Welcome to Morning Creek Foundation
The Morning Creek Foundation is looking forward to another great year. With tremendous community support, our Foundation raised over $64,000 during the 2008-2009 school year. These funds have been allocated towards the purchase of document cameras. Now every Morning Creek classroom will be equipped with a document camera, which is a tremendous teaching aide and an invaluable tool in light of growing class sizes. The Foundation was also able to retain our physical fitness instructional aide, Marsha Santiago for the upcoming school year, renew a multi-year contract for the Reading Plus program, and purchase much-needed classroom instructional materials.
The Foundation will continue to strive to fund the most competitive education possible for our children. We maintain our funding priorities of providing technology in the classroom, academic support, and valuable student services. Upcoming fundraisers include Bag Tag sales, our 3rd Annual Read-A-Thon, Wacky Wednesday Dinner Nights, and Candy Cane Grams. Please support our fundraising endeavors and join us to help make them a success, we would love the help and enjoy the company. If you are interested in volunteering, contact us at info@mcesfoundation.org.
Have a great Back-to-School season and we’ll see you on campus.
Traci Oliveira
President, Morning Creek Elementary Foundation
PTA vs. Foundation
What is the difference between PTA and Foundation?
Many parents seek clarity as to the differences between the PTA and Foundation and why two separate organizations are required to perform one job. It is true that Foundation and PTA share a common goal – the betterment of our children’s education. Both organizations work together throughout the year toward that end, but we each have a separate focus and are governed differently.
PTA provides an environment which invites parents and families to become involved in the education process. They fund extra-curricular activities such as Math & Science nights, multi-cultural nights, field trips, family-school events, teacher appreciation programs as well as academic support programs.
The Morning Creek Elementary Foundation’s goal is to raise the money necessary to provide our children with the most competitive education possible. This typically translates to purchasing elements of education that the district and the state are unable to provide, be it technology, supplemental curriculum or valuable student services. Over the past few years Foundation has purchased a 15-unit mobile laptop cart, overhead document cameras for 17 classrooms, ReadingPlus program and technical support, student counseling and a dedicated PE instructional aide.
There are also instances where Foundation and PTA objectives overlap and they enter funding ventures jointly. For example, both PTA and Foundation have contributed funds towards the acquisition and support of the ReadingPlus Program at Morning Creek.
These two organizations are governed differently with respect to how they raise and spend money. PTA, as a national organization, is bound by strict by-laws which dictate how fundraising is achieved and how funds are implemented into programs. Foundation, on the other hand, can pursue as much fundraising as is necessary to achieve its stated goals. Funding decisions are guided by the Foundation Board, as representatives of parents, together with teacher and administrative input. Decisions can be made, or changed, as the Foundation sees fit.
Our Morning Creek PTA is exceptional, and our school “community” is enriched due to their efforts. And our Foundation will continue bridging the gap between what public education offers and what a competitive, 21st-century education ideally should be. Both organizations need your support and both would benefit from your input. Check the Colt Clipboard and join us for an upcoming meeting.