Committees

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! Items marked as OPEN POSITION are in the most need of support for the current school year. Others may already have volunteers but additional support or back-up is welcome! Things may look a little different this year, but we’re looking for ways to make sure the spirit of each activity continues!

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

Search Bear Posts and/or Calendar for event dates.

For Committee Chairs and members, click here for Tips and Tricks.

COMMITTEE DESCRIPTION 2022-23 CHAIR
School Community Events Amanda Klueger
Playground Social Coordinate Playground and Popsicle Social immediately following the Teacher Meet-n-Greet Open House the Friday before school starts. PTA Board
Back to School Picnic Coordinates vendors for food, sports, and crafts for evening welcome back picnic. Amanda Klueger, Georgia Karamalikis, Jessica McClellan
Magic & Muffins Coordinates networking event for K-1 students and families with magic show, muffins for kids, and coffee for parents. Jessica McClellan, Erin Penfold
Talent Show Coordinates school-wide talent show (generally two nights) OPEN
Bingo Night Coordinate bingo night for students and familes: obtain  license, reserve/rent bingo equipment, advertise, order food, and solicit/purchase prizes. Jessica Farnsworth, Tiffany MacSlarrow
Science Fair Coordinates a non-competitive science fair for all students with evening display of posters Helen Mauer
STEM Night Plans interactive STEM activities with help from families, staff, and local school groups (robotics teams, etc) Tina Ehtiati
Geography Bowl Coordinate end of year geography competition for students in grades 3, 4, 5 (during school day) Isha Patel
Asian American Cultural Program New for this year, plan a program for the school in May for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month OPEN
Black History Night Plans evening black history program for families in February OPEN
International Festival 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. OPEN
Bells Mill Bash Plan end of school year carnival with inflatables, face painting, food trucks, DJ, and other activities. OPEN
Student Affairs Varsha Morar / Debbie Fleischer
NAACP Parent’s Council Representative Represents our school via monthly meetings to share information useful in enhancing children’s chances of academic success OPEN
Gifted Education Works with school to share information about Gifted Education services and resources in the county and coordinate with teachers to ensure needs are met. OPEN
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 OPEN
After School Enrichment Be the liaison to after-school program providers, help select options, promote offerings within the school, and ensure facilities are reserved. Lisa Herman
Recess & Wellness Coordinates recess and lunch volunteers (when needed), coordinates donations or purchases to enrich recess, identifies opportunities to increase student wellness Youngshin Kim
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. OPEN
Reflections Art Program Coordinates Bells Mill entries into the National PTA Reflections program and recognizes all participants Holly Cullum, Xiaoxiao Han
Sister School Partnership Develop partnership with South Lake ES in Montgomery Village, including community service, student experiences, and more OPEN
Green Schools Assists in completion of Green Schools application and plans activities to support Green School designation Divya Tonse
Staff Appreciation Debbie Fleischer
Back to School Staff Breakfast Coordinates Welcome Back breakfast for teachers during August Kemi Macaulay, Caroline Little
Staff Mailbox Goodie Bag Make goodie bags for teacher mailboxes with encouraging note for first week of school OPEN
Staff Holiday Lunch & Cookie Buffet Coordinates a holiday lunch for staff; Provide cookie buffet (parent donations) OPEN
Staff Appreciation Week Coordinates recognition and appreciation efforts for staff OPEN
End of School Year Treat Provide appreciation gesture (ice cream, etc) for end of school OPEN
Family Engagement Deb Palisin
Newcomer’s Welcome Coordinates with school and reaches out to welcome for new families, answer questions, and help them meet other families. OPEN
Kindergarten Orientation (2023) Supports weekday incoming kinder orientation by staffing info table and coordinating other logistics OPEN
Kindergarten Summer Playdates Plans 1+ playdates over the summer for incoming kindergarteners and families OPEN
Spring Breakfasts with Parents Plans morning school-wide breakfast on blacktop for students and parents OPEN
Sunshine Committee Provide support (meals and other) to families and staff during times of need OPEN
Principal’s Teas Arranges tea and cookies at evening meetings with grade level parents OPEN
Membership & Fundraising Devin Donaldson
Membership Helps with outreach at beginning of the year events, collects membership forms and fees, tracks memberships in AtoZ. Andrea Silvia
Family Directory Compiles and distributes Student Directory using AtoZ. Amy Matush, Sapna Banker
Book Fair Coordinates book sale with Scholastic with proceeds going directly to Bells Mill to purchase books and supplies for classrooms Amanda Klueger
Read-A-Thon Coordinates fundraising effort using platform, advertises program within school, engages teachers to assist. OPEN
Spirit Wear Work with vendor to design annual spirit wear, promote sales, coordinate delivery. Rachael Abramson
Restaurant & Scoop Nights Coordinates fundraising nights at area restaurants Belinda Tan
Yearbook Collects pictures from families and staff, coordinates with school picture vendor, and helps design yearbook pages and cover Isha Patel
Communication
Bear Post Weekly Email Newsletter Sends weekly email newsletter using PTA website and/or MailChimp OPEN
PTA Website Update website on a regular basis Margaret Tsai
PTA Facebook Page Maintain the Bells Mill PTA Facebook page Debbie Fleischer, Deb Palisin
Flyer Distribution Make copies of flyers at Bells Mill for distribution Daniela Abeid
Room Parent Coordinator Acts as liaison between the PTA and the classroom Room Parents Georgia Karamalikis, Asmaa Seif Eldin
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). PTA Treasurer
Bylaw committee Update the PTA bylaws (done every 3 yrs, last updated in Apr 2021). Bylaws will need to be renewed by Apr 2024. PTA Secretary

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.