Want to Get Involved?

Email us at fifthgrade@brackettpto.org

Fifth Grade Contribution

Donate through the GIVE BUTTER link below

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

This is the first communication from the Fifth Grade Committee! Please see below for some important information and requests:

What is the 5th Grade Committee?

It is a group of parents tasked with organizing 5th grade social and community service events, planning the Celebration of Learning, getting T-shirts for the kids, creating and disseminating the yearbook, and fundraising to pay for the cost of all of these wonderful things! Keep in touch with the latest 5th grade happenings here all year long: https://brackettpto.org/fifthgrade/

We are always looking for additional hands to help- if you can be part of the committee or want to sign on for a discrete task, email fifthgrade@brackettpto.org

What do we need from families right now?

Contributions

The budget for the year’s activities is about $7-8k, which breaks down to about $115/student.

Fundraising is a critical activity for this committee. We request donations from parents and will also plan fundraising events throughout the year so that we can cover the cost of all activities, t-shirts, and yearbooks for every student, regardless of their ability to pay. If you are willing and able, please GIVE TODAY so that we can kick-off our fundraising and begin planning for our 5th graders.

Donate via PayPal: (Don’t forget to put 5th grade in the transaction note!)

Donate via Venmo: (Don’t forget to put 5th grade in the comment!):

Tell us what size T-shirt your kiddo needs

Submit your child’s T-shirt size for our 5th Grade Brackett Barracuda T-shirt!

Volunteer to help the 5th Grade Committee

• Bake Sales: We need baked goods and sellers!  Sign up here!
• Fundraising Sub-Committee: Join this subcommittee to help raise funds for all of our wonderful activities throughout the year. Email fifthgrade@brackettpto.org.
• Yearbook Committee: Join this subcommittee to help gather photos and create a beautiful yearbook keepsake for our kiddos. Email fifthgrade@brackettpto.org.

Thank you all for reading! We will continue to communicate with you all throughout the year.

Volunteer Today!

There are so many ways that you can get involved in making your student’s last year at Brackett special.  Here are some of the positions that need more volunteers — even a few hours make a huge difference!  If you want to learn more about any of these positions or want to volunteer, please fill our Volunteer Interest Form.

Co-Chair the Fifth Grade Committee

Co-chairs oversee and coordinate the various fifth grade sub committees (e.g. yearbook, fundraising, community service, celebration of learning, etc.).  Co-chairs also keep track of the fifth grade budget, collaborate with the principal to schedule/plan fifth grade activities, order and distribute class t-shirts, and communicate fifth grade information with families and teachers through room rep emails, flyers, and fifth grade website (website support provided by PTO Board).

Time Commitment: averages about 1 hour/week, but varies depending on what fifth grade activities are happening at any given time.

Yearbook Team

Yearbook volunteers create the fifth grade yearbook.  Responsibilities include working with the yearbook vendor, creating layouts, organizing fifth grade submissions (generally an “about me” type questionnaire and a baby photo), obtaining photo releases from families, and getting kindergarten and fifth grade school portraits from Picture Day vendor.  Instructions, records from previous years, and vendor information will be provided.

Time Commitment: 2-3 hours/month (October-April) and slightly more during May (5-6 hours) to finalize the yearbook before print.

Fundraising Team

Volunteers raise funds for fifth grade activities, class t-shirt, yearbook, and class gift through organizing fundraiser Movie Nights, bake sales, etc.  The fundraising volunteers also send the family contribution letter to fifth grade families to raise any additionally needed funds.  Fifth grade funds are a separate budget from the general PTO funds and are fundraised by fifth grade families for the fifth grade class specifically (this fundraising is unrelated to the general PTO fundraising that is school-wide).

Time Commitment: 1-2 hours/month to organize and run fundraiser Movie Nights and/or 5th grade bake sales at other school events (such as Glow Dance or STEM Night), plus additional time at these evening events to help fifth graders run the events/sales.

Community Service Team

Volunteers organize events encouraging fifth grade students to engage with their community through service.  Past years have worked with Arlington EATS, Food Link, Cradles to Crayons, and more.  Volunteers reach out to community organizations and find service opportunities and organize small groups of students (along with their adults) to go outside of school hours.

Time Commitment: 1-2 hours/month to organize community service events, create signups, and communicate service opportunities with fifth grade families.

Fifth Grade Social/Field Trip Team

Volunteers plan the fifth grade social/field trip by identifying an activity, coordinating a date with Dr. Vice and Fifth Grade teachers, booking the field trip and bus transportation (available through district if booked early enough), finding fifth grade parent/caregiver volunteers to chaperone, and creating/distributing flyers about the event.

Time Commitment: 1-2 hours/month in the spring to plan, plus coordinating/chaperoning during the school day field trip.

Celebration of Learning Team

Volunteers plan and organize the Celebration of Learning (formerly Fifth Grade Graduation) in June and the Class Gift (which is announced/presented at the Celebration of Learning).  Identify a date for the Celebration of Learning with Dr. Vice, plan the ceremony (with input from Dr. Vice), create/distribute flyer announcing the event, create programs to be given out at the event, coordinate with custodians for setup (e.g. microphones, risers), coordinate with music teacher about musical performance, arrange fourth grade parent/caregiver volunteers to volunteer at the event, and plan and purchase a class gift.  Previous years have arranged an art project involving fifth graders and their kindergarten buddies to make decorations for the ceremony (coordinate with fifth grade and kindergarten teachers).

Time Commitment: 1-2 hours/month in April-May, 2-3 hours in June, plus coordinating fourth-grade parent/caregiver volunteers before the ceremony.