Archers Council News
Exciting news from the Archers Council
We would like to thank our Founders families and community for your generous support of our annual Write-A-Check Campaign. We exceeded our $100,000 goal and raised over $115,230! We are excited about the opportunities these donations will bring to our campus.
The Upshot - A Quarterly Newsletter of the Archers Council
The December 2020 issue of The Upshot, the quarterly newsletter of the Archers Council, was released on December 14, 2020. This is a great way to learn about some of the work that goes on behind the scenes and to gain a better understanding of how booster clubs and committees fit into the fabric of our school. Download your copy here: The Upshot, December 2020
What is the Archers Council?
It Takes a Partnership!
The Archers Council is a stewardship organization intended to engage parents in support of the Headmaster, the faculty, and the administration in carrying out the mission of the school. Its objectives include:
Educating parents and the community about the school and the differences between it and ordinary public school
Encouraging family and friends of Founders Classical Academy of Leander to show their support through volunteering and donations
Contact Us
Looking for more information about the Archers Council? Contact us at info@archerscouncil.com. Any parent can join and is strongly encouraged to support this initiative. Annual membership is $10.
Archers Council on Facebook
The Structure of the Archers Council
The council oversees four standing committees:
Archers Athletic Booster Club
What is AABC?
The Archers Athletics Booster Club provides funds for:
student-athlete scholarships
athletic equipment
sports recognition banquets for student-athletes
AABC funds are raised through sports events concession sales, athletics spirit wear sales, spirit nights, and other fundraising events such as Clash of the Archers and the DodgeBrawl Tournament.
Fine Arts Booster Club
What is FAB?
The Fine Arts Booster Club promotes the Fine Arts and supports faculty and students by providing:
scholarship aid for competitions
supplies for the art, music, and theater programs, including instruments, theater set components, and displays for visual art
FAB funds are raised through a variety of initiatives including theater events ticket sales, spirit wear sales, movie nights and coffee houses.
Archers Support Committee
What is ASC?
The Archers Support Committee oversees fundraising for and the administration of projects and events that benefit the entire school.
ASC runs several programs, including:
Teacher Appreciation Week
Book Fairs
Watch DOGS
Spirit Nights
Clothing Closet
ASC funds are raised through the annual Write-a-Check campaign, Spirit Nights, and other fundraisers.
Write-A-Check
What is WAC?
The Write-A-Check Committee oversees the annual fundraiser that supports the efforts of the Archers Council.
A representative from each of the boosters and ASC as well as additional members of the Archers Council make up the WAC Committee. If you are interested in joining the WAC Committee, please contact the WAC Chair, Wendy Wells at info@archerscouncil.com.
Why join the Archers Council?
700 Students x $2,000 less per student =
$1,400,000.00 less funding annually
We need you!
Just like public schools, charter schools receive state funds based on the average daily attendance of students. However, charter schools do not receive funds from local tax revenue, or, in most cases, state facilities funding.
Annually, Founders receives approximately $2,000 less per student. With 700 students starting in the 2019-2020 school year, that is $1,400,000 this upcoming school year!
Charter schools like ours work to make up the difference with fundraising to help support our talented faculty, grow our fine arts and athletic programs and promote community in our many school wide events. It is important to understand that is a real condition for all charter schools and is not a circumstance of the school being poorly operated, but rather the limitations inherently placed on schools not otherwise subsidized.
In order to continue to provide this deeply intuitive and challenging education, and even the basic elective and extracurricular activities and programs readily available at typical public schools, we need your active participation through volunteering and fundraising.
As a public charter school, we do a lot with a little. The support of parents and generous members of the community is essential for our continued success. For those that are able, whether a member of the Archers Council or not, we ask that each family make a financial commitment each school year to help make up the difference. Contributions can be made all at once at our annual Write-A-Check campaign or through a monthly donation and can be directed to a preferred use.
Why a $10 membership fee to join the Archers Council?
The annual dues go directly to cover the basic administrative costs associated with conducting business as a non-affiliate not-for-profit organization operating independently from, but in direct support of, FCA Leander. Having an engaged representation of parents is vital to seeing to it that the much needed contributions that bridge the gap of the rigorous, weekly schedules of the faculty and staff to the demanding extracurricular components of a dynamic school experience are met with a sense of equal dedication. Your membership helps make that possible.
Where does my donation go?
Every Dollar Counts!
Whether all at once during our annual Write-A-Check campaign or through a monthly donation, proceeds will go to:
Teacher grants and bonuses
Additional programs
Non-classroom additions to the school
Endowment seeding for long-term sustainability
All contributions are welcome no matter the level of commitment. Click here to set up your donation.
Did you know?
Due to funding constraints, FCA Leander teachers earn 80% what their public colleagues make. It takes contributions like yours to help us make up the difference!
After all, who cares more about the full student experience than their teachers? That’s right! Their parents.
How do I give my Gifts, Time and Talent to the Archers Council?
Give a Gift
The Archers Council and the Standing Committees host fundraising events and programs throughout the year. Our Annual Write-A-Check Campaign begins in the fall each year.
You may also support the school by participating in the following vendor programs:
Usborne Book Fair
Go Shopping! Office Depot, Office Max & Randalls, & Amazon
Product Label Fundraiser (Collect Box Tops, Tyson & My Coke Rewards)
Please contact info@ArchersCouncil.com if you have any questions.
Volunteer your time & talent
Parent and community volunteers play an essential role at Founders Classical Academy. Whether you volunteer for just one hour or over a hundred hours, your help is essential in supporting the education of our students. Some volunteers may assist in the classroom with instructional or clerical tasks. Others may help shelve books in the library, assist during lunch, or work with the Archers Council fundraisers. Your volunteer efforts teach our children the importance of spending time in the service of a worthy cause.
Volunteer Toolkit
Archers Council Officers 2019-2020
Executive Board
Chairman - Elliott Pemberton
Secretary - Ben Hunsaker
Finance Director - Travis Fell
ASC President - Miranda Knaack
AABC President - Mary Walker
FABC President - Tom Stepek
2018 Write-A-Check presentation to faculty and staff.
Archers Athletic Booster Club (AABC)
President - Mary Walker
Vice President - Corey Wagner
Secretary - Dena Peterson
Treasurer - Dustin Wells
Events - OPEN
Communications - OPEN
Archers Support Committee (ASC)
President - Miranda Knaack
Vice President - Kelley Pittman
Secretary - Tina Edge
Treasurer - Eric Wachsmann
Events - Kimberly Sederburg
Communications - OPEN
Fine Arts Booster Club (FABC)
President - Tom Stepek
Vice President - OPEN
Secretary - Karly Eichenberger
Treasurer - Rebecca Bai
Events - Koby Fell
Communications - Gail Berry
Art Liaison - Jesse Claggett
Music Liaison - Gail Vina
Theater Liaison - Ruchi Bhatt
Write A Check Committee (WAC)
Chairman - Wendy Wells
Volunteers - OPEN
Marketing - Amy Rundell
Events - Heather Staffel
Communications - Katie Robinson
Further Information
Executive Board Minutes 2018-2019
Executive Board Minutes 2019-2020
March 2020
April 2020
May 2020