Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is PTA?
PTA (Parent Teacher Association) is an organization that works with schools to support and advocate for students. Spruce PTA is a local unit of the Washington State PTA (WSPTA). WSPTA is the state branch of National PTA
Why should I join?
PTA membership has several advantages. First, it gives you the right to vote on PTA matters such as allocation of funds (budgeting), board representation, and even the events that we will sponsor for the year. Secondly, PTA membership gives you access to resources through the Washington State and National PTAs. Using your PTA membership login and password, you can access the PTA’s repository of information and educational materials. To find out more about membership and its advantages, visit our Membership page.
What does the PTA do?
The purpose of PTA is to serve as an advocacy group for students, and to support their education through funding and materials (and anything else we can help with). Spruce PTA supports our school specifically by providing educational materials and funding to Spruce Elementary teachers and students, and by sponsoring Family Fun Nights and other events.
How can I help?
You can help in several ways :
· Join us! Download the PTA Membership Form and submit it to the Spruce Elementary main office with your dues payment.
· Get involved and volunteer! We love working for our Spruce students, but we can’t do it alone! We need your help. We have volunteer opportunities available for you! More information is available on our Volunteers page.
· Make a donation! We happily accept your tax-deductible donation, big or small, and provide receipts for tax reporting purposes. Download the PTA Donation Form and submit it to the Spruce Elementary main office with your donation.
Why do you charge for family fun nights?
Though we try to keep the cost to our families to a minimum, there are a few of our events for which we do charge admission. In some cases we charge admission to offset the cost of the event (Harvest Fest, for example). In other cases, we charge an admission to help pay for the events that we throw for free. We do not charge admission to make a profit. Any profit that is made is added to the general fund and is used to support our mission. A full list of our events is available on our Events page.
What is my money used for?
In short, it goes back to the students and teachers of Spruce Elementary. As a volunteer-based, non-profit organization, we put as much of our annual funding back into Spruce Elementary as possible. And, with no salary costs and minimal overhead expenses, most of the money that we bring in can be used to support our school! For the specific breakdown of our operations, please see our Documents page.
Can I donate to the PTA?
Yes! We gladly accept your monetary donations. Simply download our PTA Donation Form and submit it with your donation the Spruce Elementary main office. Donations to Spruce PTA are tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt for tax reporting purposes.
How do I find out more about PTA?
To find out more about PTA, visit our Links page to explore the other PTA organizations with which we are affiliated. For specific questions, contact us.
What kinds of fundraising is done throughout the year?
Spruce PTA coordinates several different types of fundraisers throughout the school year. We try not to overwhelm parents with requests, so many of our fundraisers are membership in ongoing programs, such as “Box Tops” and “Soup Labels”. Other fundraisers, such as “HarvestFest” and “Sweetheart Bingo" are event based. Still others, such as Yearbook and Spirit Wear are based on merchandise sales. For a complete list of Spruce PTA fundraisers, see our Fundraising page.
PTA (Parent Teacher Association) is an organization that works with schools to support and advocate for students. Spruce PTA is a local unit of the Washington State PTA (WSPTA). WSPTA is the state branch of National PTA
Why should I join?
PTA membership has several advantages. First, it gives you the right to vote on PTA matters such as allocation of funds (budgeting), board representation, and even the events that we will sponsor for the year. Secondly, PTA membership gives you access to resources through the Washington State and National PTAs. Using your PTA membership login and password, you can access the PTA’s repository of information and educational materials. To find out more about membership and its advantages, visit our Membership page.
What does the PTA do?
The purpose of PTA is to serve as an advocacy group for students, and to support their education through funding and materials (and anything else we can help with). Spruce PTA supports our school specifically by providing educational materials and funding to Spruce Elementary teachers and students, and by sponsoring Family Fun Nights and other events.
How can I help?
You can help in several ways :
· Join us! Download the PTA Membership Form and submit it to the Spruce Elementary main office with your dues payment.
· Get involved and volunteer! We love working for our Spruce students, but we can’t do it alone! We need your help. We have volunteer opportunities available for you! More information is available on our Volunteers page.
· Make a donation! We happily accept your tax-deductible donation, big or small, and provide receipts for tax reporting purposes. Download the PTA Donation Form and submit it to the Spruce Elementary main office with your donation.
Why do you charge for family fun nights?
Though we try to keep the cost to our families to a minimum, there are a few of our events for which we do charge admission. In some cases we charge admission to offset the cost of the event (Harvest Fest, for example). In other cases, we charge an admission to help pay for the events that we throw for free. We do not charge admission to make a profit. Any profit that is made is added to the general fund and is used to support our mission. A full list of our events is available on our Events page.
What is my money used for?
In short, it goes back to the students and teachers of Spruce Elementary. As a volunteer-based, non-profit organization, we put as much of our annual funding back into Spruce Elementary as possible. And, with no salary costs and minimal overhead expenses, most of the money that we bring in can be used to support our school! For the specific breakdown of our operations, please see our Documents page.
Can I donate to the PTA?
Yes! We gladly accept your monetary donations. Simply download our PTA Donation Form and submit it with your donation the Spruce Elementary main office. Donations to Spruce PTA are tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt for tax reporting purposes.
How do I find out more about PTA?
To find out more about PTA, visit our Links page to explore the other PTA organizations with which we are affiliated. For specific questions, contact us.
What kinds of fundraising is done throughout the year?
Spruce PTA coordinates several different types of fundraisers throughout the school year. We try not to overwhelm parents with requests, so many of our fundraisers are membership in ongoing programs, such as “Box Tops” and “Soup Labels”. Other fundraisers, such as “HarvestFest” and “Sweetheart Bingo" are event based. Still others, such as Yearbook and Spirit Wear are based on merchandise sales. For a complete list of Spruce PTA fundraisers, see our Fundraising page.
