Pine Springs PTO Newsletter

Hi Pine Springs families,

Happy New Year! We hope your winter break brought rest, joy, and plenty of time with the people you love. As we step into 2026 together, we’re feeling excited, energized, and so grateful for this community. Thank you for all the ways you’ve supported our school so far—from volunteering your time to showing up for events and cheering on our students every step of the way.

We’ve got a fresh calendar of activities, celebrations, and opportunities to get involved as we kick off the new year. Be sure to check out all the updates and upcoming events below—we can’t wait to make this next season just as fun and meaningful as the last!

💚 The Pine Springs PTO Team

Heather Charney- President, Jen Mere- Vice President, Melanie Allen- Secretary, Corrie Hunter- Treasurer, Melanie Kelm- Family Events, Laura Ross- Fundraising, Alissa Adams- Hospitality, Collette Zeller- Middle School Events, Lyndsay Bui- Services

A huge thank you to our 2025-2026 PTO Sponsors! Please let our sponsors know how grateful we are for their support! Visit our website to support these local businesses.

📌 Staff Favorites Directory

📅 School Calendar

📢 School Communications

🤝 How to Join the PTO

💰 No Fuss Fundraising Info

Thursday, January 8— Elementary Pioneer Pit Stop, details below

Thursday, January 15— January Pioneer Pit Stop, details below

Monday, January 19— MLK Day, no school for staff or students

Friday, January 30— Sweetheart Dance, K-5 details below

Chip Chip Hooray! Before our staff dipped out for winter break, they enjoyed December’s staff treat: chips and all the salty goodness they deserved. It was a small (but crunchy) way to show appreciation for the incredible work our team does every day.

A huge shout-out goes to our amazing leads Theresa Steigerwald & Lindsay Miller and day-of volunteer Lauren DeGarmo who helped make it happen — we couldn’t have done it without them!

All teachers and staff were entered into a raffle for a chance to win a gift card to Nothing Bundt Cakes or Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Our two lucky winners were Allyson Arp & Sarah Parda!

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to our staff for a great first half of the year.

Don’t miss your chance to dance, mingle, and share sweet moments at our Sweetheart Dance for K–5 students and their adult guest!

Two Sessions on Friday, January 30

Session I: 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Session II: 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Location

The Pavilion at Carriage Farm

1913 Pagan Road

Raleigh, NC 27603

Ticket Information

$10 per person

PTO tickets available for purchase January 11

Public tickets available for purchase on January 13

Everyone must purchase a ticket, including adults

Volunteers

Sign up now to help make this event a success!

Students must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent, caregiver, or family friend. Tickets are on a first come, first serve basis. Light snacks, desserts and refreshments will be served. Dinner prior is recommended.

We’ve had a wonderful first half of the school year with the Pioneer Pit Stop! The excitement on the children’s faces is contagious—and beyond the fun, our Middle School Pit Crew is gaining real-life experience in accounting, marketing, sales, supply and demand, and more. Thank you for your continued support of the Pioneer Pit Stop School Store!

📅 Upcoming Stores:

Elementary:

• 🗓️ Thursday, January 8, 2026 (gym, during morning carline 7:30–7:55)
• 🛍️ All new items ranging from $.25–$3.50 (cash only).
• 👉 Elementary shoppers should bring money in a labeled baggie.
• ⏰ Store closes 5 minutes before the bell.

Middle School:

• 🗓️ Thursday, January 15, 2026 (bottom of the Grand Staircase, during morning carline 8:00–8:25)
• 🍩 DONUTS! $2 each, limit 2 per student (gluten-free option available).
• 🛍️ Limited items also available for purchase.
• 💵 Cash only. Store closes 5 minutes before the bell.

👉 Student shopping only—parents don’t need to attend.

We’re still looking for a Silent Auction Chair and a Business Donations Chair! Working alongside our Fundraising Coordinator, these chairs will partner with their committees to bring the Spring 2026 Silent Auction to life. Read the descriptions below for more details.

Business Donations Chair
Lead a committee of parent volunteers to secure donations from both corporations and local businesses for use in our upcoming silent auction.

Silent Auction Chair
Oversee a committee in organizing donated items into themed baskets, entering items into the PTO’s online auction system, promoting the auction through newsletters and social media, and coordinating item pickup for winning bidders.

The auction will take place in Spring 2026.

If you’re interested, please email fundraising@pspapto.org by December 19th!

As the weather cools down and layers pile on, make sure everything makes its way back home! Support Pine Springs Preparatory Academy by ordering from Mabel's Labels and selecting Pine Springs Preparatory Academy (Holly Springs). All orders ship free directly to your home.

As we reach the halfway point of the school year, we want to thank our amazing PTO volunteers for all the time and care you give. Your support at events and behind the scenes makes a real difference for our students, families, and staff.

Don’t forget—our Mid-Year Prize Drawing takes place in January, and we’ll also be recognizing the volunteer with the most hours logged so far this year. Thank you for everything you do—we’re so grateful for you!

About the Giveaway

The Great Volunteer Giveaway is our way of celebrating PTO volunteers who help our school thrive. Every time you volunteer, you earn raffle tickets for monthly prizes, a special mid-year drawing in January, and the End-of-Year Grand Prize raffle. The more you volunteer, the more chances you have to win!

Get to know Liz and her family a little better below.

1. Who are the members of your family? Marshall, Liz, Nora (1st grade), Laine (Kindergarten), and our beloved yellow lab, Captain!

2. How long have you been at PSPA? This is our second year at PSPA.

3. What is one of your favorite things about PSPA? or Why did you choose Pine Springs for your family? We love the sense of community at PSPA! The teachers, staff, students, and families of PSPA have made it such a warm and welcoming place for all of us.

4. What family tradition do you cherish the most and why? We all looked forward to our tradition of going to the State Farmer's Market to pick out our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. This year, a week after bringing home our tree we noticed many unwelcome 6-legged guests cozying up in our home for the holidays. Stink bugs! Our beautiful tree made it's way to the curb three weeks earlier than expected. I guess we'll be looking for a new tradition next year!

5. What is one thing you are looking forward to this year? Cheering on the Pioneers at PSPA sporting events!

Each month, we will feature one of our amazing PSPA families, who is seen out and about in the local community showing their Pioneer pride with their PSPA car magnet. The winning family will be featured in our monthly PTO newsletter!

Need to purchase a PSPA magnet? Visit us at open house or email us at info@pspapto.org for details.