February is Campaign Month

This letter is one that was just sent out from a first grade room parent, addressed to the other parents in her child's classroom. I thought it had very clear and helpful suggestions in it, and wanted to pass it on.

Dear fellow parents in First Grade,

     Hopefully you have received information about the Campaign by now and even submitted the form with your donation. February has been designated as Campaign Month at Maplewood. Why? Because we LOVE our school and know that in order to fund staff positions such as the librarian, computer lab, physical education, and music teachers we must raise money to pay for them.
The school's campaign goal this year is $200 per family (or $16.67/month). I am writing to ask that each of you join my family and contribute whatever you can. While some of you may be able to give more, and the school is thankful for it, it is not important how much you give but that EVERYONE give something. A donation of any amount is greatly appreciated. Honestly, $1 would be gladly accepted. Keep in mind that $5 a month is a Starbucks coffee or a fast food meal.
     How can you give? There are many options. Write a check payable to Maplewood or make your donation on a credit card – either the full amount at once or a recurring monthly amount. Greg and I chose this way so that we can think about spending that much less each month. Make a pledge to contribute a certain amount in future months, when your tax return arrives, for example. A donor form is attached to this email.
You may wonder why we have to raise money when Measures 66 and 67 just passed. Those recent tax measures will not cover the funding for the positions I mentioned. The dollars were already part of the PPS budget and would have been CUT if the measures failed. The passage just kept the funding where it was. The PE staff position has been covered by a grant that is good for another year, but the school is not certain the grant will be available in coming years. The other positions have relied on campaign funding to pay for them.
     Public School is not free. By giving to the campaign our children receive a well-rounded education. What is the value of these programs? Here's a breakdown of how much time our children benefit from these programs and teachers and the expense associated with it:

• Music - 2 times/week for 36 weeks = 72 times @ $200/yr = <$3/half hour. Standard music lessons are $25/half hour!
• PE - 4 times/week for 36 weeks = 144 times @$200/yr = $1.40/half hour. Other activities that promote physical activity are often 10 times that much for the same amount of time.
• Library - 1 time/week and staffed with a terrific resource!
• Computer - 1 time/week - A mom of a 5th grade student said her daughter recently learned to put a PowerPoint presentation together in computer lab. She was happy that she didn't have to teach her those skills!

     Stacey Pacheco, one of our very own class parents, is the Chairperson of the Foundation Committee. She took on the role because she has seen how her daughter and son benefit from the programs the foundation pays for. At a recent Foundation meeting, Mrs. Abel and Mrs. Lange were present to say why the Campaign means so much to them. When Mrs. Abel first came to Maplewood there wasn't a PE teacher, and she had to teach it. She said she didn't like teaching PE because she wasn't very good at it, and she had difficulty getting the kids to settle down afterwards and struggled with the transition to the next subject she had to teach. Thanks to the staff we have at Maplewood teaching PE, computers, music and running the library she has time to prepare her lesson plans and focus on what she does best. And the kids come back into the classroom ready to learn. She also mentioned how she'll send one or two children at a time to meet with the librarian who will help them find the right book for their interests and reading level.
Ask your children if they enjoy computer lab, music, PE, and library time. Mrs. Abel says we are truly lucky to have staff in all these positions! Let's keep it that way!!!
     The 1st grade Room Parents will be creating a class competition based on the highest % of families that contribute to the campaign. This is not the amount of money given but how many families participate in contributing to the campaign. I am confident that all of you will join me in giving something. I'm sure our kids would really appreciate a pizza party or social activity with a special guest thanks to our support of their school. We need everyone to give for the campaign to be successful! Your contribution is confidential. The school will keep track of who has contributed for the class competition, and I'll let you know how we're doing compared to the other classes.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this and for your support of Maplewood!
Sincerely,
Kristen (Ben's Mom)