PTA Meeting Recap: September 2026

PTA Meeting Recaps
Written By Baily Hancock

It’s hard to believe we’re already two PTA meetings into the school year, and yet here we are talking about events happening at the end of September at Carthay. 🤯

Read on for everything you need to know from this week’s PTA meeting, including event updates, new volunteer opportunities, Annual Giving Campaign progress, and details about where this year’s PTA funding is going.

 

Action Items 📋

✅ RSVP + sign up to donate supplies or volunteer at Community Night next Friday and pre-order food by the 23rd if you don’t want to pack your own picnic.

✅ RSVP for Community Garden Day next Saturday the 26 and come help build some raised beds, install the new duck coop, add paving stones to the Kinder Yard, and learn how to care for Carthay’s chickens, ducks, and quail.

✅ Donate to the Annual Giving Campaign to help your student’s class earn the chance to name one of the Carthay chickens (the top 3 classes with the highest participation by Sept 27 will win the honors 🐔)

✅ Join the Makerspace Meetup WhatsApp group if you’re interested in volunteering or being trained on the equipment.

✅ Become a LAUSD-approved volunteer if you’d like to help out on campus during school hours or chaperone field trips.

✅ Become a dues-paying member of the PTA so you can vote and so our chapter can continue to access affordable event insurance.

✅ Stay in the PTA loop through email, our WhatsApp Community, and by bookmarking (and frequenting!) the PTA website.

✅ Subscribe to our Google Calendar for all of our upcoming events, school holidays, and important reminders.

 

Coming up at Carthay 🗓️

Subscribe to the PTA Google Calendar for the most up-to-date events, deadlines, and reminders

 

PTA Meeting Recap ✍️

Volunteering at Carthay

There are two main ways families can volunteer:

  • School-day volunteering requires LAUSD approval and a current TB clearance. This includes classroom support, Garden Class, Fun Fridays, field trips, and other activities taking place during school hours.

  • After-school and weekend events generally do not require LAUSD volunteer approval. Community Night and Garden Day are great opportunities to jump in if you haven’t completed the approval process yet.

Carthay currently has 84 approved volunteers, and our goal is to reach 160. Here are instructions for completing the approval process, and if you email Gretchen McNeil, our Volunteer Coordinator she can help answer questions.

Principal Hall-Johnson also shared that teachers could use approved parent volunteers to support small-group classroom instruction for approximately 45 minutes at a time.

Annual Giving Campaign

Annual Giving Chair Carrie Lemmon shared that we’re currently a little over 40% of the way to our goal of raising $90,000 by October 2 with only 2 weeks left to go. Family and community contributions fund roughly two-thirds of the PTA budget, supporting the programs and resources that help give every Carthay student a well-rounded school experience.

A few reminders:

  • Every contribution counts toward class participation, regardless of the amount.

  • The three classes with the highest participation by September 27 will earn the chance to name one of Carthay’s chickens.

  • Monthly donations beginning at $12 per month count toward the Soak Mr. Garrison incentive.

  • Carthay also needs families and community members able to contribute at the $1,000, $3,000, and $5,000 levels.

PTA Budget and Makerspace Programming

Treasurer Sara Tiano presented the 2026–2027 PTA budget, which reflects increased costs for several school programs.

Funds previously allocated to California Dance Institute (head here to read why CDI isn’t at Carthay this year) will now help launch expanded STEM programming in Carthay’s Makerspace. Planned partners include:

Programming will be offered in six-week sessions, with each class lasting approximately 45–50 minutes. Younger students are expected to begin participating next semester.

The PTA also plans to offer training opportunities for parents interested in learning how to use the Makerspace and support student programming, join the Makerspace Meetup WhatsApp group to learn more.

The budget includes funding for ASSIST, GATE, the garden program, Quail Corner, classroom and school support requests, Student Council activities, teacher appreciation, and other enrichment programs.

The annual budget was approved with 19 votes in favor.

Garden Program and Garden Day

Through the Garden School Foundation’s Seed to Table program, students participate in garden science and cooking classes twice each month.

The PTA’s garden budget also supports maintenance, supplies, and care for Carthay’s animals. Many garden supplies are funded through grants, and the garden team would love help from parents with grant-writing experience.

At Garden Day on Saturday, September 26, volunteers will help:

  • Build raised garden beds

  • Install the duck coop

  • Add paving stones to the Kinder Yard

  • Work on other garden improvement projects

  • Learn how to care for Carthay’s chickens, ducks, and quail

No LAUSD volunteer approval is required to participate in this weekend event, so RSVP today and join us next Saturday!

Orchestra Program Update

The PTA funded 10 Orchestra Place scholarships this year, but nearly 25 students requested assistance.

To help more students participate, the PTA worked with Orchestra Place to secure a $300 discount for an additional 15 families beyond those receiving the fully funded scholarships.

School Site Council and Campus Updates

Principal Hall-Johnson explained that Carthay’s School Site Council includes five parents and five staff members who help determine how the school’s funds are allocated.

She also shared that:

  • The school will provide an updated budget report after meeting with its fiscal specialist.

  • The district has agreed to renovate the auditorium flooring and stage.

  • Auditorium work is expected to take place after Spooktacular.

Thank you to everyone who has joined a meeting, become a PTA member, volunteered, donated, or raised a hand to help. Carthay’s programs and events happen because families choose to show up—and there’s a place for everyone to be part of it.

See you at the next PTA meeting on Tuesday, October 20th from 6:30–7:30pm!

Baily Hancock

http://bailyhancock.com/
Next

📬 The PTA Post: September is heating up at Carthay