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Fox Meadow PTA Committees

  
After School Clubs:  Students may choose from a variety of after school activities, including arts & crafts, sports, chess, and computer-related activities. Chairs hire and schedule the employee chaperones and the independent contractors who lead these programs at Fox Meadow on school days, maintain the After School Clubs website, coordinate on-line student registration, handle tuition, payroll, and all club-related financial records.  

Annual Benefit: This committee plans and implements an important evening function that serves as our major fundraiser for the year. 

Art Services/Visiting Artists:  Committee members assist Fox Meadow's art teacher as needed throughout the school year and with the set-up and take-down of the annual art show which takes place on a weekend in early June.  This unique event showcases multiple examples of the work of every child at the school. Committee members also assist Fox Meadow's art teacher with identifying and scheduling practicing artists for in-class visits to describe their careers and the inspiration behind their work.

Audit:  Members of this committee conduct an internal audit of the PTA financial records annually in July in accordance with the New York State PTA procedures.

Book Fair/Book Swap:  This committee promotes a love of reading by organizing a two-day book sale in the fall as well as a mid-year book swap to encourage re-using books.  Volunteers organize, set-up, check out and clean-up after the event. 

Budget Liaison:  Committee member(s) attend the day or evening community school budget meetings as well as the Board of Education budget study sessions that typically occur in late winter to keep the FM PTA informed on all developments regarding the School District budget.

Class Parents:  Class parents work closely with the classroom teachers and are an important communication link between parents and school.  Chairs coordinate the selection of class parents in the summer before the start of the school year for all classes K-5.

Classical Cafe:  The Chair works closely with Fox Meadow's music teacher to assist with these monthly student lunchtime performances and to coordinate room set-up, decoration and clean-up.

Clothing Sales/Spirit Wear:  This committee designs and orders shirts, sweats, and other items with the Fox Meadow logo and coordinates the sale and distribution of all merchandise. Sales typically occur at the beginning of the school year with additional sales during other PTA events, depending on inventory supplies. Fair-related apparel sales occur later in the school year.

Communications:  This committee is comprised of the following subgroups:

• E-Mail Database:  The Chair maintains and updates the PTA database used for all weekly e-mail newsletters and occasional e-blasts from the PTA President.
• FM Update:  The Chairs solicit news and announcements from the PTA committee chairs and liaisons.  The information is assembled and formatted into a weekly newsletter for e-mail distribution.
• FM Website:  Help update our website throughout the year.

Community Service:  The Chairs will work with student/teacher groups to broaden children’s understanding of community needs, both locally and globally, by assisting with various projects such as food drives and disaster relief throughout the year.

Directory of Students: This committee prepares the Fox Meadow School Student Directory, which lists all student and parent names, addresses, and contact information. After joining the PTA, parents can access the directory online, through the Membership Toolkit mobile app, or print a hard copy straight from the website.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: This committee will enhance awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion within the Fox Meadow Elementary School community.

Fair:  Each elementary school hosts an annual carnival on the same weekend date in the spring. This committee organizes the Fox Meadow Fair, a fun-filled day that includes food, games, and activities.

Fifth Grade:  Several subcommittees function to provide much awaited “moving up” commemorations.  These include food/snack sale at the picnic, Halloween & Valentine’s Day parties, 5th grade field trip in the spring, 5th Grade Games, Community Service drives, end of year celebration party, yearbook and video.

Hospitality:  The Chair coordinates all food set-up and decorations for the fall Open House in September and works closely with other committees for similar events such as New Families Orientation, PTA Meetings, Speaker Events.

In-House Counsel:  This committee advises the PTA on any contractual or legal issues that arise during the year.

Kindergarten Services: The Chairs coordinate kindergarten activities, including working with the Scarsdale Police to fingerprint kindergarten children as well as upper grade children new to Fox Meadow, if parents so desire, distributing the PTA gift to each incoming kindergartner, and arranging after school get-to-know you playground playdates at the start of the year.

Learning from Our Differences:  This parent-taught program exists in all Scarsdale elementary schools and promotes the understanding and acceptance of people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities through classroom visits and assemblies. Chairs coordinate the parent volunteers who lead classroom discussion and hands-on activities to raise awareness about vision, hearing, speech, and mobility impairments as well as learning and cognitive differences.

Learning to Look:  Learning to Look is a district-wide art appreciation program taught in the classroom by parent volunteers in grades 1 through 5.  Approximately 8-10 works of art are discussed over four classroom visits. Presentations utilize a question/answer format with hands-on projects to encourage student participation. Volunteers are needed to teach in the classrooms but must attend a training meeting in the beginning of the school year and have time to prepare for the classroom visits. For additional information, click here.

Legislative Advocacy:  This committee coordinates with PT Council on legislative issues. The chair attends PT Council meetings and helps inform the community on legislative issues affecting the school.

Library Services:  The Chairs work with the school librarian to coordinate all author visits to Fox Meadow.  During the school year, approximately three authors/illustrators visit the school to meet with students and share their experiences as an author or illustrator.  Committee members handle the sales and signing of books as well as the distribution of the signed books following the visit. In addition, members volunteer to work in the Fox Meadow library and assist in shelving or relabeling books as well as handling special projects as they arise.

STEAM:  STEAM was started by a team of teachers looking for ways to provide students of all ages with opportunities to learn about building, coding, designing, and creating. Our thinking is aligned with the maker movement that begins with the assumption that children learn by tinkering, playing, failing, and persevering as they learn how everyday objects work. The projects in STEAM are always changing. Participants will study STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts (design), and math), and the Makerspace will give Fox Meadow students other opportunities to apply their knowledge in different, fun, and creative ways. Students may meet before school, during lunch periods or after school through clubs. They will engage with the design process as well as make and construct exhibits or projects with their schoolmates. Some examples might be creating a box community in second grade which incorporates circuits, windmill power generators in third grade, creating arcade games for the FM fair, 3d printing parts for classroom use, and working on projects that inform the community on recycling and waste. Our teacher team presents at conferences and is in the process of reaching out to other groups to connect and see what others are also doing.

Multicultural:  This committee aims to share traditions and backgrounds within our rich multicultural community. Activities include planning a multicultural breakfast for parents, and planning the annual multicultural fair for students held in May in the school gym.

 
Photos:  Chairs assist the professional photographers and staff on the day that school pictures are taken and coordinate the sale and distribution of the school photos.

Picnic:  This committee plans and orchestrates the back to school family picnic in September.  All elementary schools in the District host their own evening event on the same date.

Play: This committee works with an outside company that directs, choreographs, and produces a musical in which about 90 children from grades 1 through 5 perform. Rehearsals take place daily after-school during two weeks in between the fall and winter/spring semesters of the after school clubs, culminating in a weekend performance at the school. Chairs coordinate the parent volunteers who deal with costumes, ticket sales, backstage sound, lights, and curtains, program design and distribution, and who serve as child supervisors and callers during rehearsals and performances.

School Supplies:  The chair coordinates with faculty in the Spring to create school supply lists for each grade for the following school year.

Staff Appreciation:  This committee plans a series of events during the National PTA Teacher Appreciation Week to show our support and gratitude to our amazing Fox Meadow staff and administrators.

Traffic and Safety:  This committee assesses, makes recommendations, and follows up on traffic, safety and security issues around the school. 

Walking School Bus:  Parent volunteer "bus drivers" supervise children as they walk to school from various locations throughout Fox Meadow in the fall and spring. The Chair coordinates the routes based on student demographics and selects the drivers who lead them.

Website: The Chair maintains the FM PTA webpages that are located on the Scarsdale School District's main website. Responsibilities include updating information, posting volunteer sign-up sheets, creating electronic forms and surveys, and working with the PTA Treasurer and select committees to set up payment links and pages for specific events on the website throughout the school year.


PT Council, FM Staff, and Community Liaisons
The following are PT Council, FM Staff, and/or community groups for which FM PTA appoints its own liaison to keep Fox Meadow families informed about their activities.

PT Council Committee Liaisons:

Scarsdale C.H.I.L.D. (Children Having Individual Learning Differences): a network of resources, information, and support for parents and teachers of preschool and school-aged children who receive learning resource center, speech & language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, special education services, or other modifications or accommodations for special needs.

Sports Swap: a District-wide tag sale of used sporting goods and other equipment held on a weekend typically in late winter.

Young Writers' Workshop: an annual event featuring a keynote speaker and workshops for students District-wide in grades 3 through 5, typically occurring in early spring. 

Sign up to volunteer HERE!

Liaisons to FM Staff:

Compact Team: a District-mandated committee that is comprised of the school principal, two teachers, and three parents who meet monthly to discuss issues relevant to the students.

English as a New Language (ENL)

Performing Arts:  Band

Performing Arts:  Chorus

Performing Arts:  Orchestra

Community-Based Organization Liaisons:

Friends of Music & the Arts

Scarsdale Adult School

Scarsdale Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol