Committee Descriptions

The Book Fair committee is responsible for planning the yearly book fair in the fall.  The fall fair consists of classroom visits, two Family Fun nights as well as Grandparents’ Day hours.  This fair is dedicated to raising funds for MPSA activities while also providing books to our teachers through the Wish List program, and to our library through the One for Books program.  Additionally, by participating in the One for Books program, our school is able to donate many books to children in need through Scholastic.  If the committee is able to, we also plan a Buy One Get One Free book fair in the spring as a public service to our Middle Paxton families.  We currently use Scholastic books as our vendor.

The Eagles Nest committee is responsible for gathering information from Middle Paxton teachers/staff, as well as MPSA committee members.  The Eagles Nest is basically a school newspaper that is typically published in the fall, winter and spring of every school year.  It contains information on what has taken place in the school and also has important information on upcoming events.

The Fifth Grade committee is responsible for organizing the Fifth Grade Year End Party. The following are the duties of this committee:  Pick a place to have the event and reserve the date with the business, make a slideshow, decide what the fifth grade gift will be.

The Helping Hands Club is a volunteer club that meets twice a monthg during recess. The club is designed to encourage students to become more involved in community and school service projects. Students welcome new students, participate in food and clothing drives, send cards to military and elderly, help with Grandparents Day, Santa's Workshop, The Race for Education our school garden and other exciting activities.

The Historian committee is responsible for attending school functions such as First Day of School, Dad's & Donuts, Family Fun Nights, Moms & Muffins, Literacy Night, School Concerts and May Fair to take pictures.  It is also responsible for seeking pictures from school staff and parents/guardians and organizing them onto flash drives by event and/or grade/class. At the end of the school year, this committee is responsible for making a year-end slideshow for the whole school to watch.

The Hospitality Committee provides and serves refreshments at various school functions and events and/or organizes food donations for some events. 

• Kindergarten Orientation – August
• 1^st Grade & New Student Orientation – August
• Back-to-School Night – September
• Grandparent’s Day – October
• Quarter Days – October & March
• Dads & Donuts – October
• Winter Concert – December
• Moms & Muffins - April
• Art Night – April
• Spring Concert – May
• Literacy Night – June

Upon the discretion of this committee, a Primary and Election Day Bake Sale can be organized in the fall and spring.

Also, this committee is responsible for contacting the food vendors for May Fair. 

The Committee also telephones students' parents requesting their help in supplying items for various school activities. Volunteers are needed to help with these responsibilities and the above-mentioned events.

The Hospitality chair is to record all expenditures and submit receipts to the MPSA Treasurer after purchasing any food or supplies for any of the above events.

The May Fair Committee is the responsibility of the President and Vice President of the MPSA.  These two individuals plan May Fair meetings and distribute duties to committee chairs/co-chairs to assist in making the May Fair a success.

The Parent Advisory Committee representative meets with members of the school board and administration once a month.  Current issues, concerns, policy and innovative programs are presented and discussed.

The Publicity Committee is responsible for relaying any information regarding the Middle Paxton School Association and its planned activities. This is accomplished through email, flyers, a column in the Eagle’s Nest newsletter or local newspaper (Patriot News, Guide, Paxton Herald or Middle Paxton Digest).   Each committee chair requesting information to be publicized should send a brief paragraph describing the event.

Each year this committee is responsible for compiling the student directory that MPSA provides as a convenience to parents/guardians.  This is a useful resource for parents/guardians and students to utilize when arranging play dates, finding out missed homework assignments or coordinating classroom projects or events.  The directory contains   A list of each classroom is obtained from the school secretary and the directory is compiled based on the lists and the forms received from the parents/guardians.  The directory is distributed through email but a hard copy can be provided if requested a list of all students by classroom, their addresses, phone numbers, parents’ names and email addresses, if available.  A form is prepared and sent home with each student as early in the school year as possible.  All parents/guardians are given the opportunity to exclude any information from the directory that they wish to keep private. The policy of the school district prohibits the listing of a students information if we do not have the permission of the parent/guardian.  Therefore, if no form is returned to the school, the information pertaining to the student is not published.

Santa's Workshop is another service provided by the MPSA and is held the first full week in December. The "Elves" who run it are comprised of parent volunteers and our students in the Helping Hands club. The workshop provides an opportunity for the children to buy inexpensive holiday gifts for their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, and even their dogs and cats! The volunteers help so the small children can "shop in secret" for those special gifts for their loved ones. The shop runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Family night on Thursday evening.  Many volunteers are needed to make Santa's Workshop a success. The committee's activities mimic the duties involved in running a small business: shopping/buying, inventory and data tracking, shop set-up and tear down and accounting. The volunteers primarily handle the more fun aspects of helping the children shop and we really do have a great time! It takes many "elves" to provide this fun service for our kids, so please come and join us, you won't regret it!

The MPSA awards a $1000.00 scholarship annually to an alumnus of Middle Paxton Elementary School.

The Scholarship is awarded to a candidate for graduation from a Senior High School in the Central Dauphin School District and is based on academic standing in the high school, school citizenship, and community service. Employment history is also taken into consideration.

An essay of not more than 250 words explaining educational goals and objectives must accompany the application.  Notice of the scholarship is publicized throughout the senior high schools within Central Dauphin School District.  Students may secure an application packet from their high school counselor.  The deadline for applying is March 1st of their senior year.

The recipient is chosen by the Scholarship Committee, which is made up of 3 teachers, and 3 parents from Middle Paxton Elementary School who review and score each application. The principal of the Middle Paxton Elementary School shall serve with the committee to provide guidance and continuity.

The School Spirit Committee brings enthusiasm to the school and recognizes students through various activities.  They provide the entire student body the opportunity to participate in a fall and spring "guesstimation" contest and the winners are awarded prizes.  They decorate classroom doors during the holiday season to kick off the door-decorating contest.  They judge the decorated doors and the winning classroom receives a class party.  They provide holiday, year-end and random act of kindness week gifts to Middle Paxton students.  This committee also coordinates a spirit wear sale offering Middle Paxton students and parents the opportunity to purchase Middle Paxton clothing.

The School Store committee is responsible for purchasing school supplies for the students to purchase.  There are a total of four (4) school stores throughout the school year, one each marking period.  Parent volunteers help set-up and run the store so the students can shop for fun, inexpensive school supplies.  Items purchased include folders, notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, calculators, and many other supplies.  The students really enjoy being able to shop for themselves.

This committee celebrates special occasions throughout the year for the staff.  It is designed to show appreciation and make things special for the staff at Middle Paxton.   The committee chairperson is responsible for coordinating these events.  They should have good organizational skills,  enjoy hosting/planning meals and  obtain volunteers and donations as necessary for the events planned.  There is a committee book that outlines previous activities and gifts for reference.

A record of all events and activities will be kept.  All receipts are kept and copies are given to the treasurer for items purchased.  The chairperson is responsible for remaining within the approved budget and submitting requests for budget increases each year as needed.  Please remember to thank those that provide items, services and time to assist you in your committee.

• A teacher luncheon in the fall and spring on teacher conference days
• Purchase and distribution of staff Christmas gift
• National Secretaries Day in April for the Middle Paxton office secretary
• Staff Appreciation Week in May--all staff are to be honored during this week and may include activities, gifts, drawings, meals or student participation
• Organize the bake sale at Mayfair
• Submit articles to the Eagle's Nest with a summary past, present or upcoming events plus thank you's as needed

• Back to school treat
• Any other holiday events for teachers  e.g  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentines Day
• End of the year treat
• Birthdays
• Other celebrations or events as desired to make our staff feel appreciated

The volunteer committee is responsible for obtaining the necessary volunteers for each of the MPSA sponsored events.  Contact with parents/guardians is done by making phone calls, sending out emails or by submitting flyers on upcoming volunteer opportunities.  This committee is also in charge of recruiting new volunteers.

This committee is in charge of fundraising activities for the MPSA.  This includes Restaurant Nights, Race for Education and any other fundraisers that are deemed necessary to raise funds in order for the MPSA to operate.

The Website committee is in charge of maintaining the MPSA Facebook page on a regular basis.