The PTO has a Birthday Bulletin Board to the left of the Central office. It is updated with the children’s pictures and birthday dates.   Our commitee chair needs help taking those pictures.  If you have a camera and school hours available, Monica Degand needs your help.  Please e-mail her at degandm@centralptonews.org.

Our famous Central Yearbook, The Roadrunner, needs your help.

Fifth graders interested in joining the yearbook staff as a reporter or photographer
need to turn in their permission slips to their teachers by Friday, Sept. 11.
Interested students should make sure to indicate why they want to join the staff and
get a parent’s okay to participate.

Can’t find your original form? Please download form here .

We’re also recruiting parents to join the Roadrunner team.

If you’re interested in taking photos of events and activities for the yearbook,
Please download volunteer form and return it to Kim Frank via the PTO mailbox in the Central office.

Interested in joining our newly formed committee? Dawn Gmitro, our Environmental Concerns Chair, will host a volunteer meeting on September 24th at 8:45 in the Central Conference Room. They will discuss ideas and goals for the upcoming year.

Please come! If you are unavailable to attend the meeting or have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Dawn at gmitrod@centralptonews.org. There are plenty of opportunities for working parents/grandparents/ guardians. Thank you.

WHEN? Monday, September 14, 2009 8:30 a.m.

WHERE? Central School 1st floor conference room

WHO? Moms, Dads, Grandparents.


WHY? Cultural Arts is an easy and great way to be involved in your child’s class.

HOW EASY IS IT? You choose the date and time of the day that works for you within the school year. Just arrange it with your child’s teacher.

WHAT WOULD I DO? You present the “picture of the month” to the class. You can work with a friend (or spouse) if you like. It is up to you. The research is done for you on the artist and the artwork…and is available on-line. Learn a little and share a little with the class.

You also conduct an art related activity as a follow-up to the artist and artwork that was looked at that day. (Ideas and suggestions are provided – folders provide examples).

The whole thing takes about 45 minutes. That’s it!

WOULD I LIKE IT? Most likely, YES.

HOW DO I SIGN UP? An information and sign-up meeting will be held on September 14th at 8:30 a.m. in the Central conference room. Don’t worry if you cannot make the meeting, you may also sign up in the school office at the front desk through September 30, 2009. You may also contact Molly Carl (carlm@centralptonews.org), Lara Gatermann (gatermannl@centralptonews.org) or Carole Fortman (fortmanc@centralptonews.org).

View the original flier here.

Calling all Library Volunteers! We need your help! Please come to the library volunteer orientation meeting on Friday, September 4, from 11:00am – 12:00noon in the library.

Who can volunteer? Hopefully, you. If you know of anyone (Parents, grandparents, relatives and friends) who would like to help, please encourage them to come!

Are you the parent of a new student? This is a great opportunity for you to become involved at the school. Every pair of hands is needed.

What volunteer opportunities are available? When can I volunteer? There are volunteer opportunities both during class library time and at your convenience. During class library time, you can read a story (grades K – 3), help the children find books (grades K-5), and use the OPAC system (on-line card catalogue system) (grades 1 – 5).

Other ways to help include the following: re-shelving books (always needed), repairing/covering books, shelf reading, and decorating the monthly bulletin board. Training will be provided for all positions.

Why? It’s fun and easy to do. You can make a big difference in the quality of library services available to the children, and the children are happy to see you participate. You also will be able to keep up with the latest children’s books!

When can I sign up to volunteer? Sign up at the library orientation meeting on September 4th from 11:00am – 12:00pm in the library. If you are unable to attend, please contact Jeannine Glavas or your Lead Room Parent as soon as possible.

A class library schedule along with the corresponding Lead Room Parent(s) names and e-mail addresses will be provided at the meeting.

Questions? Please contact Jeannine Glavas at glavasj@centralptonews.org. Thank you!

Original Flier

Mark your calendars for the Central School Family Fun Night! Join us on September 25th from 5:30-7:30 PM* to kick-off the school year with other Central families. Family Fun Night will take place behind Central/Hauser in the school parking lot. This is a great way to meet new Central friends and catch up with old friends.

Don’t miss our games, prizes and giant jumpee! Dance lessons will be provided by Riverside’s Principle Dance along with rockin tunes from our DJ! What if all of that dancing gets you hungry? Pizza, popcorn and ice cream too! Look for more information about this exciting event over the next few weeks.

We are currently looking for parent volunteers to sign-up for 1/2 hour time slots to help set-up, serve food and supervise activities during the event on September 25th. This is a great way to meet other parents. If you are interested in volunteering — please contact Tracy Sloan at sloant@centralptonews.org. Thanks in advance for your help.

*Note – event time was originally published as 6-8PM. Correct time is 5:30-7:30PM.

Are you looking for a great opportunity to help our kids and Central School? If so, we need your help. The following PTO Committee Chair/Co-Chair positions are available and looking for enthusiastic volunteers:

Book Fair – Lead and coordinate the spring fund raiser April 5 – 9, 2010. There are many assistant volunteers to help – we need someone to coordinate their activities in setting up, decorating, scheduling for classrooms, cashiers, and clean-up. This annual event is much loved as it encourages a life-long passion for books and reading.

Central 100% Fund – Promote and monitor participation in the PTO’s most lucrative fund raiser. Please help us lead up this effort to solicit tax-deductible contributions. This funding supports PTO programs and activities. The 100% Fund Chair is a great position for those with availability during non-school hours (you set your schedule!).

Cultural Arts – Classroom – a Co-Chair is needed from October 2009 through May 2010, to ensure the assigned volunteers have their classroom schedules and available materials for the monthly presentations. Please help us facilitate bring the arts into our kids’ classrooms.
(Note – the Cultural Arts Fieldtrip Chair and Co-Chair positions have been filled.)

Halloween Play – Produce our very own PTO Halloween play. A fan favorite! No writing experience needed as we have a playwright, but we lack a producer.

Turn-off-TV Week – let’s “unplug” for a week. We need a Chairperson, or a team of chairpersons, to coordinate this annual event that encourages our kids to turn off the TV, as well as other electronic media (computers, games, music, etc.).

If you are interested in any of these once a year — will not be offered again for a year, opportunities, please e-mail Nancy Hutchings at firstvp-nancy@centralptonews.org or Jennifer Sedivy at
firstvp-jenn@centralptonews.org.

Hope you are enjoying the summer!!

The 2009-2010 budget meeting is happening on June 23rd. If you chaired a committee in 2008-09 or are chairing one in the 2009-10 year, please review the expense line item for your committee. The PTO usually assumes that a committee requires the same amount of funding as was spent last year. If you feel that your committee requires more or less funding, we want to hear that. If you spent a lot of your own money to make an event happen, we want to hear that too! If you have already communicated with the board regarding this issue, we have that request on file and do not need another. Our fundraising VP, Samantha Durst, will be in touch with you if you are chairing a committee that is an income line item.

You can download the budget comparison in PDF or Excel format.

Thanks for your time during the lazy, rainy-so-far, summer days!

The Library still needs volunteers to shelf books. It’s the end of the year preparation for next year. Your help is really needed. A half hour just after drop off or before pick-up is greatly appreciated.

Help wanted for 2009/10, fabulous opportunity for motivated individuals, benefits will come in hugs from our children and your name in the infamous PTO calendar.

We are fast approaching the end of the school year and we still need your time and talent in a few areas next year! We have received lots of your committee and room parent forms (thank you, thank you), but several committees remain un-chaired (say it ain’t so!). The PTO would greatly appreciate your taking the time to read through the following list and consider chairing/co-chairing one of the committees listed. Please send an email to Jennifer Sedivy at firstvp-jenn@centralptonews.org before school lets out, or you might find her knocking on your door, calling your home, disturbing the general peace of your summer months…no one wants that to happen! Thank you very much for your consideration.

• Book Fair: Seeking a DYNAMIC TRIO. Urgent Need! Do you want to be loved and revered by teachers, students and parents alike? We need 3 co-chairs to take over this fantastic event loved by the whole Central School community. This is a wonderful opportunity to run a major event for the school and learn from the current chair, Beverly Aieta, who will run the fair for one more year to train the next co-chair “team” and pass on all of her wonderful knowledge in this area. (The book fair is scheduled for the week of April 5th, 2010, immediately following spring break).
• Cultural Arts: The Cultural Arts Committee needs another co-chair for the classroom presentations. This is a position that is busy in September organizing the presenters for each grade level and classroom. The children love to have mom, dad, caregivers come into the classroom to discuss a work of art. Cultural Arts in the Classroom cannot happen without someone to help organize it. There is an immediate need to fill this position (1-2 people).
• 100% Fund: Promote our tax-deductible fundraiser (generally with flyers). Great for a working parent.
• Birthday Boards: Needs one more co-chair to share the responsibility…can you take every other month and honor student and staff birthdays on the hallway bulletin board?
• Pavers: Promote brick paver dedication program during fall and spring with flyers.
• Roller Skating: Reserve the rink for Central’s October skating event (usually an early-release day).
• School Supplies: Coordinate the online ordering and distribution of pre-packaged school supplies. Many people love this convenient way to obtain school supplies, but we currently have no one to coordinate it.
• Science in a Can (K, 2, 4th Grades): Organize and replenish cans once per week for 10-12 wks in winter (30-45 min.)
• TV Turn-Off Week: Plan/execute this event where children choose to be active, rather than watching tv, playing video games, etc. Folder is available with all of the information from this year’s successful first annual tv turn-off event.
• Programs: Select and schedule 2-3 daytime all-school assemblies for the year.

Thanks for your honest consideration of your time and talents!

If one of these opportunities sound like a heck of a lot of fun, contact Jennifer Sedivy at firstvp-jenn@centralptonews.org and win her unending gratitude.