The purpose of the PTO at St. Ignatius School is enrichment. The PTO plans, sponsors and coordinates enrichment activities for St. Ignatius students, faculty and staff, parents, parishioners and members of the community at large. The PTO, through its Board members and parent volunteers, aid and assist the School faculty and staff in providing fun and enriching opportunities to students and others.

PTO Board Meetings are on the second Monday of each month (August through May, no December meeting) in the School Library at 7:00 p.m. These meetings are open, and all parents are invited to attend. Your ideas and participation are needed and appreciated. If you have been thinking about getting involved, or would just like to observe before deciding, please plan to attend. At each meeting, enrichment committee activities and PTO finances are discussed as well as reports given by the Teachers’ Corner representatives and Mr. Reilly or Mrs. Sieve.

The PTO has many events planned for this coming school year. We would like to encourage everyone to become involved. If you would like to become more involved with a certain activity, call the person in charge of that particular event or any other board member.

The 2010-2011 PTO officers are: Anissa McBreen (president), Nicole Brown (vice president), Kim Glassmeyer (treasurer), Valerie Sharpshair (secretary), Jennifer Klosterman & Jen Langen (past presidents).

The following is a list of activities/events that the PTO will sponsor during the school year. Volunteers for all the events listed below are welcome. Please contact the PTO President, Anissa McBreen at 245-0196 to volunteer for any of the committees, activities or events.

• After-School Enrichment Mini Courses –  The focus of this program is to provide students with exciting educational opportunities and expand the students’ knowledge of the world around them.  Classes take place in January.
• Art Week –  In early May, the PTO helps coordinate a series of art-centered events for the students.
• Bowling – After school bowling league offered to the students through Heid’s Bowling Lanes. 
• Box Tops for Education – Make a difference every time you grocery shop by purchasing Box Tops products.  Clip Box Tops coupons from General Mills products (refer to www.boxtops4education.com for a list of eligible products).  The PTO earns 10 cents per coupon.  Please send Box Tops coupons to the School Office. 
• Bus Buddies – On the first day of school, student volunteers are matched with younger students.  These student volunteers take the younger students to their correct bus for the first week of school.   
• Campbell’s Labels for Education – Labels from Campbell’s products (go to www.labelsforeducation.com for a list of eligible products) are collected and redeemed for free playground equipment.  Please send Campbell’s labels to the School Office. 
• Chess Club – After school chess program open to the students.
• Eighth Grade Graduation Festivities – Coordinators along with the help of the 8th grade homeroom parents oversee the 8th grade video, lip synch, baby pictures, and t-shirts that make Eighth grade year so fun!
• Eighth Grade Graduation Party Planners – Parents of seventh graders form a committee to organize and host the eighth grade graduation party. 
• The Erika Weber Memorial Blood Drive - The Hoxworth Blood Center needs approximately 350 individuals to step up and donate every single day in order to maintain an adequate blood supply for our area.  Donate about one hour of your time and a pint of your blood, and you can share a gift worth infinitely more.  Your blood can give life to people you know and people you will never meet.  And you leave with satisfaction of knowing that you are a lifesaver.
• Everybody Counts! – This program provides awareness and factual information to the students about people who are physically or developmentally challenged as well as people with chronic conditions and serious illnesses. 
• Faculty and Staff Appreciation – Each member of the faculty and staff is given a helium-filled Mylar balloon and card on their birthday (or half birthday for summer birthdays).
• Family Fun Night –  Current St. I’s students and their immediate family members are guests at the PTO Board sponsored family fun nights.  These are family-friendly, smokeless events.  Seating is limited and advance reservations are required. 
• First Day of School – This committee organizes volunteers to be at school on the first day to help direct students to their classroom and bus, and assist car rider drop off and pick up. 
• Health and Safety Fair – This event provides opportunities for students to learn about health and safety issues that may affect them, such as nutrition, hygiene and bike safety.
• Homeroom Parents – Each homeroom will have two Homeroom Parents who plan and conduct classroom holiday parties and who may organize other projects at the teacher’s request.  If you would like to be a Homeroom Parent look for sign-up sheets to come home in the Wildcat Wire in October.
• Ice Cream Social – Welcome Kindergarten, 1st grade and all new students and their families on Wednesday, August 25th, 7:00 p.m.   
• Kroger Community Rewards Cards – Pick up a re-loadable Kroger gift card from the Parish office and use it to purchase gas and groceries at Kroger.  This earns money for the Tuition Assistance Fund and other purposes.
• LaRosa’s Buddy Cards –  You can help PTO raise funds for student enrichment programs by selling LaRosa’s Buddy cards at the Parish picnic, Meet the Teacher night or from your home.  A Buddy Card pays for itself on the second purchase!  Every year, families who sell ten or more Buddy Cards can apply for the opportunity to win a $250 scholarship. 
• Magazine Drive –   One of the few school sponsored fund-raising events is our annual Magazine Drive in September.  The money we make from this helps us to update our equipment and keep tuition low.  PTO Volunteers are needed to help count money and orders, and to perform other roles for the Magazine Drive. 
• Meijer Community Rewards – Buy one-time use gift cards through the Parish Office or a PACE Coordinator, and St. Ignatius will earn a rebate when you shop at Meijer. 
• Olympic Day – Olympic Day is a fun filled day for all the students to attend the last week of school.
• PACE Committee – The PACE committee sells gift cards that you can use to make purchases at various retailers.  Profits from PACE/Scrip gift cards benefit all families of students at St. Ignatius Parish.  These proceeds are used to provide tuition assistance, scholarships, fund PSR classes and purchase school materials.  Volunteers are needed to sell gift certificates especially in November and December. 
• Public Relations – PTO Contact and Coordinator: Tim Reilly
• School Supplies – PTO offers parents the convenience of ordering their school supplies for the following year in the spring. 
• Homeroom Scrapbooks – Help make memories for your child and their classmates by making a scrapbook with class photos for the school archives. 
• Skating Parties – Skating parties for students  are held twice a year at the Skatin’ Place, 3211 Lina Place (located near the corner of Colerain and Galbraith).  The parties are traditionally on days the students are off school, one in the fall and one in the spring.
• Spanish – Before school Spanish classes are offered to the students. 
• Speech Contest – The PTO coordinates, provides and serves light refreshments for the participants in the annual speech contest held in the spring at St. Ignatius School.
• Spirit Day – Displays are put up in the cafeteria on every Spirit Day (the last Friday of the month) to illustrate to the students the impact they have on the charities that are designated for that month’s donations.  Information sheets about the charity are passed out to the teachers in advance so they can tell their students about the various charities. 
• Spirit Wear – Students may wear spirit wear on the last Friday of each month (more details in the Student Planner).  Spirit wear may be ordered all year round.  Additional forms (request through the School Office and can be sent home with your child or are available on line at www.sainti.org)  Also, spirit wear may be purchased at various school events such as the Ice Cream Social or Open House.
• Target – Earn rewards for PTO every time you shop at Target. Link your Target Visa or Target Card to St. Ignatius School and Target donates a percentage of the amount of each purchase. Visit target.com/tcoe, or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate our school. School Code: 13751.
• Teacher Christmas Fund – PTO collects donations for PACE gift certificates chosen by the faculty and staff.  Cookies are also collected and given with their PACE certificates. 
• Teacher Introduction Night – An evening at the start of school where the parents meet their child’s teacher/s
• Welcoming Committee – This committee coordinates volunteers who would like to be a host family and welcome new Parish members to St. Ignatius.  Host families help make this transition for new members as smooth as possible by providing information about religious, educational and recreational activities at St. Ignatius. 
• Writing Sample Scoring – The coordinator recruits volunteers to record scores for student writing samples that have been evaluated by teachers.
• Yearbook – The yearbook committee needs parents who are “amateur” photographers and are willing to commit to shoot pictures at various events throughout the school year.  Take pictures at any school event or St. Ignatius athletic competition and submit them to the yearbook coordinators.