Mrs. Misty's Kindergarten Class

 PTO

    Our PTO is the best in the county. So many things are provided to the teachers, staff, and students because of the great fundraising and volunteering they do. Our president this year is Phyllis Crawford. We are looking forward to another great year here at West Chester.

     Volunteering can come in many forms for the PTO. One of the biggest ways to volunteer is during the Fall Festival activities. Our Fall Festival Royalty will begin soon. If you are new to the county, don't be fooled by the name of the title. It is not a beauty contest!! These parents and children put in lots of time and hard work. When the paper work comes home, you decide whether or not you wish your child to partcipate. Boys and girls from each classroom become the "Royalty". These children and parents are responsible for PTO royalty fundraising. Parents and students in the past have come up with some creative ideas to raise money in the few short weeks that are given to them including selling breakfast items to the teachers, making jewelry, T-shirts, etc. If you choose not to participate in the Royalty aspect of Fall Festival they will still need volunteers to work at the many stations during the Festival itself (cake walk, auction, games, meal, etc.)

     PTO calls for volunteers to help serve treats during Fun Fridays also. Fun Friday is held once a month and treats the entire school to popcorn, nachos, etc. This takes a lot of work and preperation and the more volunteers they have, the easier it will be.

 In the Classroom

    Through the year, I will need volunteers for various things such as parties, field trips, etc. I will also need volunteers periodically to help make/decorate things. I generally do not ask for volunteers for the first few weeks of school however, because the children are becoming adjusted to the "no parent" environment and the presence of a parent sometimes upsets students.

     Cleaning is something that I will be calling volunteers for this year so get out your scroungy clothes!

    One of the most fun things we do in my room is our Christmas Crafts Day. I use an entire morning at the beginning of December and we make LOTS of ornaments for our classroom Christmas tree which the children will take home when Christmas break arrives. This requires many parents and the children love it!

    Accelerated Reader (AR) is another activity that could possible begin after the year has settled in. Parent volunteers will be needed to come and read provided books and then give tests to the children on the computer. These tests check the child's comprehension level of the material that they just heard. This is an on/again, off/again thing in my room each year depending on what the kids need and are capable of. I will call for help on this when and if it is needed.

     I also sometimes ask willing parents to take things home and cut out or put together for me. Let me know if you would be willing to volunteer in this way in our classroom.

     There are also special days that I will need help such as parties or during Dr. Seuss week.

 Look for Help Wanted sections in the newsletter each week to see how you can help this year. :)