Below you will find a list of family events that take place after school and on weekends, programs we support during school hours, followed by showcase events/performances. Also listed are the staff appreciation events we recognize throughout the year!

 FAMILY EVENTS (marked with an * if it is a fundraiser):

• Welcome Activities for Kindergarteners and New Families: New student ice cream social and kindergarten playdates are scheduled before the school year begins.
• First Day of School Welcome Tent: Meet other parents and get coffee and treats after hugging your kiddo goodbye on the first day of school. We generally meet outside, in front of the school, under the tents. Rain location is the gym (accessed via Door G).
• Parent / Teacher Learning Sessions: Occasionally 
• Hispanic Heritage Celebration (Sept): Join for our annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with a movie on the back lawn, food for purchase, and cultural activities.
• Music Fest (Fall) *: This is an adults-only event and is our biggest fall fundraiser.  Listen to great music and support Edgemont with ticket sales, an auction and more. Teachers encouraged to attend for a discounted fee!
• Halloween Mash: This is spooky family event with  DJ, Dancing, Costumes, Crafts, Treats, and Pizza.
• Election Day Bake Sale*: When school is closed for election days, we sell baked goods to raise funds!
• MLK Day of Service (January): Bring the whole family in January to acknowledge the work of Dr. King and to support children in their exploration of service and justice.
• AAPI Family Celebration (May):  May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we celebrate the many contributions and achievements of the AAPI community.
• STEAM POP! (Spring) *: Join us for our biggest spring fundraiser to learn about all things science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics as they are found in popular culture. Hands on experiments, presentations by local vendors, food and more.
• Fifth Grade Car Wash (Fall / Spring) *: Get your car washed by our fifth graders as they raise funds for their end of year celebrations.
• Fifth Grade Fund Run (Spring) *: Spend a weekend morning supporting our fifth graders and running around Edgemont Park for our second annual fun run. Ticket sales all support the 5th graders.

 

IN SCHOOL EVENTS:

• Afterschool Enrichment (ASE) (year-round): After school activities for children for an 8 to 10 week period in the fall and spring. This is a paid activity and scholarships are available.
• Bike & Roll (first Wed of every month ): Join kids all around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking and biking. We will meet at Edgemont Park at 8AM, and the children will enjoy a chaperoned stroll around the loop before heading into school. Even a small amount of physical activity can improve mood, focus, and cognitive performance. So let’s get our bodies moving before the school day begins!
• Harvest Day (Oct):  Our Annual school day full of hands-on harvest themed activities and crafts for our students.   
• Assemblies: We aim to fund a few assemblies each year during the school day so that all children can attend.
  • Indigenous People’s Day (October): We observe a land acknowledgement and students participate in a drum circle. 
  • AAPI Assembly (May): In-school education to celebrate AAPI history and culture. 
• Black History Month Celebration (February): In addition to teacher-lead learning initiatives, parents volunteers help us design in-school educational events to celebrate Black History month history and culture.
• Read Across Edgemont (March): We will plan an author visit + DEAR (drop everything and read) across the entire school where parents and caregivers can read to classrooms and share enriching books from our local book store, Watchung Booksellers.
• Book Fair (Spring): Celebrate reading by supporting our Scholastic book fair. The PTA raises funds so that all children can visit the bookfair and receive books. You can also join for the evening shopping session if you want to peruse and purchase books with your children.
• Fun Day (June): We celebrate the end of the year with a day-long field day filled with a bounce house, slip and slide, hop race, face painting and more. This is one of the best days at Edgemont and it takes a village to make it happen, so save the date for this so you can volunteer! 

 

 SHOWCASES:

• Talent Show (winter / spring):  Held in the spring, all children can share their talents, both performing arts and visual arts. We will ask for submissions in advance so we can develop the evening program. We also create a visual arts display for those who want to feature art work they’ve created.
• Science Fair (spring): Students work on experiments at home and share their findings at an afterschool celebration of science. Several teachers attend to learn about the experiments and students explain their work. Students will then give ongoing presentations during the school day to classes so they can practice public speaking and sharing what they learned.
• Debate: Our Afterschool Enrichment debate team competes annually against Lacordaire. Come watch our 4th and 5th graders compete under the guidance and leadership of third grade teacher, Ms. O’Connor. This is a paid class through afterschool enrichment; scholarships are available.
• School Play (spring): Directed by third grade teacher, Ms. O’Connor, students can participate in a school play afterschool. This is a paid offering but scholarships are available.

 

THANK YOU EVENTS:

• Staff and Teacher Appreciation: Welcome back coffee, teacher appreciation week, teacher luncheon, classroom gifts and more. We also acknowledge Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, Custodian Appreciation Day, Nurses Appreciation Day, Administrative Professionals Day, and Principal Appreciation Day.
• Holiday and End of Year Giving: We partner with class parents to acknowledge all staff and teachers for their efforts during the school year.
• Teacher Toasts: Parents can host end of year “Teacher Toasts” for their teachers. More information is below as these are planned through MFEE.

 

Other than events, what are some ways the PTA has supported the school?

The PTA has a huge commitment to equity and ensuring all students and families can participate in our programming. As such, the PTA supports scholarships for all students and families by waiving fees, sponsoring afterschool enrichment spots, ensuring all students can participate in the book fair, and more.

 Additionally, the PTA has also been responsible for capital improvements such as the round lunch tables in the gym, the Gaga pit, the picnic tables and benches, the outdoor tents and more.

 

How do I find out about what’s happening at the school?

Every Friday, our Principal sends out a communication to all parents (to contact information you provided on Genesis when you enrolled your child in Montclair Public Schools). Every Monday, the PTA sends a newsletter about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, District events and more. By joining the PTA, you will automatically begin receiving our newsletter. The PTA also coordinates with Class Parents to share information via email to families so if you’ve agreed to share your information with the PTA, you’ll be added to those emails as well. Lastly, our PTA website is a wonderful resource for all up to date information and calendar items!