The Freedom PTA
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Mailing address: Freedom PTA 2608 McLeod Dr E, West Fargo, ND 58078
Zoom meeting link: https://us04web.zoon.us/j/77874580500
Welcome to the Freedom Elementary School PTA! Here you will learn about all of the wonderful things parents and teachers do to enrich the educational experiences of the children at Freedom Elementary School.
What is the PTA?
We are a local Parent Teacher Association that is organized by interested parents and teachers. It is a PTA organized under the authority of North Dakota Congress of Parents and Teachers (NDPTA), a branch of National Congress of Parents and Teachers (National PTA). The Freedom Elementary School PTA has bylaws that govern the operation and five officers that ensure things run smoothly.Our Mission
- To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship,
- To raise the standards of home life,
- To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth,
- To bring into closer relation 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
Meetings
Join us at our next meeting! All parents and teachers are welcome to attend the PTA meetings. Each meeting is held on the second Monday or Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM in the school media center. Childcare is provided during meetings.Contact
If you have questions about the Freedom PTA, feel free to contact this year’s officers via email. To sign up for the Freedom Elementary School PTA, please complete the membership form below and drop it off at the school’s main office or at a PTA meeting. Be sure to check out the Freedom PTA Facebook page for photos and more...PTA 2020-2021 Board
Cara Christenson, President
Lori Steinbrink, Vice President
Carly Wright, Secretary
Brandy Arends, Treasurer
Committee Types and Descriptions
Yearbook Committee: Meet with Scherling rep to install software, confirm student’s photos are in correct classes and names are correct (this info is provided), design yearbook color scheme, get candid/event photos from teachers and staff, design class photo pages and event pages, and judge cover contest.
Staff Appreciation Week: Come up with ideas to celebrate our amazing Freedom staff each day for the week of May 4th-8th within budget, purchase/make whatever needs to be done or organize other volunteers to do so, and the execute your plan during that week.
Events: *Note, this committee could be broken down into each event if participants preferred* Plan activities, concessions, items for purchase, pricing, coordinating volunteers, and advertising for events such as Turkey Bingo, Winter Family Night, STEAM Night, and PTA Family Fun Night. Help supervise events and purchase items needed within budget.
Boxtops: Get students excited about collecting boxtops, make sure they are turned in, organized, counted, and postmarked prior to deadline.
Conferences: Help recruit and organize volunteers for the bookfair, and provide staff meals within budget during conferences (you can set up food for delivery, drop off catering, organize a pot luck with other parents, etc)
PTA-Sponsored Events
PTA Videos
Upcoming Events
Meetings
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May 12 Meeting minutes
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April 21 Meeting
April 21, 2020
ZOOM MEETING- 6:30 pm
Freedom Elementary PTA
Present: Lori Steinbrink, Jerilyn Selheim, Joan Houdek, Jessica, Jeff Johnson, Katie Nill, Tonia Thompson, Cara Christianson, Carly Wright, Allison Mahar, Leah Anderson, Christel Ambuehl, Cathy Birrenkott, Miss Julius, Allison, Sara,Chrissie, Tony Walls, Lisa Karch
Introductions
Membership Report/ Elections Committees (Lori)
Board member positions and the fun run chairman will be elected at our May 12 meeting.
Principal’s Report (Dr. Johnson)
Thank you to everyone for your patience with everything that’s been going on. Normally what could take a year to plan, our district and the state of North Dakota put this together in 2 weeks. We are waiting on the governor’s direction to see if/when any changes will be occuring in our learning format.The current situation is very overwhelming for many families. All elementary schools are following the same format. Teachers and staff are REALLY missing the students. Several paras are following up directly with families on a weekly business to assist with different work. They are happy to support families and can be called throughout the week to resolve problems.
Whether we go back in May or not to the buildings, summer school will occur as distance education. Families who qualify for those services have been notified. Teachers are being trained right now in this format. Everything is still tentative up in the air week by week/day by day based upon the governor’s next steps.
Special Education/EL/Reading Services Update
Leah Anderson(Special Education)-Plans for special education students were created even before the general education plans went out. Every single one of the special education families has been contacted to address the different needs of the students that they serve. Microsoft Teams and SeeSaw have been the main ways to communicate/educate those families. One time per week there is a mandatory check in (minimum) for each family directly with a special education teacher. Federal requirements are mostly being held through Microsoft Teams. Special Ed Summer School is still being planned. Tentative plans for face to face and virtual learning are both getting started.
Allison Maharn & Katie Nill (Title)- Reading specialists have been working on 2 different programs (iRead for grades K-2) and (Waggle for grades 3-5). Students are being tracked on those programs. LLI (the intervention program usually used face to face) just put all books online this past week. It’s a familiar tool for the students to be using at home.
Cathy Birrenkott & Emily (EL)- Using the iRead for their K-2 learning and grades 3-5 are using a different language learning program. The first task for these teachers was to get all of their families connected to the technology. Microsoft team chats are happening to help keep them speaking their English.
Funding Requests (Tonia)
No new funding requests since our last meeting
Yearbook Update (Jerilyn)
We are almost done. Lori, Cara and Jerilyn have been working on it from home. We’ve been having ZOOM Meetings to get everything put together. There’s a special section in the back for distance learning and world of hearts. Last year we ordered 351 year books and this year there have only been 190. We are taking into consideration financial needs of families. We are ordering books for all Teachers this year and a few for the office. We plan to order approximately 30 extra for anyone who missed the memo on ordering. What we don’t sell, we will donate to the 5th grade classrooms for students who may not have gotten one. Pickup for yearbooks will be determined. There may be another 2nd round pickup if we don’t go back to school in May. We can include yearbooks with this if so.
Dine to Donate Nights (Jessica)
Papa Johns has been postponed for the remainder of the year. Skate City events have also been cancelled.
School Supply Boxes (Jessica)We will be doing this again. Families will pick up with us in the fall at back to school/registration. There is no markup on the boxes so what the website charges is our cost.
5th Grade Legacy
Scott Dronen is the team lead for 5th grade. Dr. Johnson will visit with him at his next planning time.
Upcoming Events
STEAM NIGHT (prepaid for next year)
STAFF APPRECIATION (2 separate plans for whether we go back or not)
PTA FAMILY FUN NIGHT (funds are in a holding pattern until we know for sure what’s going on at the end of this year)Financial Report and Remaining Class Funds (Tonia)
We had great pricing on the Conference meals and had parents/members donate for the taco bar night. The book fair has also been closed out. All of our earnings from the bookfair went for scholastic dollars. Our one NSF check also was redeposited and it went through. Our current checkbook balance is $19,000+. All monies that teachers want to spend from their budgets need to have receipts turned in by June 15. If teachers want to roll over their funds, they can do so as well. Receipts can be emailed to freedomflyerspta@gmail.com Emails will go out to the teachers who still have funds for them to know what their options are.
Jessica motioned to approve, tonia second
Adjourned 7:15 pm
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, May 12@ 6:30 pm via ZOOM
Contact us:
Email- freedomflyerspta@gmail.comwww.facebook.com/freedomflyerspta
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January 2020 Minutes
Freedom Flyer PTA Meeting
Tuesday January 7, 2020
6:30 pm
In Attendance: Lori Steinbrink, Angie Saxlund, Katie Genereux, Deanne Trieglaff, Derrick Olson, Cara Christenson, Trisha Moe, Beth Oien, Ericka Urness, Joan Houdek, Carly Wright, Aga Rashid, Tonia Thompson
- Membership Report
- No new members since December meeting.
- Dean’s Report
- Grantley recognition night tonight at the Sheyenne Basketball game. Wear orange
- Rock and Roll Day is January 16
- No school January 20
- RICK Week coming up and information coming out in a week in the newsletter
- Next Thursday, January 16th is a Wrestling match for Grantley.
- This Thursday is Family Fitness Night from 6-7:30 pm here at Freedom
- Bison Day is this Friday
- Funding Requests
- Self manager snacks will be requested by Ms. Houdek at the next meeting
- Upcoming Events
- Winter Family Night Tuesday January 28. Families are invited to come out in their slumber party gear and enjoy a movie. Bring some board games as well as the commons will be open for that purpose. We will be showing 101 Dalmations. The music department is putting on the play, Annie at 3:15 on the same day
- There will be a short blood drive presentation for the students prior to the event in Grantley’s honor.
- PTA Needs (Committee sign up genius)—get to Alison with the January meeting notes
- Next Agenda: Fun Run Committee for next fall, Yearbook, Boxtops, Book Fair, Teacher Appreciation Week
- Financial Report
- $750 was used for Lego Robotics group, from their budget.
- The remaining Turkey Bingo expenses were paid.
- The AccuCut roller was purchased for the staff lounge
- If you’d like to see the full Income Statement, please email the PTA group.
2nd Grade Teacher Report
In math students are using a new curriculum called Bridges. In science, students are using the engineering and design process. They just finished a unit on creating high quality playdoh. Their next unit is about the pollination process. In writing second graders are using story boards to write stories with a problem and resolution. In reading, students are working with character traits. The current trait that they are working on is Courageous.
- Open Forum
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 11 at 6:30 pm
Contact us:
Email- Freedomflyerspta@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/freedomflyerspta
- Membership Report
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December 2019 Minutes
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November 2019 Minutes
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Oct 2019 Minutes
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Sep 2019 Mintues
