Committees – Bells Mill Elementary School PTA

Each year the PTA supports more than 50 activities to enrich the academic experiences of our students and build a sense of community. Your involvement is a key factor in our continued success to provide enrichment activities and support to the school. This is also a great way to get to know parents and teachers!

The following is our list of committees and we’re looking for volunteers! Please sign up here for the ones you would be interested in supporting and we’ll be in touch! Some may already have volunteers but additional support or back-up is welcome!

Please email the PTA board at [email protected] with any questions, suggestions, or to find out more ways to help!

COMMITTEE	DESCRIPTION
School Community Events
Popsicle Social- August 22, 2024	Coordinate popsicle social immediately following the teacher meet and greet open house the week before school starts.
Back to School Picnic- September 26, 2024	Coordinates vendors for food, sports, and crafts for evening welcome back picnic.
Bingo Night- October 17, 2024	Coordinate Bingo night for students and families: reserve/rent Bingo equipment, advertise, order food, purchase prizes, and coordinate staff Bingo callers.
Eric Energy Science Show (Magic & Muffins)- December 7, 2024	Coordinates networking event students and families with science show, breakfast for kids, and coffee for parents.
Black History Cultural Program- February 2025	Plans evening Black history program for families in February.
Talent Show- February 7, 2025	Coordinates school-wide talent show.
Science Fair/STEM Night- March 2025	Coordinates a non-competitive science fair for all students with evening display of posters, and plans interactive STEM activities with help from families, staff, and local school groups (robotics teams, etc).
Geography Bowl- June 2025	Coordinate end of year geography competition for students in grades 3, 4, 5 (during school day).
Asian American Cultural Program- May 2025	Plan a program for the school in May for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
International Festival- May 2, 2025	Coordinates annual event that celebrates the cultural diversity of Bells Mill by recruiting volunteers for info tables on countries, food tastings, cultural performances, global fashion show, crafts, etc.
Bells Mill Bash- June 5, 2025	Plan end of school year carnival with inflatables, face painting, food trucks, DJ, and other activities.
Student Affairs
NAACP Parent’s Council Representative	Represents our school via monthly meetings to share information useful in enhancing children’s chances of academic success.
MCCPTA Gifted & Talented Liaison	Works with school to share information about Gifted Education services and resources in the county and coordinate with teachers to ensure needs are met.
MCCPTA Special Needs Liaison	Provides information and support for families and staff; Coordinates with teachers in autism program to address needs; Follows MCCPTA Special Education Committee for topics relevant to Bells Mill.
After School Enrichment Program Coordinator	Be the liaison to after-school program providers, help select options, promote offerings within the school, and ensure facilities are reserved.
Recess & Wellness	Coordinates recess and lunch volunteers (when needed), coordinates donations or purchases to enrich recess, identifies opportunities to increase student wellness.
Assembly Coordinator	Coordinate several school-wide / grade-specific cultural assemblies per school year. Identify options from Cultural Arts Showcase or teacher recommendations, ensure appropriate approval to perform in MCPS.
Reflections Art Program- Fall 2024	Coordinates Bells Mill entries into the National PTA Reflections program and recognizes all participants.
Sister School Partnership	Develop partnership with South Lake ES in Montgomery Village, including community service, student experiences, and more.
Yearbook	Collects pictures from families and staff, coordinates with school picture vendor, and helps design yearbook pages and cover.
Green Schools	Assists in completion of Green Schools application and plans activities to support Green School designation.
Staff Appreciation
Back to School Staff Breakfast	Coordinates Welcome Back breakfast for teachers during August pre-service week.
Staff Mailbox Goodie Bag	Make goodie bags for teacher mailboxes with encouraging note for first week of school.
Staff Holiday Lunch & Cookie Buffet- December 18, 2024	Coordinates a holiday lunch for staff; organize cookie buffet (parent donations).
Staff Appreciation Week- May 5-9, 2025	Coordinates recognition and appreciation efforts for staff.
End of School Year Treat- June 2025	Provide appreciation gesture (ice cream, etc) for end of school.
Family Engagement
Kindergarten Summer Playdates- Summer 2025	Plans 1+ playdates over the summer for incoming kindergarteners and families.
Breakfast with Bears- October 7, 2024 & May 13, 2025	Plans morning school-wide breakfast on blacktop for students and parents.
Principal’s Teas	Arranges tea and cookies at evening meetings with grade level parents.
Membership & Fundraising
Book Fair- December 6-13, 2024	Coordinates book sale with Scholastic with proceeds going directly to Bells Mill to purchase books and supplies for classrooms, volunteer/help set up, run and clean up the Book Fair.
Read-A-Thon- March 10-14, 2025	Coordinates fundraising effort using platform, advertises program within school, engages teachers to assist.
Spirit Wear	Work with vendor to design annual spirit wear and promote sales.
Restaurant & Scoop Nights	Coordinates fundraising nights at area restaurants.
Communication
Bear Post Weekly Email Newsletter	Sends weekly email newsletter using PTA website and/or MailChimp.
PTA Website	Update website on a regular basis.
PTA Facebook Page	Maintain the Bells Mill PTA Facebook page.
Photocopy and Flyer Distribution	Make copies of flyers at Bells Mill for distribution.
Room Parent Coordinator	Acts as liaison between the PTA and the classroom Room Parents.
PTA Administration
Financial Committee	Assist PTA Board with developing the next fiscal year budget (4-8 hours) as well as assist with conducting audit of PTA books (6-16 hours depending on the number of volunteers.) Committee meets March – April for budget (final budget will be voted on at May PTA meeting). Audit will take place in summer (July-Aug) or early fall if no CPA volunteers (Sep).
Bylaw committee	Update the PTA bylaws (done every 3 yrs, last updated in Apr 2021).

Tips & Tricks for Committee Chairs

1. Supplies – Please check the PTA supply closet before purchasing any supplies. This closet contains materials intended for PTA use (including utensils, paper goods, tables, tickets and party supplies).

2. PTA Board Member – Committee chairs and members should not hesitate to reach out to Board Members at the beginning of the year to get acquainted or at any time for guidance or assistance.

3. Volunteers – Committee chairs should feel free to ask for extra volunteers to help with their committees.

4. Vendor Policies – The Bells Mill PTA is a not-for-profit organization that has an obligation to closely monitor the income and expenses that flow through it. Please make sure that your vendors are aware of our vendor policies.

5. Receipts and Reimbursement – See PTA Documents and Forms to print receipt and/or reimbursement forms.

6. Announcements – Send an email to the communications team (Bear Post, Facebook, Flyer, Website) with a clear and specific subject line, your name and contact information. Explain the event in detail (remember there are new families to school that need full details in order to understand what the event is all about) in the body copy. Email us by 7:00pm on Wednesday for delivery of Bear Post by the next morning (Thursday). If you are attaching a flyer with your post, please send PDF or Microsoft Word document by 12:00pm on Tuesday. NOTE: The Flyer Committee Chair may have a different weekly copy day, so please give plenty of advanced notice.