We have started the year off with a bang! We are excited to share that we had a full house at our first PTA meeting of the year! Also, the PTA has already accomplished the following in a short timeframe:
• Meet & Greet
• First day of school celebration
• Planters at gate
• 3 uniform sales
• Grandparents day backdrop
• PTA Website
• Childcare at PTA meeting
Below are the links to the presentation and our latest events, as well as the meeting notes. Also, be sure to feel out the survey to enable a future directory, sponsorship package, give ideas and feedback and much more!
Survey - Less than 8-10 Minutes, enable a future directory, sponsorship package, give ideas and feedback and much more!
HOT OF THE PRESS - PTA Meeting Dates . . .
In general, our PTA meetings will be on the last Thursday of each month. We will also generally, alternate between in-person and virtual to strike a balance between staying connected as a village and accounting for busy schedules. The list of dates align with these general standards with exceptions where needed:
Oct 29 - Virtual
Nov 19 - In-Person
Dec 10 - Virtual
Jan 28 - In-person
Feb 25 - Virtual
Mar 25 - Virtual
Apr 29 - In-Person (Board Elections)
May TBD - In-Person (Annual Close-out/Parent Social)
Meet Your 2026-27 PTA Board - We all identified the one thing we want to make sure we achieve this year, plus much more!
Click Above - PTA Meeting Presentation Link (Budget Included and Meeting Notes Below)
IA PTA General Body Meeting Notes
Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
Meeting Called to Order: 6:48 PM
1. Introduction of 2026–27 PTA Board
Board Members: Juanda Roberts, President; Neal Carney, Vice President; Amanda Baker, Corresponding Secretary; Carla C. Whitlock, Treasurer; Chyla Morgan, Recording Secretary
2. President’s Report
Juanda Roberts set the vision for this this academic year with three intentions.
Oneness: The PTA president emphasized unity between parents and school leadership, stating: "administration and parents, that we all operate in one. We are on the same team, and we need to make sure we just hear ourselves ike that. And that's how we move."
Collective Progression: Working in absolute alignment to elevate the school and ensure the community continues to reach new heights.
Fun: A focus on keeping the community spirit light
3. Treasurer’s Report
Affiliation Structure: The organization is officially affiliated with the Georgia PTA and the nationwide PTA network, rather than operating as an independent entity. The Georgia PTA operates on a fiscal year running from July 1 to June 30. In contrast, the local chapter's bylaws establish its fiscal year as running from June 1 to May 31.
Financial Status and Budget Proposals
Bank Balance and Carryover: The current bank balance stands at $10,758.66. This includes a carryover of approximately $2,800 from the preceding fiscal year. A significant volume of funds had to be fronted for back to school events, which will be reflected in the next round of updated financial reporting.
As of September 22, approximately 45 out of 134 families have officially registered for the PTA. The majority of these registrations occurred during the school's open house.
Dues Recommendations and Proposals
The board recommended raising the lowest family membership dues tier from $50 to $100. The reasoning behind the proposed increase is to strengthen the PTA's capita and offset the rising costs of goods and services. The teacher and staff membership dues tier is proposed to remain flat at $50.
The proposed budget for the school year is $35,050. Details are available in the Village Only section of the website.
Programming Allocation: 82% of the budget ($28,741) is earmarked for programming. Administrative Allocation: 18% of the budget ($6,309) is dedicated to administrative expenses. This includes state, national, and Atlanta council dues ($5 per person), administrative supplies (e.g., event signs), and meeting refreshments.
Projected Income: Dues are conservatively projected at $13,000, assuming a 75% participation rate among families and a 50% participation rate among teachers and staff. Additional revenue is expected from the fall fundraiser.
Major Programming Expenses:
Field Day: Budgeted at $10,000, scheduled for the spring semester.
Annual Skate Party: Funds reserved to rent out an entire skating rink for Imhotep families and friends.
Teacher and Staff Appreciation: Dedicated funding for employee recognition.
Decisions and Votes on Budget/Dues
A PTA member requested to review the previous year's itemized budget, but the board does not currently have physical or digital access to them. The body voted to suspend the active motion on the floor to accept the treasurer's recommendations for the budget and dues and table the final vote on both the membership dues increase and the 2026-2027 budget until the next scheduled meeting.
A revised website has been launched at `iapta.net`. Meeting agendas, financial statements, and other administrative documents are housed in a password-protected section named "Village only".
Payment Channels for Dues:
Zelle: Payments can be routed directly to the handle `imhotepta@gmail.com`.
Zeffy: Accessible via the official website, this platform accommodates payments via credit cards, debit cards, and alternative modern payment formats.
Marquee Car Pickup Signs Proposal
• The board recommended the purchase of marquee message board signs with slide-in customizable letters for the car pickup areas. The total estimated cost of this investment is $575. Benefits include reducing ongoing paper printing and copying costs by replacing yard signs, and providing immediate daily updates to parents waiting in the pickup line.
A debate occurred regarding whether the board should approve this purchase prior to the formal adoption of the full budget. Some members suggested that approving the general budget would automatically cover the signs, while others preferred immediate action. It was agreed that if approved immediately, this $575 expense would simply be integrated into the comprehensive budget slated for approval next month, rather than acting as an extra expense. A motion to approve the purchase was formally made and seconded. The vote passed with 47 in favor and 0 opposed.
4. Family Engagement
Survey Objectives and Logistics
The PTA will distribute a "Power of Our Village" (POV) survey in the upcoming post-meeting materials to identify and leverage professional capabilities within the community. The survey is estimated to take less than 10 minutes to complete. Parents are requested to submit their responses within a window of approximately two weeks from distribution. The survey's first goal is "establishing and creating a parent and business directory." The other is identifying and utilizing specialized parental skill sets. We will also identify corporate sponsorship and community engagement pathways, such as corporate donation matching programs (e.g., Deloitte) or localized Greek organization community service initiatives.
Parent Participation, Committees, and Classroom
We are villagers!
at Imhotep
• Volunteer Philosophy: The leadership is striving to push parent participation from "good" to "excellent," urging everyone to complete their mandatory volunteer hours. The driving philosophy is: "If you want a village, you have to be a villager.” Every parent is expected to commit to joining at least one committee once a quarter.
• Structure of Parent Committees
◦ Event-based: Formed for every distinct school event (the initial committee will manage the upcoming Trunk or Treat). Each committee will consist of one board member, a group of parent volunteers, and one teacher.
◦ Activation-based: Organized around specific academic and extracurricular programs. For instance, the Spelling Bee committee will manage practices and research regulations for state-level competitions.
◦ Skills-based: Formed to align parent professional expertise with school needs. Examples include grant writing, marketing/PR, and groundskeeping/landscaping (with parent Neil leading a group called "Men of Imhotep" on groundskeeping).
• Classroom Parent Assignments and Roles: Classroom parents will lead communication in the classrooms, distribute key announcements, and act as liaisons between the parent body and the PTA board.
◦ Pre-K: Sydney Payne and Parent Lewis
◦ Kindergarten: Ashley Colvin and Josephine Mende
◦ Third Grade: Shannon Aldrich and Jam Carney
◦ Fourth Grade: Melissa Bevins, Nakata Forbes and Chyla Morgan
◦ Fifth Grade: Lauren Jones.
◦ Parents are highly encouraged to join their grade-level GroupMe chats for periodic updates.
5. Proposed Events and Tentative Calendar
Final events to be determined, based on survey results.
• October 30 - Trunk or Treat:
◦ Location: The driving range right off Cascade Road.
◦ Event Goals: Securing at least 5 corporate/community vendors to set up tents or tables at $200 each, and registering at least 5 parent-decorated vehicle trunks per classroom to distribute candy.
• November - Double Good Sale: Fundraiser utilizing the Double Good popcorn platform.
• December - Proposed Initiatives: Proposed Daddy-Daughter Dance and a "Mom's
• January - MLK Day: Day of Service activities.
• February - Scholastic Fair and Black Book Month.
• March - Annual Skate Party: Rink buyout for Imhotep.
• April - Movie Night: Setup details (indoor vs. outdoor) to be finalized based on weather constraints and space availability.
• May - End of Year: Teacher Appreciation Week and Family + Field Day.
6. Administration Report – Dr. Harris Liasion and Leadership Notes
October 9 - Remote Learning Day and Curriculum/Academic Fair: Dr. Harris clarified: "All that means is that the kids are at home and teachers will give them an assignment. Each teacher will give them an assignment to work on. So they're working remotely, not virtually." This is a remote, non-virtual day, meaning students will not have live screen time, and it counts as an official school day. Dr. Harris will meet with teachers to coordinate and prevent overloading students with excessive tests or projects on remote days.
The Curriculum / Academic Fair occurs on this same day. It is a walk-through tour for parents to view student projects and curriculum frameworks. It is not a parent-teacher conference day. Ms. Miller will release the specific time window for parent walk-throughs.
• October 12: No school (Indigenous Peoples' Day).
• October 13–16: No school (Fall Break).
• November 3: Remote Learning Day (Staff Work Day / Election Day).
• November 20: Early release day (student pickup must occur by 12:00 PM).
• November 23: No school (Thanksgiving Break begins).
Communications, Uniforms, and Operations
• Communication Protocol: For academic questions, grading issues, or student-specific homework queries, parents must contact their classroom teacher directly as the first point of contact.
• Parent Liaison: Aieya Jean Francois introduced herself as the official Parent Liaison. Her objective is to "bridge the gap of communication between us as parents and administration as well as teachers." She will distribute an intake form in future communications to allow parents to submit structured requests or queries. She can research school handbook guidelines on behalf of parents to minimize administrative bottlenecks. She noted that almost all current requests submitted via the Microsoft Parent Liaison portal and group chats are individual student issues rather than general group-impact concerns.
Uniform Transitions and Lost & Found
The school is transitioning to seasonal long-sleeve uniforms. The PTA is developing an off-season order form so parents can order uniforms when active sales are closed. Items ordered will be handed out on designated field line days.
Grandparents Day decoration update: The PTA contributed the decorative backdrop and balloons.
Lost and Found Protocol (presented by Mr. Harris): Parents should purchase clothing name labels (such as those on Amazon) to label all items. Labeled items are returned directly to students. Unclaimed, unlabeled items are cleared out by December. Non-school attire is donated to Goodwill, and school uniforms in good condition are donated to the PTA for resale.
• Dress Down Days & Spirit Wear: The financial system for dress down days is changing to eliminate the cash-handling and administrative strain of paying $5 or $8 per event. Funds raised from these dress down days directly support staff and teacher appreciation initiatives. Details on the new platform will be released shortly. The first dress down day is scheduled for this coming Friday. Purchases made on the official spirit wear site act as an ongoing school fundraiser.
• Spirit Day, Homecoming, and Scrimmage Details (Presented by Ms. Miller): Spirit Day and Homecoming are scheduled for Friday, October 2nd. Student may wear Imhotep gear, and a prize will be given to the best-dressed student.
◦ Pep Rally: Friday, October 2nd. Parents cannot attend in person due to strict safety and capacity compliance limits, unless their child is an active cheerleader or basketball player. The school will record and distribute a video of the pep rally.
◦ Basketball Scrimmage Game: Friday, October 2nd, in the LLC on campus. Doors open at 6:00 PM; game starts at 6:30 PM.
◦ Dyslexia Awareness Month: Because October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, informational vendors will be present at the basketball scrimmage to share resources.
7. Announcements
◦ Spirit Night: The PTA is currently coordinating with Chick-fil-A to establish an official Spirit Night fundraising date. Families are encouraged to wear Imhotep PTA or Imhotep shirts.
• Childcare Partnership: The PTA is partnering with Ms. Miller's "plus side learning" service to provide childcare during all in-person parent meetings.
• Meeting Cadence: PTA meetings will occur on the last Thursday of every month, unless a holiday conflict arises.
• Volunteer Hours Tracking: Meeting attendees must sign in using the unique link distributed via text to log their attendance and satisfy mandatory volunteer hour requirements.