Together we can make a difference for our school, our children and our community!
Volunteer Form (PDF)
Please consider volunteering with your PTA. The FKES PTA is responsible for so many programs, events, and initiatives that enrich our students’ elementary school days, and this is only possible thanks to the investment energy, time, and effort by volunteers. As we all know, when parents and families are involved, our children benefit.
Contact the Volunteer Coordinator Renée Hutchins (volunteers@fkespta.org), and individual committee chairs to get involved.
Please email your monthly volunteer hours to vol.hours@fkespta.org — thanks!
| Fundraising | ||
|---|---|---|
| Committee | Purpose | Chair |
| Direct Donation Campaign | Rather than fundraising activities that require our students to sell products, the families of FKES make tax deductible donations directly to the PTA to fund the activities we support. | Kirsten Frank & Hugh Dennis ddc@fkespta.org |
| Book Fair | Every year, the week after Thanksgiving, we sponsor a Scholastic book fair. The money earned goes directly to the media center to purchase new books and equipment for our students. | Cecily Thorne book.fair@fkespta.org |
| Silent Auction | The largest fundraiser for our school, and an enjoyable activity that, with help from families and faculty, raises significant funds to support the academic, creative, and after school programs of FKES. | Michelle Alonso auction.chair@fkespta.org |
| Dine Out Nights | A great way to bring the Forest Knolls community together for a night of fun, socialization and fundraising, while also supporting local businesses. | Maria Stumphauzer dine.out@fkespta.org |
| Spirit Wear | Enable students and supporters of Forest Knolls to show their spirit on t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bumper magnets, and more, while supporting the funding of PTA programs. | Megan Wilson thewilsonfamily401 @ gmail.com |
| Box Tops | A free and easy way to earn money that typically raises $700 or more for our school. Box Tops are collected, counted, and shipped out. Checks arrive twice a year. | Stephanie Louloudes stressedmom@gmail.com |
| Grants Coordinator | Andrea Paxton andrea.foggy-paxton @ gatesfoundation.org |
|
| Community Events | ||
| Family Fun Nights | To build our community, we like to get together at various times during the year and just have fun. Whether it’s a picnic, a dance, or a dinner, the Forest Knolls community enjoys time together. | Marcia Munoz marcia_v_munoz @ mcpsmd.org |
| International Night | A tradition at Forest Knolls in which we showcase pride in our heritage through food, display tables, performances, and a fashion show celebrating countries and cultures represented in the FKES community. | Mala Ghai Carolyn Scalera international.night @ fkespta.org |
| Science Fair | An opportunity for students in grades 3-5 to undertake a science project of their choosing, conduct scientific research, and share their new knowledge with classmates and the school community. | John Lill science.fair@fkespta.org |
| Grandparents’ Day | A tradition at FKES for over 25 years, this outreach to the community invites the older generation to spend a few hours visiting an elementary school. | Kimi McGrath kimimcg@yahoo.com Julie Quintana julieahart71@yahoo.com |
| Spring Fair | A great day for families to come out and meet their neighbors and other families from the school over food, moon bounces, and more. Kids After Hours provides the rides and food and the PTA provides the volunteers. | Jillian Newby spring.fair@fkespta.org |
| School Support | ||
| School Improvement Team | A group of teachers, administrators, and parents that analyze the overall success of the school, and take action to improve our great school. Parents act as liaisons between students, the PTA, parents, and the faculty/staff. | Bill McGrath president@fkespta.org John Acosta vice.president@fkespta.org |
| Staff Appreciation | Show our staff how much we appreciate them and their dedication to our children by treating them to several wonderful meals and additional events and activities throughout the year. | Astrid Ingenlath-Diaz & Kirsten Frank staff.appreciation @ fkespta.org |
| Room Parents | Help coordinate the classroom volunteers our teachers depend on by providing support for class parties, gift giving, the ability to contact all families in a class, and more. | Marie Girardot mlgirardot@aol.com |
| Traffic Circle Committee | Ensure the safety of our children during drop-off each and every morning of the school year. | Claudia Saldi traffic.circle@fkespta.org |
| Cultural Arts & Assemblies | Provide all students an opportunity to experience quality arts performances at a significantly lower cost than in other settings. | Megan Howard megan@acornwords.com |
| 5th Grade Promotion | Provide activities that facilitate a positive transition from elementary to middle school for FKES 5th Grade Students and their families. | Jillian Newby fifth.grade.promotion @ fkespta.org |
| Yearbook | The Yearbook is a great way to memorialize the fun we had during the school year. | Ronita Hook yearbook@fkespta.org |
| Green School Committee | FKES has earned a Green School certification. Support FKES in maintaining its outdoor classrooms and environmental education programs. | Diane Lill green.school@fkespta.org |
| Conservation Landscaping | connect the Forest Knolls community to nature—and inspire conservation action—through well-planned, educational landscaping projects that utilize natural, native materials and contribute to well-functioning ecosystems. | Clare Nielsen Neal conservation.landscaping @ fkespta.org |
| Community Outreach | ||
| NAACP/African-American Outreach | Inform youth of the problems affecting African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities, advance education and social status of African Americans, and to stimulate an appreciation for African Americans’ contributions to civilization through workshops, events, and providing resources to FKES families. | Neil Irvin nirvin1@msn.com |
| Hispanic Outreach | Create a PTA that is welcoming and inclusive to our Spanish speaking community through engagement in school activities, volunteerism, and PTA work. | Roxanne Beltran hispanic.outreach@fkespta.org |
| Asian Outreach | Support Asian families, especially those that are not English speaking, to feel included in the FKES school community through events such as the Asian Heritage Festival. | OPEN |
| Special Needs Liaison | The Forest Knolls Special Education Committee facilitates communication between parents of students in Special Education. It keeps abreast of MCPS Special Education programs, actions and issues and shares this information with parents. We want all families to feel welcomed and encouraged to participate in school activities. | Caitlin Lawrence caitlin_e_lawrence @ mcpsmd.org Kristen Kracke kkrackebock@gmail.com |
| Gifted and Talented Liaison | Provide support and resources to the families of gifted and talented students. | Emily Eskelsen gifted.liaison @ fkespta.org |
| Extracurricular Activities | ||
| After School Activities | Provide enriching and fun activities for FKES students after school. | Astrid Ingenlath-Diaz & Marilee Shelton-Davenport asa@fkespta.org |
| Foreign Language In Elementary Schools FLES |
Offer Spanish, French, and Chinese classes before or after school to enrich study of history, geography, and provide a path for students’ language study in middle school. | Kirsten Frank fles@fkespta.org |
| Creative Adventures | Sarah Kiefhaber s.kiefhaber@verizon.net |
|
| Cross Country Kids | Provide a relaxed, fun running club for the kids in the spring with no cap on total number of members or age K-5. |
Kirsten Frank kirstenfrank25@yahoo.com Maria Stumphauzer twowaggingtails @ verizon.net |
| PTA Operations | ||
| PTA Membership | Process, manage, and report membership information. | Kirsten Frank membership @ fkespta.org |
| Volunteer Coordinator | Increase parental involvement in all school activities. | Renée Hutchins volunteers @ fkespta.org |
| Volunteer Hours | Count and report number of hours volunteered by FKES PTA volunteers. | Claudia Saldi vol.hours@fkespta.org |
| Communications Coordinator | Keep the FKES community informed about PTA events and activities via communication channels such as flyers, email discussion group, FKES website, and Connect Ed phone messages. | Rebecca Adams communications @ fkespta.org |
| PTA Website | Publish timely and useful information about FKES PTA activities and operations on fkespta.org. | Ed Gillespie webmaster@fkespta.org |
| Translation & Interpretation | Overcome communication barriers to ensure all parents have an opportunity to become involved at FKES. | Roxanne Beltran roxmb@yahoo.com Aleks Beltran |
| School Directory | Facilitate communication within the school community by making the PTA Student Directory available to all FKES families. | Valerie Crawford & Hilary Sherman school.directory @ fkespta.org |
| Parent Resource Coordinator | Assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children and to encourage parental involvement in the public schools of the nation. | Crystal Willis crystalkwillis@msn.com |
| Hospitality | The hospitality chair is the official host of the PTA and has the responsibility of establishing a friendly, comfortable atmosphere at PTA events. | Gretchen Vidergar hospitality@fkespta.org |