WHAT A YEAR: Thank You From Tumwater PTO
It’s time to celebrate ourselves!
In a year of COVID restrictions, changing guidelines, and massive transitions, this community came together to build an organization with energy and focus, all while parenting middle schoolers. Bravo to us all for making it (crawling?) to the finish line.
As for Tumwater PTO, scroll through our successes this year, courtesy of you, your friends, & your neighbors:
BUILT PTO INFRASTRUCTURE
We didn’t buy a house– we’re building it. What started as a group of strangers and a few strong ideas has grown into a fully functioning organization. We wrote bylaws, drafted policies, incorporated in Oregon, opened our financial accounts, created a website, launched social media, hosted meetings, and moved to Google Workspace. Then kept the wheel turning all year.
RAISED OVER $35,000 IN INAUGURAL RISING TIDES CAMPAIGN
We are honored & thankful to the 254 individual donors who put their belief in this organization last fall. Their support culminated in over $35,000 in income, exceeding our initial goal by $10,000. This groundswell of support set us up for a year of success. Shout out to the Rising Tides team, Kelly Kinzer & Ava Palmquist.
RECEIVED OUR 501(c)3 STATUS & REGISTERED WITH BENEVITY
After months of waiting, this little PTO-that-could finally received its IRS 501(c)3 designation this spring. Thank you to the IRS for making our federally tax-exempt & matching funds dreams come true. Also shout out to Rachel Arnold, who conquered the 26 page IRS application last summer.
Intel/Columbia/Nike families: You can now find Tumwater PTO within Benevity, making corporate matching even easier. Huge thanks to Julie Gupta for making this happen so quickly.
APPROVED EIGHT COMMUNITY GRANTS
The Tumwater PTO fulfilled eight community grants in 2021-22, totalling $12,564 of direct support of the students & classrooms of Tumwater Middle School, and is completely funded by our Rising Tides donors.
This community grant program is roughly just over 30% of the Tumwater PTO budget and provides funds to enable purchases that inspire, inform, and support educational inquiry and innovation at Tumwater Middle School. This year’s recipients included the TMS drama club, the Language Arts department, and several science-based inquiry projects.
Read on for more specific grant details →
SUPPORTED ALL-STUDENT PROGRAMS
Even in a year mired with COVID restrictions, our volunteers found a way to lift these PTO-sponsored programs off the ground.
OBOB: With an army of volunteers, our OBOB program launched last January, with 15 teams and over 60 students participating. The winning team, Rapid Readers, earned their way into the final four of the Regional tournament. Shout out to Kristi Nelson & Vandy Kapoor for building this program from scratch.
Art Lit: Our Art Lit program brighted the month of May, with each science section receiving a lesson on artist Frida Kahlo. Students then worked on their own self-portrait (using their school picture!) and artwork was displayed in the cafeteria trophy cases.
This was a HUGE undertaking for our volunteers who braved the middle school classrooms. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated leadership of Melissa Manos.
CREATED MEMORABLE SCHOOL EXPERIENCES
Supporting students isn’t just academic. TMS PTO also funded several events that brought a bit of magic, joy & memories to our student body.
Student Social: Our first PTO-sponsored student social was held this May, with activities that appealed to all types of personalities. Basketball, a cake walk, glow bingo, board/card games, and karaoke were just some of the opportunities presented. Massive thanks to TMS staff member Kristin Hayward for her leadership in making this possible.
8th Grade Celebration: Though the sun didn’t come out, our parent volunteers did! Our 8th grade class was sent off in style. Massive thanks to the months-long fundraising & team of parents who made this happen, especially co-chairs Amber Ferschweiler & Sarah Sullivan.
More celebration details & pictures can be found here →
Field Day: Our final day was filled with fun (and sun!) as this PTO-sponsored Field Day, courtesy of our TMS staff, parent volunteers, & funding from our Rising Tides donors.
BUOYED THE EFFORTS OF TUMWATER MIDDLE SCHOOL
With over 1000 volunteer hours this year (even with the earlier restrictions!), this community showed up for TMS & its students and staff in a big way.
Every contribution counts. Thank you to everyone who:
Volunteered in any capacity throughout the year
Donated to Rising Tides, the 8th grade celebration, staff appreciation, or the music supporters
Attended (even virtually) any PTO meeting or event
Read the TMS newsletter and/or followed us on social media (you’re a hero for staying informed!)
Click here for a full listing of our committee leads →
Together, this community created a successful first year for our students and staff in a stressful year of constant changes. Hats off to all of us for conquering another year of middle school parenting.
To our outgoing 8th grade families: Thanks for being a part of this ride. We wish you luck in your next adventure.
To our returning families: We look forward to collaborating again next year to keep these Rapids rising!
Follow along on Facebook & Instagram (@tumwaterpto).