Reagan High School PTA - North East ISD Council of PTAs


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2005 – 2006
Reagan High School PTA: For several years now Ronald Reagan High School PTA has
promoted the Remarkable Rattler program. Our objective for the Remarkable Rattler is to honor
students, teachers, administration, and/or staff that:
• Excel beyond normal expectations.
• Exhibit a positive attitude and motivate others.
• Exhibit pride in our school and our campus.
• Show respect for others.
• Exhibit high moral character.
Nominations are reviewed each month by the PTA committee, and winners are honored at our
PTA Executive Board meeting with a PTA pin, award certificate and gift certificate. We also
publish the “RR” winner(s) on our school message board, school announcements, Reagan
Review and our local newsletter, Welcome Home. Over the past few years, we have recognized
over 60 Remarkable Rattlers!
Hardy Oak Elementary PTA: At the first PTA meeting of the year, Hardy Oak students
presented a fashion show using costumes that had been created in previous years for class
activities. Each grade had one or two teachers who explained the subject and the activity. For
example, second graders modeled their pioneer costumes and first graders dressed as waiters
from reading restaurant. In addition, each grade modeled school spirit shirts and carried spirit
sticks. (Each Friday one class per grade is awarded the spirit stick, which is passed around
throughout the year). The principal narrated a special segment with two groups of 5th grade
students, who dressed as either the “what to wear” or “what not to wear” at Hardy Oak.
It was a very creative way to explain the dress code. Because Hardy Oak has many new families
this year, the goal was to show some of the “costumes” they may need to have. It was also a nice
ice breaker for all families. The programs VP, Sherry Heideman, met with the lead teacher of
each grade to determine which subjects they’d like to highlight. Then she had to find the
costumes from previous years. Each classroom had 3 to 4 “models” and parents’ permission was
needed for them to participate in the show. The show began after the business portion of our
meeting that night. It started with kindergarten and ended with the 5th grade’s “what not to
wear” skit. It was a great program with over 100 people in attendance, which is incredible for an
early September PTA meeting.
Huebner Elementary PTA: In November, just before Thanksgiving break, the Huebner PTA
Hospitality Committee hosted an event for dads called “Brown Bag Turkey Talk” during lunch.
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Each child was given a brown bag filled with a grade appropriate activity and a sheet filled with
“turkey talk” including trivia and fun facts. The activities included one or more of the following;
build-a-turkey stickers, crossword puzzles, word searches, Mad Libs, bookmarks, pencils, and
stamps. PTA volunteers gathered ahead of the event to stuff the bags and on the days of the event
greeted the dads and passed out activity bags. The dads and children ate lunch and talked turkey.
It was quite pleasant to find the cafeteria was as calm as it has ever been.
Dellview Elementary PTA: Dellview Dolphins Going the Extra Mile During the holiday
season, many of our wonderful elementary schools provide a winter/holiday shop where the
children bring money from home and can purchase inexpensive gifts for family and friends. This
is a huge thrill for the children to buy a gift on their own that they can wrap and give to their
family. Dellview took this one step further. After input from the school counselor and the family
specialist, several students were identified as being in a low income financial situation. These
children were invited to come to the workshop and the PTA contributed funds to pay the
expense.
We would like to recognize Dellview Elementary; their Principal, Mrs. Ivonna Gonzales; and
their PTA President, Mary Goldstein, for going the extra mile to make sure that all the children
could participate in this event and help them have a happier holiday.
Harmony Hills Elementary PTA: Three energetic members of the Harmony Hills PTA have
started new after-school clubs for the children, which, taking into account the already established
Chess Club, results in there being three PTA sponsored after-school programs available.
Gabriella Scott and Lucy Gwozdz have brought an art program that meets monthly. Lucy has
worked as an art teacher and brings wonderful ideas to expand the children’s talents. The artwork
from this club is displayed in the hallways for all to see.
LeeAnn Murray has started a writing club called YAC (Young Author’s Club) which meets
weekly. LeeAnn has students from 2nd to 5th grades in attendance and each week they have a
different theme or style of writing they address. Their literature has been published in the school
newsletter.
Both programs were overflowing with applicants, which demonstrate a hunger for more artistic
activities by our students. We congratulate these women on the successes of their programs and
thank them for giving of themselves for the children.
Hidden Forest Elementary PTA: After realizing that many of Hidden Forest PTA chairmen
would be “graduating” when their children went to middle school, the executive board needed to
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find and train new chairmen. In order to encourage involvement on the board for those
volunteers who had never held a position in PTA and for parents of younger students, Hidden
Forest PTA developed a “shadow” program to help find new leaders They found that parents
wanted to volunteer, but were hesitant to jump in to a chairmanship and head up a program.
Their solution was a “shadowing” program for new executive board members to work with
program chairmen for the whole school year. The chairman receives extra help and the
“shadower” receives instruction in order to take over the chairmanship the following school year.
Everyone has benefited. The board is more inclusive and full of hardworking parents who feel
needed and comfortable carrying out their roles.
2006-2007
East Terrill Hills Elementary PTA: East Terrill Hills had their Fall Festival that included a
Health Fair for the general public and their community. The event had blood pressure checks,
insurance information for seniors, and free Ident-A-Kid for students. Their parent liaison worked
diligently with the PTA to get this activity off and running. It was very successful and the parents
were extremely grateful.
Oak Meadow Elementary PTA: Oak Meadow has a service group on campus also called SOC,
Students on Campus, which helps 5th graders understand the relevance between what they’re
learning in school and how they’ll use these skills for the rest of their lives. The interested
students complete an application, attend training, keep a service record, and volunteer during
school at least 30 minutes every week. The opportunities include peace kids, buddies, managers,
office assistants, teacher assistants, watt watchers, library assistants, public relations, and safety
patrols. Since the program began 2 years ago, only one child has opted not to participate.
Eisenhower Middle School PTA: Eisenhower organized “Ike’s Big Day” on October 14th,
President Eisenhower’s birthday. The event included three races, a pep rally with student
organizations from Eisenhower and Churchill, and a luncheon catered by Grady’s Bar-B-Q.
Everyone was also treated to birthday cake and fruit while the Eisenhower band played “Happy
Birthday.” United States army vehicles were displayed and a dunking booth entertained students.
They even accomplished the goals of promoting fitness and building school spirit.
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Serna Elementary PTA: Five hundred Serna students and 30 parent volunteers participated in
the first ever Serna Artfest in March of 2006. The goal was to introduce art to students and the
community as a vital part of the education of our students. The students, from pre-K through
fifth, participated in art lessons of their choice. Thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Clark, the Serna
PTA, and the teachers and staff of Serna, in one day 500 students made over 500 pieces of
artwork that were displayed and discussed in a revolving art show at Serna. Several were chosen
as entries into the district-wide Young Masters Art Show. The program increased the
community’s understanding of the importance of art education, and allowed the Serna students to
try their hands at many different art projects and techniques that they may have never considered.
As a result of the success of the initial Artfest, the PTA was asked to hold the event each year.
Regency Place Elementary PTA: For the past two years, the Regency Place PTA has made an
effort to encourage all students to read by making a variety of books available for purchase at the
school’s spirit shop. Books have been donated by the Red Balloon, Half Price Books, and from
PTA members’ personal collections. The books are then sold for twenty-five cents each. The
Regency Place PTA has also issued “Regency Bucks,” which are given to faculty and staff
members to pass on to students who they feel deserve an extra incentive. The coupons are good
for one free book, or twenty-five cents off of any spirit shop purchase. Interestingly enough,
most coupons are turned in for books. Rachel Alvarez is the chairman of the Regency Place
Spirit Shop this year.
Bradley Middle School PTA: In April, plant identification markers were added to Bradley’s
wildscape project. The signs are a part of a joint effort between the PTA and student council
designed to beautify the front of Bradley while educating the community on plants best suited to
our region. Botanical information was provided by a PTA parent, and a Bradley science teacher
made the signs. Parents, local residents, and even delivery men have stopped to comment on
their garden and to let them know they have used the information provided by the campus for
projects throughout the community.
Redland Oaks Elementary PTA hosted an Art Night art night in honor of “PTA Take Your
Family to School Week.” The art night encouraged families to come and participate in 7 different
art mediums. The students and their parents did hands on art projects involving clay, wire bead
sculptures, wax resist, watercolor and quilting squares. Also on display were various art projects
from grades K-5. Students in grades 2-5 have art lessons once a month taught by parents who
follow an art curriculum developed by qualified art instructors. Spotlight award ribbons were
presented to Principal, Dr. Mary Longloy; PTA President, Pam Stevenson; and PTA Member,
Elizabeth Flumming.
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Stone Oak Elementary PTA hosted a “Run for Cover” event held at McAllister Park. There
were 314 participants. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of skin cancer and to
raise funds for sunshade structures to cover playgrounds. The official starter and emcee was Dr.
Tom Mayes, Professor and Chairman at the University of Texas Health Science Center
Department of Pediatrics. The HEB Buddy was there for the children. The University of
Incarnate Word Men’s and Women’s soccer teams volunteered at water stops and directed
traffic. The PTA raised $28,000. Award ribbons were presented to Principal, Terry Chidgey;
PTA President, DeAnn Nealy; and Chairpersons, Kathleen Schenker and Chrystal Payne.
Bush Middle School PTA: The Principal and Assistant Principals were paying out of their
pockets for lunches for students who had no money in their lunch account or forgot their lunch
and couldn’t get a hold of their parents. This situation was mentioned to one of the PTA
volunteers and “Bush Bags” were created. Each week a PTA parent signs up to provide lunches
with non-perishable healthy food items. If a student finds themselves without a lunch, they know
to come to the front office for a “Bush Bag.” A full stomach helps feed the mind. Award ribbons
were presented to Principal, Randy Hoyer; PTA President, Cheryl Bridges; and Chairperson,
Tina Magness.
2007-2008
Coker Elementary PTA: Recycling Rangers is a recycling program, which includes the
students and parent volunteers. In this program the children volunteer their extra time at lunch
under the supervision of a volunteer parent to collect all plastics associated with their daily
lunches, including the plastic milk bottles. These recycled items are then taken home by the
parent volunteer to be placed in recycle bins. The students also collect the paper recycling from
the classrooms.
Wilderness Oak Elementary PTA: On October 19th, the teachers and staff surprised 675
students and parents with their "talents" at its First Annual Staff Talent Show. Principals Jane
Jensen, Jeffery Owens, and Harold Massey dressed as Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy
Jackson and held court on stage "judging" each act. Grade level and specials participants did
everything from skits to songs and even threw in a puppet act called "Who's 'Afraid of the Big
Bad Wolf" using the mascot uniform from East Terrill Hills Elementary School. The purpose of
this event was twofold. We hoped to raise additional funds for our playground cover project, but
mostly wanted to bring a sense of community to a school that is already big on togetherness! A
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can soda and water bottle drive the previous week helped stocked the concessions while allowing
the PTA to spend less than $100 in order to prepare for the event.
The PTA board members graciously donated candy bars and slim Jim boxes from Costco in
order to provide a variety of snacks for individuals to choose from. The school popcorn machine
was used and with donated popcorn from NICO, each ticket came with a free bag of popcorn.
The PTA board members filled the time between each act by handing out door prizes that
consisted of spirit items and fundraising samples. After an evening filled with smiles and
laughter and a few sticky floors, the Talent Show was deemed a HUGE success. Spirit
merchandise sales reached almost $500 while ticket sales and concessions raised $2500.
Bradley Middle School PTA: Many school parents may not understand what a PTA Life
Membership or Extended Service or National PTA Life Achievement Award is all about? In an
effort to reach out and include more Bradley parents and faculty in the nomination process for
Bradley Life Membership Awardees, The Bradley Life Membership chair, Karyn Wagner,
created a PTA Life Membership brochure. It is a colorful, tri-fold brochure to be placed in the
Bradley school office and given to all Bradley faculty and staff members. It explains what the
memberships are and why they are such an honor. It includes space to write a nomination and the
reason for the nomination. The brochure includes the names of past Bradley recipients. This
2007-08 project only required paper and some computer knowledge. The result is an eyecatching, easy to understand brochure that will help Bradley PTA honor those who provide
outstanding service to youth.
Encino Park Elementary PTA implemented a new program in November that has proven a
huge success. The program is called Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) and was created
by the National Center for Fathering. It focuses on prevention of violence in our nation’s schools
by using the positive influence of fathers and father-figures for a two-fold purpose: (1) to provide
an unobtrusive presence in the schools and (2) to be a positive and active role-model for students
at their school. The goal is to have these men spend at least one day a year at the school to be an
extra set of eyes and ears, to get a glimpse of students’ every day world, and gain a greater
awareness of the positive impact that they can have on their students’ lives (academics, selfesteem, social behavior).
When a Watch DOG arrives on campus at 7:45 in the morning, he is greeted by a staff member
and given a schedule for the day. At that time he is photographed with his child(ren) and given a
T-shirt identifying him as Watch DOG. The children are given a T-shirt that reads “My Hero is a
Watch D.O.G.” that they wear for the day and the photo is posted on a large bulletin board in the
foyer of the school. Fathers participate in all kinds of scheduled activities from tutoring, playing
games in PE, reading to students in the library, joining the kids at recess, and helping students in
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the cafeteria, as well as touring the campus each hour to act as an extra set of eyes and ears for
the administration by reporting any problems that may arise.
The program began with a Pizza and Information night that was attended by more than 400 dads
and children. That night every spot on the calendar was taken and we had to increase the
available days by allowing for more than one Watch D.O.G. per day. We had hoped for 2 or 3
participants per week and were so surprised at the level of participation. Now, more and more
fathers are calling to try to get into the program because their children love the Watch D.O.G.S.
and want their own father to be there too. The administration has been an essential part of the
success of this program. Colleen Bohrmann and her staff welcomed the idea from the beginning
and have worked so hard each day to make the Watch D.O.G.S. feel welcome and needed. The
feedback has been inspiring. This is such a special program that we hope other PTAs will check
it out and adopt it for their own schools
Northwoods Elementary PTA began a program called "Monday Mail" which is a weekly
newsletter that originated as a paper edition. The first edition included an email address that
allowed parents to request their edition to be delivered via email. Not only does this help reduce
the amount of paper being used but also assures the information is getting to the parents.
Lopez Middle School PTA held its 1st Annual Multicultural Affair on Tuesday, March 11th.
This annual event celebrates the diversity in our schools and in our community. The evening was
filled with dance performances from Capoeira Brazilian Martial Art, Reagan High School
Platinum Steppers, Hardy Oak Elementary Fifth Grade Multicultural Dancers and the African
Lambada Dance Troupe. Our Lopez Middle School jazz band blew us away with their renditions
of several blues and jazz musical performances. Our parents, Life Science students, teachers and
friends prepared cultural delights for our International Food Sampling that tickled our tastes
buds. We enjoyed foods from Nigeria, Asia, Europe, India, Mexico, and Germany just to name a
few. Our parents and teachers also provided beautiful display items from all around the world to
educate us on many cultures. The Art students made and displayed beautiful cultural art pieces
specifically for this event. Truly a community event, we invited the surrounding schools to attend
our Multicultural Affair. Our neighbors and friends sponsored the rental of cultural costumes that
our students from NJHS, PALS and Student Council wore that evening. Many parents also
dressed in their cultural attire, adding to the essence of the evening. Dr. Richard Middleton
honored us by attending the Multicultural Affair, and was spotted bobbing his head to the
cultural rhythms, and enjoying the different ethnic foods. As side conversations about ones
cultural heritage were being shared that evening by the students and their parents, we knew that
the Multicultural Affair has served its purpose… to encourage pride and educate others in our
many cultures.
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Canyon Ridge Elementary PTA: The week of February 11th - 15th is National Random Acts
of Kindness Week and Canyon Ridge Elementary School PTA has started an initiative to “Show
us Your Kindness!” The CRPTA has developed a week of activities for the students to show
their kindness toward each other, their families and friends. Monday, February 11th will begin
with each student receiving a Coyote Kindness Bracelet that will encourage them to think of
someone else each time they look at their bracelet. They will also tally their “acts of kindness”
during the week and each student will turn in their game card tallies and 300 students will
receive free kids meals just for thinking of others and doing “kind” deeds. “We think this is a
great way of putting their core virtues into action,” said Deana Abiassi, CRPTA president, “and
we really wanted to highlight this national initiative and bring the “kindness matters” theme to
our school.” On Tuesday, students are being asked to Be Kind to Others and bring socks that will
be donated to our sister school. Wednesday, is Make a New Friend Day with an emphasis on “It
All Starts With A Smile!”: Thursday is Valenkindness Day at Canyon Ridge and all students are
asked to send a special note to their teacher in addition to other Valentine’s Day activities. And,
Friday is Respect Other People’s Feelings Day. The Committee Chairs, Theresa Travis and Amy
Seidel are excited about the activities that are being planned for the week and hopeful that these
coordinated efforts will bring a routine of Random Acts of Kindness to the student’s daily lives
for the rest of their lives.
2008-2009
Roan Forest Elementary PTA: In an attempt to incorporate Fitness into our Fundraising, Roan
Forest has started the Trailblazer Trek. This was in conjunction with our Red Ribbon program in
Oct. The children received a “well-rounded” lesson on drugs, alcohol and how to stay healthy
through good eating and exercise. The children got pledges either per lap or a flat donation, and
then on the day of the walkathon, they walked for 55 minutes. Each teacher walked with their
class to help raise money for the school. After two years, this fundraiser allowed us to purchase
shade canopies for our playgrounds. The top three money raisers were rewarded with prizes, and
all the children received a participation award. All children participated, even if they didn’t
secure any donations – it was a great way to promote fitness as well as raise money for our
school.
Harmony Hills Elementary PTA: On February 16, 2009, Harmony Hills held a Block Walk to
recruit volunteers and mentors from the community. The idea came from a Leadership Retreat
held by the Harmony Hills staff. Lead by Principal Alan Rochkus and his leadership team which
consisted of the following faculty and staff members. Gwen Zaborowski, Grace Perez, Kelli
Drash, Tamara Mayo, Crissy Pena, Joel Luther, Barbara McClain, Kathryn Hoelscher, Katie
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Wilson, Pam LaCombe, Maria Inez Saenz, Maribel Lacey, Shawn Timlin and Carrie
Denoncour. IBC Bank employees, the Total Source and The Harmony Hills Home Owners
Association all participated in the Block Walk. They went door to door passing out brochures
and flyers to the community about volunteering and mentoring at Harmony Hills. This was
effort to increase involvement within the Harmony Hills community. It was a complete success!
Tejeda Middle School PTA: This year Frank Tejeda Middle School began another fabulous
"club", titled The Get Fit Club and the turnout has been phenomenal. We have more than 100
kids who take part in the club meetings. These club meetings are always on the Tejeda Track, on
Wednesday mornings at 7:30am. They are very physical. We meet twice a month and workout
together on the track before school. Our club members are taking the initiative to get up early on
days we meet, and are at school by 7:30 to work out!!! How great is that? It is a tremendous
feeling as an educator and sponsor to see more than 100 kids working out and getting energized.
All this before school even starts.
At any given meeting, we run the track for at least a mile, and the run the bleachers.The kid's
favorite is "Push ups with the Principal." We are currently working on running/walking our 25
miles for the Get Fit with Bruce Bowen and HEB healthy family challenge. This is a marathon
that you do mile by mile and we complete 25 by the end of February and then meet Bruce
Bowen on March 28th at the AT&T center to run and complete the last mile of the marathon.
The Timberwolves are really excited and have stepped up to meet this challenge.
Our goal is to promote fitness not only with our students but the students are encouraged to bring
a teacher or parent to our meetings as well. In addition, we'd like to get the community working
out. We want people to be fitness minded and stay healthy.
Encino Park Elementary PTA: On Monday, November 17th Encino Park PTA sponsored a flu
immunization clinic at the school. The clinic was held from 3 to 7 pm in a conference room. The
clinic was open to the public and school families. 75 people were immunized. 40 had the flu
mist nasal immunization and 35 had the shot. Each immunization was $30 and the PTA received
a portion of the immunization price. The clinic is a new program from FLU BUSTERS and
PTA. FLU BUSTERS supplied everything we needed to do the clinic: nurse, immunizations and
safe disposal system for used items. Parents were very grateful for the convenience of receiving
their family’s immunizations at the school. Since our FLU Buster Clinic I learned that this is not
the first time that PTA has been involved in vaccinating children. PTA was an instrumental arm
in the vaccinations to prevent Polio.
Hidden Forest Elementary PTA hosts Disability Awareness Days. Candy Reyes, a
Community Advocate and Hidden Forest PTA Mom, is a great asset to our community. As a
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parent of a Special Needs child, Candy understands the needs from both the child and the
parent’s perspective. She’s dedicated to advancing the educational experience of the Special
Needs children and she helps navigate the parents through the public school system while
connecting the families to the local resources that can best support them.
As the Chairperson of the Special Needs program at Hidden Forest, Candy organized a two-day
event to create awareness of the various challenges that Special Needs children face on a daily
basis. Gordon Hartman from the Gordon Hartman Family Foundation was the keynote speaker
and he introduced the concept of a new Special Needs Park in the works for September 2009. A
one-of-a- kind, 106-acre sports complex specifically designed to fit the needs of those with
cognitive or physical disabilities. Representatives from local organizations generously
volunteered their time to provide hands-on activities related to physical impairments and learning
disabilities. For example, Lighthouse for the Blind taught the children how to use a walking
stick, Leader Dogs for the Blind explained the usefulness of a Seeing-Eye Dog and allowed a
“petting” session, Kinetic Kids allowed the children to experience a wheelchair and Mutual
Enrichment through Learning and Discovery taught sign language. Fort Sam Houston(EFMP) conducted tactile sensory activities for students to touch, feel, and smell. Federation
for Families-through Center for Health Care Service introduced activities to increase mental
health awareness. RFB&D learning through listening demonstrated different learning
technology and Learning Rx, Inc. challenged the children with activities related to academic
learning disabilities.
Overall, it was a great educational opportunity for our Hidden Forest Falcons. The interaction
held the children’s interest and there was a lot of excitement in the air as they transitioned from
booth to booth. Many thanks to both Candy Reyes and Gordon Hartman for their work at Hidden
Forest and their commitment to the Special Needs community! To learn more about the Gordon
Hartman Family Foundation and the Special Needs Park, visit www.hartmansa.org.
Hardy Oak PTA: When considering this year’s fundraising events, the Hardy Oak PTA went
the extra distance for their membership. After listening to feedback from parents and staff
regarding the time, effort, and trouble of catalog fundraisers, the Hardy Oak PTA tried
something completely new to their school: Greenback Night. They decided to make their first
Regular PTA Meeting all about the students, including a slideshow presentation of “What Our
Hornets did over the Summer,” a pizza dinner, and the Greenback Campaign.
The Fundraising Committee was busy over the summer, collecting photos from Hardy Oak
families and compiling them into a fabulous slideshow. The evening of the meeting, the
cafeteria was decorated with green balloons and play money adorned the tables. Everyone who
attended the meeting enjoyed pizza dinner, partially donated by Papa John’s Pizza and Double
Dave’s Pizza. The Greenback Campaign process and goals were presented to the membership.
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Then everyone sat back and enjoyed the pizza as they watched their friends on their summer
vacations on the big screen.
The response to this program has been beyond excellent. The Hardy Oak PTA has received
very positive feedback about multiple facets of the Greenback Night: 1. Parents are thrilled to be
able to write a tax deductible check, all of which goes to the PTA for student programs, and not
have to sell any catalog items. 2. Everyone loved seeing the slideshow presentation; there have
even been requests for another one after the winter break! 3. As of today, the Hardy Oak PTA
has met our Greenback Goal.
The Hardy Oak PTA is very excited that they were able to introduce a new fundraiser, generate
such a positive response, and combine it with a fun-filled, family event for their students
and membership.
Wilderness Oak Elementary PTA hosted its first ever "Family Night" in late October. The
festivities included a catered Italian meal and a posh art gallery with all of the art donated from
the Wilderness Oak students. Parents participated in an informative math course catered to
adults while the students engaged in fun math activities and games.
This was one night of the year when the Wilderness Oak cafeteria was transformed into an
Italian Cafe. The tables were covered in red paper and adorned with crayons so that families
could "doodle" while they dined on their noodles. Some 650 people pre-paid for the meal
catered by HEB and many more purchased the night of the event. The WOW wolf mascot was
on hand to give out hugs and even served some spaghetti.
The two gymnasiums were decorated with approximately 1200 works of art created by each and
every child on the campus. Parents were able to peruse the gallery and make a donation to the
PTA by "purchasing" their child's matted and labeled art. Hobby Lobby help supply 350 frames
which sold out in the first hour of the event.
After dinner and the art sale, Parents attended an instructional math course taught by each grade
level team. Parents were able to ask questions about math vocabulary and inquire about how
they could better help their child at home.
PTA President Kym Pharris said "We wanted to have an event that brought our Wilderness Oak
Community together as families. It was nice to see families dining together while the children
were so proud to show off their art work and felt good to know that they were helping their
school raise money. The math information given to the parents was invaluable and will certainly
help them when overseeing their child's homework. It was a great night!"
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Bradley M.S. PTA conducted the 2nd Annual "Put a Coat by the Door" Coat Drive for our
sister school Ed White MS. Our Community Outreach chairman, Audrey Wilson spearheaded
the event and was supported by the generous Bradley MS Community of parents and educators.
This event took place the week of November 10th, 2008, and was publicized using fliers, posters
and emails communicating the event. Our goal was to collect coats of all sizes as a donation to
our sister school Ed White MS. Through the dedicated efforts of Audrey Wilson and a fantastic
job communicating our efforts and making drop-offs easy for the Bradley community by
allowing parents to drop off donations in the drive through lane of the school. Audrey and her
volunteers braved unseasonably cold mornings with smiles on their faces taking donations from
cars and providing huge collection boxes accessible throughout the campus.
Over 100 coats were collected and given to Ed White MS. This was less than last year's
donation of 300 coats, but was very much appreciated by the administration at Ed White.
Roosevelt H.S. PTSA won first place honors at the Windcrest Welcome Event in October. The
parent group was among more than twenty others at this activity. Their top award was for theme
presentation and knowledge of information that they shared with more than one hundred fifty
newcomers, residents and business at the quarterly Windcrest function.
The Windcrest Proud Welcome Reception is a quarterly social event that the Windcrest
community hosts to welcome new residents and businesses. At these themed gatherings, groups,
organizations, churches, and businesses have an opportunity to display information and educate
attendees on their services. The Windcrest Proud Committee and event attendees choose a
winner at each event based on theme decorations, and knowledge and presentation of
information. Roosevelt PTSA attended our first event in October 2008. We won. Our
participants included: President Gwen Wilson, members Theresa Grant and Sherry Walker and
students, Shanise Wilson and Rachel Walker.
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2009-2010
Canyon Ridge Elementary PTA: Last year, the School Spirit chairperson developed the Spirit
Stick Program. A Spirit Stick is a small custom embroidered patch that students earn, collect,
and display on a lanyard, key ring, or backpack. Each Friday, teachers are asked to count the
number of students wearing Canyon Ridge spirit shirts and submit their results to the front office
by 10 AM. The classes with the highest percentage of students in spirit shirts from each grade
level wins the weekly Spirit Award. Winning classes are given a sign to hang outside their
classroom door for the following week and class names are listed on a poster at the front entry to
the school. Each student from each winning class earns a Spirit Stick, which he or she keeps.
These Spirit Stick patches are collectible and valuable, as they must be earned and cannot be
purchased.
The success of this program has enabled its expansion. Now, Spirit Stick incentives include
other PTA-sponsored programs, such as membership drives, sister-school collection efforts, Red
Ribbon Week celebrations, Random Acts of Kindness Week, environmental awareness issues,
attendance and volunteer awards, and birthday celebrations. At a mere $.15 each, Spirit Sticks
promote school spirit and participation, encourage students to wear school spirit shirts, and
provide meaningful extrinsic rewards with lasting value, all year long.
Churchill High School PTA’s ADEPT committee partnered with Winner’s Circle, STAN
Counselor Beth Fox, WOAI TV, and Kiolbassa to organize a tailgate party at Heroes Stadium
before the Churchill-Reagan football game on September 24. The Churchill band, cheerleaders
and 300 students attended the event, which was broadcast live on WOAI. Kiolbassa donated
water and sausages. Activities included bean bag throwing and trivia contests. The event
provided an alcohol- and drug-free activity for students and increased school spirit.
Encino Park Elementary PTA: One of the goals of the Encino Park Elementary PTA has been
to increase awareness of the activities that are brought to the school by PTA, and encourage
membership and participation. The executive officers put together a brief video outlining the
activities that the Encino Park local PTA bring to the school and showed it during their Back to
School night. Their membership per student percentage is up, and parents are more aware of
what the PTA does and how to join PTA.
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Cibolo Green Elementary PTA organized the school’s participation in the “International Walk
to School” event on October 6, 2010 at 7:00AM. The program joins schools around the world to
walk or ride bicycles to school in order to enhance health of kids, improve air quality and
environment and to create safer routes.
The 250 participants included students, parents, teachers and PTA volunteers. Principal Dr.
Gonzales and Assistant Principal Mrs. Fischer each led a group from different neighborhoods.
Both groups carried a big banner to make the walk look like a grand parade. Each student that
participated received a Cibolo Green Frequent Walker Card to attach to their backpacks and will
be given one punch on their card every time they walk or bike to school. Once their card is full
they will receive a prize!
The CGPTA “Champions of the Environment” committee organized the event, made the banners
and will monitor and continue to promote the walking/biking to school. The CGPTA Watch
D.O.G.S. committee helped all of the participants to be safe en-route to school.
The Redland Oaks PTA hosted a parent education class on “Food and Fitness Matter; Raising
Healthy, Active Kids” at the school on November 10th during the lunch hour. Parents could
order a box lunch or bring their own lunch to the presentation. Parents discussed the alarming
fact that this generation of children may be the first to have a shorter lifespan, than that of
previous generations, due to lack of activity and diets high in fat. The conversations then focused
on solutions vital to our children’s health. The presenter, Mrs. Heather Ashwell-Hair, and her
presentation was sponsored by Texas PTA and focused on the following:
 The causes of the dramatic increase in overweight kids.
 Health problems posed by the childhood obesity epidemic.
 Practical tips for parents to improve nutrition and fitness at home.
 Profiles of schools that found ways to serve healthier food and to increase physical
activity, and
 Inspiration for parents to work with their school for change.
Parents can look forward to more parent education opportunities co-sponsored by the school and
PTA. Free “Common Sense Parenting” classes are being offered, both during the day and in the
evenings, through Boys Town of Texas. The classes run 8 weeks and include all materials. The
curriculum assists parents with maintaining strong relationships with their children; addressing
problem behaviors, and development of communication and parenting skills that help parents
raise responsible, caring children.
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Hardy Oak PTA hosted its first-ever Family Fitness Night on January 20th. Sue Bernstein,
Healthy Lifestyles Chairperson, showcased fitness stations lead by PE teachers and local
professionals, BMI and blood pressure checks, samples of healthy foods, many healthy lifestylerelated businesses and a drawing with great prizes. To promote the event, we used posters; eblasts, a showcase display, and students wore fitness clothes to school the day of the event. More
than 500 people attended Family Fitness Night and we plan to make it an annual event.
Northwood Elementary PTA: Our gym is the result of the 1997 Bond Election and we wanted
to express our thanks. More importantly, we want our gym and outdoor blacktop to be a place
for the community to stay fit and healthy.
We partnered with the City of San Antonio through the Mayor's Council on Fitness which gave
us a grant of $1,000 for our Gym Celebration and Dedication. The theme of the evening was
"Hats of to Health and Fitness." We were honored to have several speakers and special guests
attend, including Dr. Middleton, the Associate Superintendents, Councilman John Clamp, Randy
Bristow and Marie Ferdinand-Harris, from the Mayor's Council on Fitness and former Silver
Stars player spoke about the importance of exercise in your life. Also, each family was able to
fill out a Fitness Pledge stating they would try to eat healthier and incorporate physical activity
into their daily routine. For every family that submitted a Fitness Pledge, they received a goodie
bag filled with jump ropes, water bottles, coupons to the Spectrum, free oatmeal at McDonald's
and tips on eating healthy.
We were happy to have the MacArthur Cheerleaders and Drum-line kick-off the fun-filled
evening with a pre-program pep rally! They really set the mood and the elementary students
were really excited to have these high school students at their school. They were great role
models for our students and demonstrated different ways to stay physically fit. During the
program, our coach had everybody doing fun and simple exercises showing how easy it is to
incorporate fitness into your day. One of the highlights of the evening was having our
parents, children and all guests (including Dr. Middleton) participating in the activity with
Coach. In addition, students from each grade level demonstrated how the new equipment will be
utilized during their gym classes. After the program, we had a reception that included healthy
treats, such as bottled and sparking water, fruit and 100 calorie snack packs.
We had many volunteers participate that included parents and community representatives who
were new to volunteering for PTA! The Celebration brought out close to 400 people, which is
exciting considering we have approximately 460 students in our school. It was a fantastic
celebration of fitness and fun for all!
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2010-2011
Coker ES is certified as a Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation as of
2010. The road to certification for Coker began nine years ago when their initial drought
friendly gardens were planted in the front of the school. The initial planning, planting and
upkeep of the gardens have been headed up by Michelle O’Ferrall, her family and the Landscape
Committee of the Coker PTA.
In 2005, a pond was built on the Coker campus as an Eagle Scout project by Tucker Howe, a
former Coker Cub. The pond satisfies the certification requirements to provide water for
wildlife, a butterfly garden and the outdoor classroom portion for the school’s certification.
The Coker PTA continued their pursuit of having a “greener” school and community and planted
35 native trees. Lastly, all 800 plus students visit the pond and participate in pond lessons led
by parent volunteers. The pond lessons, created and lead by Alisa Strandmo, are the final
component to Coker’s Certification as a Wildlife Habitat and a treasured time for the students.
The Hidden Forest PTA awards teachers EXCEL grants, “minigrants” for educational programs
or supplies for their classrooms. Teachers and other staff members are encouraged to complete a
one-page application describing what they need and how many students would benefit.
The EXCEL committee, made up of parents from each grade level, decide which applications
will receive funding based on the number of students who will benefit, among other criteria.
The grant program, now in its second year, has distributed $19,771 for use directly in the
classroom, with the latest grant cycle ending in February 2011. We believe the program
demonstrates to teachers that the PTA is committed to funding their ideas, especially in these
belt-tightening financial times.
The Roan Forest PTA and Principal Dr. Alcala organized a Valentine’s Celebration for the
student’s and families on Friday, February 11th. The Celebration consisted of classroom parties,
grade level socials and a silent auction. This was their first time to offer class parties and grade
level socials.
PTA volunteers transformed the gymnasium into a Valentine’s themed dance venue. One of the
staff members served as the DJ for the event. This program welcomed parents to join their
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children for the class celebrations, grade level socials and silent auction.
The best part of the day was watching the children’s faces as they entered the gymnasium,
realizing that the DJ was a staff member.
The children, parents, and teachers danced to the fun and energetic music in the gym
encouraging them to be healthy. The event was very successful!
The Tuscany Heights PTA organized an event that included a Kids’ Fun Run and a chip timed
5K. Over 650 runners participated in this inaugural event. The event took place on Saturday,
February 26 and was open to the community as well as the school.
During the event, there was a Health Fair with vendors who provided health information and free
health screenings. In addition, participants were able to learn more about the sponsors and their
products/services at their sponsor tables.
This event built unity and promoted a positive and healthy lifestyle within the Tuscany Heights
community.
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2011-2012
A great dad at Canyon Ridge saw the need to recruit more dad volunteers for our campus and
he's had a great response to our "Just One Day" campaign. He set up a banner in the front of
school to help advertise the new initiative and also set up an information table at our Meet the
Teacher nights. A sign up sheet was sent home in the Welcome Packets and he's had a great
response to his request for dads to volunteer JUST ONE DAY. In fact, just this past week of
school -- our FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL -- we had more dads on our campus helping out then
we've ever seen before. Amazing!
Brad Hicks and his wife Adrian are passionate about being
involved in their child's education considering both of them
work full time and still find time to be on campus helping out
shows you how much they care. We are very lucky t have
parents like this! I can't wait to tell you just how many dads
he's recruited … flyers get returned daily and it is so fun to
see those yellow slips of paper in our PTA mailbox!
Attached are some of the advertisements he used to spread
the word about his JUST ONE DAY campaign. We're hoping
to print yellow T-shirts with a similar style for the dads who
help out -- we're still pinching ourselves that this really
worked!