PTO Council Membership

PTO Council meetings give members the chance to both learn and share. By talking with fellow PTO co-presidents from around Newton, members can hear new and successful ideas to bring back to each school, as well as situations and pitfalls to avoid. Members also have a chance to contribute their own information to help others. We hope these meetings will be a place for co-presidents to share their concerns and successes in a productive and respectful way.

As with most volunteer groups, the value of PTO Council increases as participation of its members increase. We encourage each PTO to send at least one co-president to each meeting. Agendas will be sent out before the meetings so that those interested in a particular subject can be sure to attend.

Participation in other citywide events, such as METCO events and Celebrate Newton!, the annual PTO Council crafts fair, is needed to make these events successful. Other things we count on our members to contribute include:

• Publicizing events and distributing information to parents, ranging from programs specifically sponsored by the PTO Council (such as the multiple programs we co-sponsored with Project INTERFACE last year on topics including Bullying; Anxiety in Children; and Internet Safety), to citywide initiatives like "Newton UnPlugged," to efforts in support of education and education funding, like the April rallies in the past two years to press for increased state aid for education.
• Reporting mandated budget information to comply with the equity policy (for elementary PTOs only).
• Adding budget line items as recommended by PTO Council, such as the recent recommendation for a "social and emotion well being" line item
• Recruiting volunteers in your schools as liaisons with partner organizations such as METCO; the Newton Parents Advisory Council (PAC) for Special Education; the Newton Schools Foundation; and the Child Assault Prevention Program.