• Alex Berger, PTO President (president@melrosepto.org)
    • Volunteer with the PTO! Sign up here.
  • Valet needs volunteers (Tom Donovan, tomdonovan310@gmail.com)
    • A few more volunteers needed 7:30-8:00am, contact Tom
  • Community Coffee Hour
    • This Fri, Oct 10 at 8am at lunch tables behind the main building
  • Beautification (Danielle Tenner)
    • This Sat, Oct 11, 9am-12pm
    • Volunteers here
    • Enter through the Formosa Gate
    • Native Garden Project will be worked on (new plants) to use as an ecosystem, play space and learning space
    • Focusing on gardening this Beautification day and in the Spring will focus on painting, etc.
  • Harvest Festival (Kate the Great)
    • Fri, Oct 24th, 5pm-7pm
    • Enter through the Formosa Gate
    • Volunteer here
    • Wear your costumes! (scariest, funniest, best group costume, and most creative categories will win trophies)
    • Celebrate fall with pumpkin decorating, chili cookoff, costume contest, zombie ball, spooky games, food carts, bake sale
    • Bring bake sale items and chili cookoff (bring your slow cooker!) items to the Parent Center earlier that day
  • Costume Parade
    • Fri, Oct 31st in the AM at school
  • Blu Jam Cafe Fundraiser (Julia Wiss)
    • Visit Blue Jam Cafe during October and mention “Melrose Elementary” 
    • 20% of your check will be donated to the PTO
  • Charleston Wrap Fundraiser (Rachel Kashon)
    • Gift wrap, personalized gifts, kitchen essentials, gourmet foods
    • Nov 3-30
    • Goal to raise $14,000 to fund field trips
    • Easy online registration creates unique shopping link to share with family and friends
    • Students earn prizes with each item purchased using their unique link
    • All orders are placed and paid for online and ship directly to buyers within 5 business days
  • Annual Giving Fundraiser (Nasim Kablan)
    • 4 fundraisers throughout the school year
      • Annual giving (in the Fall, donors are parents), Animal Olympics (in the Spring, donors are the extended community), Matching (all year employers can match your donations), Other (e.g. spiritwear, restaurant partnerships, etc., donors are Melrose families and extended community)
    • What does PTO pay for?
      • LAUSD can’t afford to support us in the same ways as in the past
        • COVID funds dried up & federal funds are not flowing in
      • PE, playground staff, science program, theater, Catalina, events (harvest festival, family fun nights, community building, staff appreciation, etc.), filmmaking, technology, field trips, campus beautification, garden ranger, yearbooks (free for all!)
      • Total budget this year = $431,314
      • Only $80,000 or 28% raised thus far and we’re half way through the fundraiser
    • Asking for participation from every family
      • For those who can, we’re asking $1,450/child
      • Support theater for 2 students $400
      • Support PE for 1 student $250
      • Donate here or via venmo @melrosepto or via check (leave in the main office, check can be written out to “Melrose Elementary PTO”)
      • Donations are fully tax deductible (Federal Tax ID 35-2348736)
    • Incentives are popsicle party and mad science assembly
    • Ethan Shanpanka announced anonymous community member will match every donation made between today and next Wednesday up to $5,000
  • Book Fair during parent conference week
    • Volunteers will be needed to work along with Ms Catherine the librarian
    • Volunteer here
  • Local School Leadership Council
    • Need 2 parent volunteers
      • Milenda Andrews and Nikkia 
    • This council schedules all of the events for the school year
    • They are the governing council for the school and decide whether the programs the school wants to run make sense and deserve PTO funds
    • Meetings are usually 3-4pm and can be hybrid (in person and via zoom)