PTA

Officers 2006-2007

President

Diane Dobis, diane9362@yahoo.com 214-695-2239

 Vice President, Programs

Natonia LaFreniere, NLT89@sbcglobal.net 972-910-0148

2nd Vice President Membership

Lori Douglas, lori@sogco.com 972-948-0784

Treasurer & Public Relations Chairperson

Natonia LaFreniere, NLT89@sbcglobal.net 972-910-0148

Secretary

Kelly Benton

Treasurer

Janet Ma, mileena314@yahoo.com 

Volunteer Chairperson

Stephanie Cobb, sdmcobb@sbcglobal.net 972-869-1458

Fundraising Chairperson

Lorri Hillman

Character & Spiritual Chairperson

Gayle Baar, baarg@cfbisd.edu

Arts In Education Chairperson

Christy Knocke, knockec@cfbisd.edu

 We have many open committee chairperson positions.  Please contact anyone on the Board if you are interested or if you have any questions.

We hope you will join us effort in making a difference next year!

 PTA Meetings

What a great way to meet other parents and show your support.  Please join us on the following dates. All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

September 12 - 4th & 5th grade performance

October 3 - 3rd grade performance

November 7 - 1st grade performance

December 5 - Choir Performance

January 9 - Multicultural Night

February 6 - 2nd grade performance

March 6 - Open House

April 10 – Kindergarten Performance/ 2006-2007 PTA Board Elections

May 8 – Choir Performance

 Yearbooks

Yearbooks are on sale now!!

There is no better way for your children to remember their year at Freeman.  Purchase your 56 page color yearbook today.  The cost of each yearbook is $17.  Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of school in May.  For additional information please contact Barbara Jerineck at  b_jerineck@yahoo.co.uk

 Volunteering Opportunities

Freeman couldn’t be as successful as it is without the numerous volunteers that are at school everyday.  If you have an available 15 minutes a week please consider helping out at your child’s school. 

For additional information about volunteering, please contact Lori Douglas at lori@sogco.com

 Membership
Interested in joining PTA? The cost of membership at Freeman Elementary is $5. You may send this in an envelope marked PTA with your child’s name and teacher on the front. You may also contact:
PTA President – Diane Dobis at diane9362@yahoo.com or VP Membership – Hepzibah Jonnalagodda at jhjyothsna@yahoo.com

Why Join PTA?

The number one reason to join the PTA is to benefit your child. In doing so, you also help your school. But there are many more advantages.

Here are just a few:

Get Connected. There’s no better way to know what’s happening in your school.

Tap into a Network. Parenting is not easy - it helps to share ideas, concerns and experiences with other parents and educators in the community. PTA functions are opportunities to meet other parents and teachers, build rapport and discuss issues that are on your mind.

Watch Yourself Grow. By volunteering with your PTA, you gain valuable experiences. It’s an opportunity to put your skills and hobbies to good use for a good cause—your child and all children in the community.

Speak Up. Because the PTA is a forum for exchanging ideas, you are encouraged to make suggestions. PTA can be a way for you to more effectively suggest change at your child’s school.

Witness Improvement. By getting involved at your child’s school you’ll be part of the solution, helping make positive changes.

Be A Role Model. By becoming a PTA member, you’ll be demonstrating to your child the importance you place on education.

For less than 3 cents a day, you can become a PTA member, joining nearly 6 million other people who share your interest in issues affecting children. Everyone—parents, educators, students and other citizens active in their schools and communities—are invited to join our not-for-profit organization.

What are some of the programs that PTA sponsors at Freeman?

* Red Ribbon Week

* Teacher Appreciation Week

* Yearbook

* Holiday Party

* Scholarships

* Parent Newsletters

* Mom’s and Muffins

* Flapjacks with Fathers

* T-shirt Sales

* TAKS Testing Snacks

Is there a big time/monetary commitment?
Many parents are hesitant to join the PTA because they fear it will cut into their already overscheduled lives and stretched budgets. But not to worry! First of all, dues to join the PTA are $5 a year. Meetings usually occur one evening a month. As for additional volunteering requirements, you will probably be asked to help with fundraising efforts, but your involvement is ultimately up to you. It's important to keep in mind that a meaningful contribution to a PTA project does not have to be time-consuming. You can sign up to do the monthly newsletter, or just volunteer one weekend afternoon to help.

Who can join PTA?

Anyone who supports the goals of PTA can join-parents, teachers, grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends are all encouraged to join the PTA.

Do I have to have children enrolled in school to join a PTA?

You do not need to have school-age children; however, PTA’s are associated with schools. Therefore, you would need to contact a local PTA. Each PTA has specific issues and concerns relative to its student population and community.

What is PTA?
National PTA is the oldest and largest volunteer organization in the United States working exclusively on behalf of children and youth. There are nearly 6.5 million members working in 26,000 local units through schools and communities in all 50 states. Founded on February 17, 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers, it has grown to be an effective advocacy organization promoting the education, health and safety of children and families.

National PTA stated objectives are to:
* To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school and community.

* To raise the standards of home life.

* To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.

* To bring into closer relations, the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.

* To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social and spiritual education.

For additional information visit National PTA at http://www.pta.org or Texas PTA at http://www.txpta.org

Clothes Closet

Do you have any uniforms that your child has outgrown?  Do you have any jeans that you don’t wear anymore? 

The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Council of PTA’s sponsors the Clothes Closet. The Clothes Closet is a service organization staffed by volunteers from the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. The purpose of the C-FBISD Clothes Closet is to provide those children and adults in need new and "gently used" clothing items.

The Clothes Closet resources are dependent upon donations. We do our best to provide for those in need in our community. To do our best, we need public support. We highly encouraged everyone to donate "new" or "gently used" clothing items. All socks and underwear must be "new" because this is the law. The sizes we need vary from infant through adult sizes. We frequently run out of blue jeans, sweaters, coats, jackets, athletic/tennis shoes, socks and underwear. 

How can you help?  Inside of the Freeman Elementary lobby there are donation boxes.  Please bring all of your donations there.  If you want to help out monetarily please send an envelope with your donation enclosed to school and mark on the outside of the envelope “PTA Clothes Closet Donation”

Thank you for caring about the students and parents in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD!