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Health & Fitness

An Appeal to Parents of Children in Little Silver Schools

PTO seeks candidates for open Executive Board positions.

Dear Parents,

At this time of the school year, it is tradition that we elect an Executive Board for the PTO for the upcoming school year. Per our By-Laws, Board members serving up to two consecutive years must rotate out so that new ones may join and ensure the continuity of the PTO.

As the senior Co-President, I will be stepping down in June. We will also be bidding farewell to Lorry Talavera, our Recording Secretary, and Mary Chamberlain, our Assistant Treasurer. Our 2012-2013 Executive Board, known affectionately as “The Magnificent 7,” was rounded out with 4 who will be staying on for another year: Phyllis Sauer as President, Gretchen O’Kane as Treasurer, Beth McLoone as Corresponding Secretary, and Kristen Gardner as Events Coordinator.

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We have worked together as team so tremendously this year, it is hard for me to say goodbye. I greatly respect each of these ladies for what they bring to the table in terms of smarts and energy. It is my hope that the magic continues next year and I know, with Phyllis, Gretchen, Beth and Kristen still in place, that it will.

So... the point to this letter... we have openings to fill! We invite and encourage each of you to consider applying to be a member of the PTO Board for the 2013-2014 school year, and perhaps the 2014-2015 school year, as well. The following positions are open:

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  • Vice President
  • Assistant Treasurer
  • Recording Secretary
  • Public Relations Manager

Previous experience is not required. You will be working with aforementioned seasoned executives who will welcome you to the team and bring you up to speed.

How much time is required? We meet once a month for two hours and we do the rest of our work through email. The 8 members of the Board oversee approximately 40 committees (5 committees under each Board member) – so, as a Board member, in addition to 2 hours of meetings a month, you would also be responsible for working with your committees as needed to ensure their events are carried out successfully.

I know full well that time can be an issue for us, as parents. I am a mother of three and I work 50 hours a week as a project manager for a healthcare communications company. Trust me when I say, I understand. But your children will only be going through Point Road and Markham once. Please... MAKE THE TIME.

What does the PTO do? It’s not easy to describe what we do in a tagline, so instead, I will present you with a look at our 2012-2013 year:

  • September: We put together the school directory, organized room parents and selected PTO Board trustees. We appointed committee chairs to organize Library Helpers in both schools and committee chairs for the PRS after school Extra-Curricular Clubs: the Chess Club, the Green Team, the Lego Club, and the Theatre Club. We put year-long plans in place to have our Sunshine Committee coordinate meals for those in need, for the Point Road School Store to be operational, and for our Hospitality Committee to be on site with snacks and drinks at virtually every single school event. We began weekly communications to all of you via our Constant Contact-powered Friday newsletter. Our former PTO presidents prepared Welcome Baskets for families new to the school district. We spoke at Back to School Nights and coordinated Teacher Appreciation Luncheons at both schools. We invited Dr. Kossack to speak about the strategic goals for our school district during our first PTO General Session meeting of the year.
  • October: We hosted the first of our “Big Fundraisers,” the Little Silver Classic 5K. We helped 7th grade room parents run a car wash in an effort to fund-raise for Camp Bernie and brought Kit’s Interactive Theatre into MPS via our Cultural Arts Committee. We brought a “Masked Marvels” presentation to PRS and organized the fall cleanup of the Courtyard. We also ran Gift-Wrapping and Warrior Spiritwear sales in advance of the holidays, sponsored a “World Series” food drive for Lunch Break, and initiated a “Drive 25” safety awareness campaign. We had Angie Rosen in to speak about online curriculum resources at our PTO General Session meeting, and we presented Mr. Morolda with the Warrior Mascot and Warrior tee shirts for the entire school!
  • November: In response to Hurricane Sandy which devastated so many of our families, we set up “Warrior Powered!,” an online bulletin board where people could ask for or offer help. We collected frozen turkeys for Lunch Break and Little Silver families, and we also worked behind the scenes with Dr. Albert and Mr. Morolda as case-by-case requests came in for assistance.
  • December: We worked with Lori Sachetto and Barnes and Noble to bring the Markham Book Fair to life, and with Stephanie Bennett and the RBR Music department help replace musical instruments for Union Beach schools. We also organized Teacher Appreciation Cookie Exchanges in both schools.
  • January: We hosted the first of our “Family Events,” Ice Skating at the Red Bank Armory. We ran 5th/6th Grade Night and also Teen Night at Markham. Our Community Outreach Committee organized a blanket/towel drive for the SPCA and a “Soup-er Bowl” food drive for Lunch Break. At our PTO General Session meeting, we had Detective Bruccoliere and Dr. Kossack address Internet safety and school building safety issues in response to the Newtown shootings.
  • February: We hosted Markham’s Got Talent and worked in conjunction with Friends of Different Learners to bring Markham CARES to fruition. We ran a snack drive for Highlands Elementary School Hurricane Sandy victims. We worked with Miss Fitzpatrick and Scholastic to run the Point Road Book Fair/Ball. We collected upwards of $1,600 in our first of two BoxTop collections and we awarded close to $6,000 to our teachers in the form of grants for activities and classroom items not funded by the district. These grants covered: math games, phonics kits, art materials, listening center materials, USB recorders and chargers, musical guest artists, music tee shirts, resource room books, Doodle Dude cartooning, a set of encyclopedias, Spanish board games, and funding for 7th grade Civil War Day. 
  • March: We partnered with Friends of Different Learners again to bring Different Learners Day to Point Road 3rd graders. We brought “Frog and Toad” and “Odyssey” Cultural Arts performances to PRS and MPS respectively, helped with concessions and the cast party for the MPS play “Cinderella,” and we began preparations for the end of the year 4th grade and 8th grade graduation ceremonies. We also invited Dr. Kossack to discuss the 2013-2014 school budget at our PTO General Session meeting.
  • April: We coordinated with RBR, Shrewsbury and Red Bank Middle School parent groups to bring a “Race to Nowhere” viewing and panel discussion to our community. We are currently partnering with RBR freshmen to collect used shoes and Lunch Break to collect enough food to stock panty shelves for the summer. We hosted the second of our “Big Fundraisers,” the Little Silver Rummage Sale, and worked with Dr. Albert to coordinate PRS Courtyard spring cleanup efforts. Before the month ends, we will be hosting children’s book author Eileen Christelow at PRS.
  • May and June: Still to come... we will be hosting the second of our “Family Events,” Little Silver Night at the Lakewood Blueclaws, featuring a national anthem performance by the PRS and MPS choruses. Our 2nd BoxTops contest of the year will bring in more funds for us. We will have Illstyle & Peace give a dance performance at PRS and a Holocaust survivor speak to the 8th grade. We will run the Art Shows in both schools, the Mother’s Day Plant Sale and the Picnic at Point Road, the Carnival at Markham, and of course, the graduations.

Parents – Please don’t let “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know what the PTO does” get in the way of you getting involved. We need you!

If you have questions or comments or if you’d like to throw your hat in the ring to be on our Executive Board, please contact Michelle Lane (jmca138@verizon.net), Phyllis Sauer (phylliscsauer@msn.com) or myself. We will be accepting nominations through Friday, May 3 and will announce the new board at our May 13 PTO General Session meeting.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Claire Harbeck Izzo
Outgoing PTO Co-President
(izbeck@verizon.net)

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