Thank you so much for agreeing to chair an event or committee to help make this a wonderful year for our students and staff! The following information is intended to help you plan and run your event:
Setting a Date • Check the school calendar on the website and contact Susie Keam in the high school office ([email protected]) to see what dates are available. • Once you have decided on a date, ask Susie Keam to put it on the calendar. If any athletic facilities are involved (gym or fields), you must also confirm availability with Suzy Wera, athletic director. • If you are planning on having it at school, you must complete a Request for Facilities form and turn it in to Susie Keam or Shaun Birnidelli at least 30 days prior to your event. This form should indicate which areas of the school that you will be using. Make sure you include set-up time and clean-up time. Holding an Event at School • Having an event at school is a great way to keep the cost of an event down. However, you and your committee are responsible for the set-up and clean-up of your event. • You must let the maintenance department know what tables and other equipment (extension cords, audio equipment, microphones, etc...) you will need. Contact Tony Duncan,Director of Maintenance, at [email protected] to make any requests. • Although the maintenance staff is always happy to assist us, we are responsible for cleaning up an event that is held at school. Financial Information • Please discuss the budget for the event with our treasurer, Kristy Huljack. • Most of our events are considered "break-even" events. This means that the money you make on the event should be equal or only slightly greater than the amount you spend. • We cannot put large non-refundable deposits down on facilities, services, or equipment. Small deposits are acceptable. Often, if you will explain that we are a non-profit school organization, businesses will waive or lower the required deposit. • All reimbursement requests for an event need to be submitted no later than 30 days after the event. Always encourage reimbursement. No one is ever expected to cover costs out of his or her own pockets. If you are purchasing items from a vendor, please submit all bills/invoices with a Reimbursement Form as soon as you get them. Reimbursement Forms can be found on this website under the FORMS link. • When you are collecting money, please have all checks made out to BEECHWOOD PTSA. • Cash and checks that are collected should be turned in to the PTSA lock box in the elementary office or outside the high school office. Our treasurer stops by twice a week to pick up items for deposit. • It is best not to take money collected home. Try to count it at school and leave it in the lock box or make arrangements to have the treasurer pick it up if it is too large to fit in the lock box. • If you are holding an event where money will be collected, discuss your cash box needs with our treasurer. She will give you a stocked cash box. You are responsible for maintaining control of the cash box and its contents. • All money collected should be counted and turned into our treasurer promptly. A Deposit Form is available on this webiste and can be found under the FORMS link. This form should be included when you turn in the money. The sheet asks that two people count the money and sign the form.
Supplies/Resources • Before purchasing items, please check the PTSA room. Often, there will be paper products on the shelves that can be used. We also own coffee pots, punch bowls, cookie platters, tablecloths, and other items. • If you have extra supplies left over from your event that were paid for with PTSA money, those items belong to the PTSA. Any paper items should be returned be returned to the PTSA room. Unopened food items that will not spoil (soda, water, candy, etc…) should also be put in the PTSA room. If there are food items that will not keep, we usually put them in the teacher lounges for the staff to enjoy. • You have access to the copier at school. Please contact the PTSA president or secretary for the code that enables you to use the copier. If you are planning on paying for copying elsewhere, please work that into your budget. Black and white copies made on the school copier are free. Color copies can be purchased through the board office. Contact Rae Wise ([email protected]) in the Board office for details. When using the copy machine, please give teachers and office staff priority, followed by volunteers who are copying on behalf of a teacher. • The PTSA has purchased a poster machine for the school. It is located in a room behind the library. If you would like to make several posters for your event, we encourage you to use this. You can scan in an image to create a poster or make one using the poster maker’s program. Please contact the PTSA officers if you would like to use this machine.
Communication and Publicity • Getting information out about your event is a key to its success. These are the main ways to promote your event:
1. School newsletters and announcements- This is probably the best way to communicate with parents. The high school and the elementary send out a weekly newsletter and have daily announcements. For the high school newsletter, contact Alissa Ayres ([email protected]) or Bebe Smith ([email protected]). For high school announcements, contact Susie Keam ([email protected]). For the elementary newsletter and announcements, contact Shaun Birnidelli ([email protected]) .
2. PTSA Newsletter- This goes home the first week of the month with the elementary newsletter. It is also posted on the school website. Contact the PTSA secretary to have something included.
3. PTSA Broadcast Emails- Contact the PTSA secretary or Joetta Browning [email protected] to send out an email to our database.
4. Facebook- Contact Nicole Wells at [email protected] to have something posted on the PTSA Facebook page.
5. Flyers- Flyers can be sent home with students or attached electronically to the school weekly newsletters. Please make sure that the flyer you create contains the following information: A. Event or activity name- Beechwood PTSA should be included in the event name (or-Sponsored/Brought to you by the Beechwood PTSA should be included somewhere on the flyer) B. Date C. Time D. Place E. Cost F. Deadline for submitting reservations, orders, and/or money G. Where forms should be turned in H. Who is in charge of the event in case someone has question (include email address and/or phone number) I. Checks should be made out to Beechwood PTSA.
6. Posters - The PTSA has purchased a poster machine for the school. If you would like to make several posters for your event, we encourage you to use this. You can scan in an image to create a poster or make one using the program on the machine. Please contact the PTSA officers if you would like to use this machine. Please note that it is your responsibility to remove posters from the school walls when your event is over.
• Please post a copy of your ticket order form/flyer on this website. Email a copy of the form to Jenn Dawson our website volunteer , at [email protected], and she will post it on the website. Please notify her to remove it when your event is over.
• We would like to have pictures of your event. We can post them on this website and on our facebook page. Please contact our Vice-President of Publicity, Nicole Wells, at [email protected] and let her know about your event. She may be able to stop by to take pictures or may ask that you find someone to take pictures and email them copies. If an event is of interest to the public, let them know and they can try to get the news media to cover it. The yearbook committee may want some pictures to include in the yearbook. Please contact Dawn Norris ([email protected]) for more details. She is the high school teacher in charge of the yearbook.
• Please maintain a committee notebook or folder which can be passed on to your successor. Keep flyers, important mail, budgets, and notes in this for reference this year and next. If you are not returning to your position for the next school year, please give this information to your successor or the PTSA president.
Again, thank you for volunteering to chair an event. We hope that you enjoy this experience and have much success! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the PTSA board members.
