Pine Springs PTO Newsletter
September 2025
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the parents and guardians who generously contributed to our Safety Go Bags for each classroom and donated snacks to help stock the staff pantry for our Elementary School, Middle School, and Blended Academy teams.
Your support plays a vital role in keeping our school community safe, cared for, and appreciated. The Safety Go Bags ensure each classroom is better prepared in case of an emergency, and the stocked pantry brings smiles and comfort to our hardworking staff throughout the day.
We are so grateful to be part of a school community that shows up with such kindness and generosity. Your contributions make a difference — thank you for being partners in supporting both student safety and staff wellness!
With appreciation,
PSPA PTO
2025-2026 PTO Board Members
Heather Charney, President
Jen Mere, Vice President
Melanie Allen, Secretary
Corrie Hunter, Treasurer
Melanie Kelm, Family Events Coordinator
Laura Ross, Fundraising Coordinator
Alissa Adams, Hospitality Coordinator
Collette Zeller, Middle School Events Coordinator
Lyndsay Bui, Services Coordinator
Your annual PTO membership dues make a big difference in supporting our school community, teachers, and staff! They help us host events like the Sweetheart Dance, Middle School Lock-Ins, and the Book Fair. They also fund classroom needs through our Wise Owl Grant and allow us to treat staff with monthly luncheons, snacks, Teacher Appreciation Week, and the Staff Favorites List.
We’re currently at over 30% school participation and only need 64 more families to hit 40%! When we reach this goal, the grade level with the highest participation will win popsicles for students and lunch for their teachers. Right now, 6th grade leads the way with 7th grade close behind. For overall percentage, Kindergarten is in the lead with 44% participation, followed by 3rd and 4th grades at 37.6%.
✨ Don’t miss out—PTO members get early access to Santa sign-ups in December and Sweetheart Dance tickets.
Join the hive today: https://bit.ly/45xvPIn
Hospitality Committee Welcomes Back Our Amazing Staff in Style!
As summer drew to a close and preparations for the new school year kicked off, the PSPA PTO Hospitality Committee was thrilled to welcome back our incredible teachers and staff with a special celebration to show just how much we appreciate all they do.
To help fuel their planning and prep, we hosted a delicious catered luncheon from Nil’s Mediterranean Cuisine in Fuquay-Varina — a local favorite that brought big flavor to the event! And because no celebration is complete without a little something sweet, we added a colorful cookie dessert bar that brought smiles all around.
But the appreciation didn’t stop there. Our staff were also treated to a few fun surprises, including fresh flowers to brighten their day and a variety of exciting giveaways. Each staff member was gifted $100 in Amazon funds to help stock up on essential supplies for a strong start to the year.
Behind the scenes, this special event came together thanks to the thoughtful planning and hard work of Jenny Fowle and Amanda Stairs, along with the creative talents of Stacie Meiburg, who crafted the beautiful floral arrangements. We’re also so grateful to our fantastic day-of volunteers — Stacie Meiburg, Meagan Roberts, and Leigh Sershen — for helping everything run smoothly.
It was a joyful and heartfelt way to kick off what promises to be a fantastic school year. On behalf of the PSPA PTO, thank you to our staff for the passion and dedication you bring to our school community every day. Here’s to a wonderful year ahead — it’s always a great day to be a Pioneer!
💐 Tissues & Tea for Kindergarten Families
Our Kindergarten families were warmly welcomed to Pine Springs with a special Tissues & Tea event hosted by our PTO Welcome Committee, Megan Roberts and Megan DeLauro, along with our Services Coordinator, Lyndsay Bui. Parents had the chance to connect, share, and celebrate this big milestone together. A heartfelt thank you to Stacie Meiburg for speaking to our new families and for creating the beautiful flower arrangements that brightened the event. We also appreciate Mr. Friend, Ms. Johnson, and our PSPA Board members for joining us and taking time to talk with families—it made the morning even more meaningful! 🌸
Holiday Shop Student Vendors
Are you a young entrepreneur who wants to showcase your business and sell your handmade items? Our Student Vendors will be back at the Holiday Shop and Storytime with Santa on December 9th! Applications are now open for those students interested in setting up shop and selling their handmade items. Only a limited number of spots will be available.
Applications are due by Monday, September 29th
Application Link:
Go Play Save
The PTO is excited to once again partner with GoPlaySave for our largest fundraiser of the year!
This year’s fundraiser will launch September 9th and end September 30th. Be on the lookout for instructions and a coupon book coming home with each student. The QR code on your envelope is only for setting up your online store, not for customers to scan. Please return unsold coupon books by Sept 30th.
Funds raised go directly to support PTO-sponsored events and activities—thank you for your support!
We’re also looking for volunteers to help with stuffing envelopes and fulfilling orders. Check out the link below to sign up: GoPlaySave Volunteer Opportunities
Questions? Email us at fundraising@pspapto.org
Have You Connected Your Walmart & BoxTops Accounts Yet?
You’ll earn 50 Bonus Box Tops ($5) for PSPA PTO when you connect your Box Tops and Walmart accounts for the first time and buy a participating product using the saved payment method in your Walmart wallet between 6/01/25 – 9/14/25. New to Box Tops? Download the app and use Referral Code VBI223J4
Harris Teeter VIC Card
For the entirety of the 2025-2026 school year (August 1, 2025- May 31, 2026), schools will earn $10 for every HT Plus membership or trial membership sign-up or existing membership of HT Plus. To qualify, customers will need to link their VIC card as well as sign up for a free 30-day trial membership, a paid membership or have an existing membership of HT Plus. Each August customers must re-link their VIC card on the Harris Teeter website or app, or simply ask a cashier to link their school at checkout using code 4293. More information about this program.
Lowe's Food Fresh Rewards Card
Link your Fresh Rewards Card and PSPA PTO will be rewarded based on the amount of Lowes Foods Private Label items you purchase!
Mabel's Labels
PSPA PTO is fundraising with Mabel’s Labels! These durable, waterproof, customizable labels are perfect for clothing, shoes, water bottles, and more—and they’re dishwasher, laundry, and microwave safe. Order at mabelslabels.com, select Pine Springs Preparatory Academy (Holly Springs), and enjoy free shipping to your home. Thank you for your support!
We’re gearing up for an exciting year at the 2025–2026 Pioneer Pit Stop School Store!
Our first School Stores for both the middle and elementary schools will take place in October—stay tuned for more details and specific dates coming soon.
We’re also building our Pit Crew! An interest meeting date will be announced soon for middle school students who are interested in joining the Pit Crew, so keep an eye out for that date.
We are in the process of ordering lots of new inventory, and we’re looking forward to a fantastic year at the Pioneer Pit Stop! Thank you for your continued support!
6th Grade Lock-In
Get ready for the 6th Grade Glow Party Lock-In! Sign up for snacks or volunteering and help make the night shine bright!
7th Grade Lock-In
The 7th Grade ‘Just Got Sweeter’ Lock-In is almost here! Sign up here to bring treats or lend a hand and make the night extra sweet!
8th Grade Lock-In
Surf’s up for the 8th Grade Beach Bash Lock-In! Sign up here to bring snacks or volunteer and help make some waves of fun!
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.
This month's winner is the Roberts family!
1. Who are the members of your family? Megan and David, Ford- 3rd grade, Lainey- 2nd grade, Nora preschool.
2. How long have you been at PSPA? We have been at PSPA for 3 years.
3. What is one of your favorite things about PSPA? or Why did you choose Pine Springs for your family? I love the community feel of PSPA. I know my children are loved and well cared for while they are at school. I also love the project based learning emphasis and seeing my kids put their learning into action. They have learned so much and made so many wonderful friends!
4. What family tradition do you cherish the most and why? Our family loves to celebrate things. We do an annual back to school dinner. This year we had breakfast for dinner and its a fun way to celebrate a new year starting!
5. What is one thing you are looking forward to this year? There are so many things to look forward to this school year! Our family loves going to Naylor farms with school friends!
