Love the puzzle theme - parents and kids love to see they name posted....

Debbieomi;137572 wrote: Hi Pam,
I decided to answer you here so that if others are interested, the info is available for them also.
If you go to Three for Me - A Little Means A Lot you will get tons of information. I took their ideas and forms and then tweaked them to make them work for us. Basically, the program is asking parents to promise to volunteer either at or on behalf of their child's school for that school year. They are promising THREE hours of their time, that's it.
On the first day back to school, I send out a comprehensive list of every volunteer opportunity in the two schools that we serve. There is a cover letter and a reply form. Parents send them back to me and I send them a confirmation notice. I reinerate to them the opportunities they chose and let them know that a chairperson will be contacting them closer to the times for those activities, events, etc. I also go over volunteer sign in guidelines. From those forms turned in, I create volunteer lists for all we need and give copies to our chairpeople. We have a sign-in sheet at the office and I use that to keep track of volunteer hours. This year I am using a puzzle theme, so as each volunteer completes their three hour commitment, I put their name on a die-cut puzzle piece and those pieces go on the lobby wall around our PTO bulletin board. That, in a nutshell, is our Three for Me program.
If anyone would like to see the specific forms I created, I can attach them as word documents to an e-mail. Please write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
I won't respond to "e-mail me too's" in the forums. You email me and I'll send them to you. THANKS!

Hi Pam,
I decided to answer you here so that if others are interested, the info is available for them also.
If you go to Three for Me - A Little Means A Lot you will get tons of information. I took their ideas and forms and then tweaked them to make them work for us. Basically, the program is asking parents to promise to volunteer either at or on behalf of their child's school for that school year. They are promising THREE hours of their time, that's it.
On the first day back to school, I send out a comprehensive list of every volunteer opportunity in the two schools that we serve. There is a cover letter and a reply form. Parents send them back to me and I send them a confirmation notice. I reinerate to them the opportunities they chose and let them know that a chairperson will be contacting them closer to the times for those activities, events, etc. I also go over volunteer sign in guidelines. From those forms turned in, I create volunteer lists for all we need and give copies to our chairpeople. We have a sign-in sheet at the office and I use that to keep track of volunteer hours. This year I am using a puzzle theme, so as each volunteer completes their three hour commitment, I put their name on a die-cut puzzle piece and those pieces go on the lobby wall around our PTO bulletin board. That, in a nutshell, is our Three for Me program.
If anyone would like to see the specific forms I created, I can attach them as word documents to an e-mail. Please write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
I won't respond to "e-mail me too's" in the forums. You email me and I'll send them to you. THANKS!

Can you email me information on your Three for Me Program? My email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks

me_n_rory;134578 wrote: Hey everybody....
I thought that since summer vacation was upon us I could take a break from the PTO stuff....How naive am I? LOL!!
Anyway, I'm looking for ideas for a welcome back letter to the students and families. As some of you know we came on board the PTO to a big mess and didn't have time to do a welcome letter last year. We literally flew by the seat of our pants all year long. We are determined to be more organized this year. We are better prepard this year.
I have been looking at some of the letters on the site and am getting some great ideas, but am looking for more ideas as well. We want to keep the first letter basic but also give them some ideas of what we're doing this year for our students and our expectations of our school families.
Any ideas?

Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will send you my most recent welcome back letter. When writing one, be sure to include your past accomplishments.

Well, it took me forever but I finally finished the letter that will go inside our PTO trifold brochure. With many thanks to a few posters here, especially PresidentJim, who I borrowed an occassional line or phrase from, here it is:
(The heading has two pics, of each of the two schools we support, on either side)

Exciting changes have been happening over this summer break to make the parent volunteer group at Birch and Cherry Street schools the very best it can be. In May, members voted to disband as a PTA and instead, become a PTO. There really is little difference in the change of one letter in an acronym but there are HUGE possibilities. Being a part of the National and State levels of the Parent Teacher Associations required us to pay dues to those organizations. We, in turn, passed that cost onto our PTA members. Now, as an independent PTO, we no longer have to charge dues and all parents or caregivers of children who attend Birch Street Elementary and Cherry Street Intermediate, along with all staff, are members of the Kalkaska Elementary PTO.

What does it mean to be a member?
That depends on you. You can be a member in name only or you can become an active member. We invite you to become an active participant in your student’s education by being an active participant in the Kalkaska Elementary PTO. Parents, grandparents, neighbors, and siblings, we need your help! Being an active participant, being involved, is not synonymous with being “sucked in”. The level of involvement is up to you! Check out our Three for Me program and learn more about how a small amount of time translates into a huge amount of involvement.

Why should I be a participating member?
Participation through volunteering allows you to be “hands on” with your child’s education. All research indicates that when families are involved, a child is more apt to get higher grades, be more likely to graduate and go on to college. Our children love to see us in this environment where they spend seven hours a day. You get to know your children’s teachers and your children’s friends.

Participation through attendance at PTO meetings gives you a voice. You help decide what we do as a group. You help decide where the money should go. If you are a new to the Birch or Cherry Street schools, the established families are available to answer questions and ease your transition into becoming a school family. If you are new to our community, we’re always happy to help wherever possible. An added bonus is that you have the opportunity to meet wonderful people who can become great friends. FREE childcare is provided at every meeting.

What are the benefits of membership?
The benefits of membership are very rewarding. You have the knowledge that, with your participation and involvement, the educational and social experiences of all students at Birch and Cherry Street schools have been greatly enhanced.

Is there another level of membership?
The next level of membership is to be a voting member. Discussion, ideas and suggestions are always welcome from all members, but our bylaws allow that only members who have made a $5 parent group contribution, prior to the October meeting of the current school year, are allowed to vote during meetings. This contribution could provide transportation to field trips or supplement a teacher’s classroom supply order. It equates to the purchase of 50 glue sticks or 120 pencils. This parent group contribution is kept local and in our schools. Voting takes place on the budget, changes in fundraising or programs, bylaws and for board members.

Isn’t the PTO only about fundraising?
The Kalkaska Elementary PTO is more than just fundraising. Fundraising is really just a necessary evil as school budgets are requiring more and more cuts. It is our privilege that we are able to provide supplies, equipment and activities that our school budgets can no longer cover. We are only able to do that through our Birch and Cherry Street families willingness to participate in our fundraisers. Cash for Trash, the Fall Arts & Crafts Show, and the Magazine Subscription Renewal and Sale are some of the ways we raise money for items such as classroom supplies, literacy support, a new popcorn machine, supplies and equipment for the staff workrooms and second grade science equipment. It also helps in funding the chess club, reading club and garden club and PTO programs such as Donuts with Dad and our FREE Family Fun Events.

We are about men and women working together toward a common goal. That goal, simply stated is creating a better school and a better educational experience for our children. We strive to create an atmosphere where teachers, administrators, and support staff can do their best work - and so can our children. There's so much more that can be done and we need your help. The motto of the Kalkaska Elementary PTO is “Together, we can accomplish more.” We look forward to seeing all that can be and will be accomplished this school year when we come together, as a community and as a group to enhance and maximize the education of every child.

Here is my welcome letter for this year!

Dear Parents:

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Celeste C. Haar and I am a fellow parent and President of the Bissonet Plaza PTO.

It is my pleasure to welcome new and “used” parents to Bissonet. I hope that you had productive and restful summers. While I will really miss the quality time that I spent with my children this summer, I am looking forward to another fun filled year at Bissonet. This year our theme is “Smile! Attitude is Everything!” This theme seems fitting as a positive attitude can be the secret to success and we are moving forward into yet another successful year in the PTO. During the last trying couple of years, our children have taught us that keeping that positive attitude can get you through some pretty rocky times.

As parents of Bissonet students, you are all part of our Bissonet family. I hope that you will make the choice to also become part of our PTO family this year. The PTO is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to support the students by engaging in fundraising projects, supporting the various student enrichment activities, providing a forum for parent, teacher, and student interaction through community events, and promoting open communications between parents, teachers, Bissonet and the community.

Please mark your calendars for the year’s first PTO meeting. It will be held on Thursday, August 16th, and 6:00pm in the cafeteria. Agenda items will include discussion of current fundraisers, future guest speakers, volunteer opportunities and a review of events for the upcoming fall semester. Refreshments will be served.

The PTO is also launching an exciting new program for our volunteers this year! We want you to be involved. Now, “involved” is not synonymous with “sucked in”. This level of involvement is up to you! More details coming your way soon!

Our PTO website, Home is chock full of information that you need to know. We have calendars, newsletters, copies of notes that went home, minutes from meetings, upcoming events, and you can even pay for your PTO membership through Paypal, right from your computer!

The PTO is not just about making and spending money, it is also about encouraging that growing sense of family at Bissonet. This year we are looking to make your time at Bissonet as enjoyable and informative as possible. I encourage all Bissonet parents with an interest in supporting the work of the PTO to contact me. There are volunteer opportunities of all sizes and descriptions that could benefit from your talents. I look forward to seeing you again or meeting you for the first time.

Sincerely,


Celeste C. Haar
Bissonet Plaza PTO President
339.7770
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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