Alumni Committee

Parents, alumni and past supporters are the backbone of the Coralwood Foundation. They are our Circle of Friends, helping us maintain the high involvement of the Coralwood community and the high levels of education we want the school to maintain. Both through active involvement and supporting the growth of our Annual Fund, it's important for us to continue to have their support beyond just their years at the school.

 

One way to ensure continued commitment to Coralwood is through consistent communication with alumni, their parents and past supportors about activities

and volunteer opportunities at the school and through the Foundation. This year, this committee will:

 

• Explore ways to maintain connections with past Coralwood supporters

• Create a mechanism to actively stay in contact with former students and parents and keep them engaged in the Coralwood Family

• Ensure that we include Alumni in Annual Fund efforts

• Host alumni functions to foster communication

 

Coralwood Auction Committee

The Coralwood Foundation’s annual auction is one of the primary fundraiser for the foundation which exists to ensure that the children of Coralwood have a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment to address all their special needs.

 

Auction proceeds go to the Foundation’s general fund which supports initiatives like:

• Teacher professional education

• Teacher awards and mini-grants

• Bus driver stipends

• STEM camp subsidies

• Curriculum development

• The pursuit of grants by financing the director of development position.

• The general fund also covers administrative expenses for the foundation such as insurance, marketing and website maintenance.

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Our Auction will be held on Saturday, February 24th, 2017 at the Briarcliff Woods Beach Club.

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​Coralwood Challenge Committee

The Coralwood Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign seeks financial commitment seeks financial commitment each year from parents and supporters in order to fund the long term goals of the school. Part of those goals is to ensure a health endowment is available for future generations of Coralwood students. Financing the additional specialized training Coralwood’s staff needs to create their wonderful results is another reason the Challenge is Coralwood Foundation's most important fundraiser and is vital to the continued strength of our school. Each year, the Foundation Board reviews the school’s needs – from equipment to curriculum – to determine where the Challenge results can make the biggest impact.

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The Coralwood Challenge campaign is September 11th through October 20th. Click here for more information.

 

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee supports the treasury function for Coralwood Foundation.  The committee assists the Foundation treasurer with such tasks as preparing the annual budget, reviewing investment alternatives, maintaining insurance coverage, reviewing vendor contracts for approval, and otherwise supporting the financial health of the Foundation.

 

Higher Opportunities for Teachers (HOT) Committee

The Higher Opportunities for Teachers (HOT) Committee functions as a support system for Coralwood faculty and staff members who want to engage in professional development experiences that go beyond those offered through DeKalb County and Coralwood School.

 

The HOT Committee reviews professional proposals initiated by staff and then utilizes Coralwood Foundation funds to support experiences that both align with the mission of Coralwood School and positively impact student achievement through professional development. Funds from HOT can be used for in-class projects or activities as well.

 

Funds for HOT programming come from the Foundation's annual Silent Auction.

 

Teachers and staff members who are awarded professional development funding must either write articles about their experience or give presentations to Coralwood faculty detailing the knowledge acquired from the experience.

 

Since its inception, HOT has funded a myriad of professional development experiences including:

• Orton Gillingham

• Lindamood Bell

• American Speech Language Hearing Convention

• Handwriting Without Tears Training

• Georgia Children's Literature Conference

• International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families

• Raising the Ceiling for Children with Autism

• Strategies for Managing Behavior Problems in the Classroom

 

Marketing & Public Relations Committee

The marketing and PR committee works to make sure that all Coralwood Foundation initiatives are well-communicated and successful.

 

We also believe that Coralwood School is the premier primary inclusion school in Georgia and that while we may be unique today, ours is an educational approach and a standard of commitment to education that can and should be replicated throughout the state and nation. To this end, the Marketing and Public Relations committee is committed to improving the visibility of Coralwood School and Coralwood Foundation and their success story.

 

We are equally committed to helping parents, educators and school administrators understand the value of inclusion education for every child. By acting as a resource for those who seek to embrace and advocate for inclusion education and find innovative ways to fund long-term strategic planning, we can transform our school systems into cutting-edge institutions that empower teachers and students alike.

 

Marketing committee projects include:

• Producing the Foundation’s annual report

• Maintaining the Foundation and PTA website

• Helping manage a strong, consistent brand and image for the school and the Foundation

• Promoting Foundation initiatives and events such as the annual Challenge, the auction, the Saturday Parent Academy, Homecoming and summer camps.

• Facilitating communications with external audiences such as school alumni, foundation supporters and the county school board

 

Master Plan Committee

Our vision is to turn Coralwood School into a model institution in early childhood education. The foundation’s long term goal is to help create a school with a national reputation for providing equal education experience, excellence and innovation that other counties and states can replicate. We envision an institution that:

• Will accommodate an approximately a 40% increase in students.

• Provides an equal educational experience for all children. Upgrades the building's
  service areas.

• Provides enriched therapy through the addition of a therapy center.

• Promotes outdoor classrooms.

 

To-date we have completed a detailed needs analysis for Coralwood School and worked with DeKalb County to complete architectural drawings for a new building. Funding for the new building has been secured in SPLOST IV and construction has been scheduled for 2017.

 

Additionally, we have secured funding and built an outdoor nature trail used by teachers and students for outdoor learning, and have added an accessible and educational tree house to the trail.