Polaris PTO News - 3/21/2025

March 21, 2025

Polaris PTO News - March 21, 2025

Holi Festival

On Monday, the school celebrated the start of spring by participating in Holi, the Indian Color Festival! It was a huge success. Thank you to Sarah Kiernan for coordinating, Pavan Desai for handling the music, and 4th grader Dhruva Reddy for preparing a presentation for the whole school, and all Polaris staff and PTO members who made the Holi celebration a success!

Help us get to 100% Participation

If you haven't yet had the chance to take our Parent Survey, please do so. Your feedback is invaluable.

Based on early results, some families didn't understand why the PTO needed to raise money and weren't comfortable giving at the beginning of the year. At their request, we have relaunched our direct giving campaign. If you haven't yet given, please give what you can. If you have already donated what you can, thank you! As a reminder, we must raise an average of $700/student from our community to pay for paraprofessionals, a social worker, Electives, and more.

We're currently at 72% participation for the year and our goal is 100% participation. Vote with your dollars! It helps us know that you care about what we are trying to achieve, and ensures we fully fund the budget for next year so we can maintain those critical supports. Want to know where your family stands with giving YTD? Email cochairs@polarispto.com and we'll look up your student(s).

PTO Fundraising Info - Click to Learn More and Donate

Looking Forward: Grant Funding

We want to extend a huge thank you to a parent for putting us in contact with a family foundation. Based on that connection and the foundation's generosity, the Polaris PTO received a $30,000 one-time grant to support our school. This kind of grant, combined with the PTO's grant writing work to source an additional $25,000 for sustainability efforts, will enable the consideration of larger initiatives, like more paraprofessionals in classrooms, greening the playground, and other parent-identified and teacher-identified needs in future years.

If you or your workplace is connected to a family foundation or grant making opportunity that the Polaris PTO could participate in, please email cochairs@polarispto.com. Our volunteer team is always looking for ways to raise the money we need to operate successfully while reducing the burden on our families.

Calling All Green Thumbs & Garden Enthusiasts!

The Polaris Planet Protectors, led by Alison Kapsalis with support from the Polaris PTO, secured a $25,000 Climate Champions grant to create opportunities for students to connect with nature and engage in sustainability initiatives.

🌱 As part of this grant, we will create a large 🦋 pollinator-friendly, 🦋 drought-tolerant, native-plant garden to the right of the blue gates as you enter the playground. 🌱

We need many helping hands to prepare the space on April 6 and then plant the garden on May 4!

Additionally, we are looking for 2-3 parents/caregivers who have a truck or single-axle trailer to get mulch for the garden at Denver's Free Mulch Giveaway at Havana Nursery on Saturday, May 3. We'll provide more details to anyone who can take on this important volunteer role!

Sign up here.

End of Year Fundraiser Family Pool Party & BBQ

End of Year Fundraiser Family Pool Party & BBQ date is finalized - May 31, 6:30-9pm at Virginia Vale Swim Club. Tickets are $15/person. Fun for the the whole family! Join other Polaris families for a private pool event including lifeguards, a kiddie pool, an adult pool, a volleyball court, basketball court, and playground! BBQ, kiddie drinks, and adult drinks will be provided. Please note, this is not a drop-off party. Purchase tickets through clickbid here: https://cbo.io/i/2088218
Hosted by Mary Nguyen & Raphael Jouvenat.

Join Our Auction Team!

Do you love the school auction? Help us make sure our school's largest fundraiser can happen!

We need:
- people to seek donations
- people to do the behind the scenes data organization
- people to plan the event itself: venue, food, decor, music etc.
- a committee chair, and sub-committee chairs

No experience? No problem! We have resources and a team ready to support you. This is a fantastic way to make a big impact while having fun and making friends!

Interested or want to learn more? Contact Amy Klein at chairelect@polarispto.com today!