Welcome
Welcome
Greetings!! If you were around last year, welcome back! If you are new, welcome to the family! Here is a highlight of the stuff you'll need to know about the PTO.
Join the PTO
Click here to Join The PTO. We are using Givebacks as our new membership platform. This acts as a virtual store where you will "buy" your membership, but it is completely free. If you have multiple members to add, you can select "Add to Cart" until all information is provide and then "Check Out" to register everybody at once.
Even if you were a member last year, you need to join again. For more information about why you should join and what membership does for you check out our Join page.
Remember all the direct emails I would send members with the information that was good and helpful (I hope!)?? I am now using Givebacks to distribute that. So, please join or you'll be missing out!
Attend our Fall Mixer
In September, the PTO is hosting a "Get To Know Us" event. Come meet the CMES PTO and learn how you can get connected, stay informed, and make an impact this school year. There will be light snacks and refreshments, fun games for the kids, and exciting door prizes. This is a great chance to meet fellow CMES families, teachers, and volunteers in a fun and casual setting. More information will be sent out soon but, for now, save the date!
Date: Saturday, September 13
Time: 4pm - 6pm
Location: Walden Country Club at 1500 Riedel Road
After School Clubs
Register now for the Fall Session! All the information is on our Clubs page.
Volunteer Orientation
The school is holding a Volunteer Orientation on Thursday, September 11th at 9am in the CMES cafeteria. Please RSVP to Mrs. Foster at jmfoster@aacps.org.
If you are unable to attend the orientation, there will be a PowerPoint send out later for you to view and a digital copy of the Volunteer Compact for you to sign.
If you volunteered last year, you will only need to fill out the Volunteer Compact and view the Sexual Harassment Training video. I don't have the current compact but will send that out after the orientation is complete.
If you want to check out the eligibility requirements ahead of time, go to our Volunteering page. Please be aware the the orientation slides and compact are for last year. I will update with current materials when they are given to me (presumably after next week's orientation).
What is this Givebacks thing?
Starting this year, we are using a platform named Givebacks to track membership, set up newsletters, etc. It's still in development, so you'll see more and more stuff being added throughout the year. In the meantime, we're going to maintain this page as well so that we cover all our bases. Givebacks has two sides to it:
Information Distribution
By clicking the Join link above, you are put into the membership database. This allows us to push information and RSVPs from the site via email. While you will still see the occasional email from an @cmespto.com address, you will also start to see @user.givebacks.com or something similar to that. You'll know it's legit because the body of the message will reference CMES PTO and you'll see our logo on the site.
Account Membership
You can also register for your own Givebacks account. Givebacks is also a fundraising platform with something they call Shop To Give. This allows you to link a credit or debit card to your Givebacks account. Anytime you pay with that linked card, the affiliated merchant will automatically donate to the CMES PTO. You can even install an add-on for your browser to do this seamlessly as you shop online. This includes big retailers like CVS, Walmart, Sam's Club, Chewy, and Sephora. But it also includes several local restaurants like The Greene Turtle, Eggspectation, Mi Casita, Smokey Bones, and more!
A Givebacks account also allows you to see our webpage (https://cmespto.givebacks.com), which will eventually replace this one you're on now.
Join our Facebook Group
We have a very robust and active Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cmespto. Here you will see pictures of activities and events, get up to the minute details on CMES happenings, and more. In addition to the main PTO groups, there are groups specific to each grade. The PTO does not run these; they are parent-moderated. The groups for the 2025-2026 school year are:
Kindergarten: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1090036999666533/
2nd Grade: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2137651453071558/
4th Grade: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2817510498564619/
5th Grade: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1257789868301115/
I recognize that Facebook users are only a portion of our members. All important information is provided directly to you via email. Facebook just gives more of a water cooler feel as parents provide play-by-plays on questions and events. If you are interested in PTO communications via other social media (Instagram, Twitter, etc.) we are looking for somebody to head that up!
Board Meetings
The PTO meets the second Wednesday of every month from 7:30pm-9:00pm. All meetings are virtual via Google Meet at https://meet.google.com/vmq-rbrg-sxy . Everybody, members and non-members, are welcome to attend. Discussion include: projects we are looking to fund, activities we are doing or promoting for the school, fundraising opportunities, and more.
Events
The Events page is a great place to find out what is happening at CMES. It has a calendar that lists AACPS stuff (early dismissals and holidays), CMES activities, and PTO sponsored activities. At the bottom of the page is a brief description of what certain events are. When I first got here, I had no idea what Polar Express Day was, who Mo Gabba was, or what went on at a Vocabulary Parade. This page will help explain all of that!