Yearbook

Parent Coordinators – Naomi Sevilla & Dana Carney

Teacher Coordinator –Ann Matthews

As part of the end of the year Moving On celebration, each 5th grade student will receive a yearbook.

Distribution Date:June TBD, 2018 (depends on Moving On Celebration)

Budget: $ 1,300 (Yearbook & Slideshow combined)

Dear Naomi and Dana,

Thank you for volunteering as the Parent Coordinators for the 2018 Yearbook! Most documents you will need to get started can be found on the 5th Grade Activities Document Support Page on the Bowman PTA website.

You will find notes, emails, materials and other Yearbook-related information accumulated from previous parent coordinators. We trust you will find this information helpful and we encourage you to read through it all thoroughly.

The teacher coordinator for the yearbook is Ann Matthews. Please consider the teacher your partner in this event. She should be your first go-to person should you have any questions in your organization of this event.

The 5th Grade Activity Coordinators, Lisa Ellsworth and Courtney Lauriat, are also available and ready to support your efforts. Please keep us in the communication loops, and copy or include us in your emails. PLEASE DO NOT contact Dr. Anton directly regarding this event, unless you were given express direction to do so. Any questions for Dr. Anton should be delivered through the 5th Grade Coordinators.

Last year’s Parent Coordinators - Liza McConnell, Cathy Swan and Sakina Atassi

Last year’s Teacher Coordinator - Seth Golder (no longer at Bowman)

To Do List/Information

Review historical documents provided on PTA website at

Arrange a meeting with your teacher coordinator.

  • Note: Lisa Ellsworth and Courtney Lauriat are available to attend the first meeting.

Consider contacting last year’s coordinator to ask her/him to share any helpful or important information, and retrieve supplies.

Brainstorm Yearbook ideas, look at previous yearbooks. (See Matt Studley for samples of previous yearbooks.)

Determine who is doing what on your team: Design, Information, Production, etc.

  • Note: it is extremely helpful if you can find a 5th grade parent who is or has experience with graphic design to help layout the Yearbook.

Determine how teams of students can be included. In the past, parents have teamed with kids to collect, produce and plan the Yearbook. Some of the teams have included:

  • Classroom: collecting information form classmates, like quotes, favorite things, predications for the future, memories, etc.
  • Artwork: kids draw or submit “clip art”, borders, page numbers, titles, headings, etc. to be used throughout the Yearbook.
  • Photography: kids collect and/or take photos of school, activities, candid shots, 5th grade teacher photos, etc.

Determine when and where teams will meet (working with your teacher coordinator). Find out if a classroom can be used on a weekly basis for meetings during lunch.

Allow time for printing and copy of any flyers or other materials. Use the LPS Print Center in the central administration building to make flyers and inquire about printing the yearbooks. If they are unable, contact Swifty Printing in Arlington. If requests are made through Swifty’s online software (available on its website) the per page cost is reduced versus bringing it in person.

You will also find blank forms, such as the Building Use Form and the Tax ID Number, which can be used to avoid paying sales tax on certain purchases, on the 5th Grade Activities Document Support Page at

Some things to consider:

The planning/development meetings are held with the students during their recess/lunch time once per week for several weeks. Once the weather starts getting nicer, you will start to lose volunteers who would prefer to go outside for recess. Consider starting in January.

Dr. Anton must approve the final yearbook layout before printing. She will meet with the team a few times during the year. Allow for Dr. Anton’s review in your production timeline.

Dr.Anton provided the following guidance when we met with her:

  1. Pictures/lyrics for the Yearbook/Slideshow need to be pre-screened by Dr. Anton.
  2. Dr. Anton asked us to be careful about the meaning of any lyrics used in the Yearbook/Slideshowand make sure they are appropriate.
  3. Dr. Anton asked us to focus on inclusivity in general, as we don't want any teachers or staff to feel left out. For example we do not want an instance where teachers in earlier grades(kindergarten through 4th grade) feel hurt because they were not included in the yearbook. Consider putting in ALL the classroom teachers that remain on staff that this cohort had in previous years (many teachers have left, so including them all should not be difficult).
  4. Please be aware of how frequently each student appears in the yearbook. We want to ensure that candids are blanaced and represent all students in the grade.
  5. Carefully consider how baby pictures are used in combination with students’ 5th grade pictures. We need to be mindful of families who may not have baby pictures and provide alternate options. Dr. Anton does not want baby photos placed side-by-side with students’ 5th grade photos, as this would highlight when a baby photo is absent. A collage of students’ baby photos would be prefered.
  6. Consider setting up a Google Drive folder so that teachers can add photos throughout the year.
  7. Google surveys worked well to collect question information from all the students. The answers to the questions appeared in the yearbook under the student’s photo.
  8. Be aware that parent permission must be obtained for students to appear in the Yearbook. Check with Ann Matthews to see if there are any restrictions. She will manage the forms.