Friends of Chester Arthur Elementary School
2013 Annual Report
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
as of 12/31
PRESIDENT
Ivy Olesh VICE PRESIDENT & CHAIR OF PLAYGROUND COMMITTEE
Todd Kaufmann TREASURER
Steven Zelinger SECRETARY
Michael Burlando PRINCIPAL & EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR
Kim Newman CHAIR OF FUNDRAISING
Leigh Botwinik CHAIR OF LITTLE FoCA & COMMUNITY EVENTS & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Deborah Katz DIRECTOR
Mina Mishrikey Kevin Katz ADVISORY DIRECTOR
Matthew Olesh
Changes can often bring about uncertainty and concern. For the Friends of Chester Arthur (FoCA), 2013 was a year of change – however, it was full of changes that resulted in increased stability and positive momentum. We learned early in 2013 that Principal Musgrove, Arthur’s principal for more than 15 years, was going to retire. Rather than wait to see what would happen, we proactively reached out to the School District of Philadelphia to voice our desire to be involved with the selection process for the next principal. Under Superintendent Dr. William Hite’s leadership, we were granted a seat on the principal selection committee and played an integral role in the selection of our new principal, Ms. Kim Newman, who joined Arthur after more than six years at the Henry Houston School in Mount Airy. At the same time we learned of Ms. Musgrove’s retirement, we also found out that a nearby neighborhood school – Walter G. Smith School – was slated to close. Some of its students, Hite’s plan instructed, would transition to Arthur. While many communities were voicing concern over bringing on new students from closed schools into their neighborhood schools, we took the opposite approach. Since it appeared that Smith’s closure was inevitable, we made it known to the District that we wanted to do everything possible to welcome the new students into the Arthur community with open arms. Seventy-nine children from Smith now attend Arthur, and it has been a smooth transition that will continue throughout the 2013-14 academic year. Both of these changes only strengthened FoCA’s work and created a more cohesive community at Arthur. Amidst all of this change, we had our most successful year as an organization. We raised more than $250,000 for Arthur through grants, individual donations, and corporate support (some of which has not yet been dispersed, but will in future years). We fundraised for and built Phase 1a of the playground project, which includes benches, landscaping and shade trees around the recently completed playground structure. FoCA and Arthur formed more than a dozen new partnerships with organizations that include University of Pennsylvania, the Children’s Literacy Initiative, and OCF Realty, one of our local real estate developers and brokers. We held several fundraising and social events to benefit Arthur. We created and developed window stickers, brochures, fact sheets, newsletters and improved social media outreach to market Arthur to prospective parents. And, as a Board, we streamlined operations around our financial accounting, donation- and thank you note-generation, and insurance. We are looking forward to maintaining this success in 2014 when we’ll continue to fundraise for during- and after-school programs, raise awareness about Arthur in the community, plan for the large, $2-million dollar-plus schoolyard and outdoor learning project for the rest of the asphalt lot behind Arthur, work closely with Principal Newman as she continues to strengthen the academic rigor at Arthur and grow our organization into a more efficient and scalable model to help other neighborhoods learn how to support and invest in their neighborhood school. None of this success would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our Board of Directors and, most importantly, without the incredible support we receive from our community. We’re very proud of the work that we do to help benefit our neighborhood school and we hope that you find this first annual review to be informative, thought-provoking and inspiring. If you would like to get involved, donate or have questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at ArthurSchoolGroup@gmail.com. Best,
Ivy Olesh President, Friends of Chester Arthur
FOCA
Financials *
January through December 2013 Marketing $267.68
Corporate & Organizational Support
Events
$325.00
$4,750
Operations
Events
(Filings, Insurance, etc)
$8,098.31
$1,531.91
Individual Support
School Expenses
$7,587.05
(Programs, Supplies, etc)
Grants **
$3,766.39
$242,500
our s reflect financial s for the *These se n e xp and e o not income ar and d ing lendar ye d spend 2013 ca e ct je ro for p /2014 account the 2013 f o ce alan for the b ic year. nt academ large gra ceived a t for re e W ** partmen e D r e Wat ct we from the ard proje ly o o h e sc the larg s. We ar ye re futu the plan for own on drawn d ded haven’t it is inclu t— ye y e on our grant m showing e ar e w basis. because accrual s on an financial
IN 2013,
- INCOME -
- EXPENSES -
$262,935.36
$32,493.98
Friends of Chester Arthur...
to hire Kim Newman
Created structured committees & committee chairs from the board
with Principal Newman to collectively strategize about long-term planning for the school and ways that FoCA can support that vision
Streamlined operations around financial reporting
Held multiple grant writing workshops
(QuickBooks, insurance, and donation thank you notes, etc.)
to educate our members to help us write grants
Formed an alliance of schools designing, fundraising for and building schoolyard parks like ours to leverage expertise, fundraising potential, etc.
Became sales tax exempt Created branding & collateral materials
Improved social media presence
to market the school including window stickers, brochures, fact sheets, business/calling cards, donation cards
New partnerships:
(facebook, twitter, pinterest), website updates and improvements, quarterly e-newsletter
Heavily marketed Little Friends of Chester Arthur
Children’s Hopsital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, Drexel University, Greater Center City Neighborhood Schools Coalition, OCF Realty, OLIN, South of South Neighborhood Association (SOSNA), University of Pennsylvania, Wells Fargo Adopt-a-School, and many more
By the Numbers
$242,500 Value of Grants
Created a visioning committee
(Finance, Curriculum, Playground, Fundraising, Community Outreach and Events, Little Friends of Chester Arthur, and the Executive Committee)
$26,603
2013
Served on the Principal Selection Committee
Filled new & vacant board seats
Playground Phase 1a
our preschool-aged playgroup
428
Email Followers
324
Facebook Likes (143 New Likes in 2013)
5
Grants Awarded (Out of 7 Applications)
10
Open houses, school fairs, & info sessions
16
Board & General Meetings
WEBSITE
Facebook.com/FriendsOfChesterArthur
@FoCA_Philly
ArthurSchoolGroup@gmail.com
www.FriendsofChesterArthur.org
Dance Education Ballet through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Ballet
Technology Improvements & upgrades at Arthur
Neighborhood Bike Program Won $2,500 “Safe Routes to School” Grant
Drama Education Partnership with Walnut Street Theatre
MISSION, CORE VALUES, VISION & OBJECTIVES
Spelling Bee for 5th-8th grade
The Friends of Chester A. Arthur (FoCA) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, formed by Southwest Center City parents and community members who are committed to partnering with the staff, teachers and students of our local school, Chester A. Arthur, in order to foster a robust learning environment for our neighborhood children. The Friends of Chester A. Arthur believes that a first-class education, within a safe school setting, should be the right of every child in Philadelphia and the entire United States. We also believe that such an education should be provided inherently and without reservations. This group was formed as a means to help facilitate the involvement and support of community members iving within and near the Chester A. Arthur School catchment. Our goal is to help support current and future staff, teachers, students and parents in their effort to create and maintain a successful and safe school environment for all children who attend Chester A. Arthur.
Music Education Weekly drum club and a partnership with Astral Artists
Robotics Club Weekly Meetup
Children’s Literacy Initiative Kindergarten through 3rd Grade
Girls on the Run Running Club
Playground & New Plantings Phase 1a Complete!
Penn CityStep Weekly performing arts education program through UPenn
Tutoring & Mentoring Daily