School Council Committee
School Council is mandated by the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993. The school-based planning, which the council provides, offers an opportunity for teachers, parents and community members to play an active role in improving and supporting the schools. This is done formally through the School Improvement Plan, which is updated regularly. The School Council meets monthly, and members include the school principal, teachers, parents and a community representative. Members are appointed by the principal. Members of the school council act as liaisons between parents and administration and are a resource for parents who may have questions or concerns about school policy or procedure during the year.
*Time commitment: year-round
Enrichment Council Committee
The North Andover Schools Enrichment Council is a non-profit volunteer organization made up of three to four parent representatives from each of the North Andover schools. NASEC provides enrichment programming in the arts and sciences for the students of North Andover. The Council meets on the first Wednesday of the month at the high school to plan, preview and coordinate the events. Once selections are made, each school enjoys the same program across grade levels. All of the schools PTO’s help to fund these events, although NASEC has its own fundraising effort as well.
*Time commitment: year-round
Room Parent Committee
Room parents play an important role in the life of Franklin School. Each classroom has at least one room parent, depending on the teacher’s need. The room parents organize 4 parties in the classroom throughout the year (Halloween, Holiday, Valentines Day, and Year-end) as well as provide help and support at the teacher’s request. Room Parents are also encouraged to participate in any one or more of the fundraisers supported by the PTO during the year. The Room Parent Committee Chairs coordinate the team of room parents and serve on the PTO Board as the Room Parent liaisons at the PTO Board meetings.
*Time commitment: year-round.
Fall Fundraising Committee
The primary fall PTO fundraiser of the year (along with the Fall Direct Donation Drive) is the Innisbrook Fall wrapping paper and gift sale. Parents are encouraged to support the school through the purchase of gift-wrapping and gift items from the Innisbrook Gift Wrap Catalogue. The Fall fundraising Committee coordinates the catalogue orders and distribution of the purchases to the students.
The school receives 50% of the sales, which, last year, provided for funding of the PTO Core Initiatives – Teacher Incidentals, Mini Grants and the Enrichment Council. Purchases can be made online from the Innisbrook website throughout the year. Innisbrook will continue to donate 50% of all sales made after the Fall Fundraiser to the school.
*Time commitment: September 22 – October 13
Ice Cream Social
The PTO sponsors an Ice Cream Social during the year for Franklin families to enjoy an ice cream treat with their children, the staff and other families in the cafeteria. The committee coordinates the purchasing of food, serving and clean up, which is done by parent volunteers.
*Event dates: October 21, 2008
Book Fair Committee
The PTO sponsors two book fairs during the year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The committee works with Scholastic Books to run the fair. The committee coordinates the fair through the organization of parent volunteers who assist in setting up and guiding and familiarizing students, parents and teachers with the books for sale at the book fair. Based upon sales from the fall book fair, the spring book fair usually provides a buy one get one free book event.
*Event dates: October 20 - October 24, 2008 and June 1, 2009
Holiday Social Committee
The Holiday Social is a fun family evening event, which has become a much-anticipated tradition for the Franklin community. The PTO sponsors and funds this free family night. There are crafts and games and refreshments and the much anticipated secret shopping where the children can purchase inexpensive holiday gifts for their family and friends. There is the traditional Cookie Stroll where parents can purchase selections of cookies baked by Franklin families and the famous Franklin Auction where lunch with the Principal and various “Teacher for the Day” are always a big draw. Many volunteers are needed for the event to set up the shopping, help with the crafts and games, the food and with clean up. This year the event has been moved to a Saturday to accommodate busy families.
*Event date: Saturday, December 6, 2008
Library Volunteer Committee
The committee chair works with the librarian to schedule parent volunteers to assist with various projects in the library including checking and reshelving books, using the computer card catalog, and helping with other organizational projects in the library.
*Time commitment: year-round
Literacy Library Committee
The Literacy Library contains guided reading books, which are organized according to reading levels. This part of the library is accessed only by teachers and parent volunteers who use these books for the classroom or to assist with guided reading within the library. Literacy volunteers work under the guidance of teachers within the school and assist the school’s literacy staff in sorting, cataloging and re-shelving books.
*Time commitment: year round
Special Occasion Books Chair
Each year the PTO sponsors the Special Occasion Books Program. Through this program books are added to the school library in honor of a Franklin student or staff member or to commemorate a special occasion such as birthday or anniversary. A PTO volunteer works with the school librarian who has pre-selected books for the program. These books can be previewed on the yellow cart, which is located in the front hallway of the school. Parents can purchase books for the library, which will bear the honoree’s name on a personalized label inside the special book. The sponsored student will have the honor of being first to take out the book. This is a self-funded PTO project and not a fundraiser.
*Time commitment: year-round
Community Involvement Committee
The Community Involvement Committee works to raise the social awareness of our children and to provide aid to our neighbors in need. The Unicef drive in October kicks off our Community Involvement fundraisers with the children collecting charity while trick or treating. A food drive in November helps to supply needy families with Thanksgiving dinner. A personal care drive in March supplies soap, shampoo and other products to local needy families. . Last year the Committee was instrumental in providing backpacks and supplies to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and helping local families with flood relief.
The Community Involvement Committee coordinates the charitable collections. The committee posts the details of the drives and the desired items in Monday Minutes for several weeks. At the end of each drive, the committee volunteers work with the students and various charities to collect donations and arrange for pick up at the school.
Franklin Variety Show
The Franklin Variety Show is fun family evening where our students have an opportunity to showcase their various talents on stage for all of their Franklin admirers. The committee organizes this event by signing up interested child and parent volunteers in advance of the show, scheduling and supervising rehearsals and making preparations for the big night.
*Event date: February 5, 2009
Spring Fundraiser Committee
The Spring Fundraiser is the primary fundraiser in the Spring and a fun evening for Franklin parents and staff. The goal of the Spring fundraiser this year is to focus the event on a family based theme that is open to students and families from neighboring schools to foster more communication and increase the fundraising potential of this event for Franklin.
*Event date: March 20, 2009
Art Show Committee
Each spring, Franklin School hosts a Young Artists Night, an evening event during which our children’s artistic creations are displayed throughout the school. In the past we have alternated hosting this event with the Atkinson School. The Art Department runs the evening with the assistance of parent volunteers who are instrumental in framing, hanging and displaying the artwork. The PTO provides hospitality for this event.
*Event date: March
Beautification Committee
This committee works to ensure the outside of the school is welcoming and appealing by coordinating the Fall and Spring clean-up of the landscaping around the school and playgrounds. This committee also plans and implements any other outdoor projects, landscaping, seasonal planting and decorations. In addition, this committee organizes and runs the Spring Plant Sale a PTO fundraiser used to fund some of the school landscape improvements. The Spring Plant Sale is planned to coincide with Teacher Appreciation week in May.
*Event dates: fall and spring
Fun Run Committee
The Franklin Fun Run is another Franklin tradition that our children look forward to each year. It is held during the morning hours of the school day in early June. Promoting health and exercise, our children run laps around the playing fields, earning donations from sponsors for each lap completed. Family and friends attend to cheer the children on! This is a great school spirit event where the children raise money for a designated charity and to support a specific school acquisition, such a books for the library, playground equipment, etc. The Fun Run chairperson oversees the event, provides information to teachers and parents, collects the pledges, arranges for refreshments and water for the runners, and oversees the volunteers at the event. Parent volunteers hand out water and ice pops to the runners and mark off the laps each child runs.
*Event date: June 4, 2009
Teacher Appreciation Week Committee
This committee oversees the weeklong event funded by the PTO to honor our Franklin teachers and staff. The committee arranges for baked goods to be donated each morning for the teachers to enjoy in the teacher’s room as well as several donated dinners during the week for teachers who win the dinner lottery. Teacher appreciation week culminates with a catered luncheon and gift presentation for teachers and staff.
*Event dates: Week of May 4, 2009
Yearbook Committee
The Franklin yearbook is published at the end of the year and includes class pictures and many photographs and artwork commemorating the year. The Yearbook Committee coordinates the project and layout and works with the yearbook publisher. Committee members take photographs of school events throughout the year, and create page layouts for each grade and school event. This is a self-funded PTO project and not a fundraiser.
*Time commitment: year-round
Math Superstars Committee
Math Superstars endeavors to give Franklin students a wider exposure the world of mathematics. Students participate voluntarily in this weekly program completing math problem sets consisting of approximately 10 questions of varying difficulty. The PTO sponsors and runs this program. The Committee Chair oversees the distribution of the worksheets to the classroom and parent volunteers pick up, correct and return the worksheets each week. Parent volunteers maintain a cumulative running total for each student participating in the program. Certificates of Participation are presented at the end of the year to all participating students
*Time commitment: year-round
5th Grade Activities Committee
There are many special activities in which the 5th grade class participates to mark the end of their elementary school years. The 5th grade class conducts their own fundraising to support some of these events. The many fun activities include a day long outing at the end of the year with swimming, field activities and a barbeque as well as field trips. The Committee Chairs organize and coordinate 5th Grade Activities with the assistance of parent volunteers and the 5th grade teachers.
*Time commitment: year-round
Spirit Night Committee - Lock Monster
This committee organizes one school spirit event: Franklin Night at a Lock Monster Game. The committee selects the game date in the fall and coordinates the ticket sales prior to the event date.
*Time commitment: coordinating dates in the Fall, specific event date in March
Box Tops Committee
The PTO participates in General Mills Box Tops for Education program through which box tops are collected at home and brought to school, where they are placed in a box located in the front hallway. The box tops are then sent in for redemption by the Committee Chair who oversees the collection and submission of the box tops to General Mills, and comes up with fun and exciting ways to encourage the children to participate in the fundraising effort.
*Time commitment: year-round
Mini Grants Committee
The PTO Mini Grant Program provides supplemental financial support to our classrooms to encourage creative curriculum opportunities for our children. Each year the PTO sets aside money that teachers can apply to use for special projects, field trips or supplies not otherwise provided in the school budget. Last year, the Mini Grant Program funded many exciting events and educational “extras” for our students which included awards for our children presented at our school-wide Reading Assembly, presentations from Zoo New England, school trips to The Museum of Science, an educational speaker on simple machines (MCAS topic), new magazines, workbooks, periodical subscriptions and educational videos, supplemental math trade books, book materials to support the social studies curriculum, new cassette players and books on tapes for the library, busing to class field trips, 100th day of school pencils, Gold Book award certificates, supplies for Young Artists Night, and emergency clothing supplies for the nurse’s room.
The PTO allots an equal amount of money for each grade and for specialists (music, art, gym, nurse, speech, reading, library, and guidance). There is an application process, review by the principal and presentation to the PTO Board for discussion and approval prior to the funding of any grant request.
The Committee Chair attends teacher meetings and acts as a liaison by presenting the Mini Grant proposals at our monthly PTO Board meetings. If the grant is approved, the Committee Chair may work with the teacher to purchase the requested item or otherwise take the necessary steps to fulfill the request.
*Time commitment: year-round
Publicity Committee
The Committee Chair provides local newspapers with information on upcoming events, takes photographs at those events and ensures permission to publish through the front office, as necessary. Photos can be emailed or hand delivered to the Publicity Committee Chair with captions identifying the event and the people photographed.
*Time commitment: year-round
Franklin Flyer/Dragon Dreams Committee
The Franklin Flyer is a PTO funded student written school newsletter/publication and is published three times a year. It contains articles about school events, interviews with teachers and staff, selections of our children’s writings and PTO information. An 8-week journalism class is provided to students in grades 3 – 5 through Community Programs where they receive instruction from the Committee Chair. Dragon Dreams is a Franklin School Publication that is published in June. This committee collects submissions of original creative writing from grades Pre-K through 5, three times throughout the year. Students may submit up to 3 original pieces. Everyone gets published who participates. This committee also sends a certificate and congratulatory letter to everyone who participates.
*Event dates: As stated above
Monthly Minutes Chair
Monthly Minutes is a monthly newsletter that goes home with our children or is emailed to the Franklin distribution list each month. It lists all PTO and school related activities, important notices and features a weekly note from the principal. The Committee Chair assembles all of the notices each week, produces the Monthly Minutes flyer, and oversees the copying and distribution through the front office. All notices for publication must have approval of the principal prior to submission.
*Time commitment: year-round
Franklin Web Master
The Franklin web master is responsible for working with the principal, staff and PTO members to maintain and update the Franklin web site.
*Time commitment: year-round
Preschool Liaison Chair
Franklin School is unique in that our community includes the integrated preschool. The Preschool liaison Committee Chair represents the preschool at the PTO Board meetings and works to encourage the preschool staff and parents to become actively involved in PTO events and activities.
*Time commitment: year-round
Teacher PTO Liaison
An integral part of our school and the success of our students rests in the communication we have with our teachers. The Teacher PTO Liaison represents the Franklin teaching staff at the PTO Board meetings and works to encourage open dialogue between the staff and the PTO identifying areas where the PTO can assist through fundraising or the provision of parent volunteers in the furtherance of the education of our children
*Time commitment: year round
Special Education Liaison
The Special Education Liaison is a representative of the North Andover Parent Advisory Council for Children with Special Needs (NAPAC) acting as an informational liaison to the Franklin School. The Special Education Liaison reports, as needed, to the PTO Board on issues relating to special education at the Franklin School.
*Time commitment: year round
Budget Parent Committee
Budget parents play an important role in communicating information concerning town finances and their impact on the schools. Budget parents attend School Committee and other town meetings to keep informed of decisions made that will affect the curriculum, administration and personnel in our schools. Budget parents provide the PTO Board with summaries of the meetings attended at the time of the monthly PTO meetings or by other means of communication. Budget parents are an invaluable resource to those parents who wish to keep informed and involved but whose time commitments prevent them from attending meetings.
*Time commitment: year-round
Veteran’s Day Breakfast/Senior Citizen Event
This committee works with Ms. Chesler in hosting a Veterans Day Breakfast in November for relatives and local veterans. In May, during Senior Citizen recognition month, this committee will plan an activity or event for the local community.
*Time commitment: November 6, 2008
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