Your PTA

Every child, one voice.

Jefferson is blessed with a very active PTA, and there are many ways you can get involved. Do not hesitate. You can improve your child's education by participating at Jefferson!

Monthly Meetings

Join us at the next PTA meeting, normally scheduled on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30pm in the library. See calendar for specific dates.

Note: Child care is provided. Attending a PTA meeting is easy and your kids have a good time.

If you can't attend a meeting, minutes are posted to the PTA Meeting Notes page.

Joining the PTA

Membership in the PTA costs $5.00 this year. However, no family should hesitate to join for financial reasons. Contribute what you can.

To join:

1. Download the membership form in English or
   download the membership form in Spanish.
2. Turn it in to the green box in the main office or your child's teacher.

Questions? Contact the membership coordinators.

PTA Activities

Last year, parents and guardians contributed to the school community in many ways, including:

• Organizing over 10 community events, which are fun for the kids and adults too!
• Fund raising was record breaking and much of it was due to our parents’ and guardians’ initiative. These efforts allow us to fund important programs such as PE.
• Running after-school enrichment programs so our kids can take art, chess, Chinese, dance, science, and music lessons.
• Forming an African American and a Latino families group to improve our outreach and address the needs of these communities.
• Beautifying our school through the efforts of Project Color and the garden.
• Supporting our teachers through stipends, volunteering in the classroom and helping with field trips and special projects, and much, much more!!

We see the impact of our efforts when we see our children enjoying the Mayfair carnival, ing all ten laps in the walkathon, painting a mural, and just enjoying and learning from all the programs we are able to assist with. Without the PTA, our schools would not be as strong and effective. We could not do any of this without you! There are many opportunities to help out this year, whether you have a few hours a month, a week or over the course of the year.

PTA Events

The PTA puts on many popular community events throughout the year including Halloween Fun Night, Reading Night, Cultural Night Potluck, Family Art Night, Math Night, the Mayfair, Juneteenth, Kindergarten-First Grade Play Date, and Graduation.

See the calendar for information about upcoming events.

Supporting Our School

To learn about the budget and how money is raised and spent, attent a PTA meeting.

Raising Funds

To learn about the many ways we raise money at Jefferson, visit the:

• Fundraising without spending a dime page
• Donate Now page

Attend PTA meetings for detailed information.

Contacting the PTA

Email or Phone:

For general questions or information, contact the Jefferson PTA.

Contact the PTA co-chairs.

If you have a question or suggestion about a specific event, contact one of the committee or event chairs.

Mailing Address:

Jefferson School PTA

P.O. Box 9584

Berkeley, CA 94709

School Main Office Drop-Box:

If you have a suggestion, write it down and put it in the PTA box in the main office. Some of the best ideas have come to the PTA in this way.

Come to a meeting!

PTA Suggestion Box

Your suggestions and inventiveness make this PTA a success. If you have ideas about how the Jefferson PTA could make our school an even better place to be, do one of the following:

• Contact the PTA co-chairs.
• Contact the person in charge of the event or group. See list of coordinators here.
• Write down a suggestion and drop it off in the PTA box in the main office.

Every event that the PTA does, every action that it takes, is the result of someone making the suggestion: "Why doesn't the PTA do ..." Our school is blessed with many individuals who give generously of their time. Your suggestion on how to strenthen our community can use those skills and abilities.

One hundred years ago national PTA founder Alice McLellan Birney said, “Let us have no more croaking as to what cannot be done; let us see what can be done, and above all see that it is done.” That brisk philosophy still drives the PTA today. While the methods may change to make us more responsive to the demands of an electronic era, the underlying principle does not – “every child, one voice.”

PTA Communications

The PTA sends out a monthly newsletter and regular announcements by email.

Also PTA meeting minutes are posted to the PTA Meeting Notes page.

See those pages for more information.

PTA Officers and Committee Coordinators

PTA Officers
Co-Chairs	Suzanne Teran - 527-9805 Patricia Mok - Phone: 558-9774
Secretary	Valerie Mcfarlane Smyth - 526-6884
Treasurer	Doug Berman - 527-7654 Steve Nierlich - 526-4467
Auditor	Seth Scholar - 845-2254
Parliamentarian	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Historian	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Committees & Special Projects
After School Classes	Catherine Betts - Phone: 457-8115 Walmaria Caldaz - Phone: 524-8415 Maren VanDuyn - Shui Wong - Phone: 559-3673 Karen Herzig
Afterschool Learning Program	Lisa Rossi
EBCPA Site Coordinator
PTA Council Representative	Jaime Hernandez -
Project Color	Sabine Elser - Phone: 559-9774 Emily Payne - Michael Baum -
Parent Education Coordinator	Position Open! Contact the PTA co-chairs to volunteer for this rewarding job!
Garden	Eric Wells - Phone: 704-1894 Hai-Ping Mo -
Jefferson Cafe	Position Open! Contact the PTA co-chairs to volunteer for this rewarding job!
Jefferson Merchandise Sales	Sabine Elser - Phone: 559-9774 Margaret Copeland -
Hospitality Chair	Position Open! Contact the PTA co-chairs to volunteer for this rewarding job!
Lost and Found Coordinator	Position Open! Contact the PTA co-chairs to volunteer for this rewarding job!
Events
Events Coordinators	Rita Geary - Mindy Rex -
Kindergarten-1st Grade Playdate	Andrea DeJarlais, Walmaria Caldas, Rita Geary
1st Day of School Reception	Patricia Mok - Phone: 558-9774 Shari Posner
Back-to-School BBQ	Patricia Mok - Phone: 558-9774 Sheela Jivan
Halloween Night	Mary McLaren -
Book Fair	Aaron Glimme -
Ice Cream Social	Aaron Glimme -
Culture Night	Mary McLaren -
Art Night	Emily Payne - Sabine Elser -
Black History Block Party	Felicia Jones - Annette Johnson Banks
Math Night	Aaron Glimme -
Mayfair	Leesa Berahovich - Mindy Rex -
Mayfair Quilt	Jennie Doyle
Mayfair Donation Coordinator	Justine Darquea - Frank Saxton
Walk 'n' Roll to School	Joel Gerwein
Fundraising
Fundraising Coordinator	Position Open! You can do this! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Giving Campaign Chairs	Liza Kramer - Kathryn Cohen -
Grant Writing Committee Chairs	Erin Branagan - 666-0546 Stacy Ma'a - 528-4404
Boxtops	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
School Picture Day (Individual & New)	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Scrip Coordinator	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Electronic Scrip	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Paper Scrip	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Silent Auction	Valerie Kratzer - Phone: 558-1043
T-Shirts	Cathy Malmrose -
Target	Position Open! Volunteer! Contact the PTA co-chairs.
Walkathon	Victoria Eisen - Shari Posner
Parent Outreach
Outreach Coordinators	Valerie Kratzer - 558-1043 Michele Liedeker - 524-5949
Membership Chair	Adam Sanchez -
African American Families Group	Coordinators! We need you!
Latino Families Group	Gloria Cruz - Alina Salganicoff - Karina Montes
Room Partner Coordinators	Laura Horn -
Volunteer Coordinators	Valerie Kratzer - 558-1043
Communications
Directory	Eric Wells - 704-1894 Catrin Betts -
Etree	Maureen Sullivan -
Newsletter	Jessica Reich -
Publicity - Flyer Design	Rob Cribley -
Publicity - Flyer Distribution	Julie Wulferdingen
Web Site	Kira Reoutt -