We are a K-8 school with all of these grades in the same building/campus. We have 1 regular meeting a month. There are specific activities that we fund each year out of our fundraisers. We also put aside a set amount for each teacher for the year that can be used for classroom supplies and/or field trips.
You mention that the 4th/5th graders are in the same building as 6th-8th. A suggestion might be that all of those grades merge into one parent group and that another group handle the other campus.
It can be hard enough communicating with the parents/teachers/staff on one campus. I can't imagine having to do so with more than one building/campus involved.
would so appreciate some pointers from someone who is or who has been involved in a PTO which supports a k-8 or k-12 school model.
Our situation is this -- in a nut shell: Last year we saw the closing of basically two schools and the merger of 3 Elementary PTO's (pre-k through 5th). There are three (3) physical elementary schools we support -- with the two older classes (4th and 5th) housed in the middle school building. It was agreed from the beginning of this year that the current structure would be transitional for this year only and at the end of the year recommendations would be made should we see fit.
The year has run pretty smoothly with communications being the most challenging issue; however looking ahead we can't help but think that a k-8 model might be something worth examining. (like I said the 4,5 elementary grades share the same building as the 6,7, and 8th graders who have their own separate PTO). And it doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to think about the pros (and cons) to a k-12 merged PTO.
In any case, there are a few unknowns such as a) how are funds allocated to each of the schools -- elementary, middle and H.S. b) How are the Board Officers structured to best "represent" each of the schools? c) How are the meetings structured? Are there more than one per month?
