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Welcome to Pin Oak Middle School

I hope you had a fabulous summer and are as excited as we are about the new school year. We are particularly pleased to welcome Susan Monaghan as our new principal. She comes to Pin Oak after working as principal of Lovett Elementary and assistant principal of West University Elementary.

For those who may not know, the PTO is an organization of parents and teachers of Pin Oak. By striving for ongoing parent involvement,the PTO’s goal is to foster a nurturing and caring environment for the students and to help build a better educational environment for our children. We provide additional resources in order to promote a school community where teachers and administrators can do their best work. We go all-out to help make school fun. Through membership dues and fundraising efforts, the PTO is able to donate funds to purchase educational materials and equipment for the school as well as to assist in efforts to help the local community.

For the PTO to be effective and truly representative of the school, it is essential to have parental involvement from as many people as possible. Many working parents feel that they cannot be included in the PTO because they cannot come to every meeting or be on campus during the day. Do not let that be a reason not to volunteer! There are endless possibilities for you to help. Whatever your schedule, Pin Oak PTO always appreciates parent volunteers, as do our teachers and staff. Keep in mind that by volunteering, you will become friends with other families and accomplish things that truly make a difference.

You may be wondering exactly what we do and what have we accomplished in the last year. Well, I am proud to tell you that the PTO has done quite a bit! Recently, we provided document cameras and LCD projectors for all the core classes and the Fine Arts Language classes, and we purchased the large screen in the Multi Purpose Room. Through the generosity of parents and friends, the PTO was able to contribute to the construction of the Fine Arts Caja Negra Theatre and to provide a number of items on the Fine Arts “wish list”, including a tuba, costumes for dance and choir, lighting for Caja Negra, and a power amp for the stage band. Additionally, every year we are able to improve the school grounds and to provide all the teachers with stipends that they can use for classroom materials, continuing education, or other instructional enhancements.

This year we expect to be able to make another significant grant to POMS. You may be aware of some of the funding changes in the district (keeping you abreast of District business is another important job of the PTO!), and we are reserving monies raised this year to provide the principal with funds to assist in maintaining stellar programs at Pin Oak in the 2010-2011 school year.

Whether you have 30 minutes or a couple of hours, POMS PTO truly needs your ideas, your time, and your talents. As the year progresses
and the committees come together, you will be contacted by phone and/or e-mail from committee chairpersons. Together we can continue to make POMS a fabulous place for our children.

Thanks so much!

Roxanne van Ravenswaay
PTO President 2010-2011