The Cypress Cove PTA provides the most
benefits to students when everyone- parents,
teachers, and students-work together as a community. There are many
opportunities for everyone. If you have one hour a year, one hour a week, or
one hour a day, there are numerous ways you can help make the students’
experience the very best it can be. Your talents, suggestions, and contacts
are welcome! Please email us for more information at CypressCovePTA@yahoo.com.
The following descriptions offer an overview of our executive board and
committees.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
PRESIDENT: Presides over all school PTA
meetings, oversees the functioning of the Board, and serves as liaison with
the principal. Represents the school at various events and meetings. Assists
with developing a PTA budget. Presides over all monthly PTA meetings. Channels
information from the State and National PTA to ensure membership is informed
and focused on the PTA mission. Assembles an effective PTA team, one that can
accomplish things. President may also attend district educational meetings as
a representative of Cypress Cove. The president is an ex-officio member of all
committees except the nominating committee.
VICE-PRESIDENT: The vice-president shall
perform the duties of president in the absence or inability of that officer to
serve, and shall assist the president when called upon. The VP assists the
president with various projects and communications, works with the principal
to determine areas where PTA can contribute to the school with major
purchases. Seeks to gather ideas from parents, faculty, and board members
regarding project opportunities. Responsible for conducting monthly meetings
in the absence of the President. Currently, the VP also serves as Restaurant
Night Chair and Website Chair, though both positions can be broken out into
separate entities as described below.
SECRETARY: Takes minutes at Board meetings,
then types and distributes copies. Assists other officers with duties as
needed. Attends and keeps minutes at all meetings. May be asked to assist with
composing/typing outgoing mail. Files and keeps copies of all minutes,
correspondence, committee reports, newsletters, meeting notices, etc.
TREASURER: Collects, counts, and deposits
PTA monies, writes PTA checks, maintains books, keeps the ledger, prepares
monthly budget for presentation at meetings. Keeps accurate financial records
of all funds received and disbursed. Submits a written monthly budget report
at each PTA meeting. Deposits funds received promptly into the PTA bank
account. Pays by check only, all financial obligations of PTA, as authorized
by the Board. Preserves all vouchers, receipts, bank statements, canceled
checks, etc. to be submitted to the end of year audit committee, or to the
Board or general membership, upon request.
BOARD COMMITTEES
BEAUTIFICATION: This committee is
responsible for coordinating the creation and maintenance of landscaped areas.
The chairperson is also responsible for contacting the teachers in an effort
to fulfill any indoor or outdoor recreational needs of the students. We will
have a few workdays during the year and can always use your help!
CULTURAL ARTS: The Arts are an integral
part of education. Dance, theater, voice, playing an instrument, story
telling, visual arts creation, writing and photography - all help a child
build self-esteem and add joy to his or her learning experience. Each year,
this committee helps coordinate the National PTA "Reflections" Program, My
Louisiana essay contest, and Safety Poster contest. Volunteers help to: 1)
promote the program; 2) coordinate printing of entry materials; 3) recruit
individuals to judge student entries; 4) collect entries and prepare for
judging; 5) provide recognition of all entrants with a reception, awards and
follow-up publicity and; 6) follow up on any and all entries that advance in
the competition. The chairperson is responsible for obtaining official
competition information from the state PTA as well as organizing volunteers to
help with the above.
FUNDRAISING: One of the most obvious ways
CCE's PTA can help the school is through fundraisers that allow us to continue
current programs like purchasing additional school supplies/computers not
funded by the state or beautification of the school, and create new programs
like teacher mini-grants. This committee chair is responsible for executing
the major fundraiser chosen by the board, which includes getting order packets
home to parents, collecting orders/money, coordinating with the fundraising
host to fill orders, coordinating with the school to receive and disburse
orders, and provide a general assessment of the fundraiser to the board. This
job is intensive, but only for a short period of time. Help is always welcome
on this committee!
HOSPITALITY: Hospitality arranges the Back
to School breakfast/luncheon, the teacher Christmas luncheon, Staff
Appreciation luncheons, among other activities at school. Volunteers are
needed to help with the planning and organizing of all Hospitality events.
LEGISLATION: The legislative committee is
responsible for keeping the membership informed of legislative issues
affecting our children at school. They are to attend monthly Honey Island PTA
board meetings as well as St. Tammany Parish School Board scheduled meetings.
MEMBERSHIP-Organizes the school’s PTA
Membership Drive with the goal of attaining a 100% membership rate. It is
hoped that all families will join the PTA since the minimal dues support the
local, state, and national PTAs. Solicits membership through distributing
information and setting up “Membership Tables” at school functions.
Distributes membership cards and maintains membership log.
NEWSLETTER: The newsletter committee's
primary responsibility is to serve as editor of the PTA Newsletter and to
coordinate all aspects of newsletter production. The committee is also
responsible for maintaining and updating the PTA bulletin board at school in
conjunction with the publicity committee.
NOMINATING: This committee of at least
three members is elected at the PTA general membership meeting in February.
The Nominating committee selects one eligible person for each officer to be
filled and reports at the general meeting in April. Elections are held in May.
ROOM MOTHERS: Coordinators for each class
are needed to be liaisons for parents, teachers, and PTA. This position is for
the person who is very organized, likes to plan parties and works well with
other parents. This position is responsible for recruiting and coordinating
volunteers for the purpose of planning and hosting holiday parties during the
school year, helping with Teacher Appreciation week, Field Day, and donations
for various events.
RESTAURANT NIGHTS: This committee will be
organizing several evenings throughout the school year when we can eat in or
take out food from restaurants who in turn give a percentage of their revenues
from those evenings to the school. Chair is publicizing these nights via the
newsletter and notes home. Dates for the entire school year are normally set
up as soon as school begins.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Many companies offer
pre-packaged school supplies that can be purchased at the end of one school
year for the next school year. This is a service the PTA provides to parents.
The school supplies are then delivered to the student’s classroom for the
first day of school. The School Supplies committee is responsible for
researching companies that offer these school packs and reporting their
findings to the PTA for a decision. They are then responsible for obtaining
the school supply lists for each grade from the school, contracting with the
company to provide the supplies, the distribution of order forms to the
parents, the collecting of orders and money and ultimately distributing the
supplies in the fall.
TEACHER MINI-GRANTS: The purpose of this
program is to provide financial support for teachers seeking to introduce
innovative and creative projects in their classroom. The PTA allocates
$1,200.00 to fund four projects up to $300.00 each. The funded projects will
be implemented during the current school year. Interested teachers are
required to complete applications detailing the scope of the project, as well
as a timetable for implementation, and a budget. The chairperson will prepare
applications, oversee distribution, coordinate the committee who will select
the receipents, distribute awards, and promote this program to our parents and
teachers.
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Assesses volunteer
needs and coordinates the recruitment of volunteers for in-school programs.
Communicates job tasks and assignments. Sort information received from parent
volunteer forms and distribute to
appropriate committees. Organize the Volunteer Tea in September. The
chairperson will track volunteer hours on a monthly basis. Lets our volunteers
know they are appreciated. Computer and e-mail skills are useful -
people-appreciation skills, invaluable. WEBSITE
COORDINATOR: Responsibilities include creating, inputting, and maintaining a
PTA website, independent of the school website's link.
AT-LARGE MEMBERS
ADOPT A STUDENT: Adopt a Student is a
school program whose goal is to provide funding for children who are unable to
financially participate in field trips and other school activities. The school
office determines the needs and coordinates the distribution of the funds. The
chairperson is responsible for soliciting donations from parents via the
newsletter and notes home. They also send a letter to teachers informing them
about the program and how they can submit students' names for assistance.
BUTTONS: At-large member responsible for
ordering supplies and creating birthday buttons on the PTA's button machine
for over 750 students and staff.
POPCORN: Popcorn on Friday is a Cypress
Cove tradition, one this at-large position maintains by obtaining the supplies
and volunteers to pop the mouthwatering treat.