Welcome to the Parker Middle School PTO It is our pleasure to extend a warm welcome to the Parker Middle School community. The Parker Middle School PTO coordinates, oversees and sponsors many school events during the year in addition to providing student agendas and funding of after-school library hours. The success of the PTO is attributed to parent and teacher volunteers along with several committees. Please visit us on the new Parent Portal on the schools new website and on Facebook (Parker Middle School PTO) to stay informed about upcoming meetings and events. To fund its mission of providing an organization in which parents, school staff, town officials, and other interested individuals can work cooperatively to enhance and expand the educational opportunities of students, the PTO relies on funding primarily from Membership Dues and Direct Donations. Your Membership Dues and Direct Donations are critical in funding the PTO s efforts to enhance your students educational experiences. A direct donation of $100 ($40 dues inclusive) will allow the PTO to fully fund enrichment programs and other subsidized activities. We are sensitive to the fact that $100 per family may be a financial burden, so please contribute as you are able. Your support is greatly appreciated! You can help the PTO in several ways. 1) Please send in your family s tax deductible dues of $40 or consider a direct donation of $100/family by September 15 TH. This date allows us to meet our fall financial obligations. Checks should be made payable to Parker PTO and sent in using the enclosed envelope. Or you can contribute by credit card online through PayPal at: http://bit.ly/2b7xuxw (see Parent Portal for link). The Parker PTO is a 501(c)(3) organization and is typically eligible for matching donations if your employer has such a program. 2) A volunteer form is included to help round out this year s PTO. We are pleased to have many of our positions already staffed. If you have questions about any of the committees, please contact Christine Parks, PTO President at parks_family5@comcast.net or Marianne Tompkins, PTO Vice President at mariannet45@yahoo.com 3) Please activate your Rediker Parent Portal account so that you receive the weekly previews, important school notices and PTO information. Please note several important dates: 1) First PTO meeting is Wednesday, September 7th, in the Faculty Room at 7:00pm. All parents are welcome to attend. PTO meetings are normally held on the 1 st Wednesday of each month at 7:00PM. 1) Back to School Night is Thurday, September 15th, from 7:00PM-9:00PM. Following a presentation in the auditorium by Principal Shankland, parents will proceed to their child s homeroom to get their schedule for the remainder of the evening. You will spend about 10 minutes in each classroom. The teachers will introduce the curriculum and expectations for the school year. We look forward to a wonderful year. The Parker PTO is focused on continuing the exceptional school atmosphere that already exists within the Parker School community. Sincerely,
President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Christine Parks Marianne Tompkins Deb Masse Laura O Neil Parker Middle School PTO Parent Volunteer 2016 2017 Opportunities to volunteer exist for many PTO committees, fund-raising events, and school-based activities. Please see the attached sheet for descriptions of specific volunteer areas. If you are interested in volunteering for the upcoming school year, please complete the information below and return it to the school office, or email it directly to Christine Parks, PTO president, at parks_family5@comcast.net. Thank you! We can t do it without you! Name: Home Phone: Cell: Email Address: Name(s) & Grade(s) of Child(ren): These are the areas where we still have a need for the coming year. Please indicate with an X areas that are of interest to you. You may wish to number in order of your preference (i.e. first choice: #1, second choice: #2, etc.) Retail Fundraising Parker Local Initiatives Coordinate Scrip orders (gift cards) and box tops Work with current coordinator to prepare to take over next school year Family Day Many helpers needed for the actual event in April/May 2017. Outside Beautification Inside Beautification Publicity Someone to coordinate outside decorations typically three times/year. Someone to coordinate outside decorations typically three times/year. Writers/photographers always welcomed. Photo Chair/Photographers Take pictures at school events to share with school/publicity/facebook Spiritwear Friday Night Activities Hospitality Holiday Pie Sale Work with current chair to prepare to take over next school year Helpers always welcomed! Come have fun with your kids! Helpers always welcomed, especially for set-ups and clean-ups. Helpers needed for the distribution of pies on pick up day. There are many other ways we can use your help during the year for specific events. Please check below if we may contact you throughout the year to see if you are available: On Call Volunteer The school itself can often use volunteers in these capacities:
Library Assistants *Watch for online signup option once the new Parent Portal is online. Descriptions of Volunteer Areas: Retail Fundraising: The chair of this committee would coordinate Scrip (gift card) orders that go out monthly to the Parker community. In addition they would coordinate box top collections. Parker Local Initiatives: This fundraising event involves partnering with local businesses and restaurants that would be willing to donate a portion of their proceeds to Parker Middle School for their sales on one particular day of shopping/dining preferably before a major shopping holiday or dining or selling gift certificates. We are presently seeking assistants to help with soliciting businesses with and an eye to taking it over in the 2017-2018 school year. Family Day Coordinators: This annual event is typically held on a weekend day, the end of April/beginning of May from 8:00AM-11:00AM. The day kicks off with a continental breakfast, followed by a spring clean-up/beautification of the school grounds. Numerous volunteers are needed to work together raking leaves and branches, picking-up debris, weeding, and placing mulch. The chair(s) of this committee would organize family and student volunteers, order mulch and coordinate food for volunteers. Ongoing Beautification: This committee assists with ongoing efforts to keep our school looking its best. There are typically three rounds of decorating: beginning of school, holiday season, and springtime. It can be as simple or extensive as you like. The areas of concentration are: the lobby and the main office. Some ideas are: plants, pumpkins, seasonal decorations, just about anything goes. We are seeking chairs for both Inside and Outside Beautification for the 2016-2017 school year. Publicity: The chair of this committee acts as publicity coordinator for Parker Middle School and the PTO. Ideally the committee will consist of a chair, three writers, and coordinates with the Photo Chair and Facebook chair. The chair engages with local newspapers to share articles, announce upcoming events, and send photos. They also meet with teachers and administration to find out what s going on in the classrooms that may be of interest to the community. Finally, they coordinate with other volunteers to write articles for papers on important classroom activities. Writers and photographers are always welcomed. Photo Chair: The chair coordinates taking photos at events such as the Veteran s Day assembly, the school play, band concerts, community clean-up day, and other PTO-driven activities. Collaboration with the Publicity Chair to share photos. Photographers are always welcomed. Spiritwear: Spiritwear is typically sold in the Fall and late Spring. This volunteer will work with vendors on t-shirt design, coordinate orders and delivery. It is a great opportunity to train with the current chair in order to take this over in the 2017-2018 school year. Friday Night Activities Committee: The goal of the FNAC is to offer Parker students a fun and safe social activity 3-4 Friday nights per year. Themes for past events have included Wiffle Ball Tournament; Olympics; and a Square Dance. Time Commitment: Planning time for each event varies (estimated 5-10 hours) for each event. Coordinators can assign volunteers to purchase supplies, help with set-up and/or clean up. In addition, with the assistance of volunteers, chaperoning of the events is a key component. The amount of time spent would be about 3 hours on Friday nights. Hospitality Committee: This committee is responsible for coordinating food and beverage for Parent/Team Coffees for each of the six parent/academic team breakfasts that are normally held from September through November, Veteran s Day, and the Staff Appreciation Luncheon, held in May on early-release day. Holiday Pie Sales: This fundraising event is held in late October-early November. Frozen pies are purchased from Wilson Farms at a discount and sold at list price. They are made available for pick-up the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. We are presently seeking a couple of helpers for the 2016-2017 school year to help on pie pick-up day.
Other: Library Assistants: Help is needed weekdays anytime between 7:40AM and 3:30PM. Tasks include circulation, shelving, typing, processing books, and creating displays. The librarian will coordinate the volunteers and CORI approval is required. 2016-17 Contact List Parker Middle School PTO President Christine Parks 781-942-7106 parks_family5@comcast.net Vice President Marianne Tompkins 781-942-0058 mariannet45@yahoo.com Treasurer Deb Masse 781-942-1015 debmasse725@gmail Secretary Laura O Neill 781-779-1905 casarano@hotmail.com Family Directory Christine Hylan clhylan@verizon.net Spiritwear Lisa Blasi Lblasi1@verizon.net School Supply Packets Retail Fundraising Gift cards, boxtops Diane Naczas dnaczas@gmail.com Parker Dines Local/retail fundraising Kelly Bedingfield 781-742-4677 jimandkel@aol.com Holiday Pie Sales Jennifer Turner jturner@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us Cookie Dough for UD Gretchen Masciarelli mrsmush@live.com Hospitality Suzette Goodchild sgoodchild@verizon.net Friday Night Activities Family Day Beautification Ongoing Beautification Publicity Kathy Wilcox 781-439-9972 kathleenw01@gmail.com Outside: Inside: Facebook Michelle Greenwalt greenwalt1221@gmail.com Photo Chair