[APD] Re: Middle School Fish Club -- donations

["Ann Viverette" <annv777 at houston_rr.com>]

I have some experience working on the cheap for school related projects.
When you are soliciting donations, be sure to have a donation tax reciept
prepared, in hand, as you are making the request.

It should be on school letterhead, in a form that thanks them for their
donation of $_____ Value to Our School which is a charitable donation under
code such and such for tax purposes, to be used for the Fish Club.  The
school or parent accepting the donation will sign it and fill in the blank
and the copy will have a signature from some school official, the PTA
president or principal.

Point to that blank and explain that the retail value of the item is what
they are donating. Capitalists that they are, they will notice that they can
donate a $100 set up that costs them $35 and not really hurt much for it
after tax. Plus, of course, they are creating lots of young consumers with
good will.

I have no experience with such a fish club, but I'd suggest that the donated
fish equipment could be "adopted out" to students as merit awards of some
sort, perhaps for the school year or for the summer, to the officers of the
club who had been most helpful, with required reports and photos of the tank
as it goes along.

For economically challenged families, I would think that you, as club
sponsor, might want to stock the possible medications that the tanks might
need, as those costs do add up quickly. Medications are dangerous, for the
most part, and parents will be needed to be responsible for those
treatments.

I just noticed in traveling around my town that a local store is taking out
many 20 gallon tanks, selling them with UGF, heater, lights, for $25. If you
blanket your town by phone, you may find something similar.

Ann Viverette, who has blooming water lilies and several water beetles in
the new elementary school pond, so far. The bacterial bloom has cleared but
no real algae going yet.


> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 18:54:02 -0700
> From: Caleb <calebcheung at sbcglobal_net>
> Subject: [APD] Middle School Fish Club
> To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> As a middle school science teacher, I have always shared my hobby of
> fish, plants, and aquariums with my students by maintaining tanks in my
> classroom and teaching a short unit on habitats.  This school year in
> particular, a lot of my students have expressed interest in learning
> more than my curriculum provides and starting their own tanks at home.
> I've been thinking about starting an after school fish club that would
> meet regularly to learn about the basics of planted fish tanks.  Of
> course I would share my cuttings and baby fish with them.  Additionally,
> we may start breeding projects for certain species of interest to my
> students.  However, working in an urban school has its own set of unique
> challenges.  Resources are limited.
>
> I'm curious to hear if there is anyone else out there that has done
> something similar or has assisted with a project like what I am
> proposing.  I would love to find out the details of how the club
> functioned and what types of things you did.  Maybe we can exchange
> notes in the future.   Thanks!
>
> Caleb
> Frick Middle School
> Oakland, CA
>
>
> *********************************************


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