Committees

There are many ways for parents and community members to volunteer and get involved at Franklin Avenue Elementary. Below is a brief description of our existing committees that we encourage you to join. Have another idea for a Franklin committee? Please share with us using the “Get Involved” button below.

Fundraising

Annual Fund Drive

The Annual Fund Drive runs for about four weeks during the fall and provides a majority of the funds for Friends of Franklin each year. These funds go to support all of the great programs that FoF provides: TAs, art and music programs, classroom technology, field trips, and so much more. Helping on this committee might look like: stuffing envelopes, managing the DonorPerfect database, creating content for social media, volunteering at the info table where folks drop off their donations, and so much more. Chair: Laura Somers.

Franklin Night Out

Franklin Night Out is our second biggest fundraiser every year. It is an adults-only, nighttime event featuring a dinner, dancing, and drinks. Each year has a special theme such as "Old Hollywood", "Mardi Gras", or "On Vacay." This event is a ton of fun and brings in lots of support and donations from the greater Los Feliz community. Chair: Calvin Hwang.

Merchandise Team

The Franklin Merch Crew is committed to engaging the student body and parents of our school with designs made to inspire young learners and build school spirit. Our goal is to offer a collection of clothing and merchandise to suit the different styles, from the youngest Foxes to the oldest, and to raise funds to support our school. We will have about 3 pre-sales per school year with unique designs that once the pre-sale is over, those styles are gone forever. #limitededition. New to 2023-24 is an online storefront with items for sale that can be shipped or picked up once a month. We need help designing new items, promoting sales, and distributing orders. Chair: Brigid Kelly.

Events

Book Fair

The book fair committee works to promote the development of a love of reading in all our Franklin Foxes. We hold an annual book fair on campus curated with excellent titles to meet the needs of our community. Chair: Jessica Bodoh-Creed.

Film Fest

Calling all student filmmakers! The annual Franklin Film Fest is FOR YOU! Students work on their films during their free time and submit them a few weeks ahead of the event. The committee edits the submissions together, writes scripts for our student hosts, and creates a memorable event for our young filmmakers and their families to enjoy. Chair: DJay Brawner.

Pinewood Derby

The Pinewood Derby Committee keeps one of our school’s most beloved traditions alive. The derby consists of 250+ custom made cars created and raced by students, parents, and community members. Committee members help out by preparing the car kits, selling cars, supervising car building workshops with students, helping run the race, setting up and breaking down the tracks, and more. Contact franklinavederby@gmail.com  Chair: Tony Forester.

Poker Night

Calling all card sharks. Raise money for FOF and have some fun while doing it! The annual Poker Night is back. No experience necessary, and there will be a tutorial before the tournament.  We need help finding sponsors, promoting the event, setting up, and cleaning up. Chair: Tony Forester.

FAMILY Roller Skating NIGHT

The best end of the school year event is a Family roller skating event at Moonlight Rollerway. We will cruise right into summer with our school community. Can you help ensure it’s the best send off into summer break? Chair: Jessica Freeman.

Talent Show

The Talent Show Committee is responsible for the annual Franklin’s Got Talent talent show. The show is open to all students in the school, TK-5, to share their talents with their friends and family in a fun, exciting and supportive show on stage in the school auditorium. The committee puts together the entire show every year; from getting the word out, to the First Look rehearsal of each child's act, to the final polished performances on show day! Additional volunteers are also needed on show day. Chair: Mandy Dunlap.

School Volunteers

Audio/visual committee

The A/V Committee assists with audio/visual during Franklin’s various performances throughout the school year. We are looking for parents who have an understanding of sound/lighting and the components used for said aspects of live performances. To kick off this new committee, we’ll go through the current inventory of electronics (cables, mics, etc) that Franklin has to try to fix what doesn’t work and figure out what is needed. Also, this committee serves as the go-to group of technical-minded parents to help with any performances. Chair: Mark Freed.

Communications

If you have a background in Communications, Website Design & Development, Graphic Design, Social Media and/or Marketing Outreach, we'd love to have your help! If you want to help keep everyone informed of all the great programs at Franklin and various upcoming educational community building events, we'd love to collaborate with you. VP Communications: Jennifer Wagner.

Room Parents

The Room Parent Coordinator acts as a key liaison between Friends of Franklin and the parent community. They send out weekly emails with information pertinent to all things Franklin to be disseminated by the individual Room Parents. Chair: Jessica Luebke.

Social/Emotional Committee

The Social/Emotional Committee at Franklin Avenue Elementary works alongside the teachers’ Best Behavior Committee to create new opportunities to support the social and emotional well-being of each child. So/Emo will bring exciting programs to Franklin that celebrate diversity, and help parents, students, and staff nurture a sense of community, at a time when that is more vital than ever! The committee will hold monthly online meetings. We are still looking for a chairperson for this committee. 

Valet

The Franklin Avenue Valet team of parent volunteers ensures that our kids that get dropped off curbside and make it into school safely. This also helps ease congestion and parking. We are still looking for a chairperson for this committee. 

Volunteer coordination

The Volunteer Coordination committee serves as a bridge between Friends of Franklin and the broader school community. We work to engage parents in volunteering by creating and strengthening relationships, as well as identifying and removing barriers to getting involved. We attend many FOF events, lead volunteer information sessions, and plan fun activities for National Volunteer Week in April. We also collaborate with committee chairs to ensure that their events are adequately staffed and that all parent volunteers have positive, meaningful experiences. All aspects of volunteer coordination, including recruitment, engagement, management, and recognition fall under the umbrella of this committee. No experience is needed…just a desire to help!  Chair: Laurie Markham.

Welcome, please, and thank you

WPTY is an umbrella committee covering Welcome Wagon, Please Dress Up, and Teacher Appreciation plus other Thank You activities for the school. “Welcome Wagon” ensures the first week after summer & winter break include extra celebration to get the students excited to be back on campus. “Please Dress Up” creates dress-up days, as they are an essential part of school spirit and themed learning weeks. Teacher Appreciation occurs over one week in May, where we shower our teachers and staff with love and appreciation for all that they do! The WPTY committee also organizes parent coffees after drop-off, new family playdates, and teacher thank you gifts at the holiday break and end of school. Chair: Jessica Bodoh-Creed.

Community

Community Partnership Program

The Community Partnership Program at Franklin is a chance for local businesses to help Franklin succeed! Friends of Franklin is looking for community sponsors through our Community Partnership Program. If you have a local business that would like to promote to the Los Feliz/Franklin community or you just want to find a tax deductible way to donate through your business, this is how you do it! There are many ways to support the school, including sponsoring Fox Facts emails, being on the website, or being on a banner on the fence. We are still looking for a chairperson for this committee. 

Green Team

Help roll out a new composting program at Franklin Ave Elem! Teach students about the importance of composting, how to use the new bins on campus, and help monitor the program during its first year. There is also a desire to help organize occasional neighborhood clean-up events in collaboration with the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council and CD4. Chair: Kevin Roache.

Parents Who Play

For parents and caregivers who love tennis, pickleball, hiking, or any other active and social activity that can be enjoyed in our beautiful parks. Do you have other ideas for monthly gatherings? Please let us know! Chair: Vlad Eugene.

Soccer Team

The Franklin Foxes soccer team is composed of parents, guardians, and faculty. Whether you are new to soccer or you play regularly, our team offers an opportunity to get in shape, learn about the game, and make friends while playing with the community. Our practices start in mid-November for our annual event in February. Then in the spring, we compete against players from King Middle School, Ivanhoe, and Micheltorena. Chairs: Marisa Eddy, Elle Nouveau, and Julian Calero.

Parent Support

Campus Tour Guides

Campus tour guides and friendly faces needed! Our prospective families will be touring our campus in December and March, so we’re looking for folks who are willing to read up on a tour script, greet guests as they arrive on campus, and lead the tours. Chair: Jessica Luebke.

New Family Mentor Program

The New Family Mentor Program was created to welcome new families to our school. We understand that starting a new school can be difficult. So much to know. So many questions! This is where the New Family Mentor Committee steps in. This volunteer program is a special way for veteran Franklin families to serve as a mentor to incoming families. You will be that friendly face there to answer questions and be an integral part of making new Franklin families quickly feel a part of our wonderful community that is Franklin Ave Elementary. It's a small commitment with a big impact! We are still looking for a chairperson for this committee. 

Parent Socials

Our first parent social will be at Tabula Rasa this fall. We hope to have some organized and some informal gatherings throughout the year. Do you love bringing folks together? We want to hear from you! Chair: Jessica Freeman.

Parent Workshops

As a part of FOFs ongoing mission to provide Franklin parents with a network of support, the Parent Workshop Committee provides parents with the opportunity to attend various free seminars (plus childcare) throughout the school year. Led by experts in the field of child development and education, these workshops cover a wide range of topics including parenting & education tips, social-emotional development, social-justice and advocacy, as well as specialty topics that meet the individual needs of our community. We are still looking for a chairperson for this committee.