PTSA Committees and Volunteer Activities
After Prom
The Blake After Prom is held each spring right after the annual Prom. In recent years, the After Prom has been held at Dave and Busters in Bethesda. The After Prom Committee coordinates the After Prom and holds fundraising events throughout the school year to support it, including Race for a Dream, After School Pizza Sales, and dine-out events in local restaurants. Check this web site for more information on these fundraising events as they happen. For news on other After Prom activities and meetings, see posts labeled After Prom.
Auction (see Silent Auction)
Bylaws
The Bylaws Committee works to update and amend the Blake PTSA Bylaws, as needed and as required by the Maryland PTA.
Comedy Night
Comedy Night is an annual event that showcases the comic talents of Blake students, and which lets Blake families get together in an informal atmosphere for a fun-filled evening. In March 2009, Comedy Night included a Blake Last Comic Standing student stand-up comedian contest; performances from the Blake Improv group; humorous songs from Blake’s madrigal group; and an open mike, featuring one-minute performances from students and parents. For more information on this year’s Comedy Night, check this web page, the PTSA Calendar, and the Comedy Night Facebook page.
Education Committee
The Education Committee works to promote and sustain a culture of academic excellence for all Blake students through effective partnerships with students, staff, parents and other PTSA groups, and through the use of school publicity and awards. The Committee supports ongoing peer-mentoring and after school tutoring programs at Blake. We encourage parents to attend school-sponsored workshops on how to provide at-home support of their child’s education. And we promote student awareness of the link between academic and professional success, through talks, posters and school media. The Education Committee will meet every few months on an ad hoc basis. Between meetings, we use phone and email to communicate important information among the group.
Foundation Exploratory
The Foundation Exploratory Committee is looking into creating an ongoing foundation to support Blake PTSA efforts, gathering support from Blake alumni and alumni parents as well as community leaders.
Fundraising
Fundraising activities occur throughout the school year and include Race for a Dream; the grocery receipts program; after school pizza sales; magazine sales via this web site; and dine-outs at area restaurants. If you have additional fundraising ideas, contact Jack Goble (jackwgobleATyahooDOTcom).
Hospitality
The Hospitality Committee provides refreshments for the NEC Open House and other events, as needed.
Membership
The Membership Committee keeps track of membership applications, and provides Blake PTSA members with PTA membership cards and a school directory as part of their membership.
Middle School Liaisons
Provides a bridge between Blake and its feeder middle schools (one liaison per middle school): Banneker, Briggs Chaney, Farquhar, and White Oak.
NAACP Parents’ Council
The focus of the NAACP Parents’ Council group is to provide outreach to parents of African American students here at Blake. The NAACP Parents’ Council of Montgomery County meets monthly and suggests that all MCPS schools send representatives to monthly meetings that highlight issues of concern to parents of African American students. We work to empower parents, guardians and students by providing information about educational issues; host workshops and meetings to educate parents to be effective advocates for their children; promote parental involvement; collaborate with the PTSA; do outreach to parents and students; and provide a forum for information exchange through a Yahoo group; and attend monthly county level meetings held on the 3rd Saturday of each month.
Newsletter Editor
Edits and compiles the Blake PTSA publication, the Blake Blue Note.
Nominating
The Nominating Committee helps choose a roster of candidates for PTSA officers, with the election usually held the last PTSA meeting of the school year.
PALA
PALA (Padres y Alumnos Latinos en Acción, or Latino Parents and Students in Action) works to increase Latino families’ participation in Blake, helping them make connections with staff and other parents and finding resources to help the students be successful. All parents and students who have an interest in Latino/Hispanic student activities at Blake are invited to participate. Watch this web site and Eubiemail for announcements of PALA meetings and events.
Parent Peer Groups
Blake PTSA organizes and supports Parent Peer Groups, which meet a few times a year for each grade level. At the meetings, parents come together with a parent leader and a school administrator to discuss how best to support their students. The meetings also offer parents an opportunity to ask questions and to network with other parents. Meeting topics and times are announced on Eubiemail and this web site. For more information, see the Parent Peer Groups web page.
Reflections
Blake participates in the National PTA’s Reflections Program, which recognizes achievements in the arts, in an effort to raise community awareness of the arts and arts education. The winners of Blake’s contest go on to the county level, and can compete, up to the national level. (The Blake Reflections contest is usually active from the beginning of the school year until sometime in December. For more information, see the Blake PTSA Reflections page).
Senior Graduation Bus & Parent Breakfast
The PTSA serves breakfast to seniors and their families in the Blake cafeteria, prior to their boarding the bus to graduation ceremonies downtown. The PTSA also coordinates the bus service.
Silent Auction
The PTSA Silent Auction is held every year in conjunction with Blake High School’s Festival of the Arts and Humanities. This year the auction will be held on May 7, 2010. Items available for bidding typically include timeshares, vacations, certificates to local restaurants and businesses, and special, themed baskets compiled by Blake staff members and parents. A dinner is served as well. Watch this web site and Eubiemail for announcements on Auction committee meetings, as well as auction donation requests and ideas. To volunteer, email auction@blakeptsa.org.
Special Education
The Special Education Committee advocates for the needs of special education students at Blake. In addition, it provides information on school and area workshops and resources pertinent to special education concerns to the Blake community via Eubiemail and other media.
Used Book and Media Sale
The PTSA holds an annual used book sale at Blake. Used books, DVDs and other media are available. The money raised goes towards PTSA efforts that help Blake High School.
Volunteer Coordinator
Maintains a list of parent volunteers for PTSA activities on an as-needed basis; helps place parent volunteers in committees.
Web Site
Maintains and updates the Blake PTSA web site: writing posts and content, and downloading statistics, as needed. In addition, the web site manager updates the PTSA Google calendar.