Volunteers Needed

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!

Nominations Open for PTA Board Positions

Looking for ways to get more involved in our school community? Have a special set or organizational skills that you’re willing to share? Wanting to help optimize/broaden community involvement? Thinking there should be additional/new community activities?

If so, please consider volunteering for a position on the PTA Board! We have three vacancies we need to fill due to term limits:

President
VP Programs
Communications

We would love for you to be a part of our PTA Board! If you’re interested in supporting our students and teachers, feel free to nominate yourself or somebody else who is willing and qualified to serve. Please email any questions or nominations to douglaspta@gmail.com by Sunday, May 19.

Fall in Love with Douglas Fall Festival

We’re gearing up for our Fall Festival on Thursday, November 30 from 5:30-7 p.m. Douglas families can expect a coat swap, popcorn, cotton candy, photos, activities, games, a cake walk, and Kona Ice. We look forward to seeing you there!

We Need Help!

Can you help us make the fall festival a huge success? Here’s what we need:

• Cake Walk supplies: Donate a cake, pie, cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods to our Cake Walk here.

• Volunteers are needed: Help at the Fall Festival popping popcorn, distributing cotton candy, and selling spirit wear. Sign up here.

• Coats and Winter Wear Donations: For our Coat Swap, drop off clean, gently-used coats and winter wear at school— or hand them to any of the staff in carpool. Find a new-to-you coat to take home! All are welcome – you don’t need to give a coat to take a coat!

If you can’t help this time, Douglas Elementary’s PTA offers many opportunities for families to get involved. We are grateful for any time that you are able to volunteer. Click here to pitch in!

PTA Membership, Budget and Positions

We’re entering the third week of the school 2023-34 calendar year and your PTA Board is rolling up our sleeves to:

Support children’s health, well-being, and educational success
Build strong parent, family and community involvement
Provide funds for teacher and classroom resources
Support school volunteers
Support our school’s Cultural Arts programs
and so much more — but we can’t do it without you! We pay for these initiatives and programs through membership fees and fundraisers.

Action Item #1: Join the PTA

First and foremost, if you haven’t already, please join the PTA! (There are no volunteer requirements of members. Membership simply shows your support, and keeps you in the loop for volunteer opportunities, if interested.) PTA membership supports vital programs at Douglas that enrich your child’s education and help our talented teachers deliver the best classroom experiences possible. We are dedicated to creating the kind of school community where children can thrive and teachers and administrators can do their best work. Just by paying your $12 membership fee (tip: you must renew every year!), you can make a difference. We understand that money can be an issue, and we don’t want this to be a barrier to joining the PTA. Please reach out to your child’s teacher and let them know that you are still interested in joining.

Action Item #2: Vote at the First PTA General Meeting

Secondly, we are ready to present our proposed budget for this school year to meet the needs and ambitions of the PTA’s planned programs and activities. You can view the proposed budget here. In addition, we also have a proposed slate of 2023-24 PTA Executive Board positions that will fill current vacancies. Scroll down further in that link and you’ll also see other committee and open role needs that we need your help with. We will formally present both the budget and proposed executive board slate on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Open House Night and PTA General Meeting. We’ll need PTA members (see action item #1!) to vote on both of these items.

With your membership and support, our school can thrive. We’re looking forward to getting started together!

Welcome Back, Dragons!

Welcome back to school, Dragons! It was so good to see so many smiling faces at drop-off this morning! Be sure to carefully review Principal Faison-Bullock’s first message of the school year. There’s lots of helpful tips including the new volunteer registration process (you don’t have to go to campus to register — yay!), a new way to access the school meal calendar, a review of carpool, and more. Here are some highlights:

Visitor Check-In

To continue providing safe learning environments, all WCPSS schools have upgraded their visitor check-in process to a district-wide Visitor Management System. The new system will identify all school visitors and check nationwide sex offender registries for potential matches. The office staff will continue to ask for picture identification when you want to enter the building. Please have that ready when asked. Staff have the right to decline admission to the building should ID not be shared.

Volunteer Registration Process

Please consider registering now to be a volunteer at Douglas Elementary. The application may be completed from any device (you don’t have to come to campus to register anymore!). Click here to complete the registration. This registration must be approved by WCPSS prior to volunteering on campus or with students at an event/field trip.

School Meals

Breakfast and lunch are available for purchase daily at Douglas. If you would like to see the monthly school menus, please use this link. You will need to choose either breakfast or lunch to see the correct menu. Menus are in both English and Spanish – again choose which option you need. Breakfast costs $1.50 and lunch costs $3.25.

Kindergarten Meet the Teacher

Please reserve Friday, September 1 from 2-3 p.m. for an informal drop-in event where families and kindergartners can find out who their teacher will be and have an opportunity to explore their new classroom. In addition, parents will have a chance to acquire a carpool number, set up a lunch account, register to volunteer and join the PTA. All kindergarten students will report to school full-time on Tuesday, September 5. We’ll see you soon!

Save the Date: Open House and PTA General Meeting

Please join us on Wednesday, September 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. for our Open House and PTA General meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

Teacher Appreciation Week is Coming Soon!

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 1-5! The PTA will be celebrating the staff by providing two luncheons, stocking the teachers’ lounges, and putting special treats in their mailboxes throughout the week. If you are interested in volunteering to help hand out treats and serve staff lunch, please reach out to Carrie Pitchford at carriepitchford@gmail.com.

We also want to give all families the opportunity to show their thanks. Please join the PTA in helping say “thank you” to the Douglas staff for all of their hard work this year. Our amazing teachers help our children to BLOOM!

On Friday, May 5 we will also host our final Raise Craze celebration AND show our appreciation for teachers with an icy, sweet treat provided by the PTA. Yum!