Box Tops for Education

Congratulations!!!!!! That is awesome and inspiring.  I am trying as a new coordinator and it has been rough and a lot of hard work.  We have over 300 plus students, but only one class really participates.  I have teachers who bring in some here and there. I shop trying to store up on 10 for 10 items with box tops.  50 students and that much box tops is GREAAAAT!!!! KUDOS TO YOU, YOUR SCHOOL, AND DEDICATED, TALENTED, & SUCCESSFUL COORDINATOR.

CONGRATS!!!!  That is beyond fantastic!!!.  

We have 200 students at our Charter school and have recently stumbled upon a real winner of an idea.  We sell Otter Pops at lunch on the last day of the school week each week for 5 Box Tops.  We've collected 1000 Box Tops in one month's time and our students are getting their parents to pay attention to Box Tops.  One of our volunteers went to each classroom and informed the students about Box Tops and the plan for popsicle days, which we call TOPS-icle Days, and I believe that really helped.

BTW, our Charter has a no-sugar policy.  We found Otter Pops at Costco that are 100% fruit juice with no high fructose corn syryp.  They cost us $0.10 but we get $0.50 worth of Box Tops for the effort.

HI Anni, so glad to hear the success that Papa Ed had this year.... Keep up the fantastic work and I will say, it sure is encouraging to all of us coordinators when our Principals realize the hard work that we put into these programs. 

I keep in touch with Ed off and on via email.  He seems to have a great handle on the box top business.  Congratulations again

Lori Townsend

Lockmar Elementary

Palm Bay, Florida

Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic idea!  Next year will be my 2nd full year as the BT Coordinator and I'll be PTA Pres too so I need to set up things I can handle on top of President duties or those that are easily "sold" to other volunteers.  I think your idea is EXACTLY what I've been looking for.  I can't thank you enough!  I do one big classroom contest in late fall but I needed more more idea that would bring in the kids who don't normally participate in those.  Thanks Again!

Shannon

Sacramento, CA

Can I get some of Papa Eds' great ideas??? We are trying to get our school into collecting Box Tops and would love any help and ideas.

Jill Storm

PTO Treasure

The Box Tops team is looking for more wonderful ideas like Papa Ed's and the rest of you.

Now that the school year is looming before us, what are you coordinators doing to kick off your Box Tops program to your school community and driving awareness and involvment?

Share your thoughts here and serve as an inspiration to others.

Annie, from the Box Tops team

My school talks about Box Tops at each and every possible moment.  It begins with Parent Information Night where the Box Top Lady speaks (me!) and it really becomes a mini pep rally!  I don't stand at the microphone but walk among the parents and have a helper pass out box top stickers to the littles and from that point on in every single folder until Oct 31st a Box Top Letter goes home with the kids.

My sons tell their classes to read the letter and the principal announces it over the intercom once every two weeks.  At the room mom meetings I give a talk on how to promote box tops and tell them they do not need to have my permission to encourage box tops.  I go through the school calendar and tell them how they can incorporate box tops into each and every activity.  (For example, at the class parties think Juicy Juice for the juice, at bake sales think Betty Crocker mixes, paper plates etc.)

With the kids, I will start conversations with them during their lunch about what their favorite box top item is and such and we see who has the most box top items in their lunchboxes!

The key is talking about it all the time. 

We won $10,000 from H-E-B last year for being a top collecting school so this year is really abuzz with Box Tops.

We have less than 200 students and collected 28000+

Shannon

Box Top Lady

True Cross School

Texas

A successful event we've seen done in the past is organizing an event to send "Friend Grams" or some such name where the children can "purchase" a lollipop, or other simple treat the PTA/Boxtop coordinator chooses and a small slip of paper to write "to" and "from" and pay for each "friend gram" with boxtops. Start advertising well in advance so parents can collect boxtops, then sell M-Th and deliver on Fri. Take orders for friend grams/collect boxtops at lunch M-Th.

Congratulations! Collecting 8,000 box tops from 50 students is amazing. My personal goal is to collect about 50 box tops per student per year, about one a week. This year I have been using silly bands as prizes as they seem to be a popular item with students and are fairly inexpensive to give away as prizes. I'm hoping that more students will participate when they see what the prizes are. I use collection sheets that hold 25 box tops to make my job as coordinator easier. I know we've already collected more box tops this year than at the same point last year. I hope that the increased participation continues throughout the year!

Debbie

Hi Debbie,

How do you submit the Collection Sheets?

Monica from Jasper Elementary in Alta Loma, CA

Monica,

You submit collection sheets just as you would any other Box Tops.  "Bundle" them in groups of 50 fill out the submission form...box them all up and mail the off.

Hope this answers your ?

Sharon

Hello Sharon,

I need help. I downloaded a collection sheet and didn't notice it had 15 spots for box tops. How would you suggest I bundle these? I will be short by 5 and over by 10. Hopefully you or someone else could advise me before submission day. They did the job on getting box tops in!!

Thanks in advance,

Vivian

Either peel some off some sheets or if the sheet is laid out well, cut them.  So, you've got 15's--

Staple 3 sheets of 15 together to make 45, then cut up one sheet of 15 into three sets of 5 box tops.  Staple one of your 5's to the 45 and youre good to go.  Also, be sure to look for expirations and pull off any that are bad and replace out of your stray pile. 

The other way to go is to peel some off a few sheets and bag them, then staple to the sheets (so 3 sheets of 15 with a small baggie of 5 attached). 

Great job getting them turned in!

Tess

Vivian,

If room permits, you can glue extra Box Tops on to make these sheets of 25 instead. 

I have also done two 15 spot sheets plus two 10 spot sheets. 

Whatever works to get 50 total!

Good luck,

Connie

Thank you Connie & Tess for that great advice!!

Vivian

Hi... to piggyback this question... So we can just STAPLE 2 collection sheets of 25 BoxTops together and consider that a bundle, right?

Yep, staple two sheets of 25 together for a bundle. 

Congrats, i know i send as many as i can with my daughter and its funny she is on board too she will remind me if she sees some.

Our school has 665 students. My last gathering netted 7800 boxtops. We have 3 gatherings a year. While that may seem like a large amount, I know it can be better. We are starting a "Box Top  Challange and Poster Contest". I am asking every student and staff to bring in only 25 Box Tops each. There cannot be one child bringing in enough for the whole class, that would defeat my purpose. The whole idea is to get parents thinking how easy it is to clip and save. Since it is only 25 per person, we could have this gathering each month. For our school that is a possible $1750 a month and $17,500 for the year. All classes are in competition to see who has the most percentage of participation. Of course there will be prizes. We are also having a poster contest where each class will create a poster with the theme of "What can Box Tops do for our school". There will be two judgings with one winner in each grade level and then judging for the Champion poster. We will be inviting local dignitaries to do the final judging. That class will be awarded a fun field trip. In the meantime, I am trying to get the local paper involved to write an article for the Box Top program. (You know, you get a lot of thinking done while checking dates and counting Box Tops) There is so much FREE MONEY out there just waiting for the schools. Why can't we get the whole community involved by saving for their area schools? They don't need to have a child in school to be able to help with this program.

I know I have gone on a lot, but I really believe in this wonderful program and there is such a need in every school especially with this economy.

I LOVE the popsicle sales idea and plan to initiate that soon (with permission). Thanks for all the great ideas!

Barb

W.A. Bess Elem., Gastonia NC

Hi!  CMEVICK.  BTFE Coordinator for IROQUOIS POINT ELEMETARY SCHOOL  EWA BEACH HI.  This is papa Ed. **********************   BTFE COORDINATOR at the Healthy Learning Academy 2101 NW 39th Avenue Gainesville Florida 32605.  I saw your CONGRATS!!!!  post from 2 years ago.   I am asking if you would like to be a part of our UNITED STATES MAP to represent your Great State of Hawaii. All you need to do is send me your name as BTFE Coordinator; your school and state.   I will plCE

Hi!  CMEVICK.  BTFE Coordinator for IROQUOIS POINT ELEMETARY SCHOOL  EWA BEACH HI.  This is papa Ed. EBURKHALTER0216ATHOTMAILDOTCOM   BTFE COORDINATOR at the Healthy Learning Academy 2101 NW 39th Avenue Gainesville Florida 32605.  I saw your CONGRATS!!!!  post from 2 years ago.   I am asking if you would like to be a part of our UNITED STATES MAP to represent your Great State of Hawaii. All  you need  do is send me your name as BTFE Coordinator; your school and state.  Thank You papaed.  

wow this is awesome I dont feel like im as dedicated as you are. I really need to get busy. I cant do too much promoting at lunch. We are a charter school with a rigorous learning enviroment. They don't get a whole lot of time for lunch. But I still would like to implement some of the ideas on here. I also need some more feedback from parents and students as to what they think would work to get more coming in. We have around 570 students and not as much coming in as most of you on here. Although its more than last year, which is none. This is my first year doing this and the schools as well. Ill be talking to the adminstration about some of the ideas on here. We are on our 2nd contest this year and have earned about $750. but I want to make it more.

                                               :)wendie