PTO Overview

Mission

The PTO Mission is to provide spiritual, academic, and physical support to our parent members, teachers, students, and other members of our Catholic school community.

Overview

The St Bernadette Parent-Teacher Organization has a strong legacy of support and contributions, a legacy that grows stronger with each passing year. Established in 1991 as the Home and School Guild, and re-named to the now more widely recognized Parent-Teacher Organization in 2006, the PTO operates under the direction of the Pastor and the Principal. It has always run on an "engine" of exceptional volunteerism, fueled by proactive parents who have worked hard and contributed generously to help the school. Generations of parents have sent their children to St Bernadette's, and have been very proud to participate in the volunteer opportunities that abound.

We parents are very conscious of our roles as the primary educators of our children. For that reason, the relationship of the PTO to the school faculty and staff is not simply one of support, nor even one of reciprocal help. It is a relationship of healthy interdependence, as the parents work with the school at all levels to enable it to provide an excellent education to our children in a truly Christian environment.

Over the years, the educational demands have increased in complexity in all dimensions. And the threats to safety have also increased. The PTO assists the teachers directly and indirectly in keeping up with these demands through efforts such as fulfilling teacher wish lists, funding transportation for some of the class field trips, and paying for classroom enhancements, to name but a few. We have also made remarkable strides in obtaining Child Protection and Safety Program compliance by the majority of our parents, thereby enabling them to do volunteer work that involves contact with the children. Through this program and other efforts of the school, we can all rightly feel a good level of comfort in the safety measures in place to help protect the most precious thing we have entrusted to the school, our children.

The following pages list many (but certainly not all) of the activities and events that the PTO undertakes each school year. Also described are the Standing Committees who help channel this volunteer power to the needed activities. If you are a member of the School parent community, you are automatically a member of the PTO. And your donation of time and energy is not only expected, but is also sorely needed. St. Bernadette School does rely on the contributions of and engagement by the parents. If you are a current or perspective member of the school community, and want to see the many supporting efforts undertaken by the parents continue to succeed, we have terrific opportunities from which you can choose to play a role. We look forward to hearing from you.