PTO President: This year the Parent/Teacher Organization presidency is being shared by two parents at Franklin in a co-presidency role. It is their job to meet once a month with our principal and also to attend a monthly meeting with the other PTO presidents in Littleton Public Schools. They also preside over the PTO executive board and run the quarterly PTO meetings. They are here to be your ears and your voice in casting vision for Franklin’s future and to oversee the committees that run all of these wonderful events throughout the year.
Contact:
or Robyn Tripp at trippfamily9302@msn.com
VIPS Coordinator: VIPS is a term that you will hear quite often which simply refers to “Volunteers in Public Schools”. The coordinators’ responsibilities consist of the recruitment and recognition of our parent volunteers. These are carried out in various ways throughout the school year, beginning with the coordination of the Volunteer Fair prior to the start of the school year and culminating in the recognition of volunteers at the end of school volunteer luncheon. Additionally, the VIPS coordinators are responsible for the tracking and reporting of volunteer hours and for the attendance of monthly, District-wide VIPS coordinator workshops. The VIPS chairperson is also a member of our PTO executive team.
Contact: Elise Luter eluter@me.com
Brooke Wolf bjacobsma@hotmail.com
Secretary: Our PTO secretary is responsible to take minutes at our meeting and distribute them to our board at the next meeting. This helps us to keep an accurate record of all that we discuss and need to bring up for re-discussion!
Treasurer: Our PTO treasurer serves on our executive board and is responsible for our finances. It is our goal to keep our records pristine and to remain accountable to our school. If you are on a committee and in need of a check request/reimbursement or depositing funds, please be sure you coordinate with your Committee Chairperson. All check requests require an Expense Voucher with a receipt attached and all deposits require a Cash Receipts Verification form that is signed by the Committee Chairperson. All forms/paperwork can be placed in the PTO Treasurer mailbox and cash deposits can be placed in the school safe. All Forms can be found in the PTO file cabinet located in the school office.
Marketing and Communications: The PTO Marketing and Communications Committee (MCC) is responsible for delivering effective and clear correspondence between PTO Chairpersons and the Franklin community through email, print and the Franklin Elementary website. This committee also produces the school’s directory and manages the Franklin Photo Upload system. The MCC will assist other PTO committees in developing event content/design to ensure optimal success. Committee duties include managing PTO Manager (the school’s email system), updating the PTO section in the Franklin website, sending emails, graphic design, document layout of printed pieces and assisting with printing.
Our committee is looking for marketing professionals, writers, graphic designers, database experienced and web people. Volunteers are needed for single projects and on a year-round basis. Most volunteering is accomplished from your home or office.
FAC: Our Franklin Accountability Committee plays a very significant role here at Franklin. It is made up of our principal Mr. Melkonian, parents, faculty and staff. They meet once a month to discuss issues that pertain to our curriculum, school improvement plan, testing and many other administrative issues. If you are a parent who would like to be involved on the FAC team, nominations are taken in the spring and the parents of Franklin will be sent a ballot to choose who will serve, usually a two-year term.
PTO Committees Welcome Wagon: Are you new to Franklin? Is it the beginning of the school year or right in the middle? You might feel just a bit lost. Let the “Welcome Wagon” welcome you with some goodies, the answers to your questions and a new friend to help you through the year.
TLC: The Tender Loving Care committee is one of compassion. If a Franklin family is in need of some TLC, we walk along side them. Often it is in the form of providing meals during a tragedy, surgery or maybe birth of a baby. In the same token, if a family is in a situation and might need help with transportation to school for their children or watching their children we try to assist them.
Community Outreach: Each year we will select a community service project. It will be a school-wide opportunity for students to give back to our local community. If you would like to join our team please contact us!
Contact: Laurie Juergens at lharlamert@msn.com
Eco Chair: Supports existing Franklin events, ensuring they are envionmentally friendly.
Michelle Johnson michellej.johnson@gmail.com
School T-shirts and Hoodies: Welcome your student aboard with a new Franklin school t-shirt and/or a hoodie! School t-shirts provide us with a way to encourage school spirit for activities and events here on campus and safety as we venture out on field trips. Look for them at “Meet the Teacher” night and “Curriculum Night”.
Hospitality: The Hospitality Committee needs you! If you like to plan events, then we need you on our committee! If you like to cook, bake or shop, you can help by donating food for events we host for the Franklin Staff and community! The Hospitality Committee hosts several events through the year: the Welcome Coffee on the first day of school, two staff luncheons during conferences, the Thanksgiving Feast, a week of events for Teacher Appreciation week, and we provide snacks for kindergarten registration. If you would like to help out, we will have sign-up sheets at the Volunteer Fair at Meet-the-Teacher and at the Welcome Coffee on the first day of school.
Craft Fair: Annnual Community event with creation stations for kids to make their own Holiday gifts and crafts. Come for the ever-popular Cake Walk, with cakes doanted from our own Franklin staff, and Student Counsel run Bake Sale!
Franklin Famliy Fun Nights: Take a break from making dinner and come join us for Franklin Family Fun Night. These nights happen once a month at various restaurants around town and are a great way to get to know people in the Franklin Community.
Dad-n-Me Breakfast: Dad and Me breakfast is usually the last Friday in April and it provides an opportunity for the kids to bring their Dad/Granddad/working Mom to school for fun and sugar (donuts, muffins, juice and coffee). The event starts at 7:15 a.m. to accommodate our working parents.
Franklin Giving Campaign
New to Franklin last year is the Giving Campaign. Our goal is to raise $20,000 and we look forward to our largest participation ever in a Franklin fundraiser. The most important part about the Giving Campaign is the 97-100% of the money donated goes directly to the PTO to help support technology, staffing, specials and community. We would welcome any volunteers to help "unlock our potential"
Contact: Amy Zirbel zirb04@hotmail.com
Flora Jewell-Stern fjewellstern@mac.com
Women's Bean Project:
New this Fall, Franklin is partnering with the Women's Bean Project to raise money for our school by selling Women's Bean Products and help deserving women break the cycle of poverty at the same time!
E-Book:
We kick off this fabulous fundraiser right at the beginning of the school year. These popular coupon books offer excellent savings throughout the year at grocery stores, ski resorts and other ocal attractions. Last year, we raised over $1200 for the Franklin PTO. Information will come home with your child within the first few weeks of school!
Grocery Certificates/Cards:
Reloadable King Soopers Cards. King Soopers reloadable grocery cards are easy and fast to use! When you purchase your $5.00 reloadable card, you can spend this $5.00 at King Soopers. Using this card costs you nothing and it's FREE MONEY FOR FRANKLIN. We earn 5% each time you lad your card and all the money goes to benefit kiddos at Franklin! We all buy groceries.... please participate!
Book Fair: Scholastic Book Fair
We can use volunteers to help with sales, decorations, and to help with classrooms as they preview and then purchase. In the past with our profit we have provided books for the classrooms, teachers, and donated books to the troops in Iraq and also to a school rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Last year we were able to purchase over $4,000 worth of books.
Book Fair Family Night
Street Smarts at Southglenn:
Collect your receipts from any store or restaurant at The Streets at SouthGlenn and turn them in at The Management Office, drop them in the receipt collection box (located in the Concierge Lobby) or at Franklin. Receipts may be dated beginning August 15, 2012 and earn 10 points per dollar spent, and 100 points for every item checked out from the Southglenn Library.
Spring Auction:
It is a night of fun socializing with other parents and faculty along with silent bidding on some amazing items and Art Start projects made in each class, plus a live auction. This is one event you do not want to miss. If you’d like to volunteer for this very fun committee we’d love to have you!
Contacts: Britt Gilbert, Jill Jenkins, Catina Montgomery
Cartridges For Kids: Franklin PTO collects empty printer, fax and copier cartridges along with used cell phones, laptops, PDA’s, digital cameras, video games and game consoles, iPods and DVD movies for recycling on an on-going basis. This is an easy way for you to protect the environment and help educate our kids at the same time. For more information on this program including what’s collectable and price lists, please visit www.cartridgesforkids.com.
Labels for Education and Box Tops: As a student body we encourage our families to send in soup UPC labels and box tops which benefit our student council and is a very worthy project. So as you eat your soup, goldfish,or cereal, clip the labels and send them in with your student to their classroom.
Contact: Amy Dearmore adearmore@msn.com or Kerri Catel kerricatel@hotmail.com
Teacher Raffle: The Franklin Teacher Raffle is a fundraiser usually held in the spring for the “Teacher Request Fund” and is optional for teachers. Teachers who wish to participate can donate an activity to do with students such as being “Principal” for the day; going to a student’s home to read them a bedtime story; having a pizza party in the cafeteria; having a water balloon fight after school; and other fun and zany ideas. Students purchase raffle tickets for the activities they would like to win and the proceeds are divided among the participating teachers to use for classroom purchases such as additional reading books, classroom posters, and such. Volunteers on this committee help with advertising the event through posters and Almanack announcements; gathering the raffle “items” from teachers; collecting and counting the money as it comes in; and picking the winners.
Contact: Maren Plisko marenplisko@yahoo.com
Classroom Volunteers: Teachers LOVE to have volunteers. The way that volunteers are scheduled and utilized varies by teacher. In the primary grades (K-2) volunteers devote many hours in the classroom, perform clerical duties and assist with projects that can be completed at home. In the intermediate grades (3-5) there may be less opportunity to work in the classroom, as the students work with greater independence, but the teachers still appreciate extra support. Once teachers and students have settled into their routines for the year (early-mid September), many teachers will provide sign-up sheets to recruit volunteers. If you have not seen a request for volunteers from your child’s teacher but would like to provide assistance, contact the teacher to let them know your availability and desire to help. Whether you have an hour a month or a couple of hours a week to spare, this is a great way to get involved and have an impact on the learning experience of our Franklin students.
Room Parent Coordinator: The Room Parent Coordinators encourage all parents to sign up to help with the two class parties we have at Franklin each year; Halloween and Valentines Day. As coordinators, we compile all the information submitted on the white Party Fee envelopes that are distributed in the manila envelope your student receives at the beginning of school. We make sure each class has at least one head room parent, and put together a list of volunteers for each class. We also hold a room parent-planning meeting, and distribute information and the party funds to the room parents from each class. It is a great way to be the “Fun Mom or Dad” in the classroom!
Library Volunteering - Integrated Learning Center (ILC): Volunteers are needed to help students with check-in and check out, shelve books and assist with other miscellaneous tasks. All training is provided with no library experience necessary. It is a great place to become familiar with our resources at Franklin, as well as the children. You can volunteer during your child’s scheduled library time. Volunteer once a week or once a month.
Contact: Nicole Brue at
nicole_roller@msn.com
School Pictures: Look for pre-pay order forms that will be coming home in your child’s backpack the first week of September. Please send the completed forms back to school with your child on time.
Franklin Garden: Our beautiful and productive school garden is a dynamic, interactive and creative teaching/learning opportunity for the kids at Franklin. All of the children have opportunities to plant, care for, harvest and consume the bounty of the garden. In those processes, children have the chance to glean a tremendous amount of knowledge. Volunteer opportunities abound and there is no need to have a green thumb to help out; only the desire to be involved with something cool. Volunteers are needed mostly in the spring and the fall. We are also looking for “foodies” to help us create tantalizing dishes with our harvest with the kids in the classroom. Even if it is not your thing, check out the garden next to the primary playground. It’s cool!
Art Start: This program is a wonderful visual arts appreciation program funded by PTO and facilitated by parent volunteers whose purpose is to provide students with a foundation in art appreciation. Every student at Franklin will have the opportunity of doing Art Start projects in their classroom throughout the school year. During the lesson, kids make their own art using the artist’s concepts and media. Look throughout the school as the year progresses and you will find over 100 works of art in poster form. Art Start also supports other activities including Family Art
Night, field trips to the Denver Art Museum, and art shows throughout the district. You can help this program by volunteering in your child’s classroom during their Art Start teachings.
Mini Museum: Walk the halls of Franklin and you will hear many different students telling similar “milestones” with each other. We all have experienced loosing a first tooth or remember sitting on Santa’s lap asking for dolls and trucks. We want to capture these stories and share them with the entire school. Your children write, we publish. Visit the Mini Milestones museum in the main hall of Franklin and take the time to read what our students have written. If you would like to get involved, we would love to have your help!
Contact: Gina Warner ginawarner@comcast.net
Writing Contest: The Franklin Writing Challenge is an annual creative writing program open to all Franklin students. Each student who wishes to can submit a story. The stories can be about almost any topic, or
on a topic provided by the challenge organizers. All work must be original. The stories are then read and scored by a group of volunteer judges, with each student receiving comments on their story from the judges. Stories are kept anonymous, so that judges do not know the name of the author, only their grade level and students do not know the identity of the volunteer judges. After the scores are tabulated, all in grades K-1 receive a recognition ribbon, and the top three in grades 2-5 are awarded prizes; at a minimum, everyone receives a recognition ribbon. This is a great chance for students to try their hand at creative writing! The kids enjoy participating and being recognized for their efforts, and being a part of the writing challenge can add to a lifelong love of reading and writing.
LPS Scholarship: The scholarship committee supports teachers continued professional growth by distributing grants. We are looking for parents who can assist teachers in preparing and submitting scholarship applications, which will provide grant money to be used for professional growth training.
Grant Writing Committee: Would you like to learn a new skill and support your child’s education by helping to fund teacher’s needs? Then come and join our team and learn the process of applying for grant money. The levels of involvement range from simple (such as filling out an on-line application) to higher-level involvement (learning from community mentors and taking classes to write larger-dollar grants). If you would like to join our team please contact us!
Contact: Diana Carney drmcarney@comcast.net
Health & Fitness
Vision and Hearing Screening: This is a service available to all students, and determines whether a student would need further testing from the district or private doctor. Kindergarten is screened at the beginning of school and grades 1-5 usually in Nov. from a Mon.- Thurs. Volunteers walk the students to and from the screening bus. It is a great opportunity to help out on a half-day basis.
Fun Run: Our “Fun Run” takes place in the fall and is a whole school event. Volunteers line the course and the kids run up to 3 miles depending on their age. Many parents are needed on and off the course. Water and lemonade are available at the end and grade winners are announced by our P.E. Teacher. It is a fun opportunity for the whole family!
Field Day: This is a series of racing and field events, which takes place in May. It is on a Friday and lasts all day with everyone (grades 1 - 5) in the school participating! There are a number of activities for the kids to choose from. The P.E. teacher will send volunteer sign up sheets home with the kids in May. Kindergarten has their own field day.
Red Ribbon Week: This nation-wide week is a health and safety awareness program. Concerns range from bullying to drug use, with an emphasis on making good choices. Kids participate by writing pledges, wearing red ribbons and general discussions appropriate to grade level. All suggestions for this program are welcome.