10 Reasons to Get Involved With Maplewood Elementary PTO
1. Your child benefits
When parents get connected to the school, their children do better. Research shows that children whose parents are involved get better grades, do better on tests, and have fewer discipline problems in school.
2. We Make a Difference
Our mission is to create the kind of school community where teachers and administrators can do their best work and so can our children. We provide support for teachers in and out of the classroom. We provide resources they need. We help create learning opportunities for children. And we try to build the kind of supportive, caring atmosphere that makes school fun.
3. We pledge to honor your time constraints
People are often reluctant to participate because they’re afraid they’ll get pulled into a black hole of never-ending time commitment. That won’t happen here. An hour or two a semester really makes a difference. And we won’t push you to commit more than you want to or are able to.
4. We have fun
Volunteer work shouldn’t be drudgery. We accomplish a lot, and not everything we do is easy. But we know we’re not balancing the national debt, either. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we try to enjoy our- selves along the way whenever possible.
5. Meet nice people who share your concerns
We all have a common bond. We care about creating the best possible educational experience for our children. We are neighbors and peers who share many of the same experiences. And many friendships have developed as a result of those connections.
6. There's a lot to be done
These days, schools are asked to do more with less. Our help is needed more than ever to fill the gaps.
7. We can match jobs to your interests and abilities.
The work we do covers a broad spectrum: filing and photocopying, planning and executing events, writing and editing, working directly with children, managing a budget and cash flow, and lots more. We encourage creative ideas, and we’re thrilled to have people take on tasks that meet their skills and interests.
8. We’re welcoming.
To us, there are no “outsiders.” We are people who have come together to work toward common goals. We couldn’t be happier to have you join us in work- ing toward those goals.
9.We’re about parent involvement, not fundraising.
In these times of tight budgets, parent groups every- where are having to fill in the gaps, and so are we. But our number one goal is to get more parents connected to the school. That’s because more than 300 independent research studies show that building parent involvement in education is the number one thing we can do to create a great school and improve student performance.
10. This work is very rewarding
It’s seeing the bright light of learning sparkle in a child’s eye. It’s seeing the smile that shows we’re making school a little more fun and a child feel a little more comfortable in a learning environment. It’s learning that test scores have risen and knowing we played a role. There are lots of rewards, both big and small, for those who get involved. Won’t you join us?