regards to education. We need volunteers willing to attend the meetings and report back to ourP.T.A. Meetings.

Our Communications committee oversees the West View Weekly E-Linknewsletter, the West View Monthly Calendar, the Front Marquee and the Facebook page. Their goal is touse these multiple platforms to keep you as informed as possible about P.T.A. programs and happenings.

We host a Family Fun Night in the Fall, Winter and Spring to provide anopportunity for fun for the whole family. Volunteers are needed to organize events like roller skating, hay-rides, or Pirate baseball games. We welcome new ideas and lots of helping hands to make these eventsa success!

At the annual Open House night in February,our 4thGrade Parents host a Concession and Bake Sale. Proceeds of the Sale go to their class 5thGradeArt Project. Parents are needed to bake, organize goods, coordinate pizza and sub orders and work shiftsat Open House.

The P.T.A. hosts one major Fall Fundraiser that provides the budget for these listedcommittee projects, PLUS class Field Trips, school Assemblies, student Homework Folders and AssignmentBooks etc, Volunteers help to double-check totals, distribute product, and provide sales incentives for thesale. Various smaller fundraisers also occur through-out the school year.

In December Students will have the opportunity to visit our P.T.A. Holiday Shop.Students can shop for up to 6 people, from a great variety and selection of low cost items. Nothing bringsthe kids more joy that to shop on their own for their family for the holidays. MANY Volunteers are neededall week to help kids shop quickly and wrap/label their gifts. The success and continuation of the eventrelies on the Volunteers, so pick a day to come out and lend a hand - it will put you in the holiday spirit!

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

8/14

In coordination with our Holiday Parties, students can send a special messagegram, with attached treat, to their friends, staff, or siblings for 50-cents each. Help is needed putting theGrams together, dividing them by classroom and distributing them on party day.

The P.T.A. also raises funds through multiple Incentive programs. (See details on theIncentives Programs page of this handbook.) Volunteers are especially needed to help trim and count outBox Tops for Education.

The Literacy Committee hosts two Scholastic Books Fairs during the school year, whichrequire many volunteers to help students shop for books. In addition, Literacy works closely with ourLibrarian, Miss Tumbass, to help host both the Authors Day assembly and our annual Library Nightevent.

The large Bulletin Board just past the Front Office is for the PTA to decorateand communicate. Creative volunteers are needed to keep the board looking great and up-to-date!

Market Day is an ongoing monthly fundraiser that allows you to order uniquefood/grocery items at great prices. Volunteers are needed to help collect and log in orders, sort foods fromdelivery truck and make reminder calls about pick-up. Delivery takes place one Friday a month from 3:30-6:00pm.

The P.T.A. likes to have at least one West View P.T.A. Memberattend North Hills School Board Meetings and report back at our P.T.A. Meetings. Having multiplerepresentatives looks good for West View, and creates flexibility when one person cant attend due to other

commitments.

The P.T.A. hosts a large Basket Raffle at theannual Open House. Each classroom donates a Basket, and therefore, each classroom needs a Parent tobe the Coordinator to communicate the basket theme, collect the donations and put the basket together ina presentable fashion.

The P.T.A. hosts two holiday parties during the school year - Halloween and WinterHolidays. Only three Parents are needed/allowed per classroom to plan out activities and snacks, gatherneeded supplies and come in to lead the party. Halloween Party is Oct. 31stand Winter Holiday Party isDec. 23rd.

P.T.A. Membership is required to be involved in ANY of these P.T.A. Sponsoredevents, The Membership Chairperson will confirm your membership before allowing you Volunteer in anyway.

After a year and a half of special fundraising, the P.T.A.was proud to have a new playground installed in the back of the school in the spring of 2013. Now, weneed to move forward with phase 2 of the project - raising funds for a new FRONT playground! We neednew ideas and lots of energy as we look install a larger system than in the back!

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

9/14

Our recycling program used to be thriving - in the past weve collected a variety of itemsthat not only benefited the earth, but benefited our PTA through incentives. tostep up and take on the project - if you have a heart for recycling, it might just be you!

Our school store is located in the Cafeteria and sells a variety of school suppliesand novelty items. (Students are not permitted to spend more than $1 a day.) The Store is open Monday,Wednesday & Friday during the students Lunch Periods. Volunteers are needed to run the store and tendto inventory.

The Science Fair gives all students a chance to experiment with science and showwhat they have learned! Local individuals and businesses donate their time to come and judge theprojects. Parent volunteers are needed to help arrange display tables, greet judges, escort students andaward prizes.

Its important to teach our students the benefits of giving back! Our mostpopular project is the Penny Wars, but to step up into this committeethat comes with great hands-on ideas for our students to serve our great West View community.

This committee helps to provide refreshments for our PTA Meetings, andwell as host two Staff Appreciation Luncheons during the school year. Volunteers are needed to helppurchase items, decorate as needed, set tables, arrange food and drinks and clean-up afterwards.

Our P.T.A. provides a school-wide directory to ease your communicationneeds. Volunteers are needed to log in class lists and students information, New last year, we provided acompletely digital copy of the Directory, but help is also needed putting together paper versions.

The Volunteer Coordinator takes all the pink Volunteer formsyouve filled out & turned in, and creates a database for each Committee Chairperson. If organizingpaperwork and information is your strength, this might a great project for you!

West View Day is our year-end carnival celebration for the Students! A day filledwith games, face-painting, karaoke, inflatables, snacks, prizes and more! This day takes a LOT of ParentVolunteers - no helping hand is turned away. And its probably the most fun youll have volunteering allyear!

Do you love photo-taking and scrap-booking? If yes, the Yearbook Committee needsyou! Pictures need taken of interesting classroom activities, group pictures, school concerts and our P.T.A.sponsored events like field trips, assemblies, red-n-white days and more! This committee is all aboutcapturing and preserving great memories for our students as we put the Yearbook together cover to cover.

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

10/14

WEST VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

On behalf of the West View P.T.A., we would like to take this opportunity to welcomeyou to the 2014-15 school year and invite you to join the West P.T.A. The WestView P.T.A. offers a wonderful variety of volunteer opportunities for parents, grand-parents, friends, family members, community members, and anyone else that hasa positive interest in the students at West View Elementary School.

Membership is only $6.00 per person for the entire school year. Included in this membership fee isthe voting privilege at general meetings, representation at the state and national P.T.A. levels andliability coverage during any volunteer experience at West View Elementary School or P.T.A.sponsored activity. This is why it is very important that you join the P.T.A. if you plan onvolunteering in any capacity throughout the school year (this includes classroom parties or fieldtrips). Please take this time to join the P.T.A. today and get involved in your childs school activities.We will be happy to find volunteer opportunities that fit into your schedule and any amount of time

that you are able to give would be greatly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you throughout the school year. Have a great year and enjoy yourexperience at West View Elementary!

Sincerely,

Colleen MollenauerMembership Committee Chairperson(412) 931-6777 (Please call if you have any questions)

Membership Fee = $6.00 per person. Checks made payable to West View P.T.A.

Name___________________________________________________________ Phone #________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Students Name_____________________________________________ Grade/Teacher_______________________________




P.T.A. USE: Cash _________ Check #_____________

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

11/14

Get involved with the West View P.T.A.! First, be sure to send in your P.T.A.Membership form. Next, simply check off the Committies you are interestedin giving of your time and talents. Then turn in your form by

. (For more information on Committee activities and needs,

read through the descriptions listed earlier in this packet.)

Name___________________________________________________________ Phone #________________________________

E-mail___________________________________________________________ Available: ____ School Day ____ Evenings




Most Communications will be sent via e-mail, unless paper OR phone is requested here: ____

Back to School Picnic

Book Swaps

Dance Program

Educational Council Rep

Communications

Family Fun Night

4thGrade Open House Sales

Fundraising

Holiday Shop

Holiday GramsIncentives

Literacy

Lobby Directions

Market Day

NHSD School Board Rep

P.T.A. Membership

Playground Project

Recycling

Science Fair

Service Projects

Social & Hospitality

Student Directory

Volunteer Coordinators

West View Day CarnivalYearbook

Classroom Help

GENERAL P.T.A. HELP

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

12/14

The P.T.A. hosts two holiday parties during the school year - Halloween andWinter Holidays. The Halloween Party is Friday, October 31stin the afternoonand the Winter Holiday Party is Tuesday, December 23rdin the afternoon.

All Party Parents MUST hold a current P.T.A. Membership to participate.Only three Parents are permitted per classroom to plan out activities and snacks, gatherneeded supplies, prepare treat bags and come in to lead the party. Please turn in yourform by to be considered for one of the volunteer slots. All PartyParents will be notified if they are participating in as a Party Parent by October 1 st.

The P.T.A. Will provide a budget of $2.00 per Students, Teacher & Para-Professional in theClassroom. You will be reimbursed the day of the Party. Please save your receipts to turn into the Holiday Party Head Parent.

Please note the upper grades have the choice to combine their classroom efforts and holda larger Party in the Gym. 5thGrade may use the Gym for Halloween and 6thGrade mayuse the Gym for Winter Holidays. In this case, Head Room Parents will coordinate together.

Questions & Concerns, contact Party Parents Chairpersons: Kristen Kelly ~ 412-939-2826 ~ [email protected] Kelly Myers ~ 412-327-6084 ~ [email protected]

Please fill out a SEPARATE FORM for each of your students. Mark your numbers of forms here: _____

Parent Name________________________________________________________ Phone #____________________________

E-mail___________________________________________________________________________________________________


Communications will be sent via e-mail, unless phone call &/or paper copy is requested here: ____

Check ALL the parties that you are interested in participating. Depending on the number of volunteers, you may only

be able to participate in one Party. Head Parent is simply the main contact for each room party and responsible forthe organization of Parent Volunteers for the class.

____ 1stChoice

____ 2ndChoice

____ Willing to be Head Parent

____ 1stChoice

____ 2ndChoice

____ Willing to be Head Parent

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

13/14

The West View P.T.A. hosts a large Basket Raffle Fundraiser at the annual OpenHouse in February. Each classroom donates a Basket, and therefore, each classroomneeds a Parent to be the Coordinator. As Coordinator, you would choose the baskettheme and communicate the theme to the teacher and class parents, collect the donations fromthe students and put the basket together in a presentable fashion for the raffle.

Some themes from past years include Gardening, Movie Night, Baking, Car Wash, Arts & Crafts, IceCream Sundae fixings, Spring Cleaning, Made in Pittsburgh, Popcorn Lovers, Backyard Fun and

Family Game Night. BUT you can be as creative as you like with your theme - we welcome freshideas!

If you are interested in being a Basket Coordinator for your childs class, become a P.T.A. Memberand then fill out this form & turn in it by


E-mail___________________________________________________________________________________________________


The West View P.T.A. School Store is located in the Cafeteria and sells a variety ofschool supplies and novelty items at low cost.

The School Store is open Monday, Wednesday & Friday during the Lunch Periods - 11:30am to1:00pm. Volunteers MUST be P.T.A. Members and are needed to run the store, as well as tend toinventory. If you are interested in working the School Store, please submit this form by

Questions? Contact the School Store Chairperson:

Nicole King ~ 412-432-9259 ~ [email protected]


E-mail___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Days of Availability: _______________________________________________________________________________________


Communications will be sent via e-mail, unless phone call/paper copy is requested here: ____

8/11/2019 PTA Handbook 2014-2015

14/14

The P.TA. Provides every family at West View Elementary with a copy of theStudent Directory for the year. All of the Students names will be published

with their Class, however, only the additional personal information you provide will beincluded. This is an excellent source of information when you want to plan a birthday party,set-up a play-date or confer with a friend over homework and special class projects.

Please fill out this form with all the information that you want to include in the directory by. Siblings may be included on the same form as long as the

personal information in the same. If any personal information is different, please useseparate forms.

Questions? Contact Student Directory ChairpersonKelly Myers ~ 412-327-6084 ~ [email protected]





Students Address_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Home Phone_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Name of Mother/Guardian_________________________________________________________________________________

Cell Phone_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Email Address____________________________________________________________________________________________

Name of Father/Guardian__________________________________________________________________________________

Cell Phone_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Email Address____________________________________________________________________________________________

If you would prefer an electronic copy of the Directory instead of the paper copy, pleaseinclude the e-mail address(es) that you would like the Directory to be sent to on the linebelow. The Directory will be e-mailed no later than October 15th. You will NOT receive apaper copy of the Directory when it is issued.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

pta handbook 2014-2015

Documents