PTO Today

OK maybe the title doesn't sound right,LOL
But what I was wondering what PTO positions have each of us held and how long have you been doing this? Also what do think you greatest accomplishments for your PTO and personally doing the PTO?

Cindy

15 yrs and pretty much everytitle known to man (or woman)

All of our PTA/PTO projects have been samll - so their all great-
Getting our old schools PTA in the mag was cool for helping with the tree planting- school beautification events a last yr

My greatest accomplishment is helping others help themsleves further their childrens education (and the friendships i've made)

I'd just like to do one gigantic project thats an out-of-the box type project. Something new and different to get more parents involved

__________________
[B]Liberalism is not an affilation its a curable disease. [/B]
[I][B]~Wisdom of Shawnshuefus[/B][/I]
[B]The punishment which the wise suffer, who refuse to take part in government, is to live under the government of worse men."[/B]
[B][I]~Wisdom of Plato[/I][/B]

Wow, that's a loaded question! Let's see.... I am a stay-at-home mom to an only child so I've never had to overlap two groups or have an extended stay at any grade level. Nor have I had to struggle with the working parent challenges. Here's my list:

[B]Pre-K[/B] (2 years) - Co-President of parent group at a Catholic preschool. We functioned within the structure of the school and ultimately answered to the preschool director and the school prinicpal.
[B]K-1st[/B] -At large volunteer, filling in whenever asked
[B]2nd[/B] - Chairman of two committees; Room Coordinator (room parent)
[B]3rd[/B] - Secretary of PTO
[B]4th-6th[/B] - President of PTO
[B]2nd-6th[/B] - CoManager of volunteer library staff, part time volunteer librarian; various non-PTO school committees
[B]7th[/B] - Taking the year off.....
[B][U]9 total years.[/U][/B]

We've lived four places since Shorty started school so pre-K in one town, then k-1st in one, 2nd-6th in one and now 7th here.

I could go on and on about the benefits of being part of the parent group community but let me just list the highlights - not in any particular order:

1. Involvement in my son's education
2. Giving back to the community
3. Using my pre-mommy corporate warrior skills
4. Social outlet
5. Sense of accomplishment from leading a highly successful, very well liked and respected team of volunteers.
6. Continuing to grow and learn as a person.

Gosh, our greatest accomplishments are impossible to list. I've worked with four seperate teams at four wildly different schools. All through it, though, there has been a sense of community. I didn't realize what a blessing it was to experience that [I]four[/I] times until I started coming here to PTO Today and read about some of the challenges other groups face. I guess I'd have to say the greatest accomplishment of any parent group is to exist at all. If you can have a positive realationship with the community and a positive impact on the children's education then you are doing truly amazing work!

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“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.”

I have been:

Breakfast with Santa Chairperson
President
Grade Representative
Spring Fling Chairperson
Secretary
Scholarship Chairperson

This is across 3 different parent groups - various positions, various time periods over the last 10 years.

Single greatest accomplishment?? That one's hard. The most memorable is definitely ousting a former pres. Prior to a meeting several folks were discussing a recently discovered pattern of embezzlement for which the current president was allegedly responsible. (I only say "allegedly" because it was never formally prosecuted.) Some asked me if I would ask the president to step down. I said "yes", thinking they meant did I agree with that action. Later, during the main meeting as all eyes turned to me expectantly I realized they meant would [B]I[/B] , a relatively new member of the group, request it in front of everyone because no one else had the guts to do so. Ugh! Talk about trial by fire. It was hard, but it had to be done. I was as diplomatic as possible, but how much tact can you have in such a situation? I hope I'm never in that position again.

President, V.P., Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator, Room Parent Coordinator, Head of Reading Program, Book Fair Chair, and just about every committee you could think of: fundraising, craft program, playground, carnival,....I'm sure I've forgotten something.

Been doing this PTO stuff for over 8 years now.

I have also served on some committees within the school district.

president,president,president...did I say president for five years. I can't get out of it and actually have been the only one to do it as our group was started in 2001. The greatest accomplishment is watching our group and school evolve into a great school for parent involvement within the past four years. Our group numbers have gone from 23 (in 2002) to 72 active volunteers, our school has gone from 69 active volunteers (in 2003) to 156 seeing more families step up is all worth while. We have around 340 families/457 kids. You know that you are truly making a difference...

__________________
"When you stop learning you stop growing."

I was a parent with my oldest starting Kindergarten (in a district I grew up in) 5 years ago and decided "I'm just going to a meeting to see what they do and meet some other parents with kids starting in the school" YUP! By the end of that first meeting I was their much-needed recording secretary - for 2 years. Then? The chair asked me if I would like to be co-chair (she'd advertised, verbalized, no one else was interested). Sure - 1 year of that. Then, I became chair when she was no longer going to have kids in the school (about 650 kids, K-3). I'm now in my 2nd (and last) year as chair.

I don't know that there has actually been a greatest accomplishment. We've always been blessed with an incredibly strong board, wonderful volunteerism and a super principal. I see on these boards the issues that come up and thank my lucky stars all the time! I'm getting off - topic aren't I? I would have to say I think a great accomplishment is hearing all the kids laughter - from an author, musician or any kind of program the school puts on with help from the PTO. Oooohhh, and the smiles at the Ice Cream Social. The thanks to us from the teachers, staff and bus drivers during Staff Appreciation week! That always feels good, that they feel good.

This is my second year doing PTO and I jumped right in all the way and became president for both of them. This spring I am running for pres again but at the next school. I need a break from the Primary school where we have a lot of activities. But I will be back again considering I still have two more coming through the school.

Our biggest accomplishment was becoming more recognized as a group rather than a clique and better spending on things for the students.

Cindy

4th year as PTO treasurer, 3rd year as box tops, market day and cambells coordinator, library volunteer(1 year), room mom(for 3 grades each year), secret santa chair(3 years), breakfast with santa co-chair(3years), book fair co-chair(4th year), Dit member(1 year),Spring Fling co-chair(3 years),
volunteer anywhere and everywhere needed

I have volunteered since my daughter entered kindergarten--she is in 8th now and I have 2 more in the elementary...One more to go(3yr old at home)...so I am nowhere near being done volunteering at school. Started with the PTO 5 years ago---considering taking next year off and not run for a PTO office but will keep volunteering--just don't want to be in charge LOL!!---I have been a stay at home mom for 12 years(who is never really home LOL), have a little guy at home who never really has had mommy all to himself and he has a few years till kindergarten and I really want to focus on him and enjoying him still being little(he was at his first PTO meeting at 1 week old)--and will get back into PTO when he enters preschool .
Lets see biggest accomplishment--I really am proud to have made a difference in not only my childrens lives but in others too--times were tough at our school when I first joined PTO but thru alot of fundraising and things the students and teachers never went without new textbooks or supplies or fieldtrips. Now that funds are better for the school I am really enjoy seeing the kids smiles and getting the hugs from them when we bring in activities for them to enjoy.I felt alot better knowing we help make each year the best it can possibly be for the teachers, staff and students.

This is my second year as PTO President at my son's school. I have a total of 12 years volunteering at the preschool, elementary, and middle school levels. I have helped with art projects, homework, classwork, attended field trips, wiped noses, helped on picture day making sure the children looked good, graded papers, and the list goes on and on. My greatest accomplishment so far as PTO President would be running the most successful raffle yet - we made $2,054, writing a PTO Handbook, and starting a monthly newsletter. Decorating the teacher and staff lounge with new furniture, pictures, and curtains was also a huge accomplishment. We spent $2,100. Now the lounge actually gets used. I still want to get our website up and running. I honestly believe that elementary school years are the best years of a child's life. I am having so much fun, and my son loves seeing me at the school all the time. However, I need to get back to work. That is going to be hard on my son, me, and the school.