You can find the PTA in the obvious places, and in the quiet ones, too. Sometimes, we are loud like a musical, filling the halls with celebration. Other times, we shine brightly like the fifth grade legacy project, showcasing creativity and pride. We are also silent, like the Dragon Box, making sure every Dragon has their basic needs met. We protect, like the umbrellas we provide to keep staff and students dry at pickup. We are festive, like the Fall Festival and the Spring Family Night, bringing joy and connection to our school community. We are supportive, supplying resources and training for teachers. And sometimes, we’re simply handy, fixing things behind the scenes so the show can go on. Whether front and center or quietly working in the background, the PTA is everywhere, helping piece by piece to create something truly special. With our big fundraiser coming in a few weeks, we want to explain in detail and the impact of Raise Craze.

What Is Raise Craze?

Raise Craze is an online fundraising platform that helps schools and organizations raise money through acts of kindness rather than product sales. Instead of asking friends and family to purchase something, students ask for donations in while doing good deeds in their community.

How It Works

1. Students register online and create a custom fundraising page.
2. Then enter a list of email addresses to reach out to potential donors: grandparents, friends, aunts and uncles, neighbors.
3. As donations are received, students complete Acts of Kindness to give back: from writing thank-you notes to teachers to picking up litter in the park.
4. The school keeps a large percentage of the funds raised (90% or more).

Behind the Scenes: How the PTA Powers Our School Every Single Day

You see the smiling faces at morning drop-off. You cheer at the school carnival. You read the weekly updates. But what you might not see is how deeply involved your Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is in the daily life and success of our school.

From the big celebrations to the small but critical details, the PTA is there, every single day.

So, What Does the PTA Really Do?

Short answer? A lot.

 Vital Academic Support

• Classroom supplies and teacher grants
• Library books and learning tools
• Douglas Spelling Bee
• Staff Training and Curriculum

 Arts, Enrichment & Experiences

• Cultural Arts assemblies and Author/Artist-in-Residencies
• 5th grade Legacy Project
• Spring Musical
• Variety Show
• Educational Gardens

 Community & Wellness

• Staff Appreciation
• Field Day
• Family nights and community-building events
• Emergency support for families in need

These are not just “extras.” They are essential experiences that create the kind of school our children need: vibrant, safe, inspiring, and connected.

Every Student. Every Day.

The PTA’s mission touches every single student, every single day — whether they know it or not.

• The books at the book fair? PTA hosted it.
• The musical playground improvements? PTA stepped in.
• That smile on a teacher’s face during appreciation week? PTA made it happen.

None of This Happens Without You

Here’s the truth: No funds = no fun and sometimes, no fundamentals either.

We don’t receive extra funding from the district for these programs. If we don’t raise it, we can’t do it.

Your support — whether through donations, volunteering, or simply spreading the word — is what makes the magic happen. It’s not optional. It’s essential.

This year, our fundraising approach is going to look a little different. Instead of spreading efforts throughout the year, we’ll be focusing on raising the bulk of our funds through the Fall Fundraiser. This intentional shift allows us to streamline our efforts and make space later in the year to shift the spotlight to our school’s newly reformed Foundation. By front-loading our fundraising, we can better plan, prioritize, and maximize the impact of every dollar—while still leaving room for community-building events, teacher support, and student enrichment all year long. Our goal this year is $45,000 and 1500 acts of kindness, we have done amazing things in the past and there is no doubt that we will achieve this and more!

Is there a more exciting time than sitting at your desk in elementary school, eagerly awaiting the colorful Scholastic catalog with your Weekly Readers? Long before we had the endless scrolling of Amazon’s library, we relied on those thin pamphlets to inform us about the must-have books of the season. Book Fairs remind us of simpler times and the childhood joy that a few Goosebumps or Babysitter’s Club books can bring. You can relive those moments by volunteering for a shift! Grab a fellow parent and share stories about your favorite Book Fair purchases. You’ll earn bonus points if you remember titles like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” or the “Guinness Book of World Records”!

Feel the excitement as students leave class and step into a transformed library, a true book paradise! This year we have a new Committee Chair, Georganne Sanders, who is eager to host a successful fair. However, she needs your help by volunteering for one or two shifts. The Book fair runs from April 21st to 29th, and we have several time slots available for your convenience. Sign up for a shift today!

Support the Douglas Library by buying a book!

This year, the PTA has prioritized the library. With $10,000 from the Revitalization Fund and an additional $5,000 from previous Scholastic Book Fairs, we have added 663 library-bound books. This investment has raised the average age of the library collection to 2009¹ (up 3 years since the beginning of this year), and included many high-demand popular titles. Staff members and teachers have noted a positive change; the students are excited to read and more engaged than ever.

So how does the Book Fair benefit our school’s library? 100% of the proceeds from the fair go back to our school in the form of credits. When you purchase a book from the fair, you help ensure a broader and more current selection for our library in the years to come. It’s a true win-win situation!

Ms. Hall has so many exciting plans for the library and has been tirelessly working to rejuvenate the space. “I want everyone to know that the Book Fair 100% supports me and my vision. I have such a small budget, and if it wasn’t for the Book Fair and the PTA, I would be in a difficult position,” she said.

In the United States, many children struggle with literacy and do not read at proficient levels. However, access to engaging books in a vibrant library, along with reading role models, can ignite excitement for reading in a child’s life. Together, we can enhance our library and make it an even better place. Additionally, reading with your children can improve their language skills, strengthen emotional connections, and prepare them for academic success!² Use this link to preview this year’s fair and take advantage of the convenient cash-free e-wallet option.

1. The average age of the Fiction section should be within 15 years of the calendar date. Non-fiction titles should be within 10 years (or less). ↩︎
2. Kids and Family Reading Report ↩︎

We heard you loud and clear with the Raise Craze Fundraiser: there is a new era of Dragons upon us, and we are here for it! The bar has been raised, and we are ready to embrace it and excited about all the opportunities we can achieve together. Because of your generosity, we can enhance the already planned events like the Variety Show, Spring Family Night, and the Spring Musical. Our Media Center and Gym are in need of some major upgrades and you are making this happen! Every dollar spent by your PTA is carefully considered and used to enhance the majority, if not all students, now and in the future. To date we raised and netted $33,360, that is 95% of the total raised all the while spreading love and kindness in our homes and community! In fact, over 2000 Acts of Kindness and love were logged as a result of this fundraiser! Way to go, Dragons!

Behind the Scenes–

We actually have two important budgets: one is the overall operating cost for running the PTA and all the activities associated with the calendar school year, this is where our Raise Craze dollars go! The other is a Revitalization Budget, that was originally slated for a science center that did not get approval from Wake County during its final stages. It is the goal to use the bulk of the Revitalization budget this year, since many families that contributed are aging out of Douglas and deserve to experience some improvements before they move on. We polled the entire staff to help guide us in allocating these funds. Resoundingly, they would love to see improvements on the exterior of our campus, especially the outdoor learning environments. A huge request was making the Dragon Trail usable again and to ensure continued maintenance of the trail. The responsibility for much of this outdoor learning space maintenance lies with the PTA and the support from our Douglas Families. Another critical priority is our library collection. Ms. Hall spent countless hours cleaning out out dated, damaged inventory and has been slowly piecing together a more up to date and engaging environment. We used $5,000 worth of Scholastic dollars, from last year’s book fair, and this equated to 183 library-bound books. Although the cost of library-bound books is high, these types of books are necessary so that they can be used in circulation among our students for many years. The library is also receiving some cosmetic work, including fresh paint and new furniture. Even with these improvements, our library’s “collection age” is 2005 and the number of books is below the recommended 15-20 books per student. To address this deficit, the PTA is investing money from the Douglas Revitalization Fund to give our library a significant boost.

Douglas Revitalization Areas:

1. The Dragon Trail- Clearing and maintaining trail for exploration and educational purposes
2. The Outdoor Musical Playground- Repair of Manta Ray musical instrument and replacement mallets for musical instruments
3. Shade structure on the Big Playground
4. Bench seating in the pick-up section of Douglas (waiting for WCPSS to install the purchased benches)
5. Soccer goals
6. Butterfly Garden consistent upkeep and improvements along the way

PTA Events and Expenses from September and October:

1. Teacher Reimbursement which consists of supplies for classrooms from September-October
2. Hospitality :
   • Catered dinner from our Gold Level Sponsor Salt and Lime for Open House for all staff members
     • Sunshine Cart for staff members (a trail mix theme in September and an afternoon perk of cold brew in October)
     • Catered a lunch from Chopt for staff members for the Fall Festival
     • Staff Lounges stocked with coffee, creamer, and water flavor packets
     • Staff Birthday Cards and Gifts Delivered
3. Assisted the Douglas Family Engagement Team with the Fall Festival in October
4. Sponsored (along with a grant from The United Arts Council) The Beast- Sankofa– a fun-paced musical history of the African American culture from Reggae, Blues to Hip Hop
5. Pre-Ordered Winter Spirit Wear (Sweatshirts and Hoodies)
6. Assisted with Author Bob Shea visiting and working with K-2 Students in partnership with Quail Ridge Bookstore

If you have read this far: the first 3 people to email Douglas PTA(Douglasdragonpta@gmail.com) with the title: “I read the blog”, gets a free Douglas car magnet. Just give us your child’s name and teacher in the email.