All ASA parents and teachers are automatically members of the PTO. PTO meetings are usually scheduled during the first Tuesday of each month. PTO officers (president, vice president, secretary and treasurer) are elected at the end of each school year. Parents are encouraged to volunteer time to the PTO.
Parent Teachers Organization Mission
We are a nonprofit parent/teacher organization whose membership includes all parents, legal guardians and teachers at the ASA. Our mission is to help our children attain their highest potential by PTO supporting the school’s mission and helping to create the best learning environment. Our mission and goals are developed to meet unique challenges of the ASA given its location and diversity of its students, staff and community.
Goals
Promote Communication and Understanding between Parents and Staff of the ASA
Provide a forum for sharing information on activities that impact our children. Welcome and Orientation meetings at the beginning of the school year can provide such a forum for exchange of information. Other forums may include a Welcome Picnic, Teachers’ Curriculum Presentation or Breakfast with the Director and or Principal.
2. Encourage Parents and Community Involvement
Organize monthly meetings and keep parents informed about upcoming activities in order to encourage their involvement and participation in such activities. For example, PTO organizes numerous social events throughout the year, such as Halloween, Easter parties, dance nights, and fundraiser events, and parents’ participation and assistance are critical to the success of these events.
3. Promote Volunteerism and Sharing of Social Responsibilities
Encourage children, teachers and the parents to serve their communities, by volunteering their time or services at various community/charity events such as the International Food Fair. As a school organization, PTO believes in teaching our children the importance of social responsibilities by helping and giving something back to the communities we live in.
4. Support Teachers and Students in Achieving Their Academic Goals
Encourage parents’ involvement in our children’s education by supporting teachers and various school programs. For example, parents can assist with class activities when solicited by the teachers, such as Pajama Nights when parents are asked to help read to the children. PTO also organizes the annual Book Fair, which encourages the children to read. Additionally, PTO may provide teachers with special grants for additional class materials or to help pay for class field trips or support extracurricular activities such as sports games, music and art classes.
5. Promote Welfare of Students and Staff and Families
Support school and family interaction through community social events such as Halloween, Easter parties, Dine & Dance, Yard sale, and Teachers’ Appreciation Breakfast.
GENERAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
PTO leadership
PTO members nominate and elect new officers (Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer) before the end of May each school year. The roles and responsibilities of each officer are as follows.
President: Provide overall management of PTO, ensuring that PTO adheres to its policies and procedures; participate in the planning of annual PTO events and budgeting; chair all PTO meetings; represent PTO in various forums including school administration; promote excellent communication and collaboration among parents, teachers and school administration; promote delegation of work.
Vice-President: Assist with the general management of PTO; work closely with the President to ensure that PTO is well organized and operated; work closely with the Treasurer in managing PTO’s finance and budget.
Secretary: Maintain PTO records and communications; take notes during meetings and circulate the meeting minutes in a timely manner; dispatch notices, circulars and other such communication to members and the public.
Treasurer: Maintain PTO’s finance records; process receipts and payments on behalf of PTO, prepare and present periodic financial reports and annual budgets.
2. Meeting Procedures
PTO holds general meetings every month. All parents and staff are encouraged to participate and are informed by e-mail of the date and place of the meeting.
At each meeting, the members discuss and approve minutes from the previous meeting. In addition, the officers present upcoming events and topics for discussion. Major decisions regarding policies or activities are made through a vote among members present at the meeting. Where necessary, a group of volunteers will form a committee to help organize or follow-up on specific events/tasks. While PTO endeavors to plan events discussed at each meeting, it may be necessary to defer making decisions or request volunteers by emails to the community.
3. Policies and Guidelines on Charity Donations
Each year, the PTO sponsors various fundraising events. An International Food Fair, for example, held in April or May draws a large crowd and raises approximately $2,000 to $3,000 each year. The PTO then donates these funds to various charity organizations, selected through vote by PTO members and/or members of committee organizing the events. The following describes general guidelines or criteria that PTO follows in selecting recipients of the donations.
In general, it is important to select organizations that are able to demonstrate some level of effectiveness in delivering their services. We want to make sure that the donations will be used in a most cost-effective way and will have long-lasting benefits. How do we decide which field of services (education, health, environment, etc.) should receive our donations? Because the needs are so great in our community and funds limited, the most important considerations should be whether the organization we want to support is operating effectively and whether our support will have meaningful impact. With these in mind, below are some questions we can ask prospective organizations applying for donations:
Who are they?
What are their services?
What are their goals?
Why did they start?
Where are their locations? Are they part of a wider organization?
How long have they been in operation?
Is this an effective organization?
Have they been active long-term and well established? Are they wishing to start something but have not yet done any work or activities?
Who and how many people are actually benefiting from their services?
What progress have they made that they can demonstrate?
Do they have any short or long-term plan that they can share with us?
Is this a self-sufficient organization?
How do they fund their operation and how do they account for their funds?
Have they already received assistance from other donors? If so, what have they done with it?
Will the donation buy perishable or expendable items, like food or school supplies? Will it be used to purchase enduring equipment or materials?
Other considerations
Can they provide any references about themselves?
If possible, PTO should make an on-site visit to see how the organization is set up and interview those seeking funding.
4. Policies on Grants to Teachers and Other Extracurricular Activities
While PTO strives to support as many activities as possible, which are viewed to be valuable experiences for the children, it may be not meet all the demands due to limited funds. The PTO members will review and consider each proposal from a teacher or a group of teachers on a case-by-case basis throughout the year and make an objective decision based on available funds and merits of the activity -- if the teachers have first made the request to the school administration. Another factor for consideration will be a need for even distribution among different grade levels and activities.
5. PTO Classroom Participation Procedures
A parent or group of parents may be called upon by teachers to assist in various activities within the class or assist in a particular event such as a field trip, talent show and so on. This arrangement may either be made directly between the teacher and parent or if the teacher so wishes, PTO may assist in finding such assistance within the wider PTO membership. PTO will be ready and willing to help whenever such request is received from a teacher or group of teachers.