SOPA Events

There are numerous events during the school year that are sponsored, supported, and organized by SOPA.

These include:

Ice Cream Social
Each year, the first Friday of the school year brings the widely popular Ice Cream Social.  A free event for all, kids and parents come together to meet up with old friends and new classmates to start of the new year.

Gift Wrap
Innisbrook Gift wrap is a two week event where kids get to sell gift wrapping and chocolates to all their friends and family. The purchasing period is towards the beginning of the year, and the products purchased are received in plenty of time for the holiday seasons.
Please contact Barbara Johnson at anotherbjohnson@att.net to get involved with Gift Wrap.

Halloween Carnival
The Halloween carnival is the biggest event of the school year at SOES.  Attended by over 1000 people, this event includes a haunted house, inflatables, game booths, arts and crafts, a DJ and dance area and plenty of delicious food for dinner and dessert.  This event is not only a tremendous amount of fun for all that attend, but it also provides a great deal of income to support all of the SOPA programs.
Please contact Diane Heggen, Debbie Cabanday, Deanna Markovitch, Don Lukenbill, or Ezra Gabay to be involved with the Halloween Carnival.

Pizza Thursdays
Every Thursday, weather permitting, the kids of SOES are treated to pizza by the slice for only two dollars each. With enough volunteers, Pizza is available on both the main playground and the Kindergarten yard.
Please contact Alexandra Pettus at gralstein@adelphia.net to help with Pizza Thursdays.

Ice Cream Fridays
Every Friday, weather permitting, the kids of SOES line up for a chance to start their weekends of with a bang, or a sugar bang, as it were.  For just a dollar or buck-fifty, the kids choose from a wide selection of bomb pops, ice cream,  sno-cones and many other delicious treats.
Please contact Debbie Cabanday at debbie@shermanoaksparents.com to help with Ice Cream Fridays.

Phone-a-thon
The phone-a-thon supports the annual fund, which is the single largest grossing fundraiser of the year.  Once a year, parent volunteers make calls to other parents of the school to ask for donations to support the annual fund and all the SOPA programs that it provides.
Please contact Andy Berenson at andy@shermanoaksparents.com to help with Phone-a-thon.

Book Swap
The book swaps are brand new events for SOPA.  Currently, there are two book swaps per year, one coinciding with the Winter Sing and another during the Spring Sing.  Prior to each event, students will bring gently used books into their classrooms as a donation.  These books will be collected and organized by the grade by which they were donated, then sold for one dollar each.  These book swaps will be a wonderful way for students to share books they have previously read and acquire new books, just in time for winter and summer breaks.
Please contact Ann Mangini at ann@shermanoaksparents.com to be involved with Book Swap.

Jogathon
The jogathon is a great event every spring, where students collect pledges from friends, family and neighbors in support of the number of laps run around the yard.  Whether its just a few laps for the younger kids or well into the double digits for the older crew, all the kids put their hearts and souls (and sweat) into this fun and popular event. Volunteers are needed to hand out cups of water to the runners, mark their laps, etc.
Please contact Linda Arredondo at dondo32@sbcglobal.net to be involved with the Jogathon.

PJs and Books
Most nights, the school’s beautiful library sits empty, ready for the next days’ attendees.  But one night a year, well over a hundred kids and their parents converge on the library, all decked out in their favorite pajamas (sometimes just the kids).  After having numerous stories read by authors and performers, the kids enjoy  milk and cookies, freshly baked and donated by their parents.
Please contact Jill Hotchkiss at jill.hotchkiss@disney.com to help with PJ and Books Night.

Dinner Dance & Silent Auction
The Spring Fundraiser is many events all wrapped up into a really fun party. First is the silent auction, with hundreds of baskets of donated items.  Then we have the live auction, with numerous exciting and more expensive goodies up for sale.  Throughout the night, there is dancing for those who dare.  And let's not forget the teacher raffle, where kids have previously purchased chances to win fun things to do with their favorite teacher.  This event is a great time for all who attend and provides a tremendous revenue source in support of SOPA’s programs.
Please contact Ingrid Zellinger at ingrid@shermanoaksparents.com to become involved with the Spring Event.

Teacher Appreciation
Everyone loves to be thanked.  And who better to be thanked than our esteemed, devoted teachers.  Teacher appreciation is a luncheon that provides just that.  This event is a favorite of the teachers not only because they really get to see how special they are, but also because it is a really fun time and a delicious lunch. No one appreciates our teachers more, and lately the parents have thrown incredible luncheons for our staff, with masseuses, parent servers, and live performances from comedians and "Buddy Holly".
Please contact Linda Bradley at linnieb1@sbcglobal.net to be involved with the Teacher Appreciation Event.