Bernazzani PTO
Bernazzani Elementary PTO
701 Furnace Brook Parkway
Quincy, MA 02169
contact
Vision Meeting Notes
During February's PTO meeting, there was consensus among the parents, teachers, and administrators in attendance about reviewing the values of the PTO and discussing what is important to the PTO. It is a good idea to periodically evaluate and re-evaluate an organization. Even when an organization, like our PTO, is strong the opportunity to discuss and reassess gives people an increased feeling of ownership in the organization. We wanted to focus on the future of the PTO- where we want to be and what our role is. In other words, we wanted to discuss our values. And we wanted to discuss this now, as it dovetails perfectly with our next two PTO meetings, in April and May, where we will decide next year's leadership positions and the budget.
To this end, we decided the March PTO meeting would be a special one; a meeting to discuss some big questions about our PTO. These big questions focused on the values and aspirations of the PTO. Attendees of the meeting broke into small groups and discussed each question. Below are the responses from the groups to those big questions.
This was the beginning of the conversation. We hope you will add your input and voice to the conversation. We look forward to hearing from you. This is our PTO, our school, our community.
1. What are our values? What is important for our child's school experience?
Safe and comfortable environment
Good Role Modeling
Strong Education
Good information and flow of communication
Strong Community
Develop Love of Learning
Social skill development
Community Service
Diversity of experience, background, culture, thought, and learning styles
Tolerance and Inclusion- everyone belongs
Encouragement to do their personal best
Creativity in learning and instruction
School point of contact to entire community
Connections local and larger
Respect for selves, others, teachers, and administrators
Targeted and enriching activities
Build on what the school is doing
Increasing parent involvement
Values coincide
How issues are resolved in the classroom
Communication and partnership between parents and teachers
Participation in extracurricular activities
Happy, well-adjusted, and well-rounded children
Exposure to the arts
2. What is the role of the PTO in the school?
Support and supplement enrichment
Community BuildingLiaison
Voice of parents for school community concerns
Fundraising
Enhance the student experience
Forum for sharing ideas and concerns with other parents, teachers & school administrators
Resolve issues
Bring ideas to the larger school community-providing ways to present thoughts through
website, email, etc.
Explore and implement improvements to the educational opportunities in school and school community
Utilize skills of members for good of whole school
Encourage communication, participation & foster community between parents and school
Effective communication about expectations per child/per grade and what Quincy Public
Schools offers to children of differing abilities
Follow the mission statement
Provide for needs of teachers and students
3. What are our expectations of the PTO? What do we expect the PTO to accomplish?
Reach our budget through fundraising and review the programs funded
Function as parents', teachers', and students' voices
Bring Bernazzani community together
Provide opportunities for fun, family-oriented events
Support structure to help solve problems
Contributing to the functionality of the school
Goal setting
More parent involvement
Community partnerships- work with local businesses
Follow through on ideas and concerns brought up at meetings- "old" business
Bring creative thinking to school events and activities
Community building
Collaboration
Role modeling- respectful process. Represent PTO in a positive light
Coordinate parent involvement in meetings, classroom presence, events, and fundraising
Purposeful meetings
Link between parents and teachers- communication
Advocate QPS administration and School Committee for improvements
Provide and find tools and serve as conduit for enrichment and learning and curriculum
support- not always through money, but also through networking and contacts
4. How do we measure success as a PTO?
Success based on the goals defined in mission statement
Maintain strong community base
Programs and services provided
Opportunities offered
Reached our goals and our needs have been met
Effective communication tools
Percentage of out of districts transferring in
Budget- money raised
Level of parent and family participation- not necessarily attendance in meetings
Amount of feedback
Event turnout
Fundraiser participation
Positive attitude
Openness to new ideas, experiences, and opportunities and following through on them
Members are able to contribute and take away some valuable experiences and information with them
Goal setting, review of goals, and reassess expectations
Ideas and Possible Action Items:
Enrichment (Talent Show)
New family orientation and new parent group
Teacher reports (information on training, etc.)
Educator presentations or guest speakers
Childcare for PTO meetings
Survey students, teachers, and parents about what kinds of events they would like
Respectfully submitted,
Scott Alessandro
Copyright 2011 Bernazzani PTO. All rights reserved.
Bernazzani Elementary PTO
701 Furnace Brook Parkway
Quincy, MA 02169
contact
