Look What $155K of PTO Cash Scores Osborn School

If you think running a PTO is for the faint of heart… nope.

In an update sent to parent, Osborn PTO reported $155K raised the past school year, with the dough put to work for a new playground and various enrichment activities. Tale a look at the "annual report":

"This year, the PTO raised over $155,000 for Osborn School. We funded $111,000 out of our operating budget for programs, enrichment activities and school purchases and then made $45,000 in additional gifts to the school. In addition, we spent approximately $25,000 out of PTO reserves to help fund our new playground.

This year's activities were funded by the Carnival & Silent Auction, PTO dues, rewards programs, and a percentage back on our winter and spring book fairs, gift wrap sales, gift cards, school pictures, school supplies, DVD and Spirit Wear sales. In addition, this year we raised additional money for our playground from direct donations as well as the sale of tiles for a new mosaic on the wall leading out to our new playground.

Some highlights this year of what your PTO dollars funded include:

Curriculum & Enrichment Programs:

• Nearly 20 grade-specific or multi-grade curriculum-based academic and cultural enrichment programs
• Science-based programs including High Touch High Tech (on Germs, Sounds, Water, Machines, Matter, Chemistry, Weather and the Body), Star Lab, Bill Robinson's World of Animals, Greenburgh Nature Center, and Bruce Museum programs on Desert Ecology and Rocks
• Social studies and theater/art-based programs including Native American Clint Chartier, the Paper Bag Players' "Saddles and Sunshine", Theatreworks USA's Thomas Edison production, Hip Hop Dimensions, and a Kindergarten Artist in Residence program with the Clay Art Center
• Visiting Author program – one author visit for each grade to foster a continued love of reading and the writing process
• Douglas Florian visited with our 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades
• Doreen Rappaport spoke with our 4th and 5th grades and led writing workshops with each of our 5th grade classes
• Alyssa Capucilli, author of the Biscuit series, visited each of our K classes
• Funds to help pay for grade-level field trips to the Maritime Aquarium, Botanical Gardens, Recycling Center, NY Hall of Science, Westchester Philharmonic, and the Broadway Show "Wicked"
• A 10-week chess program for our 2nd graders
• A Circus Arts program for all children in the school, ending with a 3rd grade parent-share program and 4th grade show
• A Zumba/Hip Hop program during physical education classes
• Funds toward a ballroom dancing program for our 5th grade class
• A Famous Artists program on Christo & Jeanne-Claude in each classroom

Classroom & Recess Support

• A Rye YMCA recess helper for 1½ hours each day of the school year
• One new SMARTBoard for Music and one SMARTBoard for the Learning Center
• Walkie talkies to be used during recess, dismissal and emergencies
• Classroom materials for all teachers and books for the library
• Magazine subscriptions, such as Time for Kids and Weekly Reader
• Rye Youth Council in-class programs for Osborn's 3rd and 4th grade classes and other grades as needed

Community Outreach & Character Education

• BRAVO programs included Secret Snow Pals, a fundraiser for the Westchester Humane Society, and Celebrating Differences Day; the PTO also helped support the roll-out of the new iCARE character education initiative
• Continuation of our brown-bag lunch program for the homeless at the Don Bosco Center
• Our annual Holiday Angels program; this year the Osborn community supported over 300 children who were severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy at PS 362 in Far Rockaway, Queens
• Melody Makers visit to Blythedale Children's Hospital
• A Hurricane Sandy Donation Drive for the NY Foundling, in addition to several clothing drives and a book drive

Other PTO Programs

• Over 45 After School and Lunch Clubs for students over two longer sessions
• Publishing of the new Osborn Messenger school newspaper
• Publishing of the Osborn Directory, Osborn Weekly and the Yearbook
• Community-building events such as the Silent Auction and Scare Fair Carnival, the Daddy/Daughter Dance and Mother/Son Volleyball
• Wellness initiatives such as healthy snack tastings, a performance of FOODPLAY, and the publication of an Osborn Cookbook
• Teacher and Staff Appreciation events such as the Welcome Back Breakfast, Holiday Luncheon, and May Luncheon during Teacher Appreciation Week

Additional Gifts

This year we exceeded our fundraising goals, and as a result of this and the use of some of our reserves we were able to make additional gifts to the school, including:

• A new playground on the west side of the school, as well as safety surfacing, an access ramp and a storage bin for playground equipment
• Funds to supplement a grant and enable the purchase of an iPad cart with 25 iPads and a Macbook
• 2 Portable microphone systems for the gymnasium and multipurpose room to be used in daily gym classes
• Cables to connect the computers to the audio enhancement systems in each classroom
• Improvements to the basketball courts which we hope to have installed by the end of the summer

We approved our budget for 2013-2014 at the June 5th PTO meeting.  One of our key PTO initiatives for next year will be to improve the classroom libraries for each teacher.

We currently have over 30 active PTO committees. We are working on filling our remaining PTO committee positions for next year.  If you are interested in co-chairing or volunteering for a committee, please feel free to contact us.

The PTO thanks you for supporting our efforts so that we can continue to bring programs to Osborn!  For those of you whose youngest children are graduating from Osborn this year, thank you for your many years of service and dedication to making Osborn a truly wonderful elementary school.

Thank you,

The 2012-2013 PTO Executive Board

Allyson Kim
Raquelle Frenchman
Mason Burnham
Carolyn Chapman
Alexandra Hickey
Molly Howson
Kathy Mora
Suzanne Saurack
Ellen Saya"