To PTO or not to PTO

When I was growing up, my parents were not terribly involved in things that my siblings and I did in school, other than to chauffeur us around and write checks. They were certainly never involved in the PTA/PTO (otherwise known as the Parent-Teacher Association or Organization). I always kind of wished they'd done more to get us involved, so despite the fact that I'm not much of a joiner, I decided to check out the PTO at Justin's new school.

The first PTO meeting of the year was last week. I thought there was a rather large crowd of people there, as there were at least 50+ in attendance. As the meeting was called to order, the PTO president said that there normally is a much larger group, but there was a sporting event also taking place that night, so their numbers were much less than usual. The meeting covered a lot of topics and lasted almost 90 minutes, although I think some of the lengthiness was probably because it was the first meeting of the year. All of the officers were introduced. Then, the assistant principal gave an update. The time allotted for that was 5 minutes, but at least 15 minutes were spent discussing all of the things the school was able to purchase and/or accomplish with money raised by the PTO last year. That was an interesting topic and provided good information on the priorities of the PTO and the school administrators.

Following the principal's report, several other members gave updates on the various fundraising efforts that the PTO undertakes each year. There were signup sheets available for parents wishing to volunteer their time to the different activities. A financial update was given, and then finally a discussion of the upcoming important dates and events.

I really didn't know what to expect when I decided to attend the PTO meeting. I'm not sure yet how involved I will be, or what I might volunteer for this year or next since my kids are so young. But, it's clear to me that the parent-teacher organization at this particular school is a thriving, integral part of the school and its ability to sponsor fun events for students and their families, as well as provide funds for important things like technology. The meetings are a great way to meet other parents and administrators and know what's going on in the school since the PTO is so connected. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to attend at least every other month, just to stay abreast of what's happening.