Blake High School PTSA

PTSA Silent Auction & Dinner
May 7, 2010

The 2010 PTSA Auction is in full swing!  While Blake families have recently received letters, over 700 business letters went out in early February.  We are both excited and grateful at the overwhelming response Blake has seen from the business community.  To date we have over 100 donations that cross the spectrum of the imagination!

We’ll be offering a weekly update, to include news about Online Auction activity … so watch here for new information!

This Week’s Auction Offerings: “Sneak-Peek”

•  Guided White-Water Rafting Tour for 2 on the Lower Yough! (Youghiogheny River) – from Wilderness Voyageurs, Inc.
•  Executive Courtesy Passes for 4 to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum of Baltimore.
•  Gift Card valued at $250.00 from Dave & Busters of Rockville.
•  Wine Tasting & Tour for 10 Adults from Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards & Winery.

Volunteers and Donations Still Needed
• Donations, Donations, Donations -
— Do you have a talent, a business service or a gift you’re willing to contribute?
— Have a favorite gym, store, restaurant or hobby?
Then download our Auction Donation/Sponsorship Form (and please, feel free to copy and share!).  Need an Auction Letter for a Community Business or Organization, you can download this too! Read more »

We’ve started a Wish List page on our web site. See: Blake Teachers’ Wish Lists.

Teachers: please let us know if there is anything you need for your classes that you would like us to add to the page. Contact: president@blakeptsa.org.

The PTSA Silent Auction & Dinner is the Blake PTSA’s largest fundraising event. The event is held in conjunction with Blake High School’s Festival of the Arts and Humanities, which this year will be May 7, 2010. Proceeds from this event are used to support our students and staff.

We are always looking to broaden our donation and sponsorship offerings with unique and useful items.
— Do you have a talent, a business or a gift you’re willing to contribute?
— Have an employer, friend, or favorite gym, store, restaurant or hobby?

Then download our Auction Donation/Sponsorship Form (and please, feel free to copy and share!).

Need an Auction Letter for a Community Business or Organization? Then download and share!

Donations may be either mailed or dropped off at the Blake HS main office. Please be sure to mark, “Attn: Silent Auction” and to include your Donation Form (or any other enclosures). To make arrangements for special or perishable item pick-up, please contact auction@blakeptsa.org.

Watch for this web site (posts will be labeled “Auction“) and Eubiemail for announcements on Auction committee meetings and activities, as well as auction donation requests and ideas for donations.

For more information, email auction@blakeptsa.org (please put “Auction” in the subject line).

Proceeds from Blake’s Silent Auction help us support our school’s outstanding academic environment, which includes a Signature Program in Fine Arts and Humanities. These funds help us enhance technology programs, such as our interactive Promethean Boards, and student programs, which may support areas like the National Award Winning student newspaper, the Blake Beat, or one of our Nationally Recognized musical theatre productions, like Les Miserables.

Here is how you can help:
• Contribute an Item or Service to be auctioned individually or bundled in a themed basket;
• Contribute an In-Kind Donation, such as food, beverage, or decorative items for the dinner;
• If you’re a business or organization, consider a Sponsorship of an Auction Table or Festival Hall.

Any item donated is a tax deductible contribution!

To make a donation to the 2010 Blake Silent Auction, please print the Auction Donation/Sponsorship Form, available on this web page. (See attached for mailing address).

Questions? Contact auction@blakeptsa.org.

As many of you know, The Blake Beat is currently ranked as the best high school newspaper in Maryland (by the journalism department at Towson State University) and as the best high school newspaper in America (by the Association of Educational Publishers and Weekly Reader). However, if we were being ranked on our financial well being—at least so far this school year–we would be rated quite a bit lower, especially since we are hemorrhaging money at an alarming rate and lost about $1,500 in publishing our most recent issue last week.

As a stopgap measure, we are setting up a page in our December issue that will wish holiday greetings to the Blake community. We’d love to add your family’s name to that page for a mere $5 donation (note for the record: we’ll accept a donation of any amount, but we would be grateful for your support of us for $5).

To donate your $5 to The Beat (check payable to James Hubert Blake High School) on or before December 1, please send your family name as you would like it to appear (The Thracklebush family, for example, or The family of Horatio Thracklebush) to Journalism teacher Kevin Keegan, James Hubert Blake HS, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20905. Thanks in advance for your support of my students’ efforts.

Do you have gently used AP Workbooks that your student no longer uses?   If your Blake student or graduate is no longer using their AP workbooks, why not donate them to Blake?  There are never enough to go around. Send them into the main office and they will be given to the Media Center to make available for students.

The PTSA has been asked to start a library of AP workbooks, which will be shelved in the Media Center. Books can be brought to the main office. They can be by any publisher.

A list of AP courses taught at Blake follow:

Read more »

OLD SLR CAMERAS NEEDED

Do you have an old SLR camera, (35mm SLR cameras are film cameras that have a removable lens on the front), that you do not need anymore? They must be in working order. The Art Department is in immediate need of these. The lack of cameras is really impacting student performance.  Right now, there are several students whose cameras are broken that do not have access to other cameras. Old digital cameras are needed too.

Please drop them off in the Main Office or in E163.  If you have questions, please contact the front office, at 301-879-1300, or write to Ms. Hartenstine, Sara_Hartenstine@mcpsmd.org. Your donation will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for supporting the students at Blake.