The W.A.V.E. Foundation of Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School is a 501(c)3 non-‐profit organization that consists of P.T.A. parents and teachers who volunteer their time to work together to create ideas, implement programs and organize events that will raise money for necessities that may not otherwise be available due to District, City, State and Federal Budget limitations. Surprisingly, this includes basic school supplies (such as photocopy and other equipment for teachers), playground and athletic equipment (such as enough balls for each class), and salaries for support staff that help make our school an effective educational institution. PTA works to build community involvement through assemblies, Parent/Child Dances, and Fall Festival, among others and does limited fundraising to support those programs. WAVE fundraises to bring supplies, programs and support staff to VW.
Money that we have raised in the past has gone to pay for:
- The salaries for a part-‐time Librarian and CARE Counselor
- Library Books
- Music Teacher/3rd Grade Recorder Program
- K-‐2nd Grade Music Classes
- Meet the Masters – an art education program for every child
- Classroom supplies
- Computers for classrooms and the Computer Lab
How to Become a Member
W.A.V.E. membership is completely free and is open to all parents of VW students as well as the faculty and administration of VW! All you have to do is come to a meeting and turn in a membership form.
We vote on grant requests twice a year – once in winter and once in spring. You will be eligible to vote on how money should be dispersed if you have attended 2 out of the previous 4 meetings.
Ways That You Can Get Involved:
The easiest and most important way to get involved is to just come to meetings! You can help us to decide how money is raised and where it goes within our VW community. You can also help us with any of our fundraisers:
- Joy of Giving Campaign
This fundraiser gives parents the opportunity to directly improve the quality of education in their child’s classroom by fulfilling teachers’ wish lists of materials and books that he or she feels will add to the educational experience of the students. (Fall) - Survivor Challenge
Survivor Challenge is an obstacle course-‐a-‐thon. Students report that this is one of their favorite activities of the school year! (Spring) - Ritz Auction & Dance
The Ritz is an adult’s only night out to raise money for Arts, Education and Technology programs. (Spring) - Community Give Back Programs
Stores such as Vons (eScrip), Ralphs, Target, and many more will give VW a certain percentage of each purchase! (All Year) - Box Tops for Education
Clipping box tops labels from some of your favorite foods can earn VW money to benefit our programs. Last year we raised more than $1,800! (All Year) - School Supplies
By ordering school supplies to donate to your child’s classroom through W.A.V.E., we will get a percentage of each purchase donated back to WAVE. (Spring/Fall) - Barnes & Noble Night
This is a special night of storytelling by teachers, a ride on the trolley with Mrs. Buhl, and a great opportunity f or Christmas shopping. And Barnes & Noble will donate a percentage of all purchases back to VW! (Winter) - Restaurant Fundraisers
We periodically partner with restaurants in our community to offer VW families a night out with the added benefit that they will donate a percentage of profits back to VW. (All Year)
If you have any great ideas that you would like to share with us, we would love to hear them!