March-a-Thon Info Page, Archived

March-a-Thon contest winners and funds raised coming soon!!

March-a-Thon is one of our school's two biggest fundraisers, and it's probably the students' favorite.

What is March-a-Thon?
Sponsorships & Pledges
Committee - Volunteers Still Needed
Donate products & snacks for the event

What is March-a-Thon?

March-a-Thon is a student event held in the spring (in March!) to raise funds for our enrichment programs at Teach Elementary School. Bishop's Peak and Teach put on the event together, and kids from both schools run laps to earn money for our school. What I like best about this event is that the students are direct participants in the fundraising. We are not selling someone else's stuff and we get 100% of the profits for our own school. This event raises funds in two ways: through sponsorships and through individual pledges. Local businesses, groups and individuals may sponsor at any level, but historically sponsorships of $100 or more are thanked by printing the logo or name of the sponsor on our t-shirts. The children all receive a free t-shirt that they wear to run that day and get to keep. These shirts are a nice reminder of their day on the green and are perfect for showing school spirit! Volunteers and sponsors also have the opportunity to order a shirt. Individuals contribute by pledging an amount per lap for a runner of their choice. After the run, the children collect their donations based on the lap pledge (or fixed amount) and the number of laps they ran. Last year, this event earned $4000 for Teach and $18,000 for Bishop's Peak. This year, we have a special reward to offer if we can raise $30,000 combined.

The march-a-thon itself is a morning on the grass, with the children excused from class to run their laps. Each class takes a little time out to run, and usually 3 or 4 classes run at the same time. The children seem to really like the friendly competition, and do their best to try to run as many laps as they can. The farthest-running boy and girl in each grade win a medal and get their name on the banner in the cafeteria. Classes with 100% participation (every kid gets at least one pledge and runs at least one lap) earn an ice cream party. In addition to these prizes, children receive a gift certificate to either Tom's Toys or Jamba Juice for every $50 in pledges they collect. And the child with the highest amount collected at each school gets to be Principal For A Day. The kids run around the field and their laps are counted by parent volunteers. We have volunteers distributing water and fruit too. Parents are invited to come to school to cheer their children on and also to have a picnic lunch with their kids on the grass afterwards. Last year, Custom House sponsored a hot dog stand, and we had the chance to buy a super yummy hot dogs lunch and eat with the kids. Custom House will be there again this year, so if you can come to school, the kids really like it. :-)

After the march-a-thon, kids collect their pledges and volunteers count the money, distribute the prizes and plan the parties. (woohoo!) This is a fun event to attend and it's fun to volunteer for. March-a-Thon will be held on March 11, with a rain date of April 8.

Sponsorships & Pledges (top)

Thank you for your continuing support of Charles E. Teach Elementary School. We are once again looking for sponsors to make this a successful event. Contributions are tax deductable.

The March-A-Thon finances many programs that benefit our Teach students. These programs include our 4th grade study trip to Astro Camp, our 5th grade study trip to Yosemite Institute and our 6th grade study trip to Catalina Island, as well as our digital media arts program (in coordination with Cal Poly), electives program, assemblies, Artist in Residence, dance and art classes, playground equipment, classroom supplies and library books. The March-a-Thon is one of our biggest fundraising opportunities of the year. Each $100 sponsor will have his or her name or logo printed on our March-a-Thon shirt, worn by students the day of the event and regularly throughout the school year.

Kindly send your contribution and your contact information to: 451 Jaycee Drive, San Luis Obipso, CA 93405. Your donation is tax deductible. All sponsorships must be received by March 1st to meet our T-Shirt printing deadline. Need more information? Please email Erica Stewart or call her at 215-0874. Make checks out to Teach Boosters. Logos can be emailed to Erica (above) or Sunshine (below).

Your children will be asking for pledges too. Encourage them to ask family and friends to sponsor them. They will have a great time earning money for their school. Anyone can sponsor a runner, and they may pledge by the lap or a flat amount.

Committee - Volunteers Still Needed (see descriptions below) (top)

Please contact Sunshine if you would like to volunteer your time the day of the event or if you'd like to help with planning, preparation or sponsorship. We'd love to have you join us for our meetings, even if it's just to share your input. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 9 at 1:00 pm in the staff room.

Help us to make this year’s March-a-thon the best ever!

Teach needs the following volunteers:

• Solicit T-shirt sponsors (contact old and new sponsors by letter, phone and in person) - follow up until all sponsors are obtained (25-30 sponsors) (Filled - Ali Alltucker, Jamie St. Cyr, Sandy Potter & Jackie Jensen)
• T-shirt logistics & distribution to students/staff (1 person, works with T-shirt chair John Rourke)
• Secure and coordinate coffee/snacks for volunteers and students on the day of the event (1 person, works with Wendy Dahl)
• Schedule volunteers for the day of the event (1 person works with Janine Marion)
• Emcee (Filled)
• Assembly and newsletter promotions (1 person)
• Create a slide show for the Assembly (1 person, works with Mukta Naran)
• Set-Up course, rest areas, tents and equipment in the morning (2 people, works with William Baxter and Dennis Martin)
• Take-Down and Clean-up of tents, equipment and course in the afternoon (2-3 people, works with Doris Kim)
• Prize & Awards coordinators to advertise contest, tally prize and award winners, obtain prizes, and organize parties, Principal for the Day and Banner (1 person, works with Jacque Evers)
• Money counters (filled - Jacque Evers, Doris Kim, Pia Laurie & Mukta Naran) to count and prepare the deposit for pledges and sponsor checks
• Lap Counters, Water Distributors, Kid Wranglers and Sundry Warm Bodies to be available the day of the event (AND the rain date) 
• Photographer to take beautiful photos of our beautiful children and volunteers on that day (or rain date) (1 person)

Please email Sunshine and let her know where you can help!  THANK YOU to our amazing, enthusiastic, and good-looking volunteers!!

Donate supplies or snacks for the event (top)

Want to donate supplies for the event? We need everything from 6x9 envelopes to sliced fruit for the runners. Please contact:

John Rourke for supplies (or 549-0857)

Rachel Morgan for snacks, water and beverages (or 544-2759)

• Dixie Cups (paper please)
• Cut-up Fruit (apples, grapes, oranges...durable stuff)
• Bottled Water (for lunch)