Opportunities for Involvement
Parent Teacher League (PTL)
All parents of Trinity Lutheran School students are members of the PTL Parents are encouraged to attend both PTL meetings and to volunteer for planning and participation in PTL events. The PTL meeting dates and events are listed on the school calendar.
PTL Objectives
- To promote child welfare by providing maximum conditions for the spiritual, mental, social, emotional, and physical development of boys and girls.
- To develop an awareness or mutual responsibilities in the Christian training of a child and in the development of Christian home life.
- To provide an opportunity for co-operation in organized group activity.
- To assist in establishing good public relations between home and school.
Parent Teacher League Officers 2009-2010
Linda Burbach, President
Amy Bozarth, Vice-President
Annette Scheibal, Secretary
Monica Harding, Treasurer
Last Modified 9/1/09, Trinity Lutheran School, Edwardsville, Illinois.
Volunteer Opportunities
A partnership of teachers, staff, and parent volunteers is essential for educating our children and making our school PTL and its many programs a success. The strength of any school is parental involvement. We are so blessed to have the many parents and parishioners that contribute of their resources, both in time, in knowledge and monetarily. We are truly blessed to have a Christian school such as Trinity, that not only educates our children in the required subjects, but that teaches our children about faith, love, forgiveness, and compassion by teachers and staff who care for our children and teach them in a way that public schools cannot.
The PTL is meant for strengthening the commitment of parental involvement to strengthen our school. In order for the PTL to help to contribute to student's educations by providing many wonderful support functions to programs such as the library, teacher classroom grants, playground equipment, computer lab equipment and other support functions for our wonderful teaching staff, we need all parents to be involved and to help with functions.
Each parent should provide his or her "fair share" of volunteer effort. The PTL needs all parents' involvement and needs all parents to contribute their "fair share" of volunteer hours. Each summer a PTL volunteer sign-up sheet is sent with enrollment packets. Parents should select no less than four items from the list with which they will volunteer to help. When all parents volunteer to help, it spreads the work and makes it fair for all parents.
Chili Supper
The PTL Chili Supper is an annual event held the third Friday in October. The Chili Supper is a social tradition at Trinity and is included as a fundraising effort. Homemade chili is served. There are lots of games and activities for the children and a silent auction for the adults. This event requires a large number of volunteers due to the variety of activities. As a result, we need at least one parent from each family to assist with this event.
There are many other activities and events that the PTL is involved with and sponsor each school year. A complete listing of the events is on the P.T.L. volunteer opportunities form.
Birthday Book Program
To increase the number of books in the school library the PTL sponsors a birthday book program. If a student signs for this program, he/she chooses a book from an assortment of new books available. On his/her birthday, he/she receives his book. After he has completed reading the book, he/she returns it to the librarian to be placed in the central library. Summer birthdays may be celebrated during the school year. We appreciate parents registering for birthday books as early in September as possible to aid in processing them. Parents can also sign up for the program at the registration night. The cost of the Birthday Book is listed on the registration materials and/or fee sheet.
Race for Education
The first annual Race for Education was held during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a huge success – it raised funds to pay for computer technology upgrades throughout the school. It also allowed the students to feel a sense of pride as they participated to make money for their school. This fundraiser is also very simple. Each family fills out a label sheet with the names and addresses of family and friends. A pledge form is sent requesting support for the child participating. A wide variety of prizes are given to the children to encourage involvement.
Our biggest PTL fundraiser is our annual Race For Education held each spring. Race For Education is a school event in which each participant raises funds by asking sponsors to contribute a tax deductible amount based on the number of laps completed or a flat donation. Students walk or jog around a 1/4 mile area as many times as they are able in one hour's time. Race For Education has proven to be a very successful fundraiser, as well as a fun school spirit event for our Trinity students and families.
Our first annual Race For Education was held in April of 2006. Together, we were able to raise $21,011. With these funds, we were able to purchase student designated computers in our K-8 classrooms to be used for word processing, math enrichment and accelerated reader. Our preschool teachers chose new software for their classrooms.
Our second annual Race For Education was held in April of 2007. This event raised $21,410, which directly benefited our students here at Trinity. With these funds, we have purchased a smartboard for the upper grades, a firetruck for the playground, and a new Accelerated Math program. This fundraiser helps support our PTL budget items, as well.
SCRIP
What is SCRIP?
SCRIP is an easy fundraiser that is simple to use and does not cost anything beyond face value to purchase. SCRIP is simply gift certificates that you purchase at the school and then redeem to make your regular purchases at over 75 businesses such as Shop N' Save, Schnucks, Kohl's, and McDonalds. A complete listing of participating businesses can be found on the SCRIP order form located in the school office or online under Trinity Lutheran School's website. For your convenience a blank form is included in the weekly Eagle Informer.
How do we earn money on SCRIP?
When we purchase the gift certificates from the company, the company donates a percentage to us, usually 5-6%.
SCRIP is a very easy way to increase the PTL's ability to contribute even more to school programs. The SCRIP program is the simplest fundraiser an organization could hope to have. In addition, it costs you nothing to use and donate to the school! So many families that begin using SCRIP cannot believe why they did not do it sooner because it is so simple to do. The biggest thing, it seems, is just getting in the habit of using it.
Who can purchase and use SCRIP gift certificates?
Anyone can purchase and use SCRIP. Please encourage your family and friends to use SCRIP.
How do I use SCRIP?
Step One – Choose the Scrip you would like to order regularly each month and fill out an order form. Write "REGULAR ORDER – (DATE)" across the top of the form and turn it in the office. This becomes your standard order. If you would like to change your standard order at any time, just fill out a new form and write "NEW REGULAR ORDER – (DATE)" across the top and turn it in to the office.
Step Two – Sign the auto-deduct bank form. Fill out the form in the office with your bank information. Trinity will automatically deduct the monthly amount of your standing SCRIP order and your SCRIP will be ready and waiting for you each month.
Additional information: In addition to your regular monthly order, you can also order extra SCRIP.
Our preferred ordering method is for you to use your shopwithscrip.com account and order online. Once you are enrolled in shopwithscrip.com, you can order additional SCRIP anytime, just log in and click on what you want.
You may then pay one of two ways:
1. Pay online using Presto Pay (which is what we recommend), or
2. You may write out a check or bring cash into the office along with the print out of your shopwithscrip.com order.
Additional information and paperwork is available in the school office.
Alternative SCRIP Information
As you know, the SCRIP program was changed with the 2004-2005 school year making it a required participation program. SCRIP is not meant to cause a burden to anyone, but rather to demonstrate to all families of Trinity how truly easy it is to increase the contribution we can make to our school via this program. The guidelines allow each family to choose to participate in the program in one of two ways:
- Use $200.00 of SCRIP per month per family. The $200 monthly amount will be calculated as an average over the 12 months. So if you use a little less one month and a little more the next, that is fine.
- Alternatively, if it is not convenient for you to use SCRIP, you may choose to pay a one-time fee of $120.00 in place of using SCRIP. (The $120.00 is the amount that would be contributed to the PTL if you used $200.00 a month in SCRIP). If you choose the one time fee it will be due in August at registration.
Getting Started
Step 1: Choose SCRIP
Fill out a SCRIP order form and mark what you would like to receive regularly each month. Write "REGULAR ORDER – (DATE)" across the top and turn it into the office.
If you would ever like to change your standard order, just fill out a new form and write "NEW REGULAR ORDER – (DATE)" across the top and turn in to the office.
Step 2: Sign the auto-deduct bank form
Fill out the form in the office with your bank information. Trinity will automatically deduct the monthly amount of your standing SCRIP order, and your SCRIP will be ready and waiting for you each month.
Additional Information: In addition to your regular monthly order, you can also order extra SCRIP.
Our preferred ordering method is for you to use your shopwithscrip.com account and order online. Once you are enrolled in shopwithscrip.com, you can order additional SCRIP anytime – just log in and click what you want.
You may then pay one of two ways.
1) Pay online using Presto Pay which is what we recommend, or
2) You may write out a check or bring in cash to the office along with the print out of your shopwithscrip.com order.
Step 3: Enroll in shopwithscrip.com
1. Go to www.shopwithscrip.com and click on the "GET STARTED" tab at the top
2. On the left, click on "REGISTER"
3. Fill in the information
4. Click "I ACCEPT"
5. Enter the enrollment code for Trinity: 1CC6L9CC5234
All paid online orders will be approved by the SCRIP Coordinator on Monday morning by 9:00 a.m. and will be ready for pickup by Friday.This schedule is modified during holidays and snow days.
Step 4: Enroll in Presto Pay
1. Log in on www.shopwithscrip.com
2. Click on the "MY ACCOUNT" tab at the top
3. On the left, click on "PRESTO PAY"
4. Rill in the required bank information – this a secure site
You will need to allow about a week for your Presto Pay account to become activated. Follow instructions on the screen.
Last Modified 8/12/09, Trinity Lutheran School, Edwardsville, Illinois.
Read-A-Thon
2008 Read-A-Thon Camp Read-A-Lot
A good time was had by all who attended the 2008 'CAMP READ-A-LOT' Read-A-Thon sponsored by the TLS Library. Approximately $1,300 in pledges was collected by the 49 'reading' campers. This money will be used to buy books for all age groups from our local bookstore – watch the 'New Books' shelves in the upcoming weeks!
Also, try your hand at the word search created by the campers that is found in this week's Informer. Thank you to all who participated in this event – you are a great blessing to the library!
We look forward to the 2009-2010 Read-a-thon!
Last Modified 8/12/09, Trinity Lutheran School, Edwardsville, Illinois.
Trinity Golf Scramble
