Save the Date – Fall 2011 Yard Day and Hillside Garden 20th Anniversary Celebration!

Saturday, September 24th, 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
This special Fall Yard Day event will include our usual yard work in the morning, followed by a special performance and BBQ lunch! Bring the whole family to this great community event to kick off the school year!

Mabel's Labels Back-to-School Combo

Looking for a great way to label your kids’ stuff this fall? 20% of every label order placed through the Mabel’s Labels Runnymede page comes back to the school. Check out their Ultimate Back To School Combo, which includes over 100 labels for only $42.00 AND the option to add more labels at a great price. The school earns earns $8.40 with every combo sold.

Runnymede Accepts $25,000 from the Keg

Check out the Inside Toronto coverage of Runnymede admin accepting a Thanks a Million award from the Keg. Principal Amelia Dennis and Vice Principals Rob Hochberg and Michael Kanalec were on hand at the June 29 event to accept the award. The Keg Steakhouse and Bar presented awards of $25,000 to 40 worthy community groups, selected from more than 1,300 entries. Thanks to the entire Runnymede community for voting us into one of the top spots! New sound system, here we come!

We Won!

Although not official until June 29th, it appears that all of your support and on-line voting has paid off… and Runnymede P.S. has been awarded a KEG GRANT of $25,000! Thanks so much to all of you for taking the time to spread the word and vote each day. It is amazing what can be accomplished when a community pulls together to work towards a common goal. We look forward to sharing more details with you soon.

Fundraising Strategy for 2011/2012

Thank you to the nearly 300 families who filled out the fundraising survey issued by the Spirit committee in May. In the 2011-2012 school year, based on your survey responses, we will rely on a direct request to parents as our primary fundraiser. This will allow us to reduce the number of requests for money throughout the year by eliminating the QSP Magazine drive, Dance-a-thon pledges, Domino’s Pizza Dinners, Wrap-n-mats, and Gift Wrap drive.

The annual amount requested will be $50 per-child, and tax receipts will be provided for all donations over $25.

We will also:

Continue to organize fun community-based fundraisers: Pizza Lunches, The Spring Thaw Art Show & FUNdraiser, and Parent Pub Night/Silent Auction
Run the Dance-a-thon as a fun, active community spirit event, eliminating the pledge portion
Run Chapters night or a similar holiday event as a school community builder
Make information regarding QSP Magazines and Mabel’s Labels available should you wish to make a purchase however eliminate the pep rally and formal drive

This fundraising strategy will significantly reduce the number of requests for money and will also decrease the amount of time your child is exposed to fundraising messages throughout the year. However, this new strategy will not eliminate other requests for money such as:

Charitable Giving: Requests for donations to charities (i.e. Terry Fox Run, Food Bank Drive, Toonies for Japan, Jump-Rope for Heart) are separate from fundraisers organized by the Spirit Committee and are initiatives lead by students, staff, or, in some cases, recommended by the TDSB.
Class Field Trips and In-Class Enrichment Activities: Financial requests to pay for class field trips and enrichment activities will continue to be sent out by the teacher organizing the field trip.

Please send your questions and comments to the Spirit cvia co-chair Krista Wylie.