FES PFA FAQs

Why do we pay a membership fee? What does it cover?

Several years ago, a review was done to determine how much we should charge for a membership fee. We reviewed each of the other NA school’s membership fee vs. fundraising plans and adopted a fee that would cover all of the direct expenses for PFA activities for each family/child.

These direct fees include: field trips, Donuts with Dad, Muffins with Mom, class level shirts to be worn for field trips/field day/spirit days, Winter/Spring room parties, field day, etc. In other words, your membership fee goes directly back to your family/child without the PFA having to bill you for each different event that we have during the year.

What does the fundraising cover that the membership fees do not?

The fundraising that we do covers the remainder of our budget. The administrative costs for the PFA, assemblies for the students, staff appreciation and any other requests to support the staff and students. For example, purchases have included a cart to hold all of the music stands, new carpets for the first grade classrooms and playground equipment, just to name a few.

Is fundraising mandatory?

No! We do not require families to participate in fundraising and we do not track how much is raised per family. Our fundraising goal has been to provide a variety of options. Our thought is: “if you are going to purchase this, please purchase it through the PFA”. We are always looking for easy fundraising options like Giant Eagle Apples for Students, Box Tops and Shutterfly.

Why are PFA meetings during the day? Why can’t we have them at night?

The main reasons the PFA meetings are during the day are because 1) we get the highest participation and 2) Mr. Anderchak and Mrs. Keefer (our PFA liason teacher) are there and 3) the kids are in school and not at their evening activities. We have tried evening meetings in the past and they always got lower attendance.

Can I participate in the PFA even though I can’t come to the meetings?

Absolutely! First of all, all minutes from each meeting are posted on our website for everyone to review. Questions are able to be submitted to the PFA Board at any time and they will be addressed in the appropriate manner. Secondly, there are many, many PFA activities that take place in the evening or other times. Just because you can’t come to the meetings does not mean that you can’t volunteer for any of the positions.

What ways do the PFA communicate with the families? Can I streamline the communication to not feel bombarded?

We have tried many forms of communication in order to make sure that everyone is aware of what is going on. The primary form of communication is the Peek of the Week. This comes out every Monday and gives snapshot of what is going on this week and the near future. If you read nothing else, we recommend that you read this every week.

How can I see what I have signed up for/ordered on the PFA website?

We moved to a new website a few years ago. It has enabled us to be able to receive payments by credit card and more easily track everything.

If you are unsure whether or not you have placed an order for something, simply log in to the website and at the top of the home page click on “previous orders”. This shows you a listing of all orders/responses that you have made.

The website seems “quirky” and hard to find things.

The key locations to know in the website are:

a. “My Account” – shows forms that are available to be completed or have been completed. Go here if you are looking to sign up to volunteer or register for an event.

b. “Previous Orders” – as mentioned above, shows all your order history and if you owe for any event.

Why are there deadlines for events?

We do often cut off registration for events as much as a week or more in advance for the committee to order and purchase food and supplies. It is difficult to estimate and expensive to order extras. Please register prior to the cutoff date!

How do I update my email address?

Click here for simple instructions on how to update, add or remove an email address. This will allow you to keep getting our PFA communication and email confirmations when forms are submitted.

Do both parents have to create login accounts for PFA Website?

For a flawless experience, please create ONLY ONE account per household and invite other parent(s) to manage this account with you.  Your account will be tied to primary parent and Both parents will still receive any communication and updates to their individual email addresses.