Events & Programs

EVENTS:  

Spirit Night:  Held in early September, Spirit Night is an opportunity for the Oak Brook community to come together to celebrate the start of a new school year.  Informational tables for Oak Brook programs and clubs allow students and their families to discover new and exciting ways to get involved in the Oak Brook community.  Snow cones are provided courtesy of the PTO and food is usually available for purchase.  

Chairperson: Beth Richards  

Trunk or Treat:  Trunk or treat is held on a Friday or Saturday night in mid to late October.  Oak Brook community members decorate trunks and Oak Brook students and families enjoy an evening of candy and community fun!  Trunk or treat is a free event with a small requested donation to the Parkway Food Pantry. PTO provides all candy to Trunk participants.

Chairperson:  Stephanie Andersen and Ashely Holley

Classroom Parties:  These class parties are typically held the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the week of Valentine's Day, near the end of the school day.  Parties are the same for all classes in each grade level and are planned by a grade level lead and their committee of volunteers.  

Head Grade Level Lead for the School: Sara Sedlak

Winter Family Paint Night:  This event, usually held in January, is a night that brings students, families, and staff together to enjoy stories and create art. Held virtually and led by Art Teacher Dr. McNealy, the whole school paints a winter scene. 

Chairperson:  Cathy Lui

PJs & Pancakes:  This event is held on a Saturday morning, usually during the Spring semester.  Students and their families love to wake up and come to school in their PJs for breakfast! It is staffed by many Oak Brook Staff Members.  It is a great opportunity for the community to come together!  This is a free event sponsored by the PTO.

Chairperson:  Dr. Chris Shirley, Principal

Trivia Night:  This it the main spring fundraiser for the Oak Brook PTO.  It is an adults-only event, held off-campus. Participants sign up for tables in advance and are encouraged to dress up to go with the theme of the event. Don't miss this fun event!

Chairpersons:   Becky McBride and Sam Schulte

Science Night:  Held on an evening in the Spring, Science night is an event where Oak Brook students are grouped by grade level (K/1, 2/3, 4/5) in small groups and are engaged in STEM-based activities.  This event is facilitated by volunteer students from Parkway South High School. This is a free event sponsored by the PTO.

Chairperson:   Laura Eckelkamp

Spring Fling:  This field day event is at the end of May, during the school day.  Each grade level wears their assigned t-shirt color, participates in various games and relays, and parents are welcome to come and watch and have lunch with their students.

Chairperson:   Phil Maguire, PE Teacher

PROGRAMS and FUNDRAISING: 

New Family Buddy System:  This program is designed to support and welcome families with children in grades 1-5 who are new to Oak Brook.  Each new family will be matched with an Oak Brook Buddy Family with at least one child in the same grade.

Chairperson:   Jamie Dresser

PTO Teacher Grants:  Each year the PTO allocates a sum of money to support teaching and learning in classrooms at Oak Brook.  Teachers and Staff apply for these funds and those requests are decided upon by the principal, program coordinator, and if necessary, a committee of Oak Brook Parents/Guardians.

Chairperson:  Laura Eckelkamp

Staff Appreciation:  Throughout the year this committee and several parent volunteers plan meals and thoughtful ways of recognizing the hard work of the teachers and staff at Oak Brook.

Chairperson:  Angela Bauer

Restaurant Nights:  Throughout the year the PTO organizes community dinner fundraisers at nearby restaurants.  Not only does this provide a community-based event for Oak Brook Families, but the participating restaurants give back a % of the proceeds to the Oak Brook PTO.

Chairperson:   Erin Hamilton

Campus Beautification

Chairperson:  Nicole Meeker

Eagle Endowment Fundraiser:  This is the only fall fundraiser for the PTO.  The PTO requests a donation from each family to fund events and programs throughout the year.  Funds are sometimes carried over from year to year for a capital purchase.  Families at Oak Brook made a change to this "buy-in" style fundraiser to avoid traditional door-to-door selling of food items, wrapping paper, etc.

Chairperson:   Meagan Gray

Virtual Silent Auction:  This even is held in the Spring, usually for the week leading up to our big Trivia Night. Anyone can bid for various items donated by Oak Brook families, small business owners, and local companies. Some notable auction items from the past include: Blues Box Seats, Principal for the Day, a birthday message for your child on othe Oak Brook marquee, and much, much more!

Chairpersons:  Meagan Gray, Julie Bode, and Jenny Patton

Communications: This committee oversees the making and distributing of PTO fliers at school events, coordinates and posts PTO updates to social media channels, and is in charge of updating and maintaining the PTO website. 

Chairperson: Becky McBride