We have several committees each lead by a chairperson or co-chairs. Then from the volunteer forms that is part of our membership form, we obtain the volunteers who will help on those committees. So although one person is leading the event, there are many involved in total.
There can be times that the same names are listed multiple times, but that is when you have to openly solicit to get new people to step up. Offer to walk them through every step and they may volunteer. I found that once they actually did the event, they didn't think it was that bad and eagerly signed up for another year. I think its just getting over the fear of doing it for the first time.


BAGEL SALES will be held on special days throughout the year. Volunteers are needed to prepare and sell the bagels in the morning.

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The BOOK FAIR occurs during Spring conferences. Books are available for all family members. Volunteers are needed to help set up and to help the children with their selections and finances

FIFTH GRADE ACTIVITIES occur throughout the year. The PTO will host a variety of functions for our fifth graders. Fifth grade parents are needed as committee members to plan and participate in these activities. .

FRIDAY FUN NIGHTS are held on selected Fridays during the winter months of the school year. Past fun nights have included movies, bingo, and a pizza party. Volunteers are needed to plan and organize an evening event.

The FUN FAIR is designed to chase away the winter blues. This carnival has games, prizes, crafts, food, and fun. Committee members are needed to plan, set up, and clean up this event. Many volunteers are necessary to share the work load so everyone can enjoy the day with their children. The PTO needs one hour of time from parents for this annual event to be successful.

FUNDRAISERS are held throughout the school year. Past examples are gift items,cookies,candy, and magazine orders. The PTO decides annually what these fundraisers will be. Volunteers are needed to assist in the collection of orders or distribution of the fundraising items to the classrooms when the order arrives at school.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION / GRADUATION is coordinated by the WFS PTO. Volunteers are needed to assist new parents registering their children to enter Kindergarten the following school year and meeting with the school nurse. Kindergarten Graduation is celebrated due to the caring volunteers that set up the Kindergarten lunchroom with decorations & refreshments for the proud students and their families.

KINDERGARTEN LUNCHROOM can be a confusing place for some new students. The PTO assists the lunchroom staff to navigate the children through the line, open juiceboxes or packages, finding a seat and basically be a helping hand to any child that needs it. Preferably, volunteers should not have children in Kindergarten as the students can become upset when the parent leaves or others become upset because their parent is not there. However, if parents of older children do not volunteer, Kindergarten parents are welcome to participate. Please volunteer and details will be provided.

The HOLIDAY/CRAFT SALE offers for sale a variety of handmade crafts and reasonably priced family gifts. All grades, K-5th shop with their classes and we encourage parents to shop with them. Children have an opportunity to learn how to make gift selections as well as budget their money. Volunteers are needed to assist the children with their purchases.

LADIES NIGHT OUT is a great night for moms and others to enjoy themselves and raise money for the PTO. Committee members will plan and organize the event which includes dinner, dancing and wonderful raffles. Volunteers are needed to share the work that evening.

OFFICE HELP is a support staff to PTO chair people .This committee will provide assistance in photocopying and distributing memos in the school mailboxes. Volunteers are needed to provide this help on an as needed basis.

The PHONE SQUAD is responsible for making phone calls notifying PTO members of emergency closings or delayed openings. Composed of volunteers, this phone chain is activated by a decision from the Superintendent of Schools. The phone chain needs many volunteers for it to run efficiently. It is a great opportunity for people to help the PTO who have young children at home, have limited time available or those that cannot assist with activities at the school.

PLANT SALE is held in May. It is held before Mother’s Day with a variety of potted plants, flats, and hanging baskets for sale. The plants can be bought by the children during their scheduled class time. Volunteers are necessary to help the children with their purchases and displaying the plants.

PROJECT E.A.T. / Community Outreach (Everyone ate today) is an ongoing food drive coordinated with the fifth graders throughout the year. Donations are gathered in the containers in the school entry as well as at selected events and food drives. Fifth grade students take a field trip to Open Door to learn of its function and the need for such a service in the community. Further community outreach projects are done at each grade level. Volunteers are needed to assist teachers with collecting the charitable donations and coordinating the delivery or pickup of the items.

A PIE SALE is held before the Thanksgiving holiday. Pies are pre-sold and picked up at school the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Volunteers are needed to help distribute the pies on the night of the pickup during the designated pickup times.


SPECIAL PROGRAMS are sponsored by the PTO during the school year. This has included, but has not been limited to Bowling, Chess Club, Winter Enrichment. Volunteers are needed in various capacities.

Each program has its own chairperson to coordinate the event

The WFS STUDENT TELEPHONE DIRECTORY contains the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all our participating WFS families, as well as class lists, the School Yearly Calendar, the PTO Executive and General Board Members, their positions, and phone numbers. The guide is given to all paid PTO members.

TEACHER/STAFF APPRECIATION is demonstrated throughout the year. The committee needs members to plan special meals and treats for our staff. Volunteers are needed to set up, clean up, or provide food and baked goods

SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY takes place at the end of the school year. Teachers and classes are divided into teams and participate in indoor & outdoor activities. The PTO supplies t-shirts to all students as well as lunch and snacks. Many volunteers are required to make this all-day event run smoothly & lunch is provided to volunteers and staff as well. A committee will be formed to plan this special event and activities.

The SCHOOL YEARBOOK published by the PTO contains class pictures and a summary of the year’s events. The PTO supplies free yearbooks to the fifth graders and it is available for purchase to all other students. All students (K-5th) are included in the yearbook. Volunteers work together to photograph events, plan layouts and assemble the book under the supervision of other experienced parents.

CUB SCOUT LIAISON is the person who represents Cub Scout Pack #155 and Troop #155, which have been chartered by the WFS PTO for 51 years. They belong to our PTO family and meet regularly in our school buildings. The principle responsibilities of the Cub Scout liaison (or organization representative) are to help the Scouts be successful and to provide coordination and communication between them and us.

Thank you so much for your input!
I've been on various boards in the past and have a good idea of what changes need to be made vs. the ones I'd just like to see made. Change is difficult, especailly when "things have always been done this way". Part of our problem is that some people don't know what to do so they make something up and at the same time someone else is going another direction with the same thing.

Then we have a list of titles for committees and some are chaired and others not. It's such a tight group of volunteers typically there is an announcement at the meeting that someone needs to do such and such next month and with a little luck someone steps up to do it, otherwise the exec board has been expected to cover it.

In the three years I've been on the board the only things that are motioned and voted on at the meeting is accepting the minutes from the previous meeting... Educating the board on Roberts Rules, which our Bi-laws say we use, will be the first step to encouranging this.

Another example, at our budget meeting last night someone questioned if the Principals Fund amount sufficient to leave the same. The Principal (who is new since this January) said she didn't know, because no one had ever told her about it and she didn't know what it was to be used for. One parent on the board announced it was for one thing, the teacher on the board said it was for another, the previous president said he understood it was for a different thing and the treasure said something else different...

Much of the confusion and disorganization could easily be resolved by just addressing those issues as a board and developing a plan that works with our focus and letting everyone know what to expect and not leaving it up to individual interpretation... we'll see how it goes.

I just ordered the PTO Today Plus... I'm hoping to get some useful info there to help in this growing process.

Our PTO has coordinators (0ne or two people) for most events such as Holiday Shop, Movie Nights, Dances and small fundraisers like BoxTops, Tyson Lables and Recycling. We have a committee (or try to) for our larger events like Race for Education and Bingo Night. This year we will start having a committee for Hospitality as it has proven to be a lot of work for one person.
We are also going to attempt to have "PTO Room Parents" for each classroom. They would coordinate volunteers from that class to bake/cook and volunteer as needed for events that are during school hours such as book fair, teacher appreciation and community visitation week. We could assign an event to a grade or two.

I applaud your efforts to not do things a certain way just because they have always been done that way. Last year was my first year as President and I had the same attitude. It was met with a lot of resistance. Seemed the past presidents took it as a personal insult, which was so not my intention. When attacked I stayed calm and kept my course knowing I was only concerned about the kids. As the year progressed, they calmed down and eventually got on board. It was tough for a while, but I am glad I hung in there. Hopefully you will not be met with the same resisitance, but if you are, I encourage you to take a stand!! Good luck and keep us posted

sesajune,

To help provide insight into our recent elections I comprised a list of most of the chair and officer responsibilities. I'll add it below, though some of it may be specific to my group and in some cases I have changed it so that we now have a committee instead of just a single chair. Not eveything is listed, but this should get you off to a pretty good start.

PresidentJim

Officer/Committee Positions & Descriptions

President – Oversees all PTO functions, responsibilities & funds. Is the liaison between the Principal and the PTO Committee.

Vice President – Acts as an aide to the President and performs the duties of the President in the absence or inability of that officer to serve.

Treasurer – The Treasurer shall serve as the custodian of PTO funds. Working with the President the Treasurer shall determine a yearly budget and will amend and allocate funds throughout the year as necessary. Maintains all financial books and records.

Secretary – Takes minutes of each PTO meeting. Ensures distribution of the minutes upon President’s review. Maintains the active PTO roster and contact list.

Assistant Treasurer – Acts as an aide to the Treasurer and performs the duties of the Secretary in the absence or inability of that officer to serve.

Assistant Secretary – Acts as an aide to the Secretary and performs the duties of the Secretary in the absence or inability of that officer to serve.

Fundraising Coordinator – Manages the coordination of the PTO’s fund-raising activities, including investigation into various opportunities and makes recommendations to the committee in this regard.

Volunteer Coordinator – Coordinates volunteers for PTO events and school activities. Collect list of general volunteers at beginning of year. Assure that volunteer data is recorded and available to both the Committee and teachers. Work with teachers, staff, and leaders of committees to assure volunteers are recruited for programs and events.

Enrichment Chair – Heads the Enrichment committee which serves as a resource to the teachers in regard to field trip opportunities. The committee researches grants and free in-school programs. Coordinates and recommends in-house enrichment programs (i.e., Bay Colony, Historical Perspectives, etc.) and schedules them in correlation to the school’s curriculum.

Hospitality Chair – Coordinates refreshments for specific PTO school activities such as PTO meetings and special PTO events. Coordinates childcare services for the PTO meetings.

Reading Incentive Coordinator – Heads up the Reading Incentive Program, including a beginning of the year program informational letter, monthly calendar handout and collection, record keeping, monthly incentives and end of year awards.

Cheer-Up Chair – In correlation with the school’s administration provides sympathy cards and/or gifts for those students or staff members who have been injured or who have had a loss in the family. Keeps the President and/or the committee (depending on the situation) apprised of these instances.

Newsletter Editor – Produces, prints and disperses the PTO newsletter.

Webmaster – This position is responsible for maintenance of the PTO website. Maintains the site on a daily basis. Takes photos of any and all PTO related activities for this purpose.

Spirit Wear Coordinator – Coordinates purchase orders of all school spirit items, including the hooded sweatshirts, T-shirts, water bottles, etc.. Works with a chosen vendor(s) and arranges the details of printing, etc. Researches and recommends new spirit item possibilities. Coordinates sale of these items via the PTO website and at major school/PTO functions.

BoxTop$ for Education Coordinator(s) – Box Tops for Education is a program sponsored by General Mills and enables schools to earn money for the school. The Chairperson(s) of this program distributes flyers throughout the school year to encourage families to clip the box tops from a variety of General Mills products. Coordinates various incentives to promote the program. Collects the box tops on a monthly basis and submits them to the company. Provides monthly updates on the program's progress and looks for other creative ways to increase collections.

Staples RethinkInk Coordinator – Coordinates collections and redemption of profitable ink cartridges. Sends home a flyer at the beginning of the year to promote the program. This program is focused on the school’s technology and as such the program coincides with some of the Principal's priorities.

Campbell’s Soup Labels Coordinator – The Campbell’s Soup Corporation runs a special incentive program for America's schools. The coordinator encourages Hill-Roberts families to collect and turn in Campbell soup container labels and all other Campbell product UPC labels. They are in turn used to obtain school gifts from an awards catalog.

Tyson’s Labels Coordinator – Similar to the Campbell’s program, but for Tyson.

Book Fair Chair(s) – The PTO sponsors three book fairs throughout the year. The Book Fair Committee Chair works with Scholastic to set the dates for the fair in conjunction with school/PTO functions (such as Parent/Teacher Conferences and Field Day/Family Barbeque). Works with the committee to setup the events and coordinates, in conjunction with the Volunteer Coordinator, volunteers to staff the events.

Ice Cream Party Chair – Coordinates the Back to School Ice Cream Party Committee, including setting the date, entertainment, flyers, etc.

Open House Chairs(s) – The chairperson(s) of this event, along with a committee, will coordinate the creation of "gift" baskets, to be auctioned off at the Open House event normally in October. This event generally consists of the auction, a 50/50 raffle, and light refreshments. Donation requests go out throughout the summer and September in order to provide enticing auction items.

Holiday Shoppe Chair – Coordinates the December Holiday Shoppe event, including purchase of low cost gifts throughout the year, sending event flyers home and working with the Volunteer Coordinator to staff the event throughout the week.

Playground Committee – This committee has already been formed, though new members are welcome. The committee is responsible for the final phase playground project, which will include repaving the asphalt, landscaping, protective surface encasement, equipment and incorporating a new playground piece. This project will be running throughout next year and beyond.

Skating Party Coordinator – Sets up the three (or more) skating party evenings throughout the year with United Skates. Sends flyers home to publicize the event. Keeps track of the students attending in order to determine the winner of the participation incentive.

Family BINGO Nights Chair – Coordinates the grade specific Family BINGO evenings, including pizza, beverages and other food items, prizes, flyers, and book gifts.

Field Day & Barbeque Chairs – Field Day is an exciting and fun-filled day offered to the students near the end of the school year. The children spend the day enjoying relay races, games, and tests of athletic skills. Field Day is a celebration of physical energy and team spirit. The Field Day & Barbeque Chair(s) are responsible for working with the committee to define the stations, races and day’s activities; as well as working with the Volunteer Coordinator to recruit a large number of PTO volunteers

Market Place Chair – Coordinates the evening(s) of shopping with numerous vendors of all kinds, working to obtain vendors and to promote the event.

Harvest Party Chair – Coordinates the Harvest Party Committee in regards to entertainment, activities, promotion and prizes.

Husky Hearts Family Social Chair – Coordinates the Husky Hearts Family Social Committee in regards to entertainment, activities, promotion and prizes.

Teacher Appreciation Chair – Coordinates the Teacher Appreciation Committee to celebrate the Hill-Roberts staff during National Teacher Appreciation week, including gifts, breakfast, lunch, etc.

Golf Tournament Chair – Coordinates the “Drive for the future” Golf Tournament committee to set up all aspects of the fundraiser, including setting the date, acquiring sponsors & donations, etc.

Food Drive Chair – Coordinates the three Food Drives held throughout the year (October, the Giving Tree in November/December and the end of the year). Works with Nurse Merris to define the quantity of needy families. Working with the Volunteer Coordinator coordinates separation of the donated items.

I am the incoming President for our elementary school. I've been on other boards in the past and have been a part of this school's PTO for 3 years now. The biggest problem our PTO has is lack of organization and miscommunication. Most things are left because "they've always been this way" even though meetings are merely complaining fests, nothing is done to change or correct the problems.

One thing I've noticed is that we have over 30 committees, of one mind you, and only about 10 committee chairs... I'd like to streamline some of these things or group like items under a single title. My problem with this is that I come from a background that clearly believes that it takes more than one to be a committee! But many parents at our school see the list of chairs and the same few names repeated over and over again and are turned off thinking the PTO is just a few moms trying to do it all and don't feel welcome. I'd like to change that.

Does anyone have a list to share of what committees their PTO has and descriptions of what they do? That's another problem, we have no job descriptions...