PTA
INFO |
PENNEKAMP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL A California Distinguished School 110 S. Rowell Avenue, Manhattan Beach CA 90266 Phone: 310-798-6223 Fax: 310-303-3839 |
Pennekamp PTA Membership Questions & Answers
Question not addressed here? Contact Stewart Bogen or Susan Matt at vp_membership@pkpta.org.
Q: I have a child at another MBUSD school and I have already joined their PTA. Do I need to join the Pennekamp PTA?
A: Yes. Each PTA is associated with a single campus. Though all MBUSD PTAs are part of the Manhattan Council of PTAs, you must join at each campus to be able to vote and participate in PTA activities at that campus.
Q: I
am being asked to donate $50 per child to fund Pennekamp activities, but the
Manhattan Beach Education Foundation is asking for a much larger donation.
Why this discrepancy? Don’t I have more control over what I fund if I donate
to PTA?
A:
In general, the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF) provides the
funding for salaried positions at Pennekamp while the Pennekamp PTA provides
the supplies and support materials. While the Pennekamp PTA appreciates your
generous donation, we cannot fund the salaries of the important individuals
like the librarian, technology specialist, and health assistant that make such
a significant difference in your child’s educational experience. PTA also has
no ability to fund Class Size Reduction, the program that allows 20 or fewer
children per room in grades K – 3. Only MBEF can pay for the extra teachers’
salaries that enable the lower teacher-student ratio.
·
Library
Books
·
Technology
Equipment and Supplies
·
Health
Assistant’s Supplies
·
Classroom
and Office Supplies
·
Art & Music
Enrichment
·
Campus
Enhancements
·
Curriculum
Enhancements
·
Staff
Development
·
Cultural
Arts Assemblies
·
Communications (Directory/Parent Handbook, Dragon’s Roar, eNews, pkpta.org)
·
Librarian’s
Salary
·
Technology
Specialist’s Salary
·
Health
Assistant & District Nurse’s Salaries
·
Classroom
Assistant Salaries (4th & 5th grade)
·
K – 5 PE
Specialist Salary
·
Instrumental
Music Instructor’s Salaries
·
Educational
Support Specialist Salaries
·
Class size
reduction (20 or fewer children per classroom for K – 3rd
grade) portion that is not state funded. This is funded on an as needed
basis.
Please see
http://www.mbef.org/grants.htm
for a full list of MBEF grants.
Q: Can we really do everything we need to do at Pennekamp with only $50 per child? Should I give more?
A: Your PTA executive board lead by co-presidents Beth Allen and Susan Warshaw and treasurer Tami Brothers spent many hours this summer creating a 2005-2006 budget which will be voted on at the first PTA meeting. By carefully reviewing PTA expenditures and taking a detailed look at the historical totals generated by our various fundraisers, we determined that a $50 donation per child plus having Pennekamp families participate to their usual extent in our PTA fundraisers will provide enough revenue to continue the local programs we've always enjoyed and celebrate our 50th anniversary.
That being said, if you are able to donate to MBEF and would still like to give more than $50 to the Pennekamp PTA, please feel free to do so.
Q: I can afford to give more than $50 to the Pennekamp PTA. Are you really sure you want me to write the bigger check to MBEF?
A: The Pennekamp PTA wants to encourage you to write your large check to MBEF. Please consider doing so. If you feel you cannot, or would like to discuss it with someone, feel free to contact us at vp_membership@pkpta.org (Stewart Bogen and Susan Matt) or president@pkpta.org (Denise Ellis and Cathey Graves, PTA co-presidents).
Q: Are there classroom incentives for PTA membership this year?
A: Yes! Pennekamp generally has one of the highest PTA family membership responses in the district, often in the shortest time period and we’d like to encourage everyone to continue this tradition. Return your membership form prior to September 30 and your classroom will be eligible for additional teacher funds! Each family membership counts toward classroom participation for all children in that family.
Q: I have questions I'd like to ask of someone at MBEF. Who should I contact?
A: You may e-mail questions@mbef.org. Please be sure to cc: Susan Warshaw (president@pkpta.org) as she is our Pennekamp MBEF representative.
Q: I've given anonymously to MBEF. How will you ensure that my contribution counts toward my child's classroom incentives?
A: Your Pennekamp team is working closely with MBEF staff to ensure all gifts are properly accounted for while still respecting your request for anonymity. Questions may be directed to Stewart Bogen and Susan Matt at vp_membership@pkpta.org Q: What are the MBEF classroom incentives?
A: MBEF incentives are as follows:
In addition, if 50% of Pennekamp families contribute to MBEF, Pennekamp's library will earn $500 and Pennekamp's technology center will earn $500.
Teacher donations ($25 minimum) count toward classroom participation numbers.
The minimum donation per family to count toward the incentives is $50. Please contact your PTA Membership VPs at vp_membership@pkpta.org if you have any questions about the incentives. Q: How is my classroom fairing on the classroom incentives?
A: Status will be posted on each Pennekamp classroom's bulletin board and on the Pennekamp website once status is available.
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