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Robinwood Lane offers Holiday Shop
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.A Robinwood Lane Elementary School student received her change from a purchase during the Holiday Shop event.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Robinwood Lane Elementary School students tried to decide what to purchase during the Holiday Shop event.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.A Robinwood Lane Elementary School student looked at several items to try and decide what to purchase during the Holiday Shop event.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Robinwood Lane Elementary School students walked through the school's hallway to purchase items during the Holiday Shop event.
By TIM CLEVELAND
As it has done for many years, Robinwood Lane Elementary School hosted its annual Holiday Shop event for its students during the first week of December.
Each day from 8:15-10:30 a.m., Robinwood’s approximately 460 students in grades kindergarten through four were divided by class and allowed to come to the event to buy Christmas presents for their families.
“We just started it so the kids could shop and they could have a secret Santa workshop,” PTA parent Dee Franke said. “Their family wouldn’t know what they’re getting for Christmas. They could get a sense of independence and shop on their own.
“We organized the gift shop and sent home a reminder to the parents the week before and then another reminder the day before their class is shopping. They send them with a list and they get to shop for their family.”
Frake said there were approximately 5,000 items for the students to purchase.
“There’s a lot of different stuff here to buy,” she said. “We use a company and they send us different stuff every year; everything from jewelry, stuffed animals, coffee mugs and pencils and pens and a lot of stuff that’s for family members that says mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, uncle, aunt. Things like that.”
Franke said by participating, the students can learn valuable lessons about being more generous with others.
“They’ll learn how to spend their money responsibly and how to put others before themselves, just manage their money and buy for other people and be generous,” she said.
Franke said the Holiday Shop event started as just an event where the students could purchase Christmas presents for their families, but has since evolved into a fundraiser for the school’s PTA.
“If we make any money it goes toward the PTA fund and it goes back into the school,” she said. “It usually spent on extras, like extra field trips and things for the kids to go on during the year. The money goes to the PTA and it goes back toward the children.”