Rogers Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
The Rogers School PTA is an organization of parents and teachers who work together to enhance the educational, social, and cultural experiences of the children of Rogers School. The objectives of our PTA and the Illinois PTA, in common with the purposes of the National PTA are to:

1. Promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community and place of worship.
2. Raise the standards of home life.
3. Secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
4. Bring into closer relation the home and the school that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
5. Develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.

When you join the Rogers PTA, your dues not only help support their work on behalf of the children, but also help support a wide range of programs and activities in our school, such as:

1. Sponsor school-wide “Taste of Rogers” (International Food Fest/Potluck)
2. Provide leadership training for officers and members
3. Offer parent education programs, previous topics included “Parents as Teachers: Fun, Free and Exciting Ways to Boost Your Child’s School Achievement” and  “Internet Safety.”
4. Sponsored Harvest Fest – K and 1st graders along with their 7th & 8th grade buddies planted bulbs to beautify school grounds.  
5. Provide additional funds for classroom special projects
6. Assist with field trip funding
7. Assist with kindergarten orientation/ice cream social
8. Assist with printing of the student directory
9. Assist with funding of eighth grade graduation luncheon
10. Sponsored the 70th anniversary of Rogers school alumni banquet – 350 attendees (Oct. 2007)
11. Offer Rogers sportswear at discounted cost 
12. Stay tuned for more to come!

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Elected Officers

PTA officers are elected every two years.  The current officers are:

1. President - Mary Dessande                simidessande@netzero.com
2. Vice-President – Tina Patterson          ttpatterson@cps.edu
3. Treasurer – Eric Gresla                       egresla@rcn.com
4. Secretary  - Jennifer Nelson                queennelsn@aol.com

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Meeting Schedule 2007-2008

PTA meetings are held monthly during the school year (Sept-Jun) at 6:30 pm – 8:30pm in the school auditorium.  Childcare is available for $2.00 per child (must be potty-trained). 

1. Sep. 19 - Business
2. Oct. 03 - Business
3. Nov. 07 - Business and Information - Topic “Parents as Teachers: Fun, Free, and Exciting Ways   to Boost Your Child’s School Achievement.”
4. Dec. 05 – Business and Information – Topic “Children’s Health & Wellness

Upcoming Events

Pizza Party and Family Fun Night - Thursday December 6, 2007
Rogers School - 6:30pm-8:30pm

Entire family invited to enjoy food, karaoke, dancing, and board games. There will be a charge for food at this event.  Parents must accompany students.

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Fundraisers

There are many fun and easy ways you can participate in raising funds for Rogers School:

Candy and Gift Sale - October 9, 2007 through October 16, 2007

• The gift and candy orders for the PTA candy and gift sale arrive Tuesday, November 13. Each student who had sales will be given their order to take home. If your child has a large order, please arrange for someone to be at the school to help him or her when classes are dismissed. An approximate total of $5500 was raised. Thank you for your participation!

Chuck E. Cheese’s - 7142 Carpenter - Skokie, IL 60077- Thursday November 1, 2007

• We had fun knowing 15% of all register sales generated from Roger’s participating families, teachers, and community were donated back to our school. This included all food, merchandise, and token deals purchased at the registers. Rogers reaped $180.00 from this event.

Box Tops for Education - Ongoing

• Clipping Box Tops off your cereal boxes and other products can earn cash for Rogers School! See the list of participating products you probably already have at home.  Each Box Top is worth 10 cents to our school and every Box Top adds up!  Bring your collected Box Tops to the school office.

Campbell Labels for Education - Ongoing

• Help us earn free educational equipment for Rogers School in exchange for proofs of purchase from the Campbell Family of brands. It is a fun, easy program where students, families and members of the community work together for a common goal.  Bring your collected labels to the school office.

Take Charge of Education – Target REDcard

• Target will donate 1% of your Target Visa or Target Guest Card purchases, at Target stores or at Target online, to our school when you designate Rogers Elementary as your school of choice. Rogers’ School ID with Target is 45916. In addition, 1/2% of qualifying Target Visa purchases, outside of Target stores or Target online will go to our school. Call 1-800-316-6142, or go to the Target Site to sign up. 

Dominick's eScrip Program

• Dominick’s is a participant of the eScrip fundraising program eScrip. We can earn money on purchases made at Dominick’s 365 days a year! It’s easy to sign up: You can register your existing Dominick's Fresh Values Card for use in the program by calling 1-800-700-5655 or by logging onto the eScrip website. You will need to enter Rogers’group ID # with eScrip500014163 and the 16-digit number on the back of your Fresh Values card. Once enrolled, Dominick’s will contribute up to 4% of your qualifying purchases to Rogers every time you shop and present your Dominick’s Fresh Value Card.

Jewel Shop 'N' Share Program

• The Jewel Shop 'N' Share Program is run several times per year. The week prior to the program, the participating grocer's identification slip is sent home. Submit this slip to your checkout cashier during the dates specified on the slip and Rogers School will receive a 7% return on your total purchases.

Nestle Pure Life – Go Play Program

• DrinkNestlé® Pure Life® products and collect the labels from the bottles. Turn in the labels to the school office by May 31, 2008 to earn fun gym equipment for our school!

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Volunteer Opportunities
Parents interested in volunteering in any capacity at any time are most welcome to do so! Please contact Mary Dessande for more information (773-761-3408 or simidessande@netzero.com).

Parent Representatives – One Per Homeroom

Seeking parents from each homeroom to communicate with teachers regarding needs and issues of their particular students. These parents will meet once per month for 1-2 hours with the PTA president, where they will be expected to communicate ideas and problems as they pertain to their child’s homeroom. They will be the eyes, ears, and voices of the children they see most often.

Nominating Committee – Two People Needed

• Assist in the selection of candidates for PTA officers when election occurs (spring).

Audit Committee – Three People Needed

• Examine financial records 2-3 times per year and report findings to members. Background in accounting or bookkeeping is preferred.

Membership Committee – 3-4 People Needed

• Promote, recruit, and retain PTA membership. Work in concert with the Membership Chair.

Cultural Arts Committee – 3-4 People Needed

• Plan for 2008-2009 school year. Schedule and facilitate assemblies, aftershool programs, and the PTA’s annual “Reflections” program. Background in the arts (theater, dance, film, visual arts, photography, etc.) is very helpful.

Support Committee – 3-4 Needed

• Make copies, run errands, deliver items, cut out Campbell labels, etc. Some of these tasks can be done at your home, at your leisure. Other tasks will require you to be at school during the day. The “unsung heroes” of the PTA!

Dad’s Club Committee – 3-4 Needed

• We need fathers’ participation! These men will establish activities for dads and their kids to do together. If you like to fix things, paint, play sports with kids, etc., this group may be for you!