Pre-Prom fun: ideas

Besides our soon-to-be-fabulous raffle prizes, we have had some other ideas for fun things to do before the prom -- the Prom Team doesn't have time to make these happen this year, but we'd love to share them: maybe you'd like to grab a few friends and throw yourselves a pre-party!

• Take a friend thrift-shopping, or offer to accompany a friend who needs to shop -- a second set of eyes can help quickly sort the gold from the dross (and will be great to laugh with later :) ).
• Pre-prom movie party: Pretty in Pink, Footloose, Never Been Kissed, Napoleon Dynamite, Mean Girls, Grease, Not Another Teen Movie ... 
• Friday night mani-/pedi-party
• Day of: everything is funnier in formalwear, especially in large groups and with cameraphones: bowling (because nothing says "awesome" like dressup clothes with rental bowling shoes ;) ), arcade games, biking to the event (be careful to guard your skirts!), grabbing pizza, pushing the baby in the stroller right before your sitter arrives ... 
• Afterparty(/ies) ... which friends of PVS might need a little encouragement (and maybe some hands-on help setting up) from their best-est buddies, to get a great afterparty together?
• Invest ahead of time in Sunday brunch plans -- at home or out -- because you won't want to muddle around trying to feed the kid(s) after the excitement of Saturday night ;).

Please leave Comments with other ideas that might inspire our community :).  (To leave a comment, click on the "No comments"/"Comments" word(s) in the bottom right hand corner of this post.)

Besides all of these which the Prom Team is *not* hosting: keep an eye on this blog and an ear on what your Prom Team members are talking up at school ... because there *will* be some prom-prep activities hosted at PVS leading up to the big night :)!

Raffle tickets: available for a limited time only!

Dear PVS community and PVS supporters:

We are about to open sales, hopefully Monday (April 29), Wednesday, May 1, on some fun-and-fabulous raffle items.  All tickets will be $5.

CLICK HERE

to purchase your raffle tickets :)!

Items that would make attending "Starry Night, the PVS Prom for Grownups" ever more awesome, we will raffle off on Friday, May 10, at 3:20pm, in front of the school -- so winners will have a week to make final plans that include their prizes :)!  You need not be present to win (although there will be cookies for PVSers that stick around after pickup for the drawings :)! ) -- we will contact the lucky winners!

Items that would be great fun anytime, we will raffle off during the event itself, between 7pm and 10pm, on Saturday, May 18.  Again, you need not be present to win, but we expect some hearty cheering, and we take this opportunity to point out that it would be good form to be in the gym to accept the happy congratulations from your friends ;).

All item descriptions, and the drawing dates, will be clearly noted on our raffle-sales webpages :).

For legal purposes, we note that the "Starry Night" raffle drawings will be held at the following locations and times:

Set 1:  Friday, May 10, 2013, from 3:20-3:40pm

Portland Village School

7654 N Delaware Avenue, Portland, OR 97217

outside at the front of the property

Set 2:  Saturday, May 18, 2013, periodically between 7pm and 10pm

Peninsula Park Community Center

700 N Rosa Parks Way, Portland, OR 97217

 in the basketball gym

Project Prom Dress exchange: bring 'em tomorrow!

If you didn't get your loaner dresses to school by 3:00 today, you can bring them straight to Angela's house after 10am tomorrow (Saturday, April 27): info here :)!

Raffle donations: confirm by Friday!

Our pre-prom raffles are due to start selling next week, so if you have any items you would like to donate, or businesses which you were going to ask for a donation, please pick up PVS donation forms from the front office and get commitments* by Friday at pickup time!  

* (We'd need the actual items/gift certificates by Thursday, May 9, for the May 10 raffle drawings.)

Prom-theme donations ideas and how-to:

click here.  

We'd especially like restaurant gift certificates -- is there a restaurant that knows your family by name, that would be happy to grow that relationship with you by donating for your school?

Thanks for your efforts to help us raise some funds for PVS through our raffle prizes :)!

Project Prom Dress exchange is Saturday!

If you have dresses to lend/donate, please get them in BY FRIDAY at pickup!  The green plastic bins are in the main entrance at each building.

If you are seeking a dress, the exchange will be from 1-4pm THIS SATURDAY (April 27)!

For complete information, click here: dress exchange basic info.

Dressing up for "Starry Night"

The official word on the dress code for "Starry Night":

What we really want is for people show up and have a good time :).

Many of us are excited about prom'ing it up; others, not so much.  The prom theme is about having fun and enjoying our community.  We encourage each person to dress as much to the theme as they are comfortable doing--and we look forward to seeing what that means!

*     *     *

As the person recognized for my Fundraising Fairy getups each year, it's no surprise that I'm probably coming in something with sequins, lame', or glitter -- although there is a slightly more refined velvet dress calling my name, so we'll see ;).

I've talked to people who are writing home to see if their parents can locate and send their old formalwear in time for alterations.  Some people have tuxedos or beaded dresses in their closets, some people have cocktail dresses or suits--but this is Portland, and let's admit it, we are always party-impressed if someone wears a snazzy pair of jeans, polished-up shoes, and an attractive shirt!

If you want to really impress, you can *iron* your jeans ;).  (I have an iron you can borrow--I finally bought one last year, so I could make tidy curtains for the first grade classroom door ;). )

When I was in high school, I know there were always a couple of Scottish-pride kilts at all formal events ...

... usually one or two dedicated goths wore their awesomest ensembles (side note: in Portland in the 90s, goths could wear non-boot footwear ... I recently learned combat boots were de-rigeur in the rest of the country ... see, here in Portland, everyone always wears chunky shoes, and plenty of people in the suburbs still hunted, so it wasn't at all countercultural to wear combat boots ;) ... local goths were fairly early adopters of witch-point shoes, though, which leave really funny footprints on the Oregon beaches when walking next to their Birkenstock-n-sock buddies ;) ) ...

... in the later 90s I remember seeing cargo pants with tuxedo tops ...

... at the April 11 board meeting, one of your PVS board members described wearing what must have been a fabulous outfit to his prom: a grey suit with top hat and gloves(!) ...

... a bow tie ...  ... big hair ...  ... a tulle underskirt ...  ... ruffles ...

... matching the mood of (or an actual outfit from!) your favorite high-school-dance movie ...

... there are lots of fun ways to give your nod to prom without ever going near a hot pink cinderella-style dress or a full formal tux :).

Ladies, don't forget to donate your extra dresses to and/or come look for dresses at the April 27 Project Prom Dress exchange!

-- Kirsten :)!

PS Feel free to leave further inspirational examples in the Comments, below :)!

Raffle items: the updated list

In this post I will update donations as I check them in, so you can see what's coming in (and maybe avoid hitting up retailers more than once on behalf of PVS :) ) ...

Basic prom-theme categories--ideally, we will have several donations within each category:

• a restaurant gift certificate: all kinds, but we especially encourage you to build a relationship between PVS and your favorite local restaurant (thank so far to: Toro Bravo, ¿Por Que No?, Tasty n Sons)
• dessert gift certificates (thanks so far to: Cacao)
• supplies for a romantic picnic basket
• a tuxedo rental
• a hairstyling appointment, afternoon or early evening May 18 (thanks so far to: Catherine J Schmitz Hair Design & Esthetics, Caitlin Lindgren at The Parlour St. Johns)
• a professional shave for a man, daytime May 18
• a dress alteration (thanks so far to: Irene Veldstra)
• a car wash, or car detailing (so far we have a Washman certificate)
• floral corsage + boutonniere, pickup May 18
• manicure and/or pedicure
• professional makeup application, early evening May 18
• massage gift certificate, to help a body relax before (or after!) the event (two so far: thank you, Jane Graybill)

Pie in the sky, especially this time of year, but wouldn't they be awesome:

• limo or towncar service for dinner and prom, 5pm - 11pm May 18
• fancy hotel room, night of May 18 ;)!!!

And we're receiving some exciting surprises :)! :

• for the dedicated or adventurous: tattoo gift certificate (thanks to Mare Jordan at The Parlour St. John's)
• gift certificate for one photography portrait session and prints credit (thanks to Amy McMullen Photography)
• a family weekend at PVS-beloved Geercrest Farm
• tickets to the Portland Revels
• a gift certificate for shoes (thank you to Dr. Martens)

Do you have any other ideas? Please leave them in the comments, below, or contact Kirsten Rayhawk, Raffle Captain (see contact info).

Volunteers needed -- online signups!

And here's the post you've all been waiting for ;) ...

The success of this year's spring event, like all those before it, will depend heavily on our community stepping up and stepping in to create a strong and joyous foundation!

We need help in the following areas:

NOW: Raffle item procurement:
This effort is both theme- and time-focussed this year and we really need it done by Friday, April 26 (right around the corner), so please pick up your form(s) from the office and talk to your favorite prom-night retailers!  (See our raffle procurement post for details and ideas :)!)

NOW - MAY: General volunteering:  
Allison Bernat (contact info) has stepped up to be our Volunteer Coordinator this year -- thank you, Allison :)!  She and her husband Ric have created a super-clear online volunteer signup sheet:

Please click and sign up here!

SPECIAL ATTENTION: 5TH AND 6TH GRADE FAMILIES

The PVPA last year asked each grade to especially focus their volunteer efforts on one or two specific projects during the coming years -- and the spring event was the focus asked of our 5th and 6th grade families.  If you have a child or children in these grades, please consider digging a little deeper into your volunteer-willingness than you might on a normal day ;) to support the school for this special event!

NOW - MAY: Specific volunteering: 
If you have skills in photography, computers or auction software, A/V, or bartending, we can probably hook you up with a specific event team--please contact Kirsten or Kimmy (contact info).
ADDED MAY 15: We need technology-comfortable people and bar help!

IN MAY: Food:
In a couple of weeks we will be asking the community to sign up to provide fingerfoods (both savory and sweet) for the event -- we are suggesting "high school noshies" to coordinate with the "prom" theme, so put your thinking caps on about what fun-but-tidy(!) fingerfood you might like to contribute to the party!  We're excited to see what people bring.  Please keep an eye on your email/by the front office for food-signups :).
ADDED 5/15: CLICK HERE for more on bringing food :).
ADDED 5/15: CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP ONLINE :)!

Thank you :)!

PVS Prom: Dress Exchange

Several moms have been talking about a PVS formal-dress exchange/borrow* for this event, and Carie Weisenbach-Folz (contact info) and Angela Bowden have generously stepped up to bring that together!

Welcome to Project Prom Dress :)!

Do you have formals you would like to donate, or let people borrow, for this event? dresses from high school? bridesmaids' dresses? cocktail dresses you don't plan to wear on May 18 yourself?  We especially seek larger or taller size dresses, which are harder to find at thrift shops.

If you have a dress to lend or donate:

• If you want the dress back (to lend instead of donating), please label it clearly, preferably on the tag.  
• In the front entryway of each building at school, you can find a green plastic box where you can leave your dress(es). Carie will be collecting them regularly.
• We will ask each dress recipient of a borrowed dress to return it, professionally dry-cleaned, within two weeks of the event (so, by Friday, May 30).  Please keep in mind that accidents do happen and we cannot guarantee the safety of any dress, but we are sure that each PVS person wearing a dress will be grateful and exercise reasonable prudence with their borrowed finery :).

If you would like to try on the donated/lent dresses:

• The Prom Dress Exchange will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 1-4pm at Angela's home.  Her address is 6014 N Haight Avenue: two houses north of Ainsworth Street, just west of Vancouver Avenue ... not too many blocks away from our event location :)!
• RSVP with Carie or Angela (see your PVS Directory, or via Carie's email, here).

* If there is anyone who is interested in running a similar effort for men's formalwear, please contact Kimmy or Kirsten (contact info)!

(EDITED 4/16: added corrected date!)

Prom-theme raffles: please bring in donations by Friday, April 26!

We are building prom-theme raffles to award a week before "Starry Night" and enhance your evening out, and

 we need our community's concentrated help in the 
next two weeks (April 15-April 26!)

to make this part of the event a success :).

Do you know of any business that would like to support our school, our students, or Waldorf education, and provides services or goods that could enhance the prom experience for a lucky winner from our community?

Raffle tickets will be sold Monday, April 29, through 4pm, Friday, May 10.  Price to be determined.

Raffle drawings will be Friday, May 10, at 7:30 pm, location to be announced.  You do not need to be present to win.

Here's what we need between today and Friday, April 26:

Step 1: Grab the needed tools:

Please pick up two or three donation forms (and a pen or two!) at the front office and go out to your favorite businesses to see if they are willing to donate.

• The donation forms include PVS' Tax ID number, which the business will need when they file their taxes, and the forms should be filled out carefully so that both the donating business and PVS can have accurate records.  
• There will also be one-page letters describing the school, so you can have those on hand if a business asks for information to consider.  (These may arrive at the office a couple of days after April 15.)

Step 2:  Pick your targets and make positive contact:

It's easiest with businesses whose workers recognize you on sight, but most businesses have a budget set aside for charitable donations each year, and even a cold-call to a promising business can meet with success :).  We might be too late for some businesses, since our fundraiser is late in the school year, but you can always leave a good impression associated with the name "Portland Village School," and next year someone can come back around to cement our connection :).

Step 3: Complete the Gesture

If the business donates, awesome!  Fill in the donation form, and if they have a gift certificate or an actual item immediately available, please bring it in, with the form, to PVS :).  If they don't have the item or gift certificate available then, please be sure to collect the information needed for the Raffle Team to followup with the donor.  (We can, at their request, create a gift certificate describing their donation, but it is always nicer to have one on company letterhead.)

If the business needs some time to consider a donation, please make sure you follow up with them in a timely manner.

If the business is not interested in donating at this time, the key thing is to leave them with a good impression :).

WHAT TO SEEK:

Here are some ideas we have been working on (we would love to have multiples of each):

• a restaurant gift certificate: all kinds, but we especially encourage you to build a relationship between PVS and your favorite local restaurant
• dessert gift certificates (two so far)
• supplies for a romantic picnic basket
• a tuxedo rental
• a hairstyling appointment, afternoon or early evening May 18 (two so far)
• a professional shave for a man, daytime May 18
• a dress alteration (one so far)
• a car wash, or car detailing
• floral corsage + boutonniere, pickup May 18
• manicure and/or pedicure
• professional makeup application, early evening May 18
• massage gift certificate, to help a body relax before (or after!) the event

Pie in the sky, especially this time of year, but wouldn't they be awesome:

• limo or towncar service for dinner and prom, 5pm - 11pm May 18
• fancy hotel room, night of May 18 ;)!!!

Do you have any other ideas? Please leave them in the comments, below, or contact Kirsten Rayhawk, Raffle Captain (see contact info).

For the most updated list on what we have already been given from generous local businesses, please see this post: Raffle items: the updated list.

Event tickets: prices and information

"Starry Night" event tickets will go on sale April 29 May 1.  Because of space restrictions, only 275 tickets will be available, so be sure to buy yours early!

CLICK HERE
to purchase your tickets online!

Tickets are $40/person, with discounts for staff and for families with demonstrated financial need as follows: $30/person (25% discount), for households which qualify for Federal reduced-price lunches,* and $20/person (50% discount), for all PVS paid staffers as well as for households which qualify for Federal free lunches.*  Please select the appropriate drop-down box when you pay for your tickets.

Due to some awesome resource-management by prom team members and other key PVS volunteers and community partners, your ticket price this year will not only cover the cost of the event but will also, along with other pre-event sales, provide a solid start on the $10,000 overall fundraising goal for the night! Yay!

* ("households which qualify": according to PPS Nutrition Services' regulations)

"Starry Night," a PVS prom for grownups: basic information

Our internal (parent/guardian/staff/etc.) spring fundraiser this year is an all-adults "prom"!

Please make your plans to attend

"Starry Night," a PVS prom for grownups

Saturday, May 18, 2013
7-10 PM

Peninsula Park Community Center

700 N Rosa Parks Way

Portland, OR 97217

For ticket info: Event tickets: prices and information
To purchase tickets: [live link here, starting April 29]

Please feel free to contact the prom team if you have questions.  Key contacts are listed at http://www.portlandvillageschool.org/special-events, or you can find us in your family's PVS Directory.

For more specific information and for ways to volunteer or donate, please see the "Blog Archive" or "Search" areas on the right side of your blog-screen.

Yay!