Welcome to the new Albany Middle School PTA Website!


New School Year, New PTA Board

All of this year’s Board members are 6th grade parents, and we are new to AMS. But we’re all PTA veterans, so we have a lot of experience–and we still have quite a bit of enthusiasm, energy and good ideas! We come from diverse professional backgrounds, but we share dedication, organization and follow-through–all assets to the AMS community. While we work hard to continue the success of past leadership, we are open to suggestions and advice, so let us know what is on your mind–our ears are open. A round of applause to all of the Board members for stepping into their respective roles this year! You can view the list of Board members by clicking the “About Us” link in the nav bar above.

Membership

We are already experiencing success with our Membership drive thanks to VP of Membership, Jeannie Paulovich. Our goal is to sign up 300 members this year, and we already have over 100. With 900 kids here at AMS, we think 300 members is a goal that’s within reach. Please consider becoming a member so we can continue to provide great services to students and teachers. Just click on any of the Membership links on this page to become a PTA member or make a donation.

Communication

New 6th grade families have entered a world without Friday Folders, and most parents aren’t on campus to see posters and flyers, so it’s a bit more challenging than it was in elementary school to reach parents with information. But there are a few ways we can communicate with you: this website, the etree, and Facebook. Please check out the “Stay Connected” link in the nav bar above to see how to access these methods of communication.

Speaking of the new website, I want to thank VP of Communications, Neo Serafimidis for his work on our new AMS PTA website. I think you’ll be impressed with what Neo has already done, and we all look forward to continuing to add content to the site to make it work for our community.

Calendar of Events & Volunteering

We have an ambitious year of events planned. There will be a few fundraisers, as well as FUNraisers. Our Exectutive VP, June McDaniels, is already hard at work planning some of our biggest events, so be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks. Parent and teacher volunteers are the lifeblood of all school events—working together, we make it happen. We need your time and commitment to make AMS events a success! Thanks in advance for showing interest in AMS PTA activities and for volunteering. Please download the PDF calendar to see what’s planned for the year.

PTA Meetings & Documentation

You don’t have to attend PTA meetings to have an impact at AMS, but if you want to know what is going on and be part of the decision-making process, you have to be a member in attendance to vote on important issues–like how we spend our money! The first PTA meeting is tomorrow, Thursday, September 18 from 6-7pm. It’s right before Back To School Night, and we will have pizza and drinks, so please come by to hear what we have planned this year, and vote to adopt our budget and events calendar. If you miss a PTA meeting, our Secretary, Jen Gripman will document the meetings and post the minutes here so you can stay up to date.

Budget and Donations

The Board has worked hard to come up with a budget that is both ambitious and reasonable. Our plan is to raise more money this year than last so we can fund more activities and programs. Thanks to our Treasurer, Jennifer Light, for working long hours to input the budget into our new PTAEZ accounting system, and for setting up our webstore so people can sign up for membership and make donations online.

Thank you for taking the time to check out our new website and stay connected with AMS. I look forward to collaborating with you in the coming year.

Go Cobras!

Dorothe Piluso, President