Community

Brace Yourself….. Maycember is among us!

No matter how much you prepare, plan ahead, or spread it out, the last few weeks of school are an exciting whirlwind of activity! To make May a little easier for everyone, your PTA has rearranged a few events, with the most notable being our joyful celebration of Teacher Appreciation in February. This way, we can embrace May with renewed spirits and plenty of energy! Together, we’ve achieved so much—we’ve successfully completed our two fundraisers, and it has been a joy to watch our kids spell, dance, and sing their hearts out throughout another wonderful school year! Just last week, the Spring Musical concluded, and if you weren’t able to attend, let me tell you, the atmosphere was filled with warmth and emotions. We’ve accomplished remarkable things, and with only two events left, there’s so much more to look forward to! We’ve got this!

FIELD DAY

How Coach Hager prepares for class

We grew up with these and they were epic!!! A full day outside playing games and eating popsicles under the warm sun. From tug-of-war to three-legged races, every game was an adventure that brought laughter and camaraderie. If this doesn’t epitomize the excitement of elementary school and the sweet memories that come with it, I don’t know what does! The thrill of waiting in line for our favorite flavors of popsicles, the feel of grass beneath our feet, and the sound of cheers ringing in the air made each moment unforgettable. In August, Coach Hager was planning and getting the ball in motion for this highly anticipated day! Coach Hager worked closely with the Field Day Committee chairs, Will and Amy Yarborough, who poured their hearts into every detail. Together, they have meticulously crafted a field day unlike any Douglas has ever experienced, promising new games, thrilling competitions, and bonding opportunities that would create memories to last a lifetime! There are a few slots left to fill, lets show them our support by signing up for a slot! All help is welcomed and very much appreciated. Click HERE to volunteer today!

Douglas Family Dance and Block Party

We are excited to take the party outdoors! The Douglas Dance and Block Party promises to be a fantastic family event. Pack a picnic dinner or join our Jersey Mike’s spirit night, and get ready for an evening brimming with music, crafts, and joyful moments! Enjoy our photo booth, grab a refreshing Sunset Slush to purchase, and look forward to delightful surprises throughout the night! We would love to have your helping hands as we make our final school-wide event an unforgettable success! Sign up HERE to volunteer today!

Campus Clean-Up, Keeping our campus so fresh and so clean!

Many hands make light work, and boy isn’t that the truth this year! I know a lot of you have noticed that the Grounds and Garden committee chairs: Erin Taylor and Casey Young, have worked tirelessly year-round to ensure our campus is in the finest form. We are incredibly appreciative of them as they have done an outstanding job! They have reached out only two other times this year asking for more helping hands and they are hoping for one last push during the school year to beautify our grounds for the block party and the Fifth Grade Celebration. Let’s show them our appreciation by signing up for a slot to aid them in their ongoing quest! Please know, if you are on or near the campus during the weekend or after school, picking up trash is always appreciated. Pulling a weed or two is also encouraged. Please consider signing up HERE

Gifting Made Easy- Gift Crowd

You asked and we delivered! We are bringing back GiftCrowd for convenient and easy gift giving. This ensures your beloved staff member gets exactly what they want and need! There are over 450 top brands to choose from as well as select charities. Click HERE to start the Gift Giving Process today!

And the Raise Craze Results Are in …

Thank you for making the spring fundraiser an overwhelming success!!

Our Dragons accomplished 1,018 acts of kindness in our school and local community.
We had 100% participation!
Our families and friends have paid it forward by helping us fundraise $26,279, which will support our students, teachers and staff.

This type of fundraiser was an experiment for us, and we weren’t sure what the results would be. In previous years, we held Boosterthons. While fun and high-energy, the fundraising assemblies cut into class time and focused on competing for incentives to raise money. In our current environment, it no longer seemed the best fit for our school. But it was hard to argue with Boosterthon’s success at raising money. Still, we decided to try a different approach by partnering with Raise Craze. It seemed a better fit for our Dragons by focusing on positive values and allowing students to earn recognition for the kindness they showed to others rather than asking for donations.

Compared to pre-Covid Boosterthon, although our net amount raised is lower by about $3,000, we actually raised $6.84 more per student. (We compare by student since current enrollment is 527 compared to 691 then.) Although Boosterthon raised more on the front-end, nearly 50% went to Boosterthon fees and associated costs. With Raise Craze, our costs were lowered, and their fees were 10%.

We could not have done this without you and the Douglas teachers and staff. We thank our teachers and staff for the many class projects that incorporated learning with giving back and ensuring that every student had the opportunity to participate and make an impact. And we thank you so much for your support! Thank you for your partnership as we all work together to make our school the best environment it can be for our children.

During the last months of the school year, PTA Fundraising will host Spirit Nights, a Scholastic book fair, Spring Spirit Wear sale, and the Spring Silent Auction. Stay tuned for details!

Thank you for your support!

Rent the Rock!

The Douglas Spirit Rock is available throughout the school year for rental and painting. For a suggested donation of $25, rent the rock for a day and paint a message of support for a Douglas student, teacher, staff member — or celebrate an event!

When you rent the rock, you’ll select the day you want your message to appear. However, your rental starts at 4:30 p.m. the day before so you have time to paint the rock after carpool and it’s ready for the next morning!

Tips for Painting the Rock

Please only paint the front of the rock facing carpool/the front entrance.
Spray paint is helpful to coat the rock. Any color you want for the background works. And if you mess up, just use spray paint to match the background color and paint it again!
You can use stencils or sketch your design in chalk first to check sizing and legibility from a few feet away before you paint.
Spray paint works well for large areas.
For smaller, more detailed areas, use acrylic paint (or spray paint with stencils). In case of rain, avoid paints like tempera that easily wash off.
Remember to bring different size paintbrushes and a cup with water to rinse them.
Egg cartons work well to hold different color paints.

After you’ve painted the rock, share your design on Facebook and tag us!

rent the rock

Share Your Thoughts: School of Excellence Survey

Douglas Elementary is in the process of applying for a School of Excellence designation, a program through the national PTA. Part of this is getting feedback from families, administrators and teachers during the school year. We invite you to respond to the survey anonymously.

Douglas está en proceso de solicitar designación de School of Excellence, un programa a través de la PTA Nacional. La PTA Nacional solicita comentarios de las familias, administradores y maestros. Le invitamos a responder de forma anónima: Encuesta en español

It’s Dragonfire Time!

Dragonfire — Douglas Elementary’s annual no-fuss fundraiser — raises money for programs, equipment and other needs that benefit our children and school. 100% of the funds raised go to Douglas.

Your gift matters. Any amount you’re able to contribute makes a difference. The PTA pools these funds together to make a bigger impact than any of us can do alone. You can donate online or send cash or check (payable to Douglas Elementary PTA, memo: Dragonfire) to your child’s teacher. Increase your impact by asking your employer if they’ll match your donation (our tax ID is 56-1644792).

Donate Here!

Your voice matters. We want to know what you’d like to see done with Dragonfire funds raised. Share your ideas by the end of the week and you could win a restaurant gift card, gift basket or other fun items. Students, families and teachers/staff are eligible to participate to win.

Dragonfire Spirit Week

Students are invited to participate in Dragonfire Spirit Week, which takes place this week! Here is the lineup:

Monday: Wear Dragon Green
Tuesday: Wear Blue for Bullying Prevention Month
Wednesday: Wear Red for Ed to Support Public School Educators
Thursday: College Team Dollars Day (Wear your favorite college team apparel or colors and place your coins or dollars into the bucket of your favorite area college team! A personal donation is not required to toss a coin in for your team — this fun is for everyone!)
Friday: Wear Douglas Spirit Wear or Blue/Green

Rent the Rock!

The Douglas Spirit Rock is now available for rental and painting! For a suggested donation of $25, rent the rock for a day and paint a message of support for a Douglas student, teacher, staff member or event!

rent the rock