• PTO

• SAMURAI SAVINGS DRIVE

• CASH4CLASS

• SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL

Sakamoto PTO would like to recognize our Samurai Savings Drive Donors.
It is with sincere gratitude that we thank you for your generous support of Sakamoto Elementary School and its program enhancement!

Abraham, Binoy and Shine
Adams, Jeremy
Al Najjar, Madalelleh
Alnajjar
Alnajjar
Appleby, Zeff
Arya, Rishipal
Baer, Gina and Brent
Barefield, Carlos and Amanda
Barnum, Eric and Jodi
Barrall, Michelle and Geoff
Baumann, Michelle and Scott
Beal, Mari and Dave
Becks, Joel and Gyla
Beecher, Steve and Masako
Bennett, Kelly
Bernert, Family
Bhide, Shaunak
Boronkay, Allen & Pamela
Bowers, Pat and Sandra
Brown, Doug and Cai
Burke, Paul and Farema
Carpenter, Don and Lalaine
Cheng, Kirk (sponsor)
Coyle, John and Jennifer (Sponsor)
Cueva, Carlos
Dar, Ilan and Stacy
Davis, Patricia
Desai, Paresh
Deshpande, Sarika
Doushgounian, Paul and Tanya
Durant, Emma
Eachus, Denise and Steve
Espino, Fatima
Figone, Dave and Mary
Fischer, Cheryl
Florentino, Mel and Maria
Flores, Jesse & Esmerelda
Fronen, Aviva & Josh
Gabbert, Lorraine
Gaches, Craig and Terrell
Galdamez, Maria
Gil, Brian and Carey
Glasser, Peter and Jennifer
Gogna, Seema
Graves, Darin and Susan
Greene, June
Hernandez, Dixie and Raf
Higgins, Barbara
Hogan, Alisa and Mike
Hokari, Terumi
Howard, James
Jaganatha, Subha
Jun, Mark
Jung, Debbie and Kevin
Kamimoto, Kim
Katayama, Yoko
Kauinana, Bernadette
Kulkarni, Anand
Ladisky, Stephanie
Lambert, Stacey and Todd
Laws, Brenda
Lee, Russell and Ivy
March, Darrell and Sarah
Maytorena, Marco and Karen
Mazon, Mary
McCafferty, Dan and Valerie
Miller, Mary Grace and Andy (sponsor)
Money, Kim (sponsor)
Moon, Seongho
Mosier-Del Gado, Susan & Joseph
Nguyen Van and Quyen Le
Nguyen, Andrew
Nguyen, Nhan and Quyen Le
Nguyen, Nhu
Nieto, Andrea (sponsor)
Nijmeh, Tony
Nourallahi, Sadie
Olson, Michelle and Jim
Orvis, Melissa and Skip
Osmond, Valerie
Palmer, Jason and Stacy (sponsor)
Panov, Dmitry
Parks, Suzanne & Chris
Petelle, Patricia
Phan, Bao
Phan, Thanh and Gina (sponsor)
Phung, Natalie
Prabhakaran, Sujatha
Prado, Jose and Eva
Qui, Victor
Rajani, Meera and Mahesh
Richards, Michelle & James
Richey, Eric and Yvonne (sponsor)
Rinaldo, Bery
Rocha, Justin and Daphne
Rodriguez, Elio
Russler, Steve and Kathleen
Ryan, John
Ryan, Mike & Renee
Sabbagh, Rabih
Sacks, David and Janie
Sananikone, Sysouk
Sanders, Wendee
Sapper, Lesley
Schuler, Mark and Melaine
Shah, Kalpa
Shanahan, Steve and Abby
Sleeman, Jonell
Solorio, Mike and Deanna
Souza, Audrey
Stull, Bill and Lise
Szoboszlay, Jeanne
Takeda, Elizabeth
Terasaki, Misako
Tran, Nathalie
Uribe, Janelle
Vinje, Cheryl and Lawrence
Sampson Welkley, Lynette
Wong, Alejandra and Russell (sponsor)
Woyciehowsky, Sean & Marcy
Xie, Mindy
Yashiro, Carla
Yun, Kevin

Samurai Savings Drive

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is The Samurai Savings Drive (a.k.a “Buy Out”)

A “Buy Out” is a fundraising program that itemizes the purchases the PTO provides to support Sakamoto Children. It is then broken down by cost per child. The parents are able to make a donation in that amount to ensure the PTO is able to provide those services for the year.

What are the Benefits of The Samurai Savings Drive Program?

There are many benefits to a program of this nature.

• First, the PTO can make decisions earlier, as a result of having the money sooner. This way, students can benefit from the programs immediately.
  
  
• Secondly, the school does not have to run as many “sales type” fundraisers throughout the year. So, parents are not asked to buy candy and other extraneous items they may not need or want.
  
  
• Thirdly, there is virtually no overhead cost and your money goes directly to serve your child. With other fundraisers, your child may only benefit from 10% to 20% of the money you spend. For example, if you buy a box of candy for $20.00 the school may only receive $2.00 - $4.00. With a buy out, the school receives 100% of your donation.

Is my Donation Tax Deductible?

Yes! The Sakamoto PTO is a non-profit organization. You will receive a receipt and a tax ID number with your donation, which you can use to write-off on your taxes.

What if I cannot afford to make a large Payment at the Beginning of the Year?

Of course, we understand that everyone’s financial circumstances vary. If making a large one-time payment is challenging, you may break your donation into quarterly or monthly payments.

Can I donate more than the requested amount?

Yes! You can donate whatever you like. The more money we make the more additional resources we can provide to the school. The requested amount just gives you a dollar amount of how much money is spent per child each year.

Can I choose which programs I want my child to participate in and donate just to those?

No. The PTO is an organization that represents every child in the school. The PTO helps with classroom purchases, technology, and academic program support for the school as a whole. Therefore, it is important to understand that when you make a donation, all children will have access to these programs – they are not on a first come – first served basis. If you have strong feelings about the programs or purchases you would like to see at the school we encourage you to come to the PTO meetings, where these decisions are made. Every parent at Sakamoto is a PTO member and has a voice in this decision making process.

What if we don’t meet our Fundraising Goals through The Samurai Savings Program?

The Sakamoto PTO is committed to ensuring our academic support remains strong and our children continue to benefit from the additional resources we have provided in the 2010-2011 school year and years prior. If we do not have sufficient participation and income we will have to run additional fundraisers and sales. Or we will have to cut some of the programs or technology purchases we have made in years past, which would be disappointing.

Does this mean we will no longer have family type events at the school?

We love our community of parents and children. While the goal is to run less fundraising sales (as these are difficult from a volunteer and financial rewards perspective to manage), we love getting to know each other and enjoy camaraderie on a social level. We will still have a few events throughout the year like The Harvest Festival, Movie Night and Bingo (maybe even a few new ones). While these do raise a little bit of money to cover the expenses of the event and supplement our budget, the main goal is to enjoy each other’s company and come together as proud Sakamoto Families.

What if I can only afford half the requested Donation, should I not donate at all?

NO! While we encourage families to donate the requested amount, we understand if you are financially unable. There are various levels of donations and every single penny counts! Please do not choose not to participate at all. All children at Sakamoto benefit from PTO resources. Whatever you can afford helps. We are proud of the commitment Sakamoto Parents have made to our children’s success and excellence and we are grateful for all levels of participation. In this time of State Budget Cuts our kids and our schools need us more than ever!

Where else does the PTO get its money?

The PTO is a parent organization. It is not subsidized by any outside resources or the state. While we look into various grants and outside resources, those resources are hard to come by and not guaranteed. So, the answer is, the PTO only gets its money from parent donations. Without your support, we don’t have any money. So please do not think we will survive and thrive if you don’t give. If we don’t get our donations now, we will have to ask again later, run school wide sales, or cut other programs to have one program succeed.

If I give money to my child’s classroom, does that go to the PTO?

No. Classroom donations go to the teacher for supplies or other classroom needs, such as parties and teacher gifts. The PTO does not receive this money, and it; therefore, does not support technology upgrades, athletics, Science or other school wide support.

Can Grandparents or other family members donate to the PTO or help with my Buy Out donation?

Yes. If you know anyone who would like to support our school and our children ’s education we are grateful. We are a federally recognized non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible to all donors, even if they do not have children attending the school. Company matches are welcome, as well – if your employer provides such a program. You may also sponsor a Sakamoto child, if you would like.