What We Do
Committee Descriptions
Back to School Packet - Andrea Atcherson
Compiles and assembles all pertinent back to school information provided by the School, ensures distribution to T-ville parents.
Kindergarten Pops-on-the-Playground - Kelly Manoj-John
Incoming kindergarteners and their parents visit the school once in the spring before entry and once in August for a kindergarten orientation. The PTO hosts a popsicles-‐on-‐the-‐playground time immediately following the August orientation to allow students to meet new friends and new parents to ask questions with PTO representatives. The chair creates a flyer and provides popsicles and waters at PTO expense.
Back-to-School Picnic - Alexa Spatcher
This is a fun, easy-‐going family event that reunites classmates, family friends, and staff. Chairing the picnic involves coordinating with food and entertainment providers, and preparing the flyer.
Pasta Night - Kelly Manoj-John
This is a wonderful family event that (thanks to the generosity of our vendors and attendees) raises a lot of money for our school. The Pasta Night Chairs coordinate with donating restaurants and vendors, the Cafeteria staff, as well as purchases the necessary food items, prepares flyers and tickets, and lines-‐up volunteers to clean and re-‐set tables between seatings.
Creative Kids Night Coordinator - Paired with Pasta Night - Gina Quimby and Jennifer Crosby
This is a wildly successful brand new event where students sell their own crafts to raise money for the PTO and a local charity.
Pumpkin Guessing Contest - Meg Cordi
Chairperson buys a pumpkin, weighs it, brings it to the office for student guesses, send home a flyer + announcements, purchases the gift card prizes, and COUNT SEEDS!!!
Election Day Bake Sale - Samantha Klein
This chairperson coordinates volunteers who bake items for sale (held on election day) and schedules volunteers to take shifts at the register. The chairperson will need to contact local donut and bagel shops for donated food, set up and price items, and work the day of the sale that runs from 6:00am to approximately noon.
Fall and Spring Book Fair - Meg Boyd, Moira Kenney, Natalie Schwartz
What could be more important than putting more books in the hands of our students?
The Book Fairs allow our students and teachers to purchase books at great prices while raising money for our school. There are 2 Scholastic Book Fairs each year: One in November during Conference Week, and one in April.
o The Chair set dates, coordinate staffing, communicate with faculty to submit orders to Scholastic, and tabulate proceeds.
o Many helpers are needed to cover shifts at the register, and help with set up and breakdown. On “Wish List Day” in November, usually Monday, volunteers are needed to help the younger children fill out their Wish Lists. Sign-‐up genius emails are sent out in the weeks prior to the Fairs so that all available parents can sign up for a shift or two.
Take Out Tuesday - Lori Brandon, Meg Cordi
Works with local restaurants to partner with our school for dine in and take-out events which financially benefit both parties.
Holiday/Spring Bingo - Erin Fable
Join us for for music, lights and Holiday fun at this family bingo event typically held once in the Winter and once in the Spring. The Committee purchases gifts for prizes, decorates, and grabs snacks and waters for this popular event.
Family Skate Night - Alison Foley, Lisa Koob
Families meet at the skating rink at Simsbury Farms for a fun, Tariffville School–only skating party with hot cocoa and pizza! The chairperson sets the date with the Farms, makes a flyer, collects $, and organizes the cocoa and pizza.
Box Tops for Education - Meg Cordi, Kelly Manoj-John
This chairperson collects Box-‐Tops labels from General Mills (and other products) clipped by families, counts them, and sends them in for reimbursement to our school. The chair also coordinates a Fall and a Spring Classroom Box Tops Collecting Contest.
Ski Club - Dimenna Family
Ski Club takes place on 6 Mondays after school in January and February. The chairperson coordinates with Ski Sundown, finds chaperones, runs informational and safety meeting in October, handles registration, busing, equipment transport, end-‐of-‐season party and communicates with parents regularly.
Hartford Wolfpack Game - Nikki Ferreira
Works with rep. to secure game date, designs and circulates flyers to generate interest, ensures payment is received.
Trivia Night - Justin and Kelly Gullotta
Trivia Night is held in February at our local Cracker Barrel Pub, this committee creates and distributes flyers, coordinates pizza and prizes and creates trivia questions.
Family Fun Night - Jon and Christiana Cooper
The fun event is held in March. It’s a fun family night... with lots of dancing and games. There’s pizza and snacks available for sale and and fun for everyone! Coordinators create and distribute flyers, secure a dj, and procure pizza, snacks and drinks for sale.
Silent Auction - Larry and Kristen Wilder, Alexis Slabinski
One of our most popular events and fantastic at fundraising! These coordinators contact local vendors for prizes to be donated for auction. They coordinate flyers and make postings creating awareness and interest in this yearly event, work with the website host to ensure online bids are received and processed in a timely manner, distribute prizes, record payments, and thank everyone who donates both items and time to this event.
Talent Show - Karen McQueen-McBride
Tariffville students showcase their talents in an amazing show every Spring. The chairperson distributes flyers, runs dress rehearsals, and coordinates setting up acts. Helpers are ALWAYS needed and are greatly appreciated for this fun family evening.
Teacher Appreciation Week - Lori Brandon, Meg Cordi, Shelley Wojtkiewicz, Moira Kenney, Kelly Manoj-John, Alexa Spatcher
Let’s show the Tariffville School Teachers and Staff how much they mean to us! The coordinators design activities (i.e., homemade cards and other surprises) that allow the students to show their appreciation. Coordinators communicate these activities to parents with flyers and emails via room parents, and bring in a wide variety of treats and snacks for our T-ville family.
Carnival - Lori Brandon, Yesenia Rivera, Erin Fable, Meg Cordi, Moira Kenney
Want to be part of the students’ most celebrated event of the year? Work at a game booth (every classroom runs one booth – room parents organize the shifts), bake a cake for the Cake Walk donate an item to the Silent Auction, Drop off a toy for the Tea Cup Raffle.
Mother's Day Plant Sale - Shelley Wojtkiewicz
Obtains plants at cost, designs flyers and sign, mans plant sale stall at school
Yard Goats Game - Nikki Ferreira
Works with rep. to secure game date, designs and circulates flyers to generate interest, ensures payment is received by attendees.
Cultural Enrichment - Lori Brandon, Meg Boyd, Erin Fable
Interested in culture and the arts? Be a part of the town-‐wide board that selects the cultural enrichment programs presented at school assemblies.
Email Notices (“List-serve”) Coordinator - Alexa Spatcher
This person collects submissions regarding PTO news and school-‐wide events to create the list-‐serv emails that go home each week.
Flyer Designer - Natalie Schwartz, Alexa Spatcher, Shelley Wojtkiewicz
Have you ever noticed the artistic, eye-‐catching flyers that come home advertising PTO activities? Using her amazing graphic computer design skills, our Flyer Designer Natalie Moore creates our appealing flyers.
Hospitality Committee - Shelley Wojtkiewicz, Moira Kenney
The PTO provides lovely Teacher Luncheons and Staff Appreciation Day meals. Committee members are our bakers and buyers, and our goodie providers! Sign-‐up genius emails are sent out to members before events. Contribute when you can and pass when you can’t.
Kip’s Cards Fundraiser - Natalie Schwartz
This fundraiser has the potential to become very profitable for our school as parents get in the habit of using gift cards to purchase their everyday needs. The Chairperson distributes flyers and gift-‐card order forms to parents while spreading the word that these cards carry no additional cost. The chair then submits orders online and delivers cards when they arrive
Portrait Fundraiser - Lori Brandon
The chair contacts a studio to set up the dates for photo sittings in May. They create a flyer and sign up for parents. They ensure room set up is complete and collect the sitting fees.
Room Parent Social Chair - Shelley Wojtkiewicz, Moira Kenney
This person serves as the coordinator for all room parents to help assign room parents for each classroom and coordinates the Room Parent Social in September.
School Beautification - Moira Kenney
Have you ever noticed the ever-‐changing, beautiful decorations and wreaths at our school entrance? It’s all thanks to our creative School Beautification Chair who brightens the school with decorations as the seasons change.
Spirit Wear Sale - Shelley Wojtkiewicz, Meg Cordi
The PTO sells apparel with the “Tariffville School” logo each year. The Chairperson coordinates with the vendor, makes apparel offerings selections, prepares a flyer, places the orders, and delivers the items to school.
Yearbook Administrator - Nikki Ferreira, Alexa Spatcher
Do your children LOVE flipping through their Tariffville School Yearbooks every summer? These beautiful, colorful books are filled with pictures and memories of the students’ year at Tariffville. They are made possible by the generous efforts of our teachers and yearbook team. We’ve got the design and photo collection covered. The Administrator would coordinate the sale and delivery for the yearbooks to be sent home with students at the end of the year.
Bulletin Board - Alexa Spatcher
Ever noticed the creative, festive, always-‐changing PTO Bulletin Board at the top of the stairs off the lobby? These awesome creations are thanks to our very talented volunteer. The chairperson plans, decorates and maintains the PTO bulletin board, keeping the students and families in the "know". The bulletin board is updated throughout the school year.
Website Coordinator - Alexa Spatcher
This volunteer updates the school website PTO page, uploads flyers, and keeps the website calendar up-to-date; typically managed by the PTO Secretary position.
Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Coordinator - Meg Cordi
The coordinator sends home flyers to advertise this program and collects stop&shop card numbers from families and teachers as well as creates raffle prizes for the Open Houses.
Want to see something new at our school?
Spearhead your own idea for an activity! The PTO is always looking for new ideas: fundraisers, community events, modes of communication that are lacking... WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR IDEA!