You’ve probably heard the letters PTO before since there is a Parent Teacher Organization in all schools in LAUSD. Well, we decided to interview Dana’s vice president of the PTO, Ms.Glori, to learn more about it and were able to find out lots of new information that maybe even you don’t know about!

Let’s get right into the first question, which was “What would you like to tell any parents reading that are considering joining PTO?” To which Mrs. Glori answered,” Even though your kids are older, it’s still important to be involved in some way. We still need them as parents to help out.” So if you’re a parent and think that you shouldn’t join the PTO because your kid is older now and it is less necessary, you’d be surprised how much the school would benefit from you reaching out to help.

The next question goes along with the last because it states,” What are the criteria for someone part of the PTO?” Mrs. Glori explained to us,” Any parent can be a part of the PTO as well as teachers and guardians, so all teachers, parents, and guardians are welcome to join they just need to fill in a form.” Make sure if you were thinking of joining the PTO to make your way down to Dana and fill out that form!

Now, you might be wondering, “what the parent center does for Dana Middle School?” And you’d be in luck because our next question answered just that! Mrs. Glori told us that they have fundraisers, ask for donations to help our school, and they collaborate with the teachers and staff for their requests for activities, they make sure to be the most supportive that they can with all their requests.

Do you know the difference between the PTO and the Parent Center? Well, if you don’t this question that we asked will be helpful for you! With Mrs.Glori’s help, we were able to find out that the PTO is the Parent Teacher Organization, while the parent center is always open for all parents and you don’t have to be part of the PTO to enter. So if you have any questions or need help with something that regards the school or your child, the parent center will always be open during school hours and are more than welcome to help you.

Another thing that Ms.Glori would want parents or guardians considering joining the PTO to know is, that you aren’t obligated to volunteer, that is just a common misconception people tend to believe. So if you feel like volunteering is the thing holding you back from joining the PTO now you know that it isn’t required and I hope you feel more welcome to join now and be a great help to our school!

We also asked Ms.Sestich how PTO functions and who is in charge of it. According to her, they are under the guidance and leadership of Mrs.Crow, our assistant principal. Through her, they plan events that they do for the school and find out what Dana needs and how to fulfill those needs.

And to put a wrap on this interview the last question we asked Mrs. Glori was,” What is your favorite part of being on PTO?” Mrs. Glori answered,” I’d say meeting with other parents in the school and having lots of similarities and learning about each other and our kids.” To me, it seems like the PTO is a whole bunch of fun!

We hope this was helpful for any parents or guardians considering joining the PTO and helped you become more informed about the Parent Center and all It’s about. If you have any more questions feel free to contact Mrs.Sestich at, [email protected], kudos to her for being such a great participant during the interview and very helpful!