OTA Parent Foundation Corner - Newsletter 9/1

Notes from the Parent Foundation

Hopefully, you were able to join us last night for our Back to School Night. If you couldn't make it or just still have questions, please reach out! We were excited to welcome back all our families, both the familiar faces and the new ones, to Old Town Academy. We also wanted to take a moment to formally introduce you to the OTA Parent Foundation. This update will be longer so get cozy!

The OTA Parent Foundation is the parent/teacher association and fundraising arm of OTA. Our goals are simple: foster a sense of community and gather resources to bridge the financial gap between what OTA receives from the state as a charter school and what's needed to keep our school running and thriving. Foundation meetings are held in the 7th-grade room, on the second floor, usually on the first Tuesday of the month from 6-8pm. We'd love to see you there in person, but if life’s getting in the way, don't worry, we have an online option too. You can check out the dates on our oldtownacademy.org website under "events." If your child is enrolled, you are a member – come join us!

Community building is an important aspect of OTA. The Foundation works with each class to run 1-2 school-wide events, plan some amazing teacher lunches, rock those classroom parties and celebrations, rally field trip volunteers, and whatever else comes our way. We're gearing up to share the class level event details for the year, so stay tuned. Some are already posted on our website events page!

Now for everyone's favorite topic: Fundraising! You may already know, but public charter schools, like OTA, rely on public funding. But that just doesn't cover our full budget. At OTA, we aim for “less is more” – two larger fundraisers with big asks. Our mission: close the $90,000 gap, about $400 per child at OTA.

On a smaller note, but very popular topic right now, we are getting a lot of requests for a book fair! We hear you and are working to try and bring this back quickly. Be on the look out. We are going to try to pull this off early and get more books to our students and teachers as early as we can! Now on to the big stuff!

Our first big fundraiser is the Jog-A-Thon on Friday, October 20th. We're on the lookout for 1-2 parents to shadow the Jog-A-Thon Chair this year, with an eye on leading the event next year. We're also looking for a parent from each class to join the Jog-A-Thon committee to whip up excitement and energy on the big day. This is your chance to dive into the action.

And then there’s the Spring Gala, our second big shindig, on Friday, April 19th. This gala has been a fundraising powerhouse and an integral part of our budget. If we're being honest though, it's a bit like relying on a small team of superheroes. That's where you come in. I would encourage all parents who would like to help discuss the future of fundraising at OTA to come chat with us at the Foundation meetings and raise your hand to volunteer. Your involvement can be a game-changer!

But hey, why wait for all the excitement? If the fundraising spirit hits you early, you can donate or pledge right now. Let's create some buzz and celebrate big-time come April. Hop on oldtownacademy.org, hit that Donate button, and make a difference that matters. Your contribution’s tax-deductible and has a direct impact on the awesome journey of our students, teachers, and community. Whether you participate at OTA via financial contribution, volunteerism, or hopefully a combination of both, we need 100% participation to make Old Town Academy an ongoing success.

Want to hear more about how to get involved? Keep an eye on your inbox for an email that dives into volunteer opportunities for each class. If you missed signing up at Back to School Night, no worries – drop us an email or catch us at a Friday Flag. Come get involved at OTA!

Volunteer Opportunities and Highlights

Our full list of volunteer opportunities is published here. We will update this regularly as we have more info and more ideas!