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PTO’s campus fall festival to fund educational programs
  
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King Krunch monster truck make special appearance
By ALLEN JONES
Those who attended the Saturday, Nov. 22 fall festival at Williams Elementary School helped the campus obtain some needed financial assistance.
The Parent/Teacher Organization at the elementary school, located at 18101 FM 1488 in Magnolia, hosted the fall festival.
The festival featured monster truck King Krunch, food, games, a craft vendor market, a live auction and a silent auction.
According to Angela Buss, a volunteer with the elementary school’s PTO, funds raised go toward educational materials needed at the campus. She said funds may go toward the school’s Accelerated Reading Program, which was upgraded by the district allowing students a wider variety of books to select from.
The AR program is designed to encourage children to read independently. Students take an online test based on the books they read and students are rewarded at the end of the school year based on the number of points they have earned. Points are based on the complexity of the books.
According to Magnolia Independent School District Superintendent Michael Holland, the AR program is paid for by the district and funds are disbursed to the participating elementary campuses to fund the program.
WES co-principal Brenda Marfin said the AR program has already been funded, but if the PTO wants to contribute additional funds to the program, the group is welcome to do so.
Marfin said PTO funds are often used on books, landscaping, and school supplies.
Buss said WES students are predominantly from low income families and it has the largest group of special needs classes in MISD. She said it is a struggle to make sure students and teachers have the supplies and resources they need each year.
Another need at the campus, Buss said, is to upgrade chalkboards in classrooms to white boards for teachers.
“Our school is one of the oldest in the district,” she said. “The chalkboards are in pretty bad condition. It will take $15,000 to $20,000 to resurface them with white boards.”
Buss said the PTO polled teachers last year regarding campus needs.
“It was among the top requests,” Buss said. “We wouldn’t have enough to pay for resurfacing in all campus classrooms, but maybe at least we could do a few and do the rest next school year.”
Buss said teachers have stated children have complained about chalk dust bothering them. The PTO volunteer also said teachers have indicated it is easier to write with colored markers on the white boards.
This is WES co-principal Marfin’s first year at the campus, but she said the annual PTO fall festival was not held last year. She said the festival gives the campus staff the opportunity to bring the community together and gives administrators and teachers the chance to meet their students’ families.
“The PTO hosts the event but the entire campus gets involved,” she said. “Teachers have donated items for the auctions and stuff. A couple of teachers are on the board of the PTO. Almost all of our teachers helped by working booths.”
One thing Marfin has noticed during her first year as co-principal at WES is that there has been a growth spurt in community support this year.
“You would think it would be the opposite due to the economy and after Hurricane Ike,” she said.
Buss also said she has been pleasantly surprised by the support the campus’ fall festival has received this year.
“Last year, it seemed the whole town was donated out,” she said. “Our full PTO board went out asking for donations and parents volunteered and maked donations, too. We think this year will be the best festival we’ve ever had.”
The Parent/Teacher Organization at the elementary school, located at 18101 FM 1488 in Magnolia, hosted the fall festival.
The festival featured monster truck King Krunch, food, games, a craft vendor market, a live auction and a silent auction.
According to Angela Buss, a volunteer with the elementary school’s PTO, funds raised go toward educational materials needed at the campus. She said funds may go toward the school’s Accelerated Reading Program, which was upgraded by the district allowing students a wider variety of books to select from.
The AR program is designed to encourage children to read independently. Students take an online test based on the books they read and students are rewarded at the end of the school year based on the number of points they have earned. Points are based on the complexity of the books.
According to Magnolia Independent School District Superintendent Michael Holland, the AR program is paid for by the district and funds are disbursed to the participating elementary campuses to fund the program.
WES co-principal Brenda Marfin said the AR program has already been funded, but if the PTO wants to contribute additional funds to the program, the group is welcome to do so.
Marfin said PTO funds are often used on books, landscaping, and school supplies.
Buss said WES students are predominantly from low income families and it has the largest group of special needs classes in MISD. She said it is a struggle to make sure students and teachers have the supplies and resources they need each year.
Another need at the campus, Buss said, is to upgrade chalkboards in classrooms to white boards for teachers.
“Our school is one of the oldest in the district,” she said. “The chalkboards are in pretty bad condition. It will take $15,000 to $20,000 to resurface them with white boards.”
Buss said the PTO polled teachers last year regarding campus needs.
“It was among the top requests,” Buss said. “We wouldn’t have enough to pay for resurfacing in all campus classrooms, but maybe at least we could do a few and do the rest next school year.”
Buss said teachers have stated children have complained about chalk dust bothering them. The PTO volunteer also said teachers have indicated it is easier to write with colored markers on the white boards.
This is WES co-principal Marfin’s first year at the campus, but she said the annual PTO fall festival was not held last year. She said the festival gives the campus staff the opportunity to bring the community together and gives administrators and teachers the chance to meet their students’ families.
“The PTO hosts the event but the entire campus gets involved,” she said. “Teachers have donated items for the auctions and stuff. A couple of teachers are on the board of the PTO. Almost all of our teachers helped by working booths.”
One thing Marfin has noticed during her first year as co-principal at WES is that there has been a growth spurt in community support this year.
“You would think it would be the opposite due to the economy and after Hurricane Ike,” she said.
Buss also said she has been pleasantly surprised by the support the campus’ fall festival has received this year.
“Last year, it seemed the whole town was donated out,” she said. “Our full PTO board went out asking for donations and parents volunteered and maked donations, too. We think this year will be the best festival we’ve ever had.”
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