Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
Whitemarsh Elementary PTO Officers
President:
Nancy Rosefeldt
Vice President:
Amanda Boylan
Co-Treasurers:
Kelly Weidman
Elise LaChapelle
Co-Secretaries:
Jen Rote
Carrie Czyzewski
Social Chairs:
Katie Opsasnick
PJ Yaeger
WES PTO Activity Descriptions
The WES PTO holds a number of fundraising and community building events throughout the year that fund assemblies, classroom needs, field trip buses, and more. These events have become a tradition that everyone looks forward to each year. The events are made possible by the event committees that plan, organize, and promote their events.
For anyone interested in being part of a committee, sign-ups are available at the beginning of the school year. In addition to the committee, many events require volunteers to help at the actual event. Sign up lists for the event volunteers will be shared throughout the year and are great way to get involved.
Please note that clearances must be completed and current before you can volunteer.
Pretzel Day
Held generally on the first Friday of each month. Students will receive one pretzel delivered to their classroom prior to their snack time. Full size pretzels from the Pretzel Factory are provided. For students requiring a gluten free alternative, teachers may notify the office and the PTIO will accommodate.
Spirit Wear Sale
The WES Spirit Wear is a great way to stock up on all your Whitemarsh Elementary logo’d gear for the kiddos to wear throughout the year. The sale takes place twice a year in the fall and early spring.
Book Fair
Book Fair is an opportunity for the students to shop and purchase books from Scholastic books. The book fair is set up in the school library and each classroom has a time to come to the book fair and shop. The book fair takes place for a week in the fall and a week in the spring. Students can bring in money or money can be added to an e-wallet for the student to use.
Both book fairs have opportunities for parents and guardians to shop with their student. In the fall they can shop during the Ice Cream Social and in the spring there is a family night with Books and Brownies.
Scarecrow Day
Scarecrow Day is a favorite of the WES students. Wooden scarecrows are set up around the front entrance of WES. Each classroom will have a scarecrow to decorate according to the class’s chosen theme. Parent Liaisons will work with their classrooms to create a list of items to donate for the kids to create their scarecrow. The scarecrows are on display around the front drive of WES throughout the month of October.
Ice Cream Social
The ice cream social is a chance for the WES community to come together and enjoy an ice cream treat together and socialize. Attendees have their choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream along with a large assortment of toppings to make your ice cream extra special. It is one of the PTO's first events in the fall and a fun way to kick off the PTO activities for the year.
Pasta Palooza
Take the night off from cooking and enjoy a lovely Italian dinner served by the WES 3rd graders at Pasta Palooza! Bring friends and family members as this event is open to the community and always a fun time. The high school cafeteria is transformed into an Italian restaurant with the WES 3rd graders as your servers to bring you a delicious pasta dinner complete with salad, bread, and dessert right to your table.
WES Serves
This is a great opportunity to give back to those families in our school and district. Each class is assigned one item for each child to bring into school in the month of November. We collect all the items and make Thanksgiving baskets for those families that need a little extra help during the holidays. Any leftover baskets from the WES Serves Project are gifted to the other Elementary schools in our district.
Plant Sale
The WES Plant Sale occurs in May and is the perfect opportunity to start your flower, herb, and veggie gardens or buy a colorful Mother's Day gift. Our spring fundraiser includes options for hanging baskets, herbs, veggies, and flowers. More information including descriptions and pictures of the available plants are sent home ahead of time so you can choose the perfect assortment. On delivery day, your selected plants will be available in front of WES for you to pick up.
Carnival
The school carnival is the largest PTO event of the school year, both in attendance and money raised for the PTO. The field behind WES is transformed with several bounce houses, games, face painting, balloon animals, and more. Each classroom creates an amazing raffle basket that are so good it’s hard to choose which ones you will use your tickets and hope to win. Come hungry, because there is also a large selection of food and snacks including pizza, Kona Ice, and other treats. Everyone looks forward to this final and biggest event of the year which requires over 90 volunteers to help run and is a great way to get involved.
Glow Party
the Glow party is an event exclusively for the third graders and serves as their big send-off party from WES. The gym is decked out in neon and black lights and gives a great backdrop for some final memories at WES. The PTO provides Glow Party t-shirts to the third graders and teachers. Third grade parents are needed to volunteer for the committee, set up, clean up, and chaperones.
Yearbook
Keeping the tradition going, the yearbook offers the students a way to look back on all the good times they had at WES throughout the year. Pictures are taken by the WES community through the year and submitted to the yearbook committee who arranges them into a fabulous keepsake that your kids will love. Third graders will be gifted a yearbook from the PTO to commemorate their final year at WES.
Restaurant Nights
Restaurant Nights or Dine and Donates are designed to bring our community together and give families a night off from cooking while supporting Whitemarsh Elementary School. Typically, a percentage of all sales is donated back to the school. Keep an eye on the PTO page and Friday emails for any upcoming Restaurant fundraisers.
Pizza Kits
A fun activity to do with the family or friends, pizza kits are pre-measured kits from Collegeville Bakery. They include enough dough, sauce, cheese, and spices to make a 12” pizza. Orders are placed and then on the selected Friday they can be picked up at the school to make at home.
Teacher Appreciation Week
We are so lucky to have such an amazing group of teachers and staff at WES. During Teacher Appreciation week the WES PTO committee chooses a theme and then plans food, activities, and giveaways throughout the week that fit with the theme. This is a wonderful way for the WES community to show how much we appreciate everything the teachers and staff do for our kids.
Social Events
Throughout the year, the social leads plan several events and opportunities for the WES community to come together. Events may include sporting events, parents night out/adult social events, and family -centered activities. The PTO hosts these events as either fundraisers or community-buidling experiences. It's a wonderful way to get to know other WES families and build relationships with new and existing friends.