check out our website--www.myschoolonline.com/ny/wmipta
look at the home page, why join WMI PTA.
Everything we send out to children and parents has our website printed on it--

Here is ours....
Pardee Elementary
Parent Teacher Organization
2001/2002 School Year

Dear Pardee Families,

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. We are the board of officers for your PTO. We are fortunate to have a very strong PTO at our school. The PTO sponsors many activities throughout the school year for the betterment of each child.

Last year the PTO funded all of the field trips that the kids enjoyed so well. We also purchase all of the Scholastic News that the children use as helpful learning tools each month in their classrooms. We had two family nights one was a holiday gathering complete with a visit from Santa. The other was a performance of ,”A Wrinkle In Time” that coincided with “March is Reading Month”.

The PTO also provides each classroom with money to purchase extra items that they need. We plan and run the Santa Shop, Walk-a-Thon, Field Day, weekly popcorn sales, and our biggest event of the year, Winter Carnival. Last year the PTO also purchased t-shirts and water bottles for every student and staff member.

Our PTO is very proud that we can keep our fundraisers to a minimum. We understand the parents do not want to be asked every few months to sell something…we are parents too. This is why our membership drive and fall fundraiser are so very vital. Without the funds generated from these we cannot continue to give our children the extras that they expect and love.


But most importantly our PTO cannot continue to grow without the help and
support of parents like you! We always need helping hands and new fresh ideas. Our meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:00p.m. Before each meeting we send home an agenda of the topics that we hope to cover. Our meetings typically last less than an hour. We are aware that many parents cannot make every meeting or any at all but just by joining you are helping. Many tasks that we need help with can be done at home. We are also looking for any interested parents who would like to serve as a room parent to represent your child’s classroom at each PTO meeting. This task can also be spilt up between parents. We hope by having parent representatives that parents who cannot attend can use this as a way of letting their ideas be heard and in turn the room rep can report back on PTO activities.

Our philosophy is that every family is vital and every child is precious. We are committed to ensuring that each child who leaves Pardee knows that! We hope that you will consider joining us in the pursuit of making the children’s elementary school experience a most special one.

Sincerely,
Chrystal Ditzhazy, President
Julie Dorton, Vice-President
Cathy Bunker, Treasurer
Lisa Hays, Secretary

Thank You, JHB, for sharing...we appreciate it.

Rather than deal with emails to share copies, I'm just copying ours in the space below. It's a flyer style letter, so doesn't need an address and salutation. We don't mail the letters, but have them included in the new student folder of paperwork the families get from the office when they register a child.

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Welcome! Northwest Elementary is an excellent school with talented, caring staff, enthusiastic students, and involved parents. The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is volunteer group dedicated to supporting the school and enhancing the quality of the educational experience at Northwest for all students. Key goals include:

·Coordinating volunteer participation to support school programs
·Hosting extra-curricular activities that encourage family involvement
·Sponsoring activities that increase school spirit
·Raising funds for supplemental services, equipment, and supplies
·Supporting the school administration in its goals

Your involvement is important and will contribute greatly to your child’s success. We are excited that your child will be part of this school, and we look forward to getting to know your family.

We invite you to become involved and to make this school an even better place for all the children. Whether you choose to lead a committee, assist in the classroom, or simply send supplies for a class activity, your help is important and appreciated.

The PTO's number one priority is coordinating volunteers and school events. However, fundraising is also necessary. The PTO has one large fundraiser in the fall (usually a catalog sale) and small, ongoing fundraisers throughout the year. For example, we collect General Mills Box Tops and participate in Alberston's Community Partner Program. In addition, you can buy school t-shirts for yourself and your children at any time during the school year.

Enclosed is some additional information about the PTO, a membership form, and a volunteer form. Your family can join the PTO for only $3 per household. Membership shows your support of this valuable organization, and one of the perks of PTO membership is a complimentary school directory! Whether or not you join the PTO, please complete the volunteer form. We work closely with ALL the parents, and the teachers and school staff depend on the volunteer information collected by the PTO.

Please feel free to contact any PTO Officer with suggestions, questions, or with offers of assistance. We look forward to working with you and for you this school year.

Once again, welcome! We look forward to serving the needs of your family.

2001-2002 Northwest Elementary PTO Board

[ 01-29-2002: Message edited by: JHB ]</p>

hi, I would like to send out a letter welcoming new families to the school and letting them know what programs we have going, etc as well as thanking everyone who is participating already. Does anyone have a sample letter? thanks, maggie