many hands make light work.

 I love this saying because, I think it encapsulates what a PTA is all about.

Let's be honest: PTA's were much easier to organize, fund and volunteer for in year's past. There were less two-income households. There was probably a lot less paperwork and red tape, too.

Today's PTA's are mostly run by full-time working parents and guardians. With regards to our own PTA, there is truthfully only a handful of us who take care of the day-to-day needs of maintaining it, and even less who join the PTA as members or volunteer. Our overall membership is about 1/3 of what our prospective membership could be.

A $10 membership really acts more as a donation, while signing up to volunteer your time is a bonus. You can imagine that when membership is low and participation is too, we are limited. Funds go towards events such as build-a-buddy and school dances. We give out numerous scholarships, provide t-shirts and goody bags for incoming kindergarteners, donate for field day and towards our 5th grade graduate's end of year events; the list goes on.

As a board, we mostly handle the mundane details such as filing building use forms, maintain compliance and insurance, file tax documents, organize ticketed events, pay invoices, make bank trips, update social media and websites, answer emails, create forms and documents, compile and edit the yearbook, shop for supplies, communicate with vendors, set-up and break down each and every school event from dances to book fairs to school picture day; all things we do in addition to parent, family and work obligations. 

In addition to funding, planning and organizing, the PTA board must be maintained year after year in order to continue to operate within a school. Without a board, there is no PTA and therefore, none of the items mentioned above. Once a PTA dissolves, there is a tremendous amount of work to have it reinstated.

You may wonder, what is our driving force? Simple: Community. We understand that a sense of community is one of the most important factors within a school setting. River Elementary is known throughout the district as small and tight-knit. We believe in inclusivity, diversity, kindness, compassion and empathy. We want to see our children learn, grow and successed along with yours. Creating a feeling of unity and togetherness is the special sauce that unites a school, and I would love for us to not only carry on our traditional events into the future, but foster new ones as well. 

My two year term as president of the PTA will be ending in June of 2025 and almost all of our board members will have children graduating out of the school in the next 2 years. We are looking to help guide and support not only future board members, but anyone looking to participate or volunteer more. We want a representation of all communities. Lets add more hands and lighten the work needing to be done.

Many thanks to our River families, our teachers and staff who support us year after year. I am setting a goal for 100% membership in the 2024-2025 school year. Lets make it happen.

Sincerely,

Kristen Macaulay

President, River Elementary PTA