August 2009
Dear Peabody families,
If you’re new this year, welcome! If you’ve been in this community before, welcome back! Peabody is such a great place to be. In addition to the wonderful staff and great students,
Peabody has an unusually active PTO (Parent Teacher Organization). Many of us have found fun and friendship as we’ve given our time and talents to benefit our school community through events sponsored by the PTO. As we begin the school year, consider with us…
What if there was no PTO?
If there was no PTO, there would be no back to school parties with ice cream served on the lawn. Folks would miss a warm welcome when bringing their kindergartener to school for screening. There would be no coffee and Kleenex waiting for kindergarten parents on the first day of school.
Without our PTO beautiful art work, created by the children would not adorn the halls of our school, nor could you purchase an original creation made by your child to give as a special gift.
If Peabody did away with the PTO, fewer caring adults would supervise students as they cross the streets and negotiate the parking lot. We would say goodbye to our Turkey Trot in the fall and flower sale in the spring.
If not PTO volunteers, who would write grants, collect canned food, and honor Peabody staff with luncheons and special treats? Who would collect box tops and soup labels so that kids could have new toys for the playground?
Let’s say we cancelled PTO this year, would we miss the more than $60,000 that we raise for extra academic and emotional support for the kids and for the mobile computer lab, the document cameras, and other technology that we’ve been able to donate?
PTO is so much more than a monthly meeting. It’s a movement. And by joining the movement, our kids win.
We’re looking forward to another great year!
Your co-presidents,
Leticia Higdon (LLopezHigdon@earthlink.net)