Dear MIMS Families,
I’m honored to connect with you, as this is my first year as part of the MIMS Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Every single day, I am blown away by the dedication and engagement of our fellow parents.
But, I’ll be the first to admit that I never fully grasped the importance of our PTO for my first two years at MIMS.
I had a vague understanding and acknowledgment of their effort, but it didn’t fully register for me how vital our volunteering and financial giving are to the school.
Allow me to highlight just a few of the activities driven by our PTO and parent leaders that contribute to our children’s education and our families’ experience:
- Purchasing software and subscriptions. These tools are used directly in the classroom and supplement at-home learning (Better Chinese, Handwriting Without Tears, Scholastic News, Quizlet, iChinese Reader, IXL Learning Math, and more).
- Directly funding teacher needs and wishlists. Teachers won’t collect class funds from each class this year. Instead, contributions to PTO are being used to fill the needs of teacher requests directly and pay for class shirts for the kids.
- Communicating with parents. The PTO newsletter is compiled regularly, and our parent leaders are always available to ensure everyone is informed. PTO also pays for the school’s subscription to Bloomz to facilitate the admin’s announcements to parents, too.
- Running school festivals and cultural events. Throughout the school year, events such as our Mid-Autumn Festival, International Festival, Kids Marketplace, and our huge Chinese New Year Festival are all organized, budgeted, and run by PTO.
- Running school book fair. The Scholastic Book Fair is planned and staffed by PTO every year, and proceeds go towards teacher supplies and worksheets for the kids. This year, we’re introducing an additional Chinese book fair!
- Creating SPARK Parks. The installation of the beautiful playgrounds at school was spearheaded by parents, and funding for those projects came from PTO donations and the corporate partners and sponsors brought in by parents. This year, we’re installing a shade above the playground area to help protect our kids from the blistering heat.
Though these are the most visible and tangible contributions of PTO, this just scratches the surface of what our parents do on a day-to-day basis to help make the school what it is.
But wait, don’t we attend a free public school? Doesn’t the state and the district fund the school’s operations?
Absolutely. Public funding pays for the building operations and the salaries of our teachers and staff who are the heart and soul of MIMS. But for everything beyond the necessities, PTO steps in to fill in the gaps. Our parents are the muscles that flex to keep things moving, and the stronger we are, the better the experience for our kids.
At its core, I’m grateful for what MIMS offers to our children. Our 788 students are challenged every day with the rigorous academic standards delivered by our teachers, and our students are gifted with the opportunity to be bilingual, bi-literate, and – most importantly – set on a path to be truly global citizens.
MIMS consistently ranks as one of the highest-performing schools in the state of Texas (Top 2%). In 2022, the Middle School program was ranked as the #1 Middle School in HISD.
Amidst the changes taking place in the district, we see our school admin and teachers working tirelessly to ensure that MIMS continues to be an amazing home for our students.
This year, they need our help more than ever.
Beyond the volunteer hours we put in, PTO relies heavily on the financial generosity of parents to fulfill our goals, and this is where you come in. Here’s what we need:
- Write a check or make a gift online at www.mimspto.org. If you’re a business owner and want to be a sponsor, check out the Corporate Fundraising to see the benefits.
- Providing an in-kind donation can help provide additional fundraising opportunities to the school. Let us know what you can offer.
- If you work for an employer that offers a corporate match to your donation, please leverage that process. It can double your gift with not a lot of work. (I’m happy to help!)
Again, I’m endlessly grateful that my children have the opportunity to attend MIMS alongside the wonderful families I’ve met at this school. Thank you all for everything you’re doing.
2023-2024 MIMS Family Sponsorship Packet:
https://docs.google.com/document/u/3/d/1wi3lGy80_A6cQU8GOVqt6o99IHBiROVS1OyS7N_DBcc/mobilebasic?usp=gmail
Sincerely,
Abraham Chu | MIMS PTO Corporate Fundraising Chair
fundraising@mimspto.org
