Schmucker PTO Newsletter

It is really feeling like fall these days and we hope that our great SMS students are settling into their classes and activities. The daily school calendar is brimming with club meetings, sports, and grade-level socials. As we head into October, there will be several opportunities for families to support teachers and PTO. If you would like to be in the volunteer group email that sees all of our sign-ups first, please let us know at schmuckerpto@phm.k12.in.us. We will also share sign-ups on Facebook and in Mrs. Martin’s newsletters.

Nina Beck is organizing an excellent Scholastic Book Fair the week of October 31. Please see below for a note from her and a link for help that week.

Audrey Schenkel is heading our Staff Appreciation committee and is planning a Staff Dinner on the second night of Student Conferences. Audrey has some great theme ideas for the rest of the semester, so stay tuned for how you can help with those!

A great, big thank you to Chris Rayl for joining our board as recording secretary. We are still looking for a President-Elect.

We are also looking for help with the following:

1. Concessions: This is set to begin in November. We will need someone to help keep track of inventory and to purchase/restock items.

2. Fundraising: Currently we do not have anyone to plan and organize a fundraiser for the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip. If an 8th-grade parent is interested in taking that on, we have information along with some possible options.

And lastly, a huge thank you to Nicole McCullough and Kelley Wassner for an epic spirit wear distribution day. We raised $4400 to support PTO! For anyone looking to purchase sweatshirts, hoodies, and other cold weather gear, there will be another sale coming up in November. Thank you to all who have supported us so far this year!

Go Spartans!

Sarah Kubinski

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to SMS the week of October 31! We are THRILLED to celebrate the joy of READING! We're also very excited to have parents, guardians, and family help us with this sale. Please be aware that a background check from the front office is required to volunteer.

Please visit the Scholastic Book Fair Sign Up Genius link here to sign up and assist with this awesome event. We will need several volunteers in order to make this book fair successful!

Congrats to Kelly Wassner - the lucky winner of our PTO-sponsored gift card drawing! So far, we have had about 50 families pay their PTO dues this year, but our goal is to have 75. So please know, it is NEVER too late to pay your 2022-23 PTO dues.

The Schmucker PTO plays a vital role in supplementing the educational experiences of our students. The funds and services the PTO provides allow for opportunities not possible as part of the traditional school budget. Some of the items and activities the PTO plans to fund this year:

• Staff/Teacher Appreciation Events

• Grant teacher classroom requests not covered by the school

• Educational Events

• 8th-grade end-of-year party

PTO Dues: This year we are asking for $15 per Schmucker Family to be a part of PTO and help to fund these activities. The MORE dues and donations we receive, then the LESS fundraising we will have to do this year.

Please use one of the two options to pay your PTO Dues:

1) You may pay electronically by clicking the link below, which will direct you to our electronic PTO dues site. This is very convenient and can be done so very quickly and easily.

https://my.cheddarup.com/c/join-the-schmucker-middle-school-pto-2022-2023?cart=3d5d39ab-0f72-4f42-99e8-bafa18ee584f%21%2137188309

2) Send a check to the school with your student. Please make checks payable to “Schmucker PTO.”

We’ve been so incredibly thankful for the outpouring of generosity and contributions from our SMS community. We ask for your continued support as we move forward to make this an amazing school year for all of our Schmucker Spartans.

Thank you!

Be sure to cut Box Tops and Spartan Labels! But remember - Box Tops are going digital! Simply download the Box Tops app from the Apple app store or Google Play. Create an account for yourself & associate it with Schmucker Middle School, then start uploading any receipts with qualifying purchases! Schmucker will be automatically credited with those points!

You can also look for Schmucker Middle School in Amazon Smile. With all of our online holiday shopping, it's an effective way to easily give back to our SMS PTO.

The Parent Teacher Organization at Schmucker Middle School plays a vital role in supplementing the educational experiences of our children. The funds raised by our PTO allow our students to have opportunities not funded by the school budget.

Email: schmuckerpto@phm.k12.in.us
Website: schmucker.phmschools.org/pto-information
Location: 56045 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN, USA
Phone: 574-258-5661
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCHMUCKERPTO