Grafton Bethel Elementary PTA

08/26/2026

$8 = A Whole Lot of Community Perks! 🎉🐻
Thinking about joining the GBES PTA? Your $8 membership does more than support our students and school—it also unlocks some pretty amazing local discounts and special offers! 🙌
Check out what you can save on as a PTA member -

10% OFF at these local businesses:
🍦 Ben & Jerry’s — Yorktown
🍝 Andrea’s Italian Restaurant — Yorktown
🍕 Gus’s New York Pizza — Grafton & Kiln Creek
📚 Sylvan Learning — Newport News & Williamsburg (not available on financing)
🎯 Tagtime Laser Tag — Newport News
💐 Yorktown Flower Shoppe — York County
🧼 CC’s Power Washing — York County
🥤 Tropical Smoothie — Yorktown
🍨 Day or Night Cereal Bar — Yorktown

⭐ Even MORE member perks:
🥋 World of Martial Arts — Free registration for York County PTA members! Show your PTA ID or mobile card at sign-up. (Excludes after-school and camp program registration.)
🎟️ Play-A-Round Family Fun Center — Save $2 on 2- or 3-attraction tickets and $6 on a 10-attraction ticket. Valid for mini golf & laser tag.
🐺 Great Wolf Lodge — Save up to 30% on your next stay!
PTA Offer Code: VRGA232A
💪 Riverside Wellness Center — Corporate membership discount.
🧮 Mathnasium Math Center — FREE assessment ($100 value!)

That's a LOT of savings for an $8 membership—and, even better, your membership helps support the students, teachers, and staff at Grafton Bethel Elementary School! ❤️
Join the GBES PTA today and be part of our story.

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08/24/2026

✨We hope the first day of school had everyone exhilarated and students were excited to share how their day went. Grafton Bethel Elementary PTA is excited to kick off an exciting school year with all our new and returning families! We mentioned that our calendar would have some updates so here's our version 2.0 for you to download and bookmark. It can also be found on our updated website under the Calendar tab.✨

🗓Save the Date: Our first monthly PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 8th in the GBES library at 6:00 pm. Childcare and refreshments will be provided. Monthly meetings will be held the second Tuesday of each month (with no meeting occurring in December.)

🔗Stay connected with the PTA all year long:
GBES PTA website - https://www.graftonbethelpta.org

GBES PTA instagram - https://www.instagram.com/graftonbethelpta

👉 Our September PTA newsletter will be emailed next week. Make sure you JOIN the PTA for $8, so this email shows up in your inbox - https://graftonbethel.givebacks.com/shop

📨Have questions? Ideas? Want to volunteer and aren't sure how to? Email [email protected] and we can help you plug into our community.

08/23/2026

✨ Helping Hands on Tuesdays! ✨
Every Tuesday morning from 9:30–11:30ish, our Helping Hands volunteers will gather in the cafeteria to lend a hand to our amazing teachers and staff!

What does Helping Hands look like? It could be laminating, cutting, prepping materials, organizing projects, or simply enjoying some good conversation while we work together. There’s always something to do, and every little bit makes a difference!✂️

Everyone is welcome! You do NOT need to be a PTA member to join this wonderful volunteer group. 🙌

Just check in at the front office when you arrive to get your volunteer badge, then come join us in the cafeteria!
We’d love to see you there! 💚

08/23/2026

🎨New for the 2026-2027, we're creating a volunteer group called Art Helpers to help in the art classroom. Volunteers may be asked to set out art supplies, collect and clean supplies, assist students, and prepare materials for future classes. Don't let your artistic ability hold you back! No artistic talent is required to be a volunteer for Art Helpers. Morning and afternoon volunteers are needed! If interested, email [email protected] with your name, email address, and phone number and someone will reach out to you.

08/22/2026

School starts August 24th, and while our students won't be checking out books immediately, there is a need for several volunteers to help make the school year run smoothly in the library📚. If you are looking for a way to volunteer, possibly see your kiddo during their library time, and a position with flexibility, a library helper might be the best fit for you!

📨Email [email protected] if you're interested in learning more with your name, phone number, and email address, and we'll have our Library Helpers chair reach out to you.

08/21/2026

🐻What a great Open House! 💚💛
We had such a wonderful time meeting so many new faces and reconnecting with returning friends at the PTA tables in the cafeteria last night! Thank you to everyone who stopped by, said hello, asked questions, signed up, or simply took a moment to connect with us. We’re so excited for the year ahead and all the opportunities we have to bring our school community together!
📅 PTA Calendar of Events
We’re also excited to share our PTA calendar of events! Please keep in mind that dates are subject to change as we get further into the school year. Updated dates and event information will be shared in our monthly PTA email, posted on our social media pages, and available on the PTA website. Be sure to check those resources regularly so you don’t miss any of the fun!
Thank you for helping us make this such a welcoming and connected school community. We want YOU to be a part of our story, so we can't wait to see you at upcoming events! 💚💛

08/19/2026

GBES Teachers & Staff, we're down to the wire on this one! Remember to join the PTA (for just $8!) before Open House TOMORROW, August 20th to be entered into an exclusive raffle just for teachers. You can still join after Open House and access all the amazing teacher benefits the PTA is offering, but you won't be eligible for the raffle. We won't show up at your classroom door with a sign-up sheet demanding you volunteer either. As always, we welcome teacher & staff feedback, and we'd love you to be part of future PTA events. We want you to be part of our PTA Story this year!
👉 https://graftonbethel.givebacks.com/shop

08/19/2026

GBES PTA would like to thank Behl Orthodontics for being a community partner with our school this year.

🌟 Rooted Here. Smiling Together. 🌟

At Behl Orthodontics, our commitment to Yorktown and the surrounding communities extends far beyond creating confident smiles. It means supporting the schools, families, teachers, and local organizations that make the Virginia Peninsula such a wonderful place to call home.

We are proud to support the Grafton Bethel Elementary PTA with a $1,000 community sponsorship! ❤️

Schools are at the heart of strong communities. They educate our children, nurture their confidence, and create opportunities that can shape their futures. PTAs strengthen that mission by bringing parents, educators, volunteers, and community partners together for the benefit of every student.

As a locally rooted orthodontic practice, we are honored to care for families from Yorktown, Hampton, Poquoson, Newport News, Williamsburg, and neighboring communities across the Peninsula. Our patients are more than names on a schedule—they are our neighbors, friends, and extended Behl Orthodontics family.

Our purpose has never been limited to straightening teeth. We want every child who enters our practice to feel seen, encouraged, and confident. Supporting local schools is one way we can help children access the experiences and opportunities they need to thrive.

Thank you to the Grafton Bethel Elementary PTA—and to every teacher, administrator, parent, and volunteer—for investing your time and energy in our children.

We are proud to be your neighbors, proud to support our local schools, and dedicated to serving our community—one family, one partnership, and one confident smile at a time. 🐻😁

08/18/2026

⚠️PTA MEMBERSHIP DISCLAIMER:
Joining may result in:
✏Better school events
✏More support for teachers
✏More fun for our Grizzlies
✏Random feelings of "Look at me being involved." 🤣

Joining will NOT result in us showing up at your house with a sign-up sheet and forced volunteering.

You can literally JUST join.

That's it. That's the sales pitch. 💚💛🐻

👉 Join here for $8 - https://graftonbethel.givebacks.com/shop

08/17/2026

Helping Hands usually meets on Tuesdays during the school year, but we're dusting off the laminator, grabbing our favorite pair of scissors, and heading into school TWICE this week as teacher's are in their classrooms getting everything set up for their students. Join us in the cafeteria TODAY, MONDAY, AUGUST 17th from 1-3 pm AND again on Wednesday, August 19th from 9-12 am. Check-in at the front office and tell them you're there to help with Helping Hands.