School is winding down, but the Rochester Memorial School Parent Teacher Organization isn’t … not quite yet.

The group is on a campaign to get more parents involved. At an open house on May 19, Tina Rood said, “We’re looking for people to jump in, in big and small ways.”

Many of the PTO officers’ terms are ending. Rood, a co-chair of the book fairs and of the fundraising committee, will be moving on as her youngest child graduates out of Rochester Memorial School, so more hands are needed.

Rood believes it’s important for kids to see more than their teachers engaged in the educational process.

“Having other adults involved lets them know how important their education is to us as a community,” Rood said.

At the May meeting, parents and teachers discussed alternative days and times for the monthly sessions to draw in more parents. They decided to keep them on Tuesdays while alternating between afternoon and the current evening meetings. Child care would be provided for the after school meetings.

New next year, the group would like to have a parent for each grade to act as a representative.

There will also be opportunities to serve at the annual Halloween Dance, live auction, teacher appreciation week as well as through the many cultural events the PTO supports. This year, the Cultural Committee supported a visit from percussionist Otha Day, who led a drum circle in classrooms and later in the evening for families.

Rather than constant fundraisers, Rood said, “We really tried to shift the focus onto events for families.”

And all help is greatly appreciated, Rood said.

“The group, in a very quiet way, supports every day educational experiences for our kids that people might not realize,” she said.

More information on the PTO can be found at rms-pto.weebly.com.