Information about PTO Events Throughout the Year

September

• Meet and Greet
  PTO Board members are on hand at his event, held in the weeks before classes resume, to welcome families back to school and answer any questions they may have. The date is emailed to parents along with teacher assignments.

• First Day of School Welcome Back Coffee/Tea
  The PTO hosts a coffee, tea, and water table after drop-off, and before the flag raising ceremony on the first day of school (weather permitting). This is held outside, just east of the flagpole.

• Curriculum Night
  This event welcomes families to the school to meet the child’s teacher, spend some time in the classroom, learn about the curriculum, and ask questions about the upcoming school year. The PTO presents on the events, programs, and support it provides the school.

• Annual PTO Donation Drive
  We have shifted our funding ask to this consolidated time at the beginning of the school year. We ask families to consider donating so that the PTO can continue giving back to the students and the school. Donation forms can be found online, as well as provided in emails and QR codes. As a 501(c)3 we can also accept matching donations from your employer. 

October

• Woodchip Day
  Eberwhite School's proximity to the 32-acres of Eberwhite Woods is a cherished part of our school. We take an active stewardship role by spreading wood chips on the paths annually each fall. With the help of parent volunteers, Eberwhite students pull the sleds filled with wood chips down the trails and dump them on a section of trail. It is a great way for our kids to learn what it means to be a part of the Eberwhite community. It's also loads of fun! This is a volunteer intensive event so please consider being involved with your time and/or sled to loan.

• Fun Run
  Students run/walk laps around a marked loop on Eberwhite's field in a fun and non-competitive environment that aims to celebrate community and activity.

November​

• Fall Book Fair​­
  The Scholastic Book Fair is an annual multi-day event that comes just in time for holiday gifts for children, teachers, and relatives. The Book Fair proceeds provide teachers with the funds to add books to their classroom libraries, buy books for the Media Center, and help the PTO fund other activities throughout the year. The students visit the book fair with their teachers during the day. They also have the opportunity to visit the book fair before school, after school, and during the night of the Boy Scout Pancake Supper. Volunteers are needed to help classes navigate the book fair.

• Disability Awareness Day
  Disability Awareness Day is an exceptional one-day experiential learning program for 4th graders to gain an empathetic understanding of people with different physical, developmental, and learning abilities. The hands-on-activity based program is designed to help students understand how challenging and complex daily living can be for individuals with differing abilities. All parents are invited to volunteer for this powerful day of learning.

• Movie Night (past event)
  Students bring blanket or sleeping bag and the PTO supplies the free movie and free popcorn and drinks as the cafeteria is turned into a movie theater.

December/January

• L.E.E.P. (Lunchtime Education and Enrichment Program)
  During the coldest months of the year, parents and teachers offer their expertise for lunchtime enrichment classes. Once a week students may choose to stay indoors for lunch recess and participate in L.E.E.P. activities. Courses have ranged from knitting and crocheting to origami and paper airplane design and change depending on what volunteers offer. Each class will be led by either a teacher, or a volunteer parent/guardian.

• Math and Science Day
  One of the best days of the year features a visit from the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. Students visit the lunchroom and rotate through math and science exploratory stations. Some of the most popular stations are: making oobleck, testing surface tension, identifying animal skeletons, and bubbles. Many parent volunteers are needed to make this exciting day run smoothly!

February

• Decade Dance​­
  This event is an all-school, all-family event held in the evening. Everyone is invited to dance, socialize, and have fun during the winter doldrums! Each grade level learns and presents a different dance from an assigned decade. Parent volunteers teach the dances in the weeks leading up to the Decade Dance. Then at the dance each grade shows off their smooth moves at assigned times and everyone can dance the rest of the evening away! 

• NAAPID
  National African-American Parent Involvement Day was created by Joe Dulin, a former AAPS principal in 1995. Over the last 10 years, Eberwhite has honored Joe Dulin and his vision. Parents of all Eberwhite students are encouraged to come to school and visit the classrooms, lunchrooms, and playground. Parents may stay for a short visit or as long as their schedule permits. Lunch is provided for the parents on this day, which culminates in a performance by the 4th and 5th graders.

March

• Mind Fair
  Open to all grades, Young 5’s-5th, the Mind Fair is Eberwhite's expanded version of an elementary school science fair. Students are invited to answer a question (not strictly science-related) or explore a topic of interest and present their findings on a tri-fold board display.

• Spring Book Fair (past event)
  The Spring Book Fair is held in March and is another way for students to buy wonderful books for themselves, their teachers and the school.

April​

• Fifth Grade Variety Show
  5th grade students showcase their talents at the annual Variety Show. Audience members are delighted by the dance routines and piano pieces, as well as the comedy skits, karate moves, and other amazing talents. Eberwhite students enjoy watching the diverse talent among our very talented students at a daytime performance.

May

• Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
  May is Teacher Appreciation Month and to honor the teachers, the PTO sponsors a Teacher’s Appreciation Luncheon. Parents are asked to donate a plant or flower for a teacher to take home, or luncheon dish to be shared in the Teacher’s Lounge.

• Science Olympiad
  WESO Science Olympiad is an opportunity for students in Grades 2-5 to learn fun STEM activities and apply their skills as they compete against other schools. Sign-up sheets go home sometime after winter break and interested students partake in weeks of practice, led by parent volunteers, before the competition takes place. Event-specific teams work with coaches in a hands-on cooperative learning environment to gain expertise in their events. Students can compete in multiple events if space allows. Practice times and locations are determined by individual event coaches. Teams will compete at the WESO (Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad) competition at Pioneer High School. Participation in WESO is optional; students are welcome to join Eberwhite’s Science Olympiad even if they do not compete in the county event. Check out the WESO website for more information. 

June

• Ice Cream Social
  The Ice Cream Social (ICS) is the PTO’s biggest fundraiser of the year. It is held each year on the Friday before the last week of school and features food, games, raffles and auctions, a Teacher v. Students sports contest, and activities for all ages. Don’t miss the cake walk, bounce houses, gigantic slingshot, and other fun activities at the social. It is a festive way to celebrate the ending of the school year and to raise money for our school. This is a volunteer intensive event so ALL families are asked to provide some volunteer support on the night of the Ice Cream Social. If you are interested in being on a committee to help organize the ICS, or have a business, event tickets, or other amazing item to donate to the raffle/auction, please contact the the PTO at eberwhite.pto@gmail.com.

• 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony
  This is an end of the year celebration for Eberwhite 5th graders as they prepare to move on to middle school. Fifth grade families gather in the evening for a photo retrospective of their time at Eberwhite, performances by the 5th graders, and a reception. A team of 4th grade parents host the event and provide volunteers.​​

A few other things...

• Spiritwear
  In the Fall and Spring the PTO offers a chance to purchase spirit wear showing our Eberwhite pride. In the fall hoodies, and long and short sleeved t-shirts are offered. In the spring, short-sleeved t-shirts and hoodies are sold.

• Ann Arbor PTO Council​­
  The Ann Arbor PTO Council was established to encourage members of all the PTO’s in the district to exchange information, ideas, and concerns. The council is independent of the school administration and the Ann Arbor Board of Education, but maintains continuous communication and an active cooperation with these bodies and the community. The Council conducts independent study and research projects, acts as a parent lobby group, and sponsors seminars/workshops relevant to education in the Ann Arbor school district.