Turtle Lake PTA Activities

Turtle Lake PTA volunteers plan and implement several programs and events throughout the school year.

 

Programs

Yearbook

Restaurant & Fundraising Nights 

Staff Appreciation

Gifts for Everyone

Grade Level Projects & Classroom Enrichment

Grade Level Socials

Lead: Lauren Ashwood

 

The PTA hosts grade-level gatherings on the playground to help students meet new friends and reconnect with old friends. In the case of rain, socials will be held in the gym. 

Our current playground was built in 2014. To find out more about the journey to build an inclusive playground, check out the original webpage for the Playground for Everyone group. 

 

A Playground for Everyone

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Fall Festival Sponsors will have their logos included on this page, included on a dedicated sponsor page, highlighted in Facebook posts, and displayed at the Fall Festival. Email us at TurtleLakePTA@gmail.com to find out more about sponsoring the Fun Run or a Carnival Game. 

 

Our Fall Festival is our first of 2 major fundraisers as well as *the* Turtle Lake social event of the season! Kick off the weekend with a Fun Run on Friday evening and meet up with friends, play some games, and enjoy some food on Saturday!

 

Turtle Trot Fun Run

Leads: Kristi Pogatchnik, Carly Gatzlaff, Kevin Holly

 

Kick off the Fall Festival with the Turtle Trot Fun Run on Friday Evening! Registration is free for all family members. Same day registration is available but we appreciate early registration so we can prepare for participants! Donations are welcome but not required to participate. All proceeds directly support the students, teachers, and classrooms of Turtle Lake Elementary.  

 

When: Friday October 3, 2025 5-7:30pm

• Same Day Registration: 5:00pm
• 1/2 Mile Start: 5:30pm
• 2 Mile Start:5:45pm

Where: Outside, at Turtle Lake Elementary

How to Register: Use the link below to pre-register (preferred) or register at 5pm the day of the event.

 

Important Turtle Trot Links: 

 

To Register in advance (register each participant separately): Registration Link

Turtle Trot t-shirt: T-Shirt Link

Optional Donation: PTA Donation Link

To Volunteer: 2025 Turtle Trot Volunteer Link

 

2025 Turtle Trot Course Maps

 

 

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Carnival

Coordinators: OPEN

Games: OPEN

General Store: Meg Cambronne

Baskets: Sara Majewski, OPEN

Committee Members: Jen Hopp, Elizabeth Ryan, Don Ho, Ana Cantell, Kristi Pogatchnik, Whitney Wojahn

 

The social event of the fall! Hang out with friends, play games, win prizes, and raise money for our school! Game Tickets ($.25/ticket) and Raffle Tickets ($2/ticket) will be sold at the Carnival. Raffle tickets are cash/check only.

 

A lot of people are needed to make the Carnival a success, please consider helping out with the prep work and check out our volunteer sign up!

 

When: Saturday October 4, 2025 11am-3pm

• Raffle ends at 2:30 with winners contacted starting at 2:45

Where: Outside around Turtle Lake Elementary, Basket Raffle in Gym (in case of rain, the Carnival will move inside the school)

 

Important Carnival Links: 

 

To Volunteer: 2025 Fall Carnival Volunteer Sign Up

 

For information about donating: 2025 Fall Festival Handout (Downloadable)

• Please contact your teacher about the theme for your student's classroom.

 

 

 

 

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Book Fairs 

2026 Spring Book Fair

• When: April 6-10, 2026, 9:30 - 5:30 M-TH, 9:30-1:30 Friday & Online
• Where: Turtle Hall, Turtle Lake Elementary
• Scholastic eWallet: link available 3 weeks before book fair
• To Volunteer: https://turtlelakepta.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/164428 

Please remember that sales tax (8.38% in Shoreview) will be added to listed prices at checkout.

 

Book Fair Leads: Vanessa Petrulo, Whitney Wojahn

 

Turtle Lake hosts 2 book fairs, one in the fall (late October, early November) and Spring (March or April). Students visit the book fair during the school day with their class. Families are welcome to visit the book fair after school hours on Monday through Thursday.

 

A portion of the proceeds comes back to the PTA. How those funds are to be used at the school is determined by PTA members after the conclusion of the book fairs. 

 

The book fair accepts cash, credit, or Scholastic eWallet. eWallets are book fair specific, so a new one needs to be created for each book fair. Please use the link associated with the specific book fair. Funds leftover from prior book fairs automatically transfer to an eGift Card which can be used to fill a new eWallet.

  

 

 

 

  

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Culture & Heritage Night

Lead: Ana Cantell

 

Culture & Heritage Night is an evening of free fun for all where we can celebrate the diversity of cultures, nationalities, heritages, ethnicities, and backgrounds making up our Turtle Lake Community. It is a wonderful opportunity for our families to share their backgrounds with the school community in a celebration of diversity. 

 

What to Expect: Members of our Turtle Lake community sign up to host a table or display showcasing the games, food, clothing, music, and traditions of their culture or heritage. These tables are arranged around the gym and attendees visit tables open-house style throughout the evening. Children attending will be given a passport that they can get stamped at each display they visit. Allergen information about food samples will be displayed. 

 

When: Friday, January 30, 2026, 6-7:30pm

Where: Turtle Lake Gym

 

2026 Host Family Interest Form (Opens a google form) (due December 23, 2025)

 

Contact Ana Cantell at AnaCantell27@gmail.com for with any questions.

 

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Read-a-Thon

 

Lead: Michelle Morse

 

A month long celebration of reading that can also earn money for our school! All pledged donations go to the PTA to support our other activities and programs. Click here to find out more about Our PTA. 

How it works:

• Students set a daily reading goal and gather pledges (per minute read or a straight donation.)
• At the end of the month: total the minutes read at home and school, collect the pledged donations, and turn in the paperwork.
• Donations are not required to participate.
• Prizes will be given to top readers and top fundraisers.
• Everyone who completes the forms and returns them on time is entered into a Grand Prize Drawing.
• School-wide prize for meeting the school goal!