One of the most active support groups to Bluffton schools is the Elementary PTO. Here is an overview of their plans for the coming school year and a summary of activities performed last year. For more information contact Melissa Knauss, president, 419-659-5436 or [email protected].

As we look forward to the 2014-2015 school year, the Bluffton Elementary PTO committee would like to share with the entire community what fundraisers and events we do and how your contributions help to enhance the elementary children’s educational environment. 

Each request and/or project we do, goes through our committee, and is then voted on for approval. We could not do what we do for the school without the community’s wonderful support!!  Thank you so much.

In the 2013 – 2014 school year, we purchased the following items and/or contributed to the following projects:
*Completion of the Elementary School’s Library “Redo” – purchased a large screen Smart TV, had the library repainted, purchased some new furniture, and helped organize the paintings of the murals on the walls.
*Donated $200 to each grade level to purchase Accelerated Reading Books
*Refurbishing of the basketball poles, backboards, rims, and nets in the playground area and purchase of an additional backboard, rim, and net to total four
*Purchased two book display/holders for two of the Kindergarten teachers
*Helped with the cost of wooden boards for the first grades supply holders which are on the back of each student’s classroom chair to help stabilize them
*Purchased enamel paints and paper cutter for the art teacher
*Obtained by donation new carpet squares for the students to sit on in their music class
*Donated $250 to high school art program for purchasing of paints used with mural paintings
*Donated $5 towards each Kindergarten student’s trip to the Toledo Zoo
*Purchased four different sports balls (football, soccer ball, basketball, and/or kickball) for each classroom per each teacher’s choice.
*Had a Box Tops competition at the end of the year, $100 was given to the first place classroom winner with Luke’s Pizza, $75 for second place and Shirley’s Popcorn, and $50 for third place with cookies from The Dough Hook
*Providing volunteers for numerous events such as Picture Days, COSI day, Stem Assembly, and the Scholastic Book Fairs.
*Providing meals during Teacher Appreciation Week in May, Teacher Work Shop Day in August, and Parent Teacher Conference Days in November
*Purchasing of popcorn for each classroom prior to holiday break for the classroom holiday parties.
*Keeping Reading Garden, located outside first grade classrooms, cleaned up for classrooms to use.  Purchased a weather station for the Reading Garden
*Purchase of two new VCR/DVD players for classroom use
*This year, we will be donating money for a two show event on an anti-bullying assembly for the students.

How can you help our elementary school teachers, students, and classrooms?
*Collect Box Tops off of certain products (example - Pillsbury).  Box Tops can be turned into the Elementary, Middle School, and/or High School Offices in drop off boxes or have your child turn them into his or her classroom.  Please make sure they are cut out neat and are not expired.  Just last year, close to $3,500 was raised from these alone. We receive 10 cents per label.

*Purchase Market Day Products. If you have a child in the Elementary School, you will receive a flyer to make purchases. You can purchase products online at marketday.com.  Products can then be picked up each month at the Middle School Cafeteria, except for the months of December 2014  and May 2015, where pick up location will be the Elementary School Gym. Market Day previously gave us 10% for every item sold, but this year it has increased to 20%.

*Our Family UPC Labels – this brand is found at Community Markets and other retailers.  Carefully cut out each UPC code.  We receive 5 cents per label.
*Community Market Receipts – Bring in your receipts and we turn them in for cash. We receive 1% of total charges.

*Ink Cartridges – Cartridge World pays us $1 for each used printer cartridge; any brand, any size.
*Labels for Education – Found on products from Campbell’s soup to Prego spaghetti sauce.  With amount of labels collected, we can then choose from a wide selection of items in a catalog
*Sunny D – For every 20 UPC codes collected, we receive 20 Scholastic books which are age appropriate to the classroom that collected them.  This ends in November 2014.  (This is new for this year!)
*Aunt Millie’s, Sunbeam, and Holesum products – Collection of UPC codes, where we receive 5 cents per code!  (This is new for this year!)
*Open House Bake Sale – September 22, 2014 – Come to the elementary school gym from 6 PM to 7 PM to either bring a donated baked good and/or purchase one by donation!
*Spirit wear – purchase Bluffton Spirit wear to show your support of the Bluffton Pirates.  We do this in the fall of each school year and plan on adding a Spirit wear sale in the spring also.
*Bakery Bingo – Our largest fundraiser.  Fun for the whole family. Play bingo to win a baked good.  Buy raffle tickets to win a basket filled with wonderful donated items from our local businesses. Buy raffle tickets to win our 50/50 drawing. This year’s event will be on Saturday, Jan. 31 from 6-8 p.m.  If we have to cancel due to snow, it will be held on Feb. 7.

We are always looking for new members. If you are interested, come to one of our meetings, held the first Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Elementary School’s Library, with the exception of September. The meeting will be held on 9/8.