There are many ways to get involved with the PTO. Whatever your talents or interests, there is most likely an opportunity that will work for you. The easiest way to get started is to send us an email (info@wespto.info) or fill out our contact form and let us know what you’d like to do.
Below is a brief description of the programs that we run. We appreciate any amount of time you can give to the PTO. Without your help, we could not exist.
Volunteer Opportunities
YEAR LONG COMMITMENTS
–Room parents– Great for parents who prefer to work from home…You will be the liaison between your child’s teacher and the rest of the parents. The majority of this job will be done via email.
–PTO Bulletin Board– Great for a creative mind! Come up with monthly themes & showcase upcoming events so WES families see what’s happening at the PTO
–PTO Website– great for computer savvy individuals and writers…keep the PTO website up to date and looking good! This can be done from home, on your schedule.
–Boxtops– for the organized among us. Keep track of the boxtops collected at WES and turn them into the boxtops organization for money for WES.
-Welcome Committee for New Families- Help new WES families feel connected to the school community. You will be paired with a new family and help them navigate their new school. This can simply be a matter of answering questions they may have throughout the year. You may also want to host a coffee at the school or help with a new family outing in town.
–Clothing Sale– something for everyone in this opportunity. Entering its 10th year, this sale is the primary fundraiser for the WES PTO. It is a green fundraiser that benefits the community at large by recycling gently used baby, child and teen clothing, shoes and other items. WES receives 100% of the proceeds of the sale- a terrific win-win.
We hold 2 sales a year: the mega annual May sale held in the gym, and the smaller booster sale of winter wear that happens in October. To make the sales happen, the team of 4-6 captains rely on volunteers to do everything from sorting donations to mending clothes. We even get the help every year of the 6th grade class, who carry bins, hang clothes and receive a donation for their class trip in appreciation.
How can you get involved with the Clothing Sale?
- Donate! Think of WES first when cleaning out closets and give back to the school community by letting the WES PTO resell these items.
- Volunteer! We hold regular sorting and pricing sessions during or after school and on weekends. No experience is needed and any help makes a big difference. We often offer babysitting.
- Design your own hours! We need people who can manage our press releases, line up advertising, order supplies, wash clothes, do small mending jobs, and much much more! Any amount of time or any interest can be met with a role in the sale. It only continues to happen thanks to the parents involved!
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ONE TIME EVENTS:
Grade Coffees: New this year & a great way to meet people! Scattered throughout the year, the coffees take place next to the main office, after morning drop off. Volunteers for this will send invitations to their grade parents, set up the coffee in the morning, and be a welcome face for parents to see.
School Photos: (September) Provide support for the photographers and help for the younger children as they get their school photos taken. Only requirement is a little patience!
Words are Wonderful: (October) Great for language lovers! WAW is a week long celebration of the written word, with activities during the school day and special evening event. Visiting authors come to the school to work with the students, students participate in a book-themed parade, a school wide assembly is held at the 62 Center, members of the Williamstown community come and read to the students, and much more! Volunteers are needed for all facets of this program, from helping with promotion to chaperoning visiting authors, there is something for everyone to choose from.
Book Fair: (October) This is a great fundraiser for the school! Help with setting up, be a cashier, help children choose a book….lots to choose from. There are time slots during the school day and in the evening. You can also co-chair this event, in which case you can help oversee the entire fair and work with the Scholastic representatives to choose merchandise and books for the fair.
Recycled Reads – Help distribute gently used books to WES students during Words are Wonderful week and again at the end of the school year.
Arts Enrichment: Every January, a special performance is held for the students, sponsored by the PTO. Volunteers with the arts enrichment program will find a program suitable for elementary school students, and should have the performance(s) tie in to current classroom studies, if possible.
Student Author Night (March/April) At this evening event, students and their parents gather at WES and the students read their poems, stories and essays to small groups. The organizers of this event will need to contact volunteers to serve as facilitators in the small groups, as well as organize and advertise the event.
Camp Fair: (April) This is great for the organized among us. The camp fair team will contact local camps and organizations that offer summer programs for elementary aged children. All the camps will send representatives to WES for the fair & the camp fair volunteers will help set up the gym on the day of the event, as well as put together maps and brochures with camp contact information.
Staff Appreciation Week (May), During the first week of May, parents show their gratefulness and support for the staff at WES. Volunteers can help come up with special treats for the staff. We need help with organizing the week’s events, as well as volunteers to donate items for breakfasts and lunches.
Field Day (June) This end of the year school celebration needs fun and energetic people to help Ms. Kirby run various sporting events.
Walk for WES (June) This end of the year fundraiser mixes fun, community building, and exercise into one great afternoon. Volunteers are needed to find community sponsors of the event and help with organization.