I was chatting with a friend recently. She admitted that some time ago, the only things she knew about the PTSA was from watching Saved by the Bell and the movie Bad Moms, which pretty much depicted the organization as a cutthroat, no-holds-barred, Survivor-like clique.
In reality, of course, the Webster Central PTSA is nothing like that.
For starters, unlike in Bad Moms, the PTSA’s focus is not on the parents who run and volunteer for events; it’s squarely on the students, and the teachers and staff members who work so hard to support them.
PTSA parents help organize after-school clubs and school-wide activities like festivals and dances; they coordinate in-school events and class pictures, create the school yearbook and purchase school supplies. But PTSA members also have their fingers in dozens of other activities behind the scenes, supporting classroom teachers and administrators with their day-to-day responsibilities.
Those roles are pretty obvious to everyone, but the goals of our Webster Central PTSA go well beyond that, and provide more intangible benefits as well. For example, this year watch for a lot of new events encouraging not just student involvement, but also student leadership. The PTSA recognizes that today’s students are tomorrow’s future leaders, so we need to them to know that they have a voice, they have opinions, they have opportunities.
The Webster Central PTSA is also laser-focused this year on building a stronger school/community connection, which they’ll accomplish through supporting community events and collaborating with organizations and agencies that benefit Webster as a whole. Our schools have always been a One Webster community; the PTSA wants to make sure that everyone in the Town of Webster knows they’re an integral part of that community as well, whether they have children in the schools or not.
These are ambitious goals which will require many dedicated volunteers. But these efforts also need to be funded, and that’s where everybody can help out.
This year’s PTSA membership drive is in full swing. You can help support all of the PTSA’s ambitious goals by becoming a member. It costs just $10 for adults and $5 for students, and there’s no volunteering or meetings required.
Plus, members enjoy discounts all year at Nourished, Buffalo Wild Wings, The Waffle Factory, Color Me Mine, DQ Gill & Chill, Lala and Whimsies, Yolickity and more.
For more information and an on-line link to join, click here.
So, to answer that question I posed in the headline, our school PTSAs are more than book fairs and bake sales. They provide a vital link between school, students, families and the greater Webster community. They deserve — and need — our support.
That friend, by the way, who used to know so little about what the PTSA does? That was Jaime Richey, who is now the Webster Central PTSA co-president. The more she learned, the more she wanted to get involved. And now she hopes you will, too.
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(posted 9/3/2022)
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Missy, Thank you so much for highlighting what PTSA is in Webster!! You really brought it all together! So grateful to all the parents that give their time to help students, teachers, and staff at Webster!!
Agreed! Thank you Missy and to all of the PTSA members and to those who help make what PTSA does possible.