Our fundraising goal for the Dragon Dash this year is $38,000. You all may be wondering what exactly all the money we raise goes towards and why. Well, it varies year to year, but we want you to know that the PTO Board and school administration discuss thoughtfully all the needs (and wants) of the school at the beginning of each year. So below is a little more detail for all you parents to give you a better understanding of where the money we raise this year will be going.
Basketball Court ($9,000) – We wanted to accomplish this last school year. But due to some other needs that arose and a cumbersome approval process, this project was shelved. You can read about it in our other blog post here. Well, we are reviving it! We already have our estimate from the contractor and are ready to bounce. See what we did there? 😂 So a basketball ball court will be making its appearance in the front yard of the school this year.
Financial Support for Teachers (~$10,000) - As you likely know, teachers spend a lot of their own money on special classroom projects or on classroom supplies. It’s also no secret that teachers are underpaid. So we can help them by providing them with the funds and resources they need to help their students. They can purchase those items that will make a lesson come to life or they can buy that bookshelf and fill it with books. Whatever they choose, it ultimately benefits all of the students at Dan Mills!
Fireproofing for the School ($3,000) – This may not sound exciting, but it is necessary for the safety of our students, faculty and staff. All Metro schools are required to be within the fire safety protocol within the building, as dictated by the Fire Marshall, however schools do not have a budget to accomplish this. So the options are either to remove all flammable materials (think curtains, cozy chairs, the lovely new cushions and chairs in the redesigned library, etc.) OR have a professional service come in and make any flammable materials fireproof. We’ve chosen the latter.
Curriculum ($10,000) – Each year the PTO pays for all kinds of resources that support the teachers’ curriculum. This includes online platforms like IXL and Study Island, as well as Accelerated Math and Reading A-to-Z. It doesn’t sound fancy or that exciting, but it’s a resource we’ve provided for years that the teachers have come to rely on because the expense of these supporting curriculum can be prohibitive. We are proud that we can consistently provide these resources to the grade-level teams to support their teaching.
House Rewards ($1,000) – Twice a year, a winning House gets a House Reward Party. Dan Mills PTO is responsible for funding these events. The students look forward to each semester, work hard to earn house points and earnestly await the results to see which House wins this fun reward.
Additional Funding Support (TBD) - Paying for Professional Development for teachers, supplementing field trips, providing additional equipment for classrooms and the school, teacher appreciation efforts (such as the Happy Cart and teacher appreciation week) and providing supplies for our social-emotional curriculum are just some examples of the types of things that the PTO is also able to provide with these funds.
And any money raised over our goal, will allow us to do much more – like, perhaps, completing the 2nd phase of the library redesign!
So, rest assured, your donations are intentionally and thoughtfully used to the benefit of the Dan Mills students and are always much appreciated!