OTE PTO
Mid-Year Impact Report

Fundraising at OTE is designed to be meaningful, inclusive, and worth families’ time. During this first part of this year, we focused on creating a mix of options—family-fun events, simple “dinner supports the school” nights, and low-effort ways to participate—so every family can contribute in a way that works for them. Most importantly, every dollar raised is reinvested back into our school community to support classrooms, programs, and student experiences.

• Fall Carnival: Introduced a new event day and activities, serving as a fun and engaging experience for students while giving the PTO valuable insight for future improvements.
• Restaurant Nights: Hosted five events (with expanded local restaurants) to make giving back easy and accessible.
• Skate Parties: Remained one of our most popular family events with record-setting attendance across two events this fall.
• Box Tops: Program promotion was relaunched with dedicated leadership, creating a simple and sustainable source of ongoing support for OTE.

Hospitality is where the PTO shows up in the everyday moments—helping families feel connected, reducing friction for teachers, and creating consistency across classrooms.

• Classroom Celebrations: This year, the PTO introduced a centralized approach to classroom celebrations, improving transparency, consistency, and inclusivity while increasing volunteer opportunities and simplifying the process for families and Room Parents.
• Staff Appreciation: Efforts throughout the fall recognized and celebrated OTE teachers and staff through welcome-back treats, conference meals, appreciation lunches, event prizes, and holiday gifts.
• Spirit Wear: The launch of a new spirit wear store brought higher-quality products, fresh designs, and partnerships with local small businesses, increasing the funds returned to the school.
• Field Trip Shirts: PTO-designed field trip shirts provided a consistent, school-branded look for students and teachers at no cost and will be used for two consecutive years.
• Birthday Marquee: Reimagined in a fun, visible way to celebrate students during their birthday month with a personalized yard sign at the school entrance.
• Yearbook: Sales were streamlined by moving all orders exclusively to the PTO website, reducing confusion and duplicate purchases.

These programs are the moments families remember—events that bring students, staff, and parents together and help strengthen the culture of OTE. This year, we worked to make these events more engaging and more efficient, while keeping the focus on students: reading, celebration, service, and shared pride in our school.

• Book Fair: The Fall Book Fair featured several thoughtful updates, including two new Family Nights, a surprise visit from KC Wolf! Teacher wish list experience was enhanced with new personalized recognition stickers where families could add their name or student’s name—creating a special, lasting connection to classroom libraries.
• Veterans Day: Veterans Day programming honored 35 veterans through the Honor Wall and a meaningful assembly that featured a powerful story of service, kindness, and humanity.
• 5th Grade Celebration: Early fundraising for the 5th Grade Celebration launched successfully using a new online platform that added excitement through live tracking and friendly classroom competition.

Community outreach efforts brought OTE families together through hands-on service projects, student support initiatives, and meaningful partnerships. Through Community Service, Support-a-Cougar, and district-wide giving, OTE families modeled generosity for our kids while helping ensure students have what they need to participate fully in the school experience—at OTE and across the broader Blue Valley community.

• Community Service Impact: Through three community service meetings, nearly 50 volunteers came together to support local organizations—collecting donations for Ronald McDonald House, assembling 200 Happy Kits for Children’s Mercy, and delivering 910 holiday treat bags to children in need.
• Support-A-Cougar: Through the PTO’s Support-a-Cougar program, we continue to quietly and compassionately support OTE students and families by meeting immediate needs and ensuring every child can fully participate in school experiences—academically, socially, and emotionally.
  • Nearly $200 in school supplies and $50+ in snack pantry donations (ongoing support)
  • $375 in Carnival SAC bags so all students and families could attend
  • $100 in books to ensure every student could shop the Book Fair
  • $100+ in Halloween costumes so all students could participate in celebrations
  • $100+ in shelf-stable food to support the OTE Food Pantry (ongoing)
  • Nearly $1,300 donated through the SAC Holiday Drive to provide gift cards, books, and games to students during the holidays

• Community & District Partnerships: Community partners helped enhance PTO events and programs through financial and in-kind support, while the PTO also gave back to the broader Blue Valley community through district-wide initiatives.
  • Donated to the Blue Valley Educational Foundation 35th Annual Community Breakfast, including sponsoring six OTE staff members to attend and represent our school.
  • Donated to Blue Valley North Project Graduation.

A strong PTO is powered by participation. This year, we've focused on making it easier for families to engage—whether that’s volunteering once, joining PTO, attending events, or simply staying informed. The result is a more connected community and more capacity to support students and staff in meaningful ways.

• Volunteer engagement: OTE families showed up in a big way this year, with 176 unique volunteers stepping into 375 volunteer needs across classrooms, events, and school-wide initiatives—powering the programs and experiences that make our PTO impact possible.
• Monthly Board Meetings: PTO Board meetings were moved to Monday evenings (previously Friday mornings) to increase accessibility and participation for parents and staff.
• Community Building: New and reimagined community-building events, including a Back-to-School Meet & Greet in the library and Kindergarten Popsicles on the Playground, helped families connect early in the year.
• Membership: PTO membership exceeded our annual goal with more than 460 memberships, reflecting strong community support and a shared commitment to investing in our students, staff, and school community.

Through the Teacher and Staff Grants, the PTO invests directly in classroom innovation, student enrichment, and staff support. Grants fund materials, resources, and experiences that enhance learning, support diverse student needs, and bring creative ideas to life—allowing teachers and staff to go above and beyond for OTE students.

• $12,000+ awarded across 19 grants supporting classrooms, programs, and student needs
• Grants supported a wide range of initiatives, from instructional materials and technology to wellness and school-wide enrichment including:
  • Classroom educational subscriptions
  • Cougar Kindness program materials
  • LIFT program resources
  • Specialized student headphones
  • Gym, art, science, and music materials
  • Flexible seating for classrooms
  • Shared event supplies