EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CO-CHAIRPERSONS

2 Co-Chairpersons serve for a two-year, staggered term to provide continuity of leadership.

Establish the calendar of, attend and preside over all Steering Committee and TPTO meetings throughout the school year.

Communicate with teachers, parents and school administration on all appropriate TPTO matters through the school wire, email, TPTO website, and TPTO meetings.

Serve on the Executive Board of the Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP) and attend Board of Education meetings.

Communicate with and coordinate the efforts of all TPTO Committee Chairs.

Work with the Principal and Executive Committee to establish school-related budgetary needs.

Communicate with administration and the Vice Chair during emergency dismissal procedures.

Participate with CDSP members and CDSP Budget Representatives to contribute to speeches for public hearings of the Board of Education and the Board of Finance on the following year’s school budget.

Time Commitment: Includes a weekly time commitment throughout the school year including some weeks during the summer. Monthly meeting commitments are TPTO, executive board, CDSP and Board of Education (2 regular evening meetings per month, with additional meetings during budget time). Service as Vice Chair is required prior to this role.

CO-VICE CHAIRPERSONS 

2 Co-Vice Chairpersons serve for a two-year, staggered term to provide continuity of leadership. Vice Chairpersons assist Co-Chairpersons as needed.

Attend monthly Steering Committee and TPTO meetings.

Serve as the point person for Room Parent Coordinators and initiate emergency communication chain in the event of early dismissal.

Organize a room parent coffee during the first weeks of school to review policy and procedures.

Coordinate annual Pumpkin Sale (October) and Teacher Appreciation Day (May).

Time Commitment: One-year term, leading to co-chair position. Prior to the opening of school in August, the Vice Chair organizes the room parents. Other obligations are fulfilled throughout the year.

SECRETARY 

1 Volunteer

Attend and take detailed notes at all Steering Committee and TPTO meetings.

Submit notes for approval by Steering Committee.

Maintain copy of the TPTO By-Laws for Steering Committee’s reference.

 Time Commitment: Two-year term. Attendance is required at all TPTO and Steering Committee meetings.

TREASURER

1 Volunteer

Manage all financial accounts for the TPTO.

Perform monthly reconciliation of accounts.

Attend monthly Steering Committee meetings.

Write checks as necessary throughout the school year.

Oversee event treasurers.

Prepare and present budget for upcoming school year (May) and present to the Executive Board for approval.

Handle any financial requests from CDSP (1099 list and annual financial report).

Time Commitment: Two-year term. Active throughout the school year. Attendance at all TPTO and Steering Committee meetings is mandatory. Be available to work with the assistant treasurer in the vault at Pumpkin Carnival.

SLATE POSITIONS (alphabetical order)

AFTER SCHOOL 

1 Volunteer

Work with administration and TPTO chairs to select vendor(s) for after school and conference week programming.

Develop programming with selected vendors.

Finalize programming and schedules with TPTO executive committee and administration.

Disseminate and promote schedules for programming.

Market course offerings on TPTO website.

 Time Commitment: Minimal and focused on October, February and April

ASSISTANT TREASURER

1 Volunteer

Work directly with the Treasurer and provide assistance as necessary in the monthly bookkeeping processes (running Paypal reports, making transfers, entering transactions into Quickbooks, preparing monthly budget reports).  

Provide cash boxes for Tokeneke events such as Pumpkin Carnival sales, Pancake Breakfast, Book Fair and Bingo Night and make related deposits.  

Assist with Treasury need to prepare for Pumpkin Carnival and provide full day Treasury support on the day of Pumpkin Carnival.  

Assist the Treasurer with other financial related projects as they may arise.

Time Commitment: Moderate, be available to work with the event treasurer in the vault at Pumpkin Carnival.

BEAUTIFICATION

3 Volunteers (1 Chair and 2 committee members)

Enhance the appearance and contribute to the spirit of the school by creating seasonal decorations for the entrance and courtyard, especially during seasonal changes including start of school, Open House, Pumpkin Carnival, Thanksgiving, holiday break and spring.

Weeding (as part of a group rotation) and liaising with the grounds professionals at Tokeneke to maintain the designated areas.

Time Commitment: Bi-weekly weeding and maintenance with some extra hours surrounding holidays and seasonal changes.

BOOK FAIR 

6 volunteers (2 co-chairs, 2 shadow chairs and 2 committee members)

Plan and organize the annual Book Fair in cooperation with the school’s librarian.

Select the vendor and coordinate the selection of books.

Create a theme for the fair, organize decorations and publicity, recruit and organize volunteers.

Coordinate receipts and disbursements with the Event Treasurer.

 Time Commitment: After securing vendor early in the year, planning begins approximately two months prior to the event. The week of sale is intensive. Committee members are encouraged to work on this for 2 years; the first year is in training and the second year as the Co-Chairs.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

4 Volunteers (1 chair and 3 committee members)

Plan the breakfast for Superbowl weekend

Time Commitment - January and February up to the event.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

4 Volunteers (2 Co-Chairs and 2 committee members) 

 Work with outside community groups to coordinate various service projects throughout the school year (Turkey Drive with Food Bank of Southern CT, Person to Person, Darien Human Services, UNICEF, etc). 

Plan and execute two community service initiatives involving an after school student activity - ideally these would occur in December and in the spring.  

Time commitment: Ongoing over the school year 

DAEG REPRESENTATIVE 

1 Volunteer

Coordinate extracurricular enrichment and after-school programs open to all students during conference weeks.

Market DAEG after school offerings during orientation, back to school night and through the Tokeneke Wire.

Attend DAEG meetings in the fall and spring.

Liaise with TPTO and administration.

Time Commitment: Busiest in the fall and spring. This position is best suited for a parent of a student enrolled in the DAEG program.

DIRECTORY

4 Volunteers (2 Chair and 2 shadow Chair)

Coordinate the printing and distribution of the school’s directory.

Work with the school photographer to photograph teachers and staff.

Work with administration to update informational pages, class lists and contact information including phone and email addresses.

Organize, order, process and collect funds (to be managed by the TPTO Treasurer).

Maintain spreadsheet of contact information and update as necessary.

 Time Commitment: Mainly in the months of August and September.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

6 Volunteers (2 Co-Chairs and 4 committee members)

DEI Committee will work closely with Administration to build upon initiatives already in place as well as implement new ideas that arise.

Passport Around The World Event - a celebration of diversity through food, dance, culture share and other awareness activities for all Tokeneke students and their families

Time Commitment: Projects and initiatives throughout the year

EDIBLE GARDEN

4 Volunteers (1 Chair and 3 committee members)

Maintain garden, develop planting schedule.

Work with the Principal to integrate into the school curriculum.

Liaise with the cafeteria to include in the lunch menu when possible.

Time Commitment: Throughout the year but on own schedule

ENRICHMENT 

6 Volunteers (1-2 Chairs, 1-2 shadow chair and 2-3 committee members)

Research and arrange high quality programs that enhance the school curriculum to provide an enriching experience for students. Enrichment activities take place during the school day and reinforce the curriculum.

Work with the vice principal to determine enrichment opportunities and set calendar dates.

Schedule all activities, act as liaison with programs, attend all events, manage evaluation of programs and arrange payment to the programs/performers through TPTO Treasurer.

Attend town-wide school enrichment meetings for sharing of ideas.

Time Commitment: Active throughout the year; long-range planning is essential.

FIFTH GRADE BINGO NIGHT AND FIFTH GRADE GIFT

4 Volunteers (2 Fifth Grade Co-Chairs, 2 committee members)

Organize and coordinate all aspects of Bingo Night including ordering supplies, prizes, food, 5th grade volunteers and a Bingo announcer.

Coordinate a bake sale (run by 5th graders) or some other fundraiser to generate cash.

Proceeds from Bingo Night pay for the 5th grade gift to the school.

Work the Executive Committee to choose and purchase gift to the school.

Create, design and order tee-shirts for event.

Time Commitment: April/May

FIFTH GRADE EOY ACTIVITIES

4 Volunteers (2 Fifth Grade Co-Chairs, 2 committee members)

Liaise with administration to plan Step-Up Ceremony and car parade - including decorations, refreshments and photo booth

Plan 5th grade EOY picnic 

Organize small gift for each graduate

Organize the year book signing breakfast

Communicate publicize 5th Grade EOY activities

HOSPITALITY

6 Volunteers (1-2 Chair, 3-4 committee members)

Plan and host several meals for the staff: lunch before the first day of school, dinner on Open House night, lunch during the fall and spring conference weeks, holiday meal and lunch on the last day of school.

Provide coffee and drinks at several PTO meetings throughout the year

Time Commitment: Throughout the year with the heaviest times in the fall and spring.

Skill Set: Good for those who are creative and interested in party planning.

LOST AND FOUND

1 Volunteer

Maintain and organize lost and found items on a monthly basis.

Return labeled items to students through Nancy Hildreth or Office.

Submit Parent Alert on TPTO Facebook page and through Wire two weeks prior to donating items.

Deliver donated items to charity 3 to 4 times a year.

Time Commitment: Throughout the year

MUSIC FOR YOUTH 

1 Volunteer

Liaison between the Darien School District’s Music Department and that school year’s guest musicians (chosen by the District).

Arrange for equipment requested by the musicians to be set up at the school, meet musicians on the day of their performance.

Attend the performance and assist with anything else that day.

Time Commitment: This is typically just one morning per school year.

NEW FAMILY WELCOME COMMITTEE

4 Volunteers (2 Co-Chairs including 1 for New Families and 1 for Kindergarten and 2 committee members)

Maintain the New Family welcome program, which matches new families with volunteer mentor families who establish communication before the start of school and serve as a resource during the year.

Over the summer: Call school secretary every 3 weeks for a list of new families.

Host 2 to 3 playdates at the Tokeneke Playground, most importantly the Saturday before school starts (and supply water, snacks and name tags).

Two weeks before school starts: Get final class lists and ask veteran families to help. Check daily with school for last minute enrollment.

Host the Friendly Family Coffee the second week of school.

Organize welcome back Ice Cream Truck event in September

During the school year, check with the school secretary to see if any new families have arrived

Time Commitment: Over the summer with the heaviest workload right before school and during the first few weeks of school. Sporadically throughout the year as new families join the community.

NOMINATING 

2 Volunteers (2 Co-Chairs)

Work with the TPTO Co-Chairs to formulate the slate of all volunteers to serve on the TPTO Board for the upcoming school year.

Identify open positions, advertise openings and encourage parents to volunteer.

Match open positions with appropriate volunteers.

Solicit additional volunteers if necessary throughout the year. 

Time Commitment: January through April.

PARENT AWARENESS REPRESENTATIVE

1 Volunteer

Liaison between the YWCA Parent Awareness Network and TPTO/Wire.

Attend monthly YWCA meetings and disseminate information to the Executive Committee.

Attend Parent Awareness programs in Darien (and other towns as available to research potential speakers)

Time Commitment: Attend approximately one YWCA Parent Awareness Committee meeting per month. Attend events throughout the year as available to assist with registration. Assist with special projects, marketing and fundraising as needed/available.

PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE

3 Volunteers (3 Co-Chairs)

Formerly known as “MOT”

Plan at least four parent social events, including the Welcome Back Fall Party

PUBLICITY 

1 Volunteer

Run the social media accounts for the TPTO 

Liaise with executive team to support school communications 

Ensure that the Tokeneke School news, events, and activities are represented in the Darien newspapers by preparing Tokeneke-related stories and providing photos to the local papers as events require.

Time Commitment: Throughout the school year but most done remotely. 

PUMPKIN CARNIVAL CO-CHAIRS

3 Volunteers (All 3 Co-Chairs)

Plan and coordinate one of Tokeneke’s largest community/fundraising events the TPTO Pumpkin Carnival held in October.

Recruit and manage all committee heads.

Coordinate receipts and disbursements with the Event Treasurer.

Train and advise next year’s co-chairs.

Time Commitment: This is a rolling two year term. Planning begins soon after event. Some work over the summer months. September and October are busy months.

PUMPKIN CARNIVAL SUB-COMMITTEE CHAIRS

12-24 Volunteers

Committees include

Tickets

Operations

Food

Crafts

Pep Rally/Silent Auction

Prize Table

Games

Staffing

Sponsorship

Bake Sale

Publicity

Merchandise

Sub-committee chairs work with the Pumpkin Carnival Co-Chairs

Time Commitment: Some time in September and October and the day of the carnival

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

4 Volunteers (2 co-chairs, 2 volunteers)

Work with teachers to put together a list of supplies for their respective grades.

Work with school supply vendor to get necessary supplies at the lowest cost possible.

Send finalized list of supplies per grade to parents and collect money and forms for supplies.

Arrange for delivery of supplies to school and classrooms, and then to the students who ordered them.

Time Commitment: Setup work and publicity in late spring, supply delivery late August before school starts.

S.O.S.

1 Volunteer

Work with the assistant principal to provide help to Tokeneke families and staff in need by delivering meals, driving and carpooling.

Maintain list of volunteers so that you can contact them and create a schedule of suitable helpers.

Time Commitment: Light hours throughout the year as needed. 

SOUND TIGERS / YANKEES EVENTS

1 Volunteer

Coordinate with chorus teacher and Sound Tigers representative to determine date of performance.

Distribute flyer to students and send to Web team to post on the website.

Collect forms and payment from students and obtain and distribute tickets prior to the event.

Schedule, prior to the start of the school day, Sound Tiger mascot to come to the school.

Organize special day of event promotion.

Deposit funds with Event Treasurer and provide payment to the Sound Tigers.

 Time Commitment: Most heavy 2-3 weeks prior to the event.

SPECIAL EDUCATION REP

3 Volunteers (1 Chair and 2 committee members)

The role is to support their school community and to be an active member of the CDSP Special Education Subcommittee. 

Provide monthly input to PTO Chairs regarding ongoing special education issues within the district.

Evaluate PTO sponsored programming to identify opportunities to improve inclusion of all students.

Work with relevant PTO Committee Chairs to build inclusion/community as directed by PTO Chairs.

Work with CDSP Special Education Subcommittee to identify common issues and share best practices at monthly meetings

Give any relevant feedback to CDSP Special Education Chairperson during the Board of Education budget process.

Work with SESS facilitators/administration to address building-level issues as appropriate and build community.

Attend SEPAC and Board of Education meetings as appropriate.

 Time Commitment: Sub-committee meetings held on a monthly basis during the mid-morning on a weekday. Attendance at Board of Education meetings and SEPAC meetings as appropriate.

SPRING FLING*

6 Volunteers (2 Co-Chairs and 4 committee members)

Plan and coordinate one of Tokeneke’s largest social/fundraising events held every other year in May.

Recruit and manage all committee chairs.

Coordinate receipts and disbursements with the Event Treasurer.

 Time Commitment: Moderate time starting in August securing the venue, vendors, co-chairs and organizing committees. Heaviest workload is in March, April and May.

Skill Set: Good for someone who enjoys party planning; has good organizational and management skills. Any prior auction experience a plus. 

TEACHER ENCOURAGEMENT

6 Volunteers (2 co- chairs and 4 committee members)

Plan monthly drops for teachers in the lounge

Restocking lounge with teacher snacks and goodies

Coming up with ideas for other ways to support and encourage teachers

Time Commitment - 2 hours each month 

TOKENEKE TRADER

2 Volunteers (1 Chair and 1 committee member)

Participate in the merchandising of Tokeneke School memorabilia and clothing.

Work with the vendor, speak to the Executive Board about their ideas for merchandise and order merchandise.

Maintain the merchandise website and request payment quarterly

Publicize the merchandise by creating social media posts occasionally

 Time Commitment: Minimal time commitment, can all be done remotely.

TOKENEKE WEB ADMINISTRATOR

1 Volunteer

Maintain and update the TPTO website content within the site’s architecture, and on other Web properties, e.g., PumpkinCarnival.com, TokenekePTO.com, TokenekePTO.com, TPTO Facebook, Pumpkin Carnival Facebook & Twitter.

Be the liaison with the hosting/email providers.

Be the liaison with the school’s administration, teachers, volunteers, and parents.

Monitor and report on site analytics.

Time Commitment: Most work can be done during flexible hours, at home, in the evening. Biggest time commitment at the beginning of year. Estimate 4 hours a week. Estimate 2-4 meetings a year.

TOKENEKE WIRE TEAM 

4 Volunteer Wire Editors

Maintain and update all Tokeneke email addresses.

Collect, organize and compile all school and community information in our weekly e-mailed newsletter. (Administrative Role)

The PTO provides Constant Contact and Dreamweaver software.

Time Commitment: Most work can be done during flexible hours, at home and in the evening. The Wire Team uses a six-week rotation, so estimate 3 hours per week during your “on” weeks.

WALK-A-THON FUNDRAISER

6 Volunteers (1Chair, 1 Shadow Chair, 3 committee members)

Plan and coordinate one of Tokeneke’s largest social/fundraising events held every other year in May.

Coordinate receipts and disbursements with the Event Treasurer.

Train and advise next year’s co-chairs.

Time Commitment: This event is a one day event in the spring, planning starts during early spring. Oversee logistics of the event, management of volunteers day of and vendors needed.

YEARBOOK 

4 Volunteers (1 Chair, 2 Fifth Grade Section Co-Chairs and 1 Logistics Chair)

Prepare the school’s annual year-end publication.

Oversee Class Photographer Liaison.

Coordinate production of yearbook with outside vendor and organize sales of the yearbook, including distributing order forms and collecting those forms with payments. Coordinate receipts with TPTO Treasurer.

Distribute yearbook upon delivery.

Designate a class photographer coordinator who works with all the class photographers to create a yearbook page for their class.

Time Commitment: Photos take September through March, yearbook is put together in March and April.