Dear Samantha Smith Elementary School Families,

Welcome Back to School!! I hope everyone had a fantastic summer and is charged up for a great school year!
The start of the new school year is an exciting, but often overwhelming time. I would like to take the opportunity to
welcome back returning families and welcome all new families to the Smith community. This letter introduces you to our
PTSA and explains how you can contribute to our strong Smith culture and learning environment.  

The PTSA supports a variety of academic and enrichment programs like Accelerated Math/Reading, Nature Vision, field
trips, Explore Art and the science fair. A full list of last year’s PTSA-supported programs is on the back of this letter. Last
year, we received an unprecedented level of support from the community -- both in terms of membership, achieving our
goal of 100% membership and earning a Platinum Award for membership growth, and in our fundraising efforts, where
the Dolphin Dash and other programs raised significantly more money than in years past.

This year, we will build on these successes and ensure programs are sustainable. Another priority will be to place additional
focus on community building and connecting parents in new ways. Smith is fortunate to have a diverse community,
representing many cultures and backgrounds, and we seek to make our PTSA relevant, interesting and accessible to
everyone. Our accomplishments and aspirations are the result of a full team effort, and we thank everyone (members,
committee chairs, board members and all of our volunteers) who work to achieve these goals.

How you can get involved:

• Join the PTSA today at Back to Business or online at www.smithptsa.org
• Attend our first General Membership meeting on Friday, September 12th! Please make every effort to attend this meeting to meet the new board, vote on the updated budget for the year 2014-15, learn more about open committee positions, and how you can support your family and our amazing school.
• Attend PTSA meetings throughout the year and help decide how funds are raised and allocated – and how Smith PTSA and parents can influence the direction of our school. We need your voice and your vote!
• Volunteer – join a committee, hold a position on the board or sign-up to help with any of the events. Every bit of help counts.
• Consider assuming a PTSA board or committed chair position. We still have many important positions open, which are detailed on our website. 
• Contribute to our “Dolphin Day” fall fundraiser, which will be held on October 3. This is designed to be our one general PTSA fundraiser of the year. 

How you can stay up-to-date with Smith and PTSA news:

• The PTSA website www.smithptsa.org is a vital information resource. You will find information about after school programs, membership, fundraising, social events, volunteer opportunities and more. Check back often as it is updated weekly.
• The school newsletter, the “Dolphin Byte”, is emailed weekly and contains information from the Principal, along with reminders about upcoming school and PTSA events.
• [[Like us on Facebook!: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Samantha-Smith-Elementary-PTSA/181287841905780]]. We update our Facebook page nearly every day during our school year with updates, reminders and lots of fun photos of our students, parents and staff.

I am excited to be part of this vibrant community. On behalf of the PTSA board, let me say how committed we are to our
goals and excited about serving our Smith Community this year. We value your comments and suggestions, so contact us
at any time. Together, let’s make this one of the best years at Smith yet!

Best Regards,
Joel Freedman
President, Smith PTSA
president@smithptsa.org