PTO

The Parent Teacher Organization or PTO helps the school raise money for all kinds of activities. Below is an interview by Natalia Gabrielli. She interviewed our crossing guard, Carrie Lundsford, who is also the co-president of the Mark Twain PTO. Carrie answered some tough questions from our fourth-grade journalism club students. 

Natalia: What does PTO mean?

Carrie: PTO stands for Parent Teacher Organization. 

N: Why do we have a PTO?

C: The PTO connects teachers and parents. A school community needs both parents and teachers to help it run smoothly. The PTO offers a place for them to connect.

N: How does the PTO help the school? 

C: The PTO helps the school by trying to support the teachers and staff as much as they can. We help better educate students from Mark Twain Elementary. 

N: What does the PTO brainstorm about?

C: We get ideas for different events that we plan on helping with. During our PTO meetings, we discuss our ideas and ask if anyone has other suggestions. The more people we can involve, the better our brainstorming will be. 

N: Do you use graphs to chart information?

C: We only use graphs for chocolate sales because all classes like to compete. The graphs help the teachers and students know which class is on top. 

N: Does the PTO have goals?

C: Our goal is to help students and teachers at Mark Twain Elementary as much as possible. We do this by calendaring important school events with the principal. Once the events and dates have been decided, the PTO team starts to brainstorm different ways to help the school. The final step is executing the plans.  These plans can be simple like STAAR snacks or more extensive like getting water slides for water day!

N: Is there a limit to the number of members for the PTO?

C: There is no limit for the PTO members! We want everyone to participate. Our next meeting is on May 8th!

N: Do the principals help?

C: Yes, the principal is involved in the PTO. Their job is to review events, get permission to do things, and get information from the PTO to the staff.

N: How do you use the money you raise?

C: The PTO uses money raised for teacher appreciation gifts, water day, ice cream for water day, and to buy things for school events. Sometimes, the school needs things quickly, like STAAR snacks. We were able to use the money raised to buy these snacks. We are always happy when we can help bring smiles to students.

N: Do you know who put the "in an emergency in the school" signs up?

C: The Maintenance Department put up the signs, not the PTO. 

The next PTO meeting is on May 8th! We are excited to see you all there!