Wondering how other schools handle fifth grade farewell activities. Does the booster club pay for this or do your fifth graders raise money for the activities?

At our school, the school administration pays for most of the 5th grade activities. Our PTA pays a few hundred dollars towards some of the activities but it is primarily budgeted by the school itself.

At our school, the parent group pays about 80-85% of the costs associated with the promotion ceremony (nothing huge, just cake and drinks and some decorations); the school pays the rest . There's also a year end picnic, but the parents chip in and buy stuff for that. Our kids don't raise any money for activities.

There's another school in the area that has the kids doing fundraisers throughout the year and has a big blowout catered lunch, a fancy dance, a trip to a bowling alley, they make a gift to the school (like a bench or a sign or something), take a big day long field trip to a nearby city, and do some other stuff that I can't remember.

The first school I mentioned is a very low income school; the other school, just a few miles away, is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Our PTO pays for cake and punch, certificates, memory book (a 12-16 page booklet of pictures of the kids over the years) Parents pay for a picnic for the kids and t-shirts. PTO picks up any additional expenses such as gifts for teachers, paper plates and such, ice, etc. Our school administration doen't help with any of it. Sad.

The school ask for a certain amount at the beginning of theyear from the parent to cover certain cost. The school takes care of any additional expenses and the PTA gives $300 that they normally use to pay for one of the lunches they have for the 5th graders.

Why is the social- economics Of the parents so important? Everywhere I go ALL I hear is "your school is inner- city". Does that mean my children deserve less of an education? Less activities? I happen to think NOT!! We recently had a dance ( funded only by PTO) not school ; but still had ingnorant parents suggesting our inner-city school shouldn't have dance! Oh ya the dance was father-daughter. Beautiful, perfect to encourage and foster sometimes straggling relationships at this tween age! All i want to say is inner-city does NOT mean uneducated, slacking, unclean parents!! I live in an "inner-city" district because unexpectedly became a long-term foster mom
To a special needs child!!! Save the inner city language and let's just celebrate our diversity! Isn't that what america's valies were founded on??