PTO Partnership
Guide

We suggest that at the start of the school year you attend the first PTO meeting to introduce yourself.  You may want to reach out to the PTO and ask to be put on the agenda.  If you have enough people on your Green Team, it is helpful if members rotate and try to attend as many of the PTO meetings as possible.

Having Green Team members "in the room where it happens" makes a big difference.  A SignUpGenius is a good way to offer Green Team members options as to which meetings they can attend and ensure that they get a reminder before the meeting.  Before the first meeting, confirm with new PTO leadership the goal of eliminating single-use plastic water bottles at events.

 

A suggested list of what you may want to say/do at that meeting is as follows:

• Introduce yourself as the school’s Green Team contact and provide your contact information.

• Convey the Wellesley Green School’s mission:  Wellesley Green Schools is a collaborative group of students, parents and staff working together to reduce schools' ecological footprint and inspire students to be ecologically-minded citizens. 

• Provide ways that your school has cut down on waste if you have examples (i.e. WMS Mini-Marathon using water truck to save 1000 plastic water bottles

• List ways you can help the PTO: 

  • Save money at events (parties/luncheons/banquets/school fairs)! Share a copy of SMART Event Guide

    • Borrow water dispensers, party decorations, reusable tablecloths, etc 

    • Reserve MWRA water truck and the RDF’s waste diversion receptacles

  • Garden support (if your school has one)

  • Serve as a contact for PTO to other schools through WGS (meets Sep/Nov/Jan/Mar/May)

  • Support/introduce food waste/recovery efforts at your school

  • Collaborate with PTO Social Chair to discuss ways to reduce waste/costs at their events

  • Help manage Green Team budget (secure one if there isn’t one)

  • Make PTO aware of town resources (NRC (lmoore@wellesleyma.gov), RDF, etc) available for “free” presentations

  • Connect with your school’s SRTS Representative(Safe Routes to School - Funded by DOT to encourage biking, walking, etc) or those that run walk to school days to help promote events

• Try to identify and meet with PTO for the following year before the end of the school year

• Explain the Town of Wellesley’s goal of net zero by 2050 and how the school community including parents and students have the opportunity to help meet that goal!

•  List of things you can do here.

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Updated 10/26