Now that parent-teacher conferences are behind us, our attention for the next eight days is on our upcoming fall festival. A tradition that started as a Halloween carnival in the 1980s, was continually held until 2020 when the pandemic shut down large gatherings for several years. Prior to the pandemic, the carnival had evolved into a huge event that had a dozen games, a raffle and silent auction with over 100 prizes, a cake walk, and a huge array of homemade treats. The carnival also included a staff production called the Mystery Theater, which took a month of rehearsals for the adaptation of a children’s book/story that was presented in three shows the night of the carnival. The event was held in the evening, so it required complex lighting that required hours and hours of installation. It was our biggest fundraiser and it goes without saying, was an immense amount of work.
For four years, following the pandemic, there was no carnival. It gave us time to regroup and revisit what we wanted to bring back. We all agreed that if we had a fall event again, it would need to be scaled back from the large carnival of the past.
Last October, our revitalized APA brought back a new iteration of the carnival, the Seed Fall Festival. This Seed event will be offered again this year, and a wonderful festival is in the works. It will be held right after school next Friday, October 24, from 3-5:30pm. Costumes are welcomed but not required for this event, which will include free admission, games, a costume parade, Día de Los Muertos crafts, and musical activities. Other activities will require use of purchased tickets, such as face painting, photo booth, pizza and snacks, drinks, and the raffle.
What will make this event a success is lots of family and staff involvement. Classrooms are busily making decorations, and we’ll need volunteers to help with setup, supervision of activities, and cleanup. As an incentive, this year we’re giving a free raffle ticket to each volunteer who covers a 30-minute shift. Extended family members are invited to attend as well. Here’s the link to sign up to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DABAA2DABFFC34-59471435-fall#/
Thanks in advance for your participation in and support of this wonderful Seed event. We’re happy to be holding our fall festival for the strengthening and celebration of our community. Stay tuned to your Brightwheel account for updates.