From Trash to Cash

At Ridge Road Elementary School (RRES) they’re eschewing old forms of fundraising by shredding the past–literally.

RRES’s newest fundraising endeavor isn’t selling candies or cookies, it’s selling a service–a service that has become more important over the last several years: identity protection through document shredding.

Cheri Gibson is a member of the Ridge Road PTA and initiated “Shred Day” at RRES. Shred Day offers residents, parents, and companies the opportunity to come to the school and have a shredding truck take care of their documents More...

New fundraiser idea uses children's creativity

The Opportunity School is aptly named. House at First Presbyterian Church of Ottawa, 114 E. Jefferson St., the school gives 3-, 4- and 5-year-old children a chance to enlarge their world through the use of playtime and interaction with other children. This year, the school’s fundraiser is "It’s an Opportunity School Christmas!" Students in six different classes created six Christmas card designs. More...

Gladstone Elementary School fundraiser sends principal to roof

Usually, Gladstone Elementary Principal Nan Shapiro keeps an eye on students through her office, in the classroom or out on the playground.

But Thursday, Shapiro had more of a bird's eye view of her students - with binoculars to boot - after a major fundraising effort left her perched atop the school's roof.

"Anytime they can see the principal do something silly, (the students) are thrilled," Shapiro said. "I love being involved with the kids."

The school recently celebrated raising more than $30,000 in its major fundraiser for the year, a walk-a-thon called Pride Stride.

The event was moved to San Dimas High School's football field due to construction at Gladstone Elementary. For the event, students walked the track based on pledges and donations to raise money for school projects.

Shapiro walked more than 5,300 steps around the track, and the class that guessed the closest got a pizza party and movie day.

But the big prize, announced at an assembly prior to the fundraiser, was Shapiro promising to work a day nested on the roof.

"I like it," said 10-year-old student Jackson Tshinkel. "I think it's cool because she is always in her office, and now she is on the roof."

Jackson added, with a giggle, that he thinks Shapiro should stay up there indefinitely.

With the economy in a slide and school funding uncertain, the Parent Teacher Association along with the school brainstormed ways

they could have a prize that was also of minimal cost. Having Shapiro on the roof with a desk, phone and binoculars was what they came up with.

"We try to think of things that are fun and motivating for the kids," said PTA President Susy Griffith. "We thought this would be a fun thing kids would want to see Nan do."

Shapiro snapped pictures of the students from her spot on the roof, often with the students running and hiding to escape the lens. Students would yell to their principal on high, and the children would share jokes about their principal.

"I can hear other kids joke but not me," said Syndney Griffith, with a sly grin. "(The prize) encouraged us. I knew we were going to do it."

Fun day for fundraising

Mrs. Pat Hudson’s first-grade class had plenty of reasons to celebrate Thursday at Crescent Elementary School.

Not only is spring break around the corner, but her students were also declared the winners of what Wendy Sullivan termed a box-top derby. More...

Fundraising event is a fine art at school

TOOWOOMBA Grammar School's 2008 Art Show held on the weekend attracted a sell-out crowd of 500 to the opening night on Friday and about 600 over Saturday and Sunday.

The show featured more than 500 paintings as well as jewellery, leatherwork, sculpture and pottery. More...

Tired of catalogs, schools seek new ways of fundraising

Students asking relatives and friends to buy such things as gift wrap, magazines or cookie dough are as much a part of the school year as report cards and parent-teacher conferences.

But some PTA officials are saying enough is enough. They're searching for alternatives to catalog sales that emphasize education and improving the school community, rather than raising the most money.

In suburban Kansas City, that's been the goal at Franklin Elementary School in the Liberty School District for the last three years, where the PTA has replaced catalog sales with a four-week read-a-thon, with students getting pledges for the number of minutes they read. More...

Is "pay to play" coming your way?

New Milford PTO demands leaders look carefully at proposed school budget

NEW MILFORD "" Voters in November elected school board members they felt would put children before dollar signs "" taking away a Republican majority for the first time in a decade.

Yet Republican Mayor Patricia Murphy's request to cut $1.75 million from the school board's $59.1-million budget proposal suggests she is unwilling to listen to those constituents, according to PTO leaders and education supporters.

The townwide Parent-Teacher Organization intends to demand the town's elected leaders look very carefully at the mayor's proposal, because they said the money she wants to take away may mean a loss of teachers, a return to pay-to-play sports, fewer library books, larger class sizes and less money to properly maintain school buildings More...