If you’re new to Wilmot, or if you’ve been around a while but haven’t attended a PTO meeting or volunteered for a PTO committee, program or event, I hope you’ll find a friend to join you at a meeting or in volunteering. Or, I hope you’ll consider me – or any PTO vice president, committee chair, or committee member – a friend, or at least a friendly face to make you feel at home at Wilmot.

What The PTO Does

The primary goal of the Wilmot PTO is to enrich the educational experience of Wilmot students, and to enhance Wilmot teachers’ abilities to teach. Officially, our bylaws state that the objective of the Wilmot PTO is:

 “To promote the nurturing of reason, feeling and appreciation at Wilmot Elementary; to promote an environment in which each individual has the opportunity to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally; to promote a closer relationship between the home and the school, so that parents and teachers may cooperate in the education of the child; to promote a deeper interest and understanding concerning educational matters.”

PTO volunteers undertake an incredible amount of work to reach that objective. There are more than 150 people listed on the Wilmot PTO Board. That list grows throughout the year, as many more people step up to help out when they can. The incredible amount of talent and generosity among Wilmot families is truly remarkable.

Volunteers coordinate a range of events and activities to fund a range of educational programs, activities, and tools. Our annual Book Fair in October and Bingo Night in February are two of the biggest PTO events in terms of volunteers, and are huge fundraisers. Many, many volunteers make sure our twice-weekly Fun Lunch –  now on Wednesdays and Fridays! –  run smoothly throughout the entire school year. Volunteers are thinking about winter in the summer to prepare for Holiday Shop, in which Wilmot students do their own shopping for gifts to give friends and family.

In recent years, the money from these events – and from our many other fundraisers – has been used to purchase technology carts for classroom teachers, fans to make the classrooms and gym more comfortable, a sound system to allow the audience to enjoy our wonderful music programs and other performances and presentations, and Mrs. Brett’s Birthday Books for every Wilmot student. Every year, the PTO funds the Teacher Wish List, so that all of our wonderful Wilmot teachers can have things for their classroom that are above and beyond the district’s budget.

The PTO also offers programs that enrich the school day for students, and services that make life easier for Wilmot families. Students love and learn from cultural arts assemblies the PTO sponsors throughout the year. The Before School Care program ensures that Wilmot students with working parents start their day off right. Parents can order school supplies through the PTO, and can keep up with all that is going on at school in the Wilmot Weekly and the Monthly Messenger.

What You Can Do

There are so many opportunities for you to get involved, and every minute you can give makes a big impact on your child’s school, and on every Wilmot student’s educational experience. Take a look on the PTO Web site, under “Committee Descriptions.” If something sounds interesting to you, call the committee chair, a PTO vice president, or me to join. Our first annual Turn-In/Sign-Up Day is a perfect opportunity to ask a committee chair what volunteer opportunities they have throughout the year! In addition, on curriculum night, you’ll have an opportunity to sign up to help with many different PTO and classroom activities. And, throughout the year, volunteer for – or simply have fun at – the many fun fundraising events.

There are even ways to support the school that require no time (other than filling out a form) and no money that you wouldn’t already spend; if you shop for groceries, you can contribute to the PTO. The Grocery Bucks program purchases gift cards to Dominick’s, Whole Foods, and Sunset at a discount. We sell them at face value – what you’d pay to buy them at the store – and the profits go directly to the PTO. The committee even delivers the cards to your home! Market Day is another easy PTO fundraiser that allows you to purchase frozen foods each month, and pick them up at Wilmot.

The PTO can do its best work for Wilmot when every parent plays a role. If have any questions, suggestions or ideas, or if you’d like to add your name to a committee, please call me at 945-7978 or e-mail me at shapanne@aol.com.