Looking for something to do on this rainy day? It’s time to Bid at the Williams PTO Auction Now!

Several exciting new items have been added in the last couple of days, including the ever-popular “firehouse party” sponsored by the Fitzgerald family and the Newton Fire Department and a unique “massage therapy” party for up to ten women offered by Williams parent Kate Dumortier.

We’ve set up an exclusive category open to Williams bidders only — that’s you! Plus, there are over 125 other items available ranging from vacations to sports tickets to museum passes and so on..

So, if you are looking for something to do on this rainy Sunday, check out the auction website. You’re sure to find something to bid on when you browse through our items. You can support the PTO and find some great deals too! The auction closes on Friday, so get your bids in soon!

View All Auction Items

View All Auction Items

Tell Your Friends.

Please help us spread the word and tell others about our auction. The Refer Friends feature is a fast and easy way to get your friends, family and co-workers involved.  With the exception of a small category for “Williams Bidders Only”, anyone can bid on items available in our auction.

A list of our Top Referrers will be noted on our auction homepage.  The person who refers the most people to the auction by March 19th will receive a $100 credit toward their auction purchases. So, start referring friends, families and coworkers today!

Place Your Bid.
Whether you’re looking for a camp for your children, searching for a gift for a special someone, or looking to add a little adventure to your life, you’re sure to find something in our auction. Every bid helps support the Williams PTO.

Tell Your Friends.
The success of this online auction depends on spreading the word to as many people as possible. We need your help. Please Refer a Friend and encourage them to participate so they don’t miss a single moment of the fun and excitement.
View All Auction Items

Do you have a Target REDcard?? You can support the Williams PTO every time you make a purchase!

The Take Charge of Education initiative offers cardholders the chance to designate an eligible K-12 school and have Target donate an amount equal to one percent of their REDcardSM (Target® Visa® Credit Card, Target Credit CardSM and Target Check CardSM) purchases made at Target and Target.com.

In addition, Target donates ½ percent of all Target Visa Credit Card purchases made everywhere else Visa credit cards are accepted.

To enroll and choose Williams as your benefit school, visit Target.com/tcoe, call 1-800-316-6142 or log on to a kiosk at a Target store.

The Costume Sale, which drew large crowds to the blacktop on Tuesday, raised $446 towards Technology purchases.

If you would like more information about the Technology Plan and how to become involved with the fundraising efforts, please contact Paula Fazli (pfazli@comcast.net) or Brian Gorin (bgorin@rcn.com).

The Box Tops for Education Marketplace makes it possible to earn money for the Williams PTO every time you shop online. All you need to do is register at the Box Tops website and then start each shopping trip from their online marketplace. Over 100 stores including Target, Lands’ End, Gap, Apple Store, Kodak Gallery and Hotels.com will donate a portion of each purchase at no additional cost to you.

All costumes are $5 and Halloween accessories are $1.  Get a jump on Halloween by outfitting your children now!  All proceeds benefit the Williams School Technology Fund.
We still need costume donations! Clean out those old costumes in the basement, attic or garage.  Ask your relatives and friends if they have costumes to donate.  Please bring them to school by Monday the 5th in plastic bags to place outside the classroom door for pick-up.

Please contact Carol Roe (laghampark@yahoo.co.uk) with questions.

Here are the highlights:

Reductions:

• Buildings & Grounds – reduced to $150 from $325
• Math Night –  reduced from $450 to $300
• PTO Enrichment – reduced from $500 to $200
• Teacher-Staff Appreciation – reduced to $200 from $250 (anticipate donations again this year – last year none of the budget was used)
• Williams Walk to School – reduced to $150 from $300
• Instructional Technology was at $5000.  It will be broken into two new lines:
  • Technology Consumables at $1,000 (power supplies, light bulbs, etc)
  • Technology Mini-Grants at $2,000 for items teachers need that cost less than $300, e.g. CD Players, calculators, etc.

• Principal’s Fund – reduced from $2,500 to $2,000
• Reinstatement of Sports Equipment back to $500

Eliminations:

• Postage – incorporated into Office
• METCO Partners – eliminated due to compliance issues
• Political Action – deemed outside of politically neutral mandate

Increases:

• Facilities Fees – increased by $400 to $500 as a precaution.  Last year we spent $715 on a $100 budget (clarification to come after a meeting with Ed Center staff).  This covers building permits required to have the school open after hours, and the PTO receives 5 meeting per year with no charge.
• Arch Day – an increase of $25 to $100
• CAPP – an increase of $100 to $900 in anticipation of annual program fee increase
• Teacher’s Fund – increased by $75 to $3,650 to account for an additional staff member this year; a new social worker.  Amounts given to each teacher and specialist remained flat.

Additions:

• Email Blasting – Constant Contact costs $275 per year.  We’ll investigate whether we can get a less expensive contract for our email blasting provider.
• SPED Pac Liaisons – $200 for books, refreshments at meetings, etc.
• Student Newspaper, $100.  A new program – $42 to be spent on a Student Newspaper magazine subscription.
• Technology – a $9,000 line item – more details to follow.
• Creative Arts – a one time program expense of $1,200 for a special program.

If you haven’t yet had a chance, you can pay either through:

• Paypal (http://www.williamspto.org/fundraising/paypal/)
• by putting your check in your child’s folder
• at the PTO meeting tonight (Tuesday, 9/29, 7:30 p.m.)

Your PTO dues are incredibly important to help us run many programs for the children throughout the school year.

This year we will be bringing a civil rights icon and children’s author to speak at Williams.  Her program teaches that every person has the power to make a difference and that by acting together, we can affect many.

You can start making that difference now!

We hope to get 80% participation rate for PTO dues this year and we are almost there!

Your PTO also supports Williams community programs, Creative Arts and Sciences, Funding for Supplemental Classroom Supplies, and Technology.

We thank you for your continued support of Williams School and your PTO, and we hope to see you at the meeting tonight.

Donate online using a credit card with PayPal