Committees

The committees of the PTO are the heart of our organization. Without the dedication of so many of our parents, we would not be able to give the support we do to our school and children. There are opportunities for all, no matter how much time you have to give. We are strong because of the diverse backgrounds and talents of our parents. While our unifying purpose is to work for our school, the individual benefits of volunteerism are immense. The strong bonds of friendship created through work for BGE is the core of our community.

Annual Giving

The Annual Giving campaign communicates the importance of giving to our PTO general fund. Without the generosity of our community we would not be able to provide funding for a variety of programs. These programs include the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, security initiatives, curriculum, teacher training and much more. This committee would benefit from energetic personalities who enjoy fundraising and can share the benefits that these funds make to the school.

Auction

The Auction Committee serves to plan, coordinate and promote the school’s annual spring auction. The auction is an online-based event where parents and teachers come together to raise funds for the school. The majority of the work is done before the auction: coordinating donations and preparing posts for the online auction platform. The auction closes out with a fun, themed party planned by the committee. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who love party planning and building relationships throughout the wider community (teachers + families + local businesses).

Book Fair

The Book Fair Committee loves to promote reading! Their goal is to put books into the hands of our children and teachers by coordinating this once-yearly, week-long event. The committee gets to choose an exciting Book Fair theme and decorate the BGE library for a unique shopping experience. They arrange parent volunteers, liaise with teachers to compile classroom wishlists, and create contests that allow all students to participate. This short, beloved event is a nice way to connect with other book-lovers and give back to the school within a finite timespan.

Carnival

The Carnival Committee helps plan and coordinate annual Fall Carnival, a long-standing traditional at BGE. The committee starts their collaboration at the beginning of the school year, and continues until the Carnival is held in mid-to-late October. The committee handles planning, vendor relations, donation gathering, and logistics for the day of the event, including set-up and teardown. This is the largest event the school hosts each year, and the most widely attended. This committee is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun and a great way to meet other parents and community members while giving back to the school.

In addition to committee chairs, business and family-level donors are always needed. Please see the Sponsorship page for more details about the perks of being a Carnival donor.

Corporate Underwriting

The Corporate Underwriting Committee holds a key role in school fundraising. This committee seeks to partner BGE with local businesses to support our school. Do you own, or know of, a business that you would like to advertise to our community? Reach out and discover a variety of options for collaboration. This committee is perfect for anyone who wants to foster connections between the school and local businesses by promoting the benefits of working together.

Dads Club

The Briargrove Dads Club was established over 20 years ago on a very simple premise: help the school, develop strong students, and build camaraderie amongst families in the community. The Dads Club participates in multiple work days throughout the year, sponsors the carnival raffle, builds the popular haunted house at carnival, plans family events and hosts monthly meetings to socialize and discuss key items. Over the years, the Dad’s Club has raised over $500,000 in funds that has gone directly to the school to support special projects and initiatives. New members are always welcome!

Fifth Grade Committee

The Fifth Grade Committee’s goal is to make students’ final year at BGE extra special. The committee helps plan fun events and activities throughout the year for 5^th graders (and their parents) to participate in. This includes a mix of long-standing traditions, and new ideas brought forth by committee members. It all comes together to make their “senior” year a memorable one. Participation is open to volunteers with a current 5^th grade student. It’s a sweet way to participate closely with your child in this transitional year.

Fun Run

The Fun Run Committee coordinates this annual, week-long fundraiser that gets kids active while raising money for specific school needs. Students seek out pledges for the laps they run and get to enjoy a sense of pride that they are giving back to their school. The week of the Fun Run includes motivational pep-rallies, character-building lessons, and fun contests to get the students pumped and ready to run. This brief, but high-energy event is an “easy win” for volunteers as a committee-selected fundraising company leads most of the week’s activities. Sign up and come along for the ride… errr… run!

Gardens

Grade Parents

Grade Parent Committee works with teachers, faculty and parents to enhance partnerships and communication between families and teachers in our classrooms. Their primary goal is to provide resources and support within the class through the school year — such as supporting teacher supply needs and communication requests, promoting school wide activities, coordinating classroom events, mobilizing volunteers, and raising funds if needed. Teachers love this committee and it’s a great way to help your child’s class in a very meaningful way.

International Committee

The International Committee plans an annual Festival for students, families, teachers, and staff to celebrate our outstanding diversity at BGE. The committee’s goal is to cultivate awareness & appreciation of our cultures through art, music, dance, cuisine, and curriculum. The committee is responsible for recruiting families to host country-themed booths at the Festival. They also seek community partners for donations and brief cultural performances. This committee is perfect if you’re passionate about bringing people together to celebrate culture and diversity (it’s also one of the most fun “foodie” events hosted during the year!)

School Store

The School Store Committee manages the sale of the school’s merchandise throughout the year, such as clothing, birthday marquee, event tickets, etc. Committee Members are responsible for sales at specific events and through the online school store. This largely behind-the-scenes role is another great opportunity for parents who want to pitch in without needing to commit to a specific date or time. Committee members have input on future Briargrove shirt designs and are the first to have access to new merchandise!

Teacher Appreciation

The teacher Appreciation committee is in charge of arranging monthly events to show appreciation for BGE’s teachers and staff. Events may be meals catered on campus, special activities, or donations, like pies for teachers and staff at Thanksgiving or k-cup donations to fill breakrooms. The committee is responsible for liaising with local businesses and parents as well as working within their set budget. The teachers and staff at BGE work hard for our kids every day! This is a great opportunity to be part of the group that makes them feel special and cared for.