PTO plays active role at Santa Rosa

The Maricopa Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is dedicated to providing an excellent educational experience for students at Santa Rosa Elementary. The group raises funds to help with field trips and classroom materials. They also provide staff support. Made up of parents, grandparents, instructors, administrators and students, this is a local, grassroots group that is very active.

Speaking last Friday to the MOMS Social Club, President Stephannie Spencer and special needs chairman Zoe Redfern outlined some of the group’s projects, present, past and future. Because they are a local group and the only PTO in Maricopa, there are no dues for members. Being a PTO rather than a nationally affiliated PTA is better according to Redfern. “It gives us more empowerment.”

Stephannie Spencer (left) and Zoe Redfern outline PTO activities and plans for the MOMS Social Club.

During this school year members hosted a teacher appreciation luncheon, organized a school wide rummage sale, donated $50 gift cards to Lakeshore Learning Center to each certified teacher during the holiday season, helped staff the school carnival and volunteered in the classrooms and on campus. They also host a birthday table each month to recognize students on their special day.

Presently members are painting colorful murals on the walls of the school. They are beginning a grant program for teachers to request up to $150 to attend educational conferences and programs. Part of the grant is the agreement that the teacher will facilitate an in-service for his or her colleagues at a later date.

A special needs resource library is being established. This summer the PTO will host a Lifeskills training program for Santa Rosa teachers to complement the student curriculum. A grant request is in progress from the Shade Foundation to get sunshades for playground equipment that can be dangerous to children in the Arizona heat.

In order to fund these various projects, the PTO has sponsored Chuck E. Cheese nights, a Barnes and Noble book fair, Box Tops 4 Education, Campbell’s soup labels, Schoolpop.com, and worked with Mama T’s Pizza in Maricopa. In addition to these methods and outright donations, they raised nearly $9,000 from the Sally Foster gift-wrap and giftware sale.

The next big fundraiser is the first Santa Rosa Showdown, a benefit golf tournament to be held on Saturday, May 14, at The Duke. Sponsored by Core Construction and KBHomes, the fee will be $100 per golfer with prizes, carts, lunch and goodie bags included. The registration deadline is May 6.

The purpose of this tournament is to raise funds to purchase a special needs playground and to equip it for students with physical disabilities. Such equipment will be wheelchair accessible, providing possibly the first opportunity for special needs children to play on a slide or swing. A spaghetti dinner is also being planned to raise funds. The PTO’s goal is to raise $15,000 for the playground equipment, its installation and shades.

Prior to the golf tournament, the PTO has scheduled DisABILITY Awareness Week from April 18-22. National speakers Pam Fordham and Fiona Page will be on hand to talk about what it means to face challenges due to a disability.

Maricopa PTO will have elections for their executive board positions on May 9 in the Santa Rosa cafeteria. For additional information on membership or the benefit golf tournament, contact Stephannie Spencer at 568-3197 or Zoe Redfern at 568-3957.