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Torrey Hills PTA and district foundation describe outreach, grants and community strategies
Summary
Torrey Hills’ PTA leaders told the board they used small, low-cost events, language outreach and free lunch clubs to boost participation; the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation reported nearly $400,000 raised in its fall campaign.
Torrey Hills PTA leaders and the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation updated the Del Mar Union School District board on parent engagement, fundraising and community outreach.
Melissa Jaramillo, Torrey Hills PTA president, described intentional efforts to broaden volunteer participation and reduce barriers to engagement. The PTA lowered membership fees, ran no-cost meetups, and organized lunch clubs meant to be easy for parents to support: “We made simple asks for people, and that has now allowed it to expand,” Jaramillo said. She described practical steps — name tags at events, language supports and school-site meetups — meant to reach families who are short-term residents or who speak languages other than English.
She described the PTA's coordination with district goals and programs such as the second-step SEL curriculum and the portrait of a learner, and said the PTA distributed more than $6,000 in mini-grants and ran a read-a-thon and book drive in partnership with local charities.
Sheena Sani, president of the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation, reported the foundation's fall campaign raised $396,163 so far and noted campaign strategies that boosted giving at individual schools: Sage Canyon increased from $30,000 to $66,000 in eight days after a targeted robocall and STEAM-plus night. Sani said the foundation is planning a January-February jog-a-thon and other restaurant nights to reach fundraising goals.
Board members praised the PTA and foundation for extensive outreach, sought volunteers for school-level director roles and noted the visible effect of STEAM-plus nights across the district.
