Our PTO puts everything together for it. We have done this for many years now. We have a 35mm camera that we leave in the office to take pictures year long. We also ask for parents to send in pictures too.
Our books have cost $15 for the past few years, but we have patrons to defray the cost.
We also defray the cost by selling lollipops in the office year round at $.50 a piece and also our bake sale at our open house goes to the year books too.
We have always gone with hard cover books. They do not like the soft cover books. We usually have someone design the cover too. Sometimes it is a student or a parent that creates it. Hope this helps.
That has always bothered me too. For high school especially. Prom and graduation are left out. It would be nice if the deadline was maybe the week after school had let out. Then for the 11th down they get their books the beginning of the next year and 12th graders a big yearbook party is done sometime in summer. Before most of the go off to college.
We have a yearbook committe comprised of parent volunteers and two teachers. It is a requirement of our school district that the yearbook committee is overseen by a certified employee. Not sure why, but thats the rule. They are paid a small stipend for their services by the district. The PTO pays for disposable cameras for each classroom. We also use the same company for our yearbook that we do for school pictures. The yearbooks sell for $15.00. What always bothers me though is many activities are left out of the book because the kids receive the books in May but the deadline for yearbook submissions is months earlier.
They had thought of doing away with our annual also, but instead 4 teachers along with PTO worked as a team to get it done,(this was their first year the other teacher that did it retired). We sold Ad's (also the first year)and made $400.00 to help defray the cost of the books. We also promoted BIG time a yearbook signing party. We are Prek-2nd grade. The teachers did the parties each in a different way according to age group. Most teachers will take class pictures at some time or other during the year, at field trips, parties etc., or parents will loan you ones that they have taken, if they didn't, then one of the YB staff or I went to the needed class and took one, we used our digitals for this the class teachers will usually use their own cameras and our school will develop film to a certain amount. I then brought home the list of who bought an ad. Only 2 made their own ad's and 2 were baseball team pictures. I designed the others. If you have someone good with a computer and different picture programs you can do this easily. Next year we know what we are in for and will be working on it as time permits and start earlier. Oh, and the company that takes your fall pictures should give you a copy of each child for the annual.If you would like more information on what all we did email me. It's not that hard, does consume a bit of time, but if the teachers and parents work together it can be done. As can anything that we try to do. I like the idea of annuals for all grades a nice keepsake.We ordered 325-350 and had only about 8 left over. email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Does your K-5 school create/sell a yearbook or memory book each year?
If it does, who has the responsibility of creating it - the PTO or a school employee?
Up until last year, at our school an employee was paid to handle this task. She also had a group of students involved. As cuts were made, so went the yearbook. We had no book created this past year. The issue has been raised that the PTSO should take on this responsibility.
I have a number of concerns about doing this:
1)It's an all-year committment for volunteer(s).
2)We don't have enough volunteers now to do what is on our list.
3)Our sales of the last yearbook didn't cover the costs. They are very expensive to produce in smaller quantities.
Some ideas that have been thrown on the table are:
1)Give each teacher a disposable camera and let them take pictures during the year.
2)Do the copying and binding ourselves.
3)Make it less pages
4)Stop doing it altogether for K-5 grades.
I would like to know what is being done in your schools. Thanks.
