Annual Events Eberwhite Has Done in Past Years...

September

• Meet and Greet: Come to the school before the year starts to meet your teacher and visit with friends you missed over the summer. PTO Board members are on hand to welcome you back to school, and answer any questions you may have. The date will be emailed to parents after teacher assignments are sent out.

• First Day of School Welcome Back Coffee/Tea: The PTO hosts a Welcome Back Coffee (and tea, and water) after drop-off and before the flag raising ceremony on the first day of school. Weather permitting, we will be outside just east of the flagpole.

• Curriculum Night: An event for you to meet your child’s teacher, spend some time in the classroom, learn about the curriculum being taught, and ask questions about the upcoming school year.

• Annual PTO Donation Drive: At the beginning of the school year we ask that you consider making a donation to the PTO so that we can continue giving back to the students and the school. Historically, the PTO has provided funding at a rate of around $125 per student through donations and fundraising activities. Donation forms can be found in the front hall and on the school website. As a 501(c)3 we can also accept matching donations from your employer. Thank you for supporting the work of the PTO!

October

• Woodchip Day:​­ ​One of the great things about Eberwhite School is that the 32-acres of Eberwhite Woods is part of our school campus. One of the ways that we as a school help take care of the woods is by spreading tons of wood chips on the paths in the woods each fall. With the help of parent volunteers, we load up sleds with wood chips and the kids pull the sleds down the trails and help spread them on the paths. It's 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 chipping in some of your time.

• Fun Run: Students and families run laps at Eberwhite in a fun and non-competitive environment to raise money for the PTO.

November:​

• Movie Night: You bring a 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.

• 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.

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​­: The Decade Dance is a all-school, all-family event where we get together to dance, socialize, and generally have fun! Each grade level learns a different dance from an assigned decade then shows off their moves on an otherwise dreary February evening. 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! It's a great way for everyone to come together and have loads of fun!

• NAAPID: 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.

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. Not restricted to strictly science questions, students answer a question or explore a topic of interest and present their findings on a tri-fold board display.

• Spring Book Fair: 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 Soccer Match, and activities for all ages. Don’t miss the cake walk, bounce houses, gigantic slingshot, and other fun activities at the social. There is plenty of time for parents and families to visit with each other and catch up on the year and summer plans! 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.

Year-round PTO activities

• PTO Annual Donation Drive: See Annual Giving Drive in September. Monetary donations are accepted all year long.

• Monthly PTO Meetings: All are welcome to our monthly PTO meetings, which are held on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 - 8 p.m. in the Media Center (or virtually for now!). Check the Monday email Blast for the next meeting. If you would like an item included on the agenda, please email the board at eberwhite.pto@gmail.com a week before the meeting.

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.

• Grocery/Online Shopping Rewards Programs: The PTO partners with Arbor Farms, Kroger, Busch’s, and Amazon Smile (smile.amazon.com) to earn cash rewards for the PTO. Sign up information goes home in the “first day packet” and is also available on the PTO page on the Eberwhite website or by emailing eberwhite.pto@gmail.com

• 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.