Peters Township PTAs offer time, money on students’ behalf
Peters Township Middle School PTA parents baked and served apple themed snacks to the students during lunch for Apple Crunch Day.
The PTA organized parent volunteers and instructors for Junior Achievement Day at McMurray Elementary School.
Whether time really is money, the PTAs in Peters Township School District provide an ample supply of both.
Be it helping the district’s budget by furnishing funds for equipment or coming up with people power for student-oriented activities, the groups in the various buildings that unite parents and teachers have an impact that newcomers can’t help but notice.
“My first day on the job, I met with the PTA, and it was evident that the PTA had the heartbeat of the building,” former Pleasant Valley Elementary School principal Michael Fisher said. “They helped plan a lot of programs. We set the calendar, and there were so great opportunities provided for the kids throughout the year.”
The district’s current assistant to the superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment was sufficiently impressed.
“It was really nice to see that, as an administrator, not only did you have the support of the teachers, but the support of the community,” he said.
The high school, middle school and each of the three elementary buildings have their own PTA units, which are supported by the Peters Township PTA Area Council, part of District 9, Region 4 of the Pennsylvania PTA. The area council serves as a central resource for all the units and, in turn, as a link to administrators.
“There’s a very strong line of communication between the PTAs and the district, in general,” Shelly Belcher, district communications coordinator, said. “Having that relationship helps them put their efforts to better use, and it helps us get more bang out of what we’re trying to do academically. So it really works both ways.”
Here is a look at the various PTA entities within Peters Township School District and what they do on behalf of students.
PTA Area Council (districtwide)
Meetings: 9:15 a.m. on the Thursday following each month’s regular school board meeting, in the board room at the district administration office. Representatives of all buildings are encouraged to participate.
Major activities: coordinate the PTA Reflections contest throughout the district; select and provide recommendations for the school photographer contract; solicit advertisements and donations for the district directory, which in turns is provided free to families; provide grants for equipment and teachers’ reading initiatives; maintain a welcoming committee
Quotable: “It seems that whenever somebody needs help, they come to PTA because they know that we’re able and willing to help.” – Margaret Rauscher, PTA Area Council president
Visit: www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/PTA.aspx
Peters Township High School (Grades 9-12)
Meetings: 9:15 a.m. the second Thursday of each month during the school year in the rear section of the high school library
Major activities: operate the home-side concession stand at football games as its main fundraiser; make donations toward purchases ($11,000 for 25 Google Chromebooks and two LED televisions last school year); award scholarships to high school seniors; help coordinate the annual Welcome Back Night, College Planning Night, Homecoming Spirit Week, Senior Class Breakfast and ambassador program for new students.
Quotable: “A lot of parents have gone back to work at this point, when their kids are in high school and middle school. A lot of people may not be able to come to events, but they’re able to bake or cook or donate.” – Mary Pat DeRienzo, Peters Township High School PTA president
Visit: www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/hspta.aspx
Peters Township Middle School (Grades 7-8)
Meetings: 9:15 a.m. the first Thursday of each month, September through November and January through May, in the Large Group Instruction Room
Major activities: coordinate activities such as school dances, open houses, variety shows, eighth-grade awards and seventh-grade orientation; provide funding for items including virtual-reality headsets, LGI Room microphones, a poster-making machine, interactive boards for classrooms and a jukebox for the cafeteria
Quotable: “I’m consistently impressed with just how much time is dedicated and donated, completely removed from any type of compensation, to really help our school excel. I’m constantly amazed by that, how many people are willing to give up their own personal time to benefit our kids.” – Adam Sikorski, principal
Visit: www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/msPTA.aspx
McMurray Elementary School (Grades 4-6)
Meetings: 9:15 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month, September through December and February through May
Major activities: organize assemblies that correspond with the school curriculum; plan various parties and socials, including welcoming events for fourth-graders, Bingo Night for fifth-graders and Bump Up Day for sixth-graders; technology-oriented donations for the school at large
Quotable: “Our McMurray kids, at the top end, they’re 12. And at the low end, they start out at 9. So they still want to have fun at our school, and we need to remember that just because they’re not in the lower grades anymore doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy games in December and passing out valentines in February.” – Cathy O’Neill, McMurray PTA president
Visit: www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/mPTA.aspx
Bower Hill Elementary (Grades K-3)
Meetings: 9:15 a.m. the first Wednesday of each month, September through December and February through May
Major activities: coordinate a Readathon for students, which raises $20,000-plus annually; organize events such as classroom parties, art shows, book fairs, collection drives and the end-of-the-year Bower Hill Day
Quotable: “It’s nice that parents are getting involved, and they’re also bringing new ideas. We had a parent who started a kindergarten welcoming committee in her neighborhood, and it went really well. So she brought it to the Bower Hill board and said, ‘I’d love to be able to do this for everyone who comes through kindergarten.’ And we made it happen.” – Karen Lingis, Bower Hill PTA president
Visit: www.ptsd.k12.pa.us/bpta.aspx
Pleasant Valley Elementary (K-3)
Meetings: for the remainder of the 2016-17 school year, 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, April 5 and May 3
Major activities: raise money for equipment, such as the recent purchase of a 20-pad cart and standing stations for tablets; organizing events such as Family Fun Night, Breakfast with Someone Special, PV’S Got Talent, the end-of-the-year Tons of Fun and the annual Readathon
Quotable: “We really like that we can offer enrichment after school, things that the kids can be in the building doing after hours that are fun. We like that they can run around and have a good time. There’s something that goes on almost every day of the week after school.” – Jackie Beck, Pleasant Valley PTA president