Category Archives: Parent Group

Write-a-Check Fundraiser “Steller Cups for Kids”

Steller Parent Group and the Steller Student Outreach Group are planning our first “Write-a-Check” Fundraising Campaign from November 22 to December 14. 

Your support is critical. As you may know, SPG has not been able to do any fundraising since January of 2020 due to COVID. We hope to take the pressure off of parents and students to organize, buy and sell things or attend events, and simply to ask you to donate what you can. ($25 to $50 per family is suggested and would help us meet our goal of $6000). 

———- Three Easy Ways to Donate ————-

  • Write a Check to “Steller Parent Group” and drop off between the 22  and 24, or leave in the SPG mailbox before December 14. 

  • Steller Parent Group Website 

  • In person (using Square)between November 22 and 24 

Steller Students will be handing out coffee/cocoa along the drop off/pick up line outside and sharing their stories of how Steller Parent Group funding has positively impacted their experiences at school on the following dates:

Monday November 22 Tuesday November 23 Wednesday November 24
8:10 to 8:30 8:10 to 8:30 8:10 to 8:30
2:15 to 2:40 2:15 to 2:40 2:15 to 2:40

Other ways to Donate

Your everyday purchases can also generate donations to our school and support SPG!  See here for more information about Fred Meyer and Amazon community donations. 

 

With your generous donations and support, Steller Parent Group will be able to continue providing the following kinds of things for Steller Students, Staff, and Families (these are just examples, actual expenses are requested and approved throughout the year):

SPG Operational Expenses
  • Insurance
  • Website/Flash
  • Fundraising expenses
SPG Hosted Expenses
  • Back to School BBQ 2022
  • Staff appreciation Fall and Spring
  • Ice cream social
School Hosted Expenses
  • Senior Breakfast 
  • Activity Day
  • Steller Olympics
Grants
  • Intensives
  • Travel intensives
  • Program support (ie travel expenses for Band, books, and art supplies)

If you would like to volunteer to help before or after school please see the form here.

We thank you for your generous support!

Students from Steller Outreach Group and Leigh Anne

SPG Fundraising Committee – Amy Dummann and Dee Dee Zobian

 

100% of your donations benefit the Steller Community, and are eligible for tax deduction (Tax ID 06-1760342). If you would like a receipt please contact stellerpg@gmail.com

Update on Warmth And Welcome Committee

Dear Steller Community,

Some parents have asked for help: They have to drop their children off at school considerably before the doors open, and as it gets colder, this becomes more difficult for students. Under normal circumstances  students have been welcomed into the school and trusted to remain in the lobby following the school Philosophy of Responsible Freedom. However, district COVID protocols and general safety, make this not possible this year. SPG has been working with Steller Staff to see if we can find some sort of resolution to this difficulty and support our students.

Over the last month we ran a sign up sheet for the Warmth & Welcome committee. Parent and guardian volunteers were invited to sign up to be present in the student lounge at the front of the school to help build and support out Steller community,  while respecting COVID safety practices.

We would like to extend a warm thank you to Amy D. who has volunteered for several morning shifts.

Now that it has turned very cold we would like to continue the Warmth and Welcome Committee, and grow it to have a large number of volunteers.

We see Warmth and Welcome as an opportunity to:

  • help out families that are struggling with transportation issues,
  • maintain COVID safety,
  • for parents to have access to the school and to get to know each other and the students,  

And we hope this can be a positive community building option during difficult circumstances.

Parents are also welcome to sign up to be present during the lunch hour to help promote safe mask wearing.  Again, we believe this is a great opportunity for parents to see and participate in the positive energy the school has during the day. 

If you are interested in volunteering please:

  1. Sign up using Sign up Genius Here
  2. Sign the ASD Volunteer Form
  3. Attend a brief Orientation with Maria

Once we have a few volunteers we can talk about how to deal with absence etc.

Steller Parent Group thanks you on behalf of the lager parent body and Steller Staff. 

For questions please contact Kirsten at chairstellerparentgroup@gmail.com or Maria

We have many volunteer opportunities! Please check the volunteer page of the SPG website regularly for updates! 

Warm regards,

Kirsten Tschofen

Warmth and Welcome Volunteer Sign Up

Dear Steller Community,

Some parents have expressed concerns that have to drop their children off at school considerably before the doors open, and as it gets colder, this may be more difficult.  

SPG is working with Steller Staff to see if we can find some sort of resolution to this difficulty.

Over the next month we will be offering a sign up sheet for the Warmth & Welcome committee. Parent and guardian volunteers are invited to sign up to be present in the student lounge at the front of the school to supervise students in the time between 7:30 at 8:10.  Staff will always available to help if needed.

Parents are also welcome to sign up to be present during the lunch hour to help promote safe mask wearing and positive social behaviours.

If you are interested in volunteering you must:

1) Sign the ASD Volunteer Form (found in the office)

2) Attend a brief Orientation with Maria

3) Change on the sign up form as soon as you know you won’t be able to attend, or by 6:00 am at latest the day of your shift. 

If you are a parent that needs to drop your child off early, we encourage you to check out the link to see if anyone has signed up so the doors will be open. Unfortunately, if there isn’t a volunteer, or they need to cancel for unforeseen circumstances, we will not be able to open the doors.

Steller Parent Group thanks you on behalf of the lager parent body and Steller Staff. 

For questions please contact Kirsten at chairstellerparentgroup@gmail.com or Maria

2021-2022 Steller Parent Group Budget Passed

October 25, 2021

Dear Steller Community,

At the start of the 2021 school year SPG established a Finance Committee that includes:

  • SPG Chair, SPG Treasurer, SPG Treasurer Elect, Member at Large, and a Teacher. 

The Committee presented the budget at the Steller Parent Group meeting on October 14, and shared it to the wider community by email October 18 (Vote for Steller Parent Group Budget 2021-2022).  All members of the community were invited to vote on the Draft Budget, which contained the provision that we will revisit the Budget in January or February in light of new budget needs (particularly Travel Intensives) and fundraising plans. 

A total of 44 people voted, with 38 votes for and 6 against thereby passing the budget as presented. We would like to thank everyone who participated in the process, and for the feedback we have received. 

Since the SPG Meeting a group of students as well as one parent have stepped forward to help plan fundraising activities, and we have received a few suggestions from the community as well. 

We are working hard to figure out how to meet our fundraising needs and especially support Travel Intensives, which we believe are at the heart of Steller values, while respecting the fact that many in our community feel overextended and time constrained in their own personal lives. It is our hope to plan a few smaller, easier events so that time commitments might be more reasonable for volunteers, and so that the financial ask of our community is not burdensome as well. 

We hope to share our plans with you shortly and welcome anyone who would like to join us. Particularly if you have experience with running auctions, which we would still like to consider as a possibility. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out at chairstellerparentgroup@gmail.com 

Warm regards,

Kirsten

Vote for Steller Parent Group Budget Now!

Budget

In 2021 the Steller Finance Committee (Chair, Treasurer, Member at large) created a DRAFT BUDGET.

In a typical year most money raised through Parent Group goes to four areas:

  • SPG Operational expenses
  • Steller Parent Group expenses (Welcome BBQ, Staff Appreciation etc)
  • School expenses ( Souper Steller, Ice Cream Social, Steller Olympics etc.)
  • Grants:
    • Steller Travel Intensives 
    • Intensives 
    • Program Support (Band trips, art supplies etc)
    • Passages & Special Projects

The DRAFT budget for 2021-2022 was presented at the SPG meeting on October 14.  You can read the Meeting Minutes Here.

The letter accompanying the DRAFT budget for 2021-2022 explains more about the circumstances for the budget. Please read it carefully. 

All members of the community are invited to review the attached Budget, and then vote “Yay” to
accept the budget as presented *with the provision we will revisit it in January or February* in
light of new budget needs and fundraising plans. Or “nay”. If you vote nay you will be provided
an opportunity to make suggestions – given the funds we currently have on hand. The vote
closes at 10 pm on Wednesday, October 20. The budget will be passed with a simple majority of
total votes.

Steller Parent Group is a charitable 501(c)3 organization to which contributions are tax-deductible. To learn more about how to support SPG please see here. 

Warm regards, 

Kirsten Tschofen

Join the Quiz Night Planning Team!

Steller Parent Group hasn’t been able to fundraise since January 2020, and our funds are running low.

We want to be able to continue to support all the great programs and opportunities we have in the past, so are planning our first fundraiser/community building event some sometime before the winter holidays.

All grade 7 to 12 students are invited to lead the planning for this awesome night. We need students with a variety of talents:

  • Organizational
  • Talking to adults
  • Decorating/set up
  • Artistic
  • Trivia
  • Quiz Master(s)
  • And so much more! 

Meet in Leigh Ann’s class 12:00 pm Wednesday, October 13.

(Parents are invited to come along and support as well! Please let Kirsten know if you will attend at chairstellerparentgroup@gmail.com)

Join an SPG Committee!

 

Thank you to everyone – students & adults –  who have used the Sign Up Genius to indicate their interest in volunteering this year. We are excited at how many people have already stepped up!

We are still looking to fill a few committees. Indicating interest in these three groups doesn’t mean you are committing to a leadership position, and you can chose to only help out for one event or activity. 

We especially need a few people – students and adults – with ideas for the Fundraising Committee so that we can create our budget this year.  If we don’t raise any funds we will be limited in how much support we can offer for things like intensives and events and activities. If you are interested please email chairstellerparentgroup@gmail.com. 

Regards,

Kirsten

Student Volunteers Needed

Steller Parent Group is committed to providing opportunities for Steller Students to have a voice in SPG, and to develop new skills and new experiences. In particular we are looking for students to join the Finance Committee, and help write content for the SPG website.  We are also looking for students who can help on an ad hoc basis (for example at events). Time commitment varies and can be flexible.  All students from grade 7 to 12 are invited to participate. 

If you are interested in either of these positions, or would just like to be added to the list when we are looking for general volunteers, please sign up using Sign Up Genius. 

Warm regards,

Kirsten

Chair, Steller Parent Group

 

How to Get Involved in the Steller Community

 

Monday, September 6, 2021

Steller Volunteer Opportunities 

The Steller Philosophy is built on the idea of having input from the Three Pillars: Students, Staff, and Parents& Guardians.  There are many opportunities for community members – including students – to get involved in Steller Parent Group. 

Parent Group       

The mission of the Steller Parent Group is to promote involvement in school activities, to solicit address, and make recommendations regarding issues and polies facing the Steller Community, and to support fundraising activities and facilitate the disbursement of those funds. 

Steller Parent Group meet the second Tuesday of each month from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.  Watch for the announcements on the Steller Flash (email announcements).  You can find meeting agendas and minutes on this website.  There are a number of open positions including the leadership team and committees.

Adults and students are encouraged to check out the volunteer form below for specific roles, but also to just put your name down to be notified when we have specific one time needs.

2021-2022 Volunteer Form

In addition to joining the leadership team, we need members-at-large  to join:

  • Steller Finance Committee – one student, one member at large, meets the week before SPG meeting via Zoom, to review requests for funding. About an hour a month
  • SPG Website Content Writers – one adult and few students to write a few posts a month about what is happening around Steller.  Topics include – introducing staff and students, “the Steller Way” and discussing the Steller Philosophy. Details to be worked out by volunteers. 

 

School Hosted Events and Activities

Occasionally SPG will help recruit volunteers for school lead activities like the following:

  • Intensives       
  • Talent Show and Dessert Potluck and Winter Prom  TBA
  • Open House and Ice Cream Social  TBA
  • Steller Olympics TBA
  • Spring Prom TBA
  • Zoom Dances   TBA

AD HOC

Souper Steller, Field trips, Steller Directory, Website updating, admin and phone support for the office or parent group, library, yearbook proofreading and of course helping the teachers when requested!

Save the Date:

  • First SPG meeting – Tuesday, September 14, 6:00 to 7:30 VIA ZOOM
  • Back to School Night – TBA
  • Grade level Social Nights for parents & guardians – TBA

Updated September 4, 2021

Back to School and All Community Meeting Thursday, September 9

UPDATE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 201

Hello Steller Families!

Time sure flies when you’re having fun! We have already finished up our third week of school! Thank you for your continued support of our school and compliance with the COVID-19 Mitigation plan.

However, due to the rise of COVID-19 cases within our community and the rising concern associated with that, we will be canceling the Back to School and All Community Meeting on September 9th and moving to a new Zoom format for the foreseeable future. This will ensure that we will be doing our part to limit the number of in-person meetings, as well as providing you with pertinent information for the school year. You will be able to find more information on our website.

Thank you for your continued patience and support during these times.

Have a great Labor Day and enjoy the long weekend!

Steller Office

 

During the first part of the night students and parents & guardians will have the chance to meet each of their teachers and advisor to learn about the classes they are taking and ask questions. 

The second half of the evening will be a renewal of the All Community Meeting Tradition and will be jointly hosted by the Steller Parent Group and Steller.

The three pillars of our community –

Student, Staff, Parents & Guardians 

– are all invited to join.

Here is a brief outline of the agenda:

  • Icebreaker Game and Snacks in the Lobby
  • Staff Introductions
  • Welcome from Steller Parent Group & How You Can Get Involved in the School
  • OpGroup Introductions
  • Draw for Steller Spirit Wear T-Shirt and Clean-Up

We look forward to reconnecting and making new friends and hope to see you there!

Kirsten Tschofen

Chair, Steller Parent Group