Poly Prep Parents Guide to Giving & Getting

POLY NEEDS YOU! A GUIDE TO GIVING & GETTING INVOLVED

MESSAGE FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

The Advancement team works to promote the school’s mission by fostering meaningful relationships with our families through community engagement, special events, and fundraising. We are committed to ensuring that your family has a positive, meaningful experience at Poly.

We look forward to creating more opportunities to keep you informed and engaged with the many events and other happenings on our campuses. With these events come a myriad of volunteer opportunities. We encourage you to be an ambassador for Poly and we hope you will share your time and talents in service to our school.

The Advancement team is also charged with securing the resources necessary to support outstanding teaching, programming, and facilities. We know that you will be active participants in your child’s Poly experience and we encourage you to generously participate in our efforts to raise the funds that allow us to offer the best academic and co-curricular programs for your child.

The best independent schools in America all benefit from a strong culture of parent giving. We support your involvement in school activities, your participation in our campaigns, and your generosity in both! Together, we will strengthen and sustain our school, our students, and our community.

— The Advancement Office

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE GUIDE TO GIVING Poly Fund........................................................................... pg 5 Major Spring Fundraiser...................................................... pg 6 Senior Class Gift................................................................. pg 6 Capital Projects................................................................... pg 8 Endowment......................................................................... pg 9 The Tower Society................................................................ pg 9 THE GUIDE TO GETTING INVOLVED Major Volunteer Opportunities............................................. pg 11 Other Volunteer Opportunities.............................................. pg 12 Annual Events..................................................................... pg 15

PHOTO CREDITS Linda Busetti Guy Devyatkin P’00 Ilana Dubrovsky-Razam Rebecca Grossfield

The Guide to Giving YOUR SUPPORT HELPS US MAINTAIN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. Tuition dollars are not enough to cover the cost of educating Poly students. Your gift to Poly helps to sustain expert teaching, ensure small classes and challenging academic programs, and fund operational expenses for our campuses, buildings, and classrooms.

2012 Winter Arts Festival Concert 4

POLY FUND The Poly Fund provides unrestricted funds to support outstanding teaching, programming, and facilities. Your participation encourages other parents to give—we need you! Help us meet our goal of 100% parent participation.

The only gift too small, is no gift at all.

Direct your gift to areas that are meaningful to you through our various Family of Funds: • Academics & Programs • Faculty & Teaching • Campus & Facilities • Arts • Athletics • Greening • Greatest Needs

Middle Schoolers test the buoyancy of aluminum foil boats for their Science Olympiad project.

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MAJOR SPRING FUNDRAISER Join us at Poly’s annual spring fundraiser. Your participation and attendance directly support your children and the Poly experience. Past fundraisers have included galas, auctions, and concerts, and have supported our programs: the arts, science, and learning enrichment.

Auctioneer CK Swett at Gala 2012

SENIOR CLASS GIFT Each year, parents of seniors contribute to the Senior Class Gift campaign. This fundraising effort supports a designated capital project and provides parents of seniors an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in honor of their graduate. Help us preserve Poly’s architectural heritage while ensuring we provide students with state-of-the-art facilities that keep pace with a changing world.

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Senior Class Parent Dinner 2012, Bryant Park Grill

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CAPITAL PROJECTS Capital projects directly enhance teaching and learning, modernize our facilities, and incorporate environmental sustainability in all our initiatives, while reducing our carbon footprint. With your contributions, our buildings, classrooms, laboratories, visual arts studios, performance spaces, and athletics facilities provide the physical space and equipment for faculty and students to meet, teach, learn, and grow.

Rendering of the Joint Centers for Marketing & Communications and Student Publications 8

ENDOWMENT Your investment in Poly’s endowment provides crucial flexibility for long-term planning and fiscal health. Poly’s endowment consists of prudently managed funds that are used for additional income, as needed.

THE TOWER SOCIETY The Tower Society recognizes extraordinary gifts that help to transform the way we deliver our academic and co-curricular programs.

We define all gifts of $2,000 or more as Leadership Gifts. This generous support helps to either relieve or enhance our budget and strengthens our ability to achieve excellence in all areas of our operation.

LEVELS Headmaster’s Circle: $1 million or more Chairmen’s Circle: $100,000 – $999,999 Trustees’ Circle:

$25,000 – $99,999

Governors’ Circle: $10,000 – $24,999 Founders’ Circle:

$5,000 – $9,999

Deans’ Circle:

$2,000 – $4,999 9

The Guide to Getting Involved Parent participation and involvement are vital to the life of the school. There are many ways to get involved, from yearlong service in the Parents’ Association to a one-time commitment staffing an arts & crafts table at Homecoming’s Pumpkin Patch.

Poly Fund volunteers at Homecoming 2012

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MAJOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES POLY FUND Poly

Fund

volunteers

encourage

other

parents to contribute to the school’s annual giving campaign. Volunteers participate in phone-a-thons, attend committee meetings, and seek opportunities to engage other parents in conversations about the needs of Poly Fund parent volunteer at the 2012 Thank You Reception

the school.

MAJOR SPRING FUNDRAISER Volunteers solicit auction and raffle donations; sell tickets, journal advertisements, and sponsorships; and/or support the decorating committee.

Members of Poly’s Gala 2012 Committee

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION (PA) The to

Parents’ build

Association’s

community

mission

among

is

parents,

students, administrators, and faculty. The PA sponsors a variety of annual events and meetings that facilitate communication and community engagement.

Poly parent assists at Homecoming’s Pumpkin Patch

Volunteers can either serve on the Executive Committee or as Grade Representatives.

The Executive Committee is responsible for overseeing a variety of events and activities, along with managing the PA’s policies, programs, and budgets. Grade Representatives act as liaisons between the PA, the administration, and parents in their respective grades.

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OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES There are several volunteer opportunities that do not require yearlong commitments. Additionally, there are grade-specific opportunities available outside of the PA—if you are interested in supporting your child’s class, please contact your child’s teacher or dean.

ADMISSIONS SUPPORT Volunteers at the Dyker Heights campus serve as reception hosts at open houses and new student orientations by greeting or checking in families and sharing their Poly experience with prospective families.

Lower School admissions volunteers lead open house campus tours, call newly enrolled parents and welcome them to the community, and remind parents about upcoming events.

ARCHIVES Volunteers sort and catalog historical items documenting Poly’s history including books, photos, videos, and other memorabilia.

THE POLY STORE Poly Store parent volunteers sell clothing and other items at major events such as Homecoming and Special Reunion.

LIBRARY Lower School library volunteers shelve books and assist with selling books at the winter book fair and spring used book sale.

Middle and Upper School library volunteers cover new books, shelve books, and organize shelves and collections.

Poly’s Annual Library Fundraiser volunteers work with the Joseph Dana Allen Library staff to choose a theme for this annual event, decorate the library, manage publicity, organize volunteer scheduling, and plan the Author’s Reception.

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An excited alum with his yearbook at Homecoming 2012 13

Grandparents & Special Grown-Up Friends Day 2012 14

Parents mingle at the 5th and 6th Grade Parent Dinner 2012

JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL EVENTS! FALL/WINTER • Class Dinners • Lower School Playdate • Middle School Playdate • Curriculum Night (VOL) • Poly Fund Kick-Off (VOL) • Homecoming (VOL) • Library Fundraiser (VOL) • Freedom Festival—Grade 5 (VOL)

SPRING • Oasis Night • Ancient Civilizations Day—Grade 6 (VOL) • Major Spring Fundraiser (VOL) • Senior Pre-Prom (VOL) • Commencement • Lower School Grandparents & Special Grown-Up Friends Day • Night of Scenes—Grade 8 (VOL) • Moving-Up Day—Grade 8 (VOL) • Lower School Playdate VOL indicates volunteer opportunities are available.

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