The MHS PTA is running a Pi Day Fundraiser selling pies from our local bakery - DARBY's BAKERY.  We are only selling 100 pies so this is a first come first serve event.  Please see the attached order form and submit it ASAP to ensure you get one of these delicious pies (see attached order form for flavors)!!!  This fundraiser is open to all people in town.  Please drop all order forms, with payment,  at the main office of either Major Edwards or the  MHS.  PLEASE LABEL ALL ENVELOPES DROPPED OFF  AT THE SCHOOLS WITH MHS PTA SO IT GETS TO THE CORRECT LOCATION. You may also mail it to WB MHS PTA 125 Crescent Street West Boylston, MA 01583.

ATTENTION CLASS OF 2018 MEMBERS - This is the last opportunity to meet the fundraiser requirement for one of the PTA Scholarships that are given out at graduation.  

Registration is now open for the Middle School Play "Alice in Wonderland, Jr."  Registration, including activity fee, is due November 17th.  Auditions will be held in the Auditorium 1/9/17 6:00-7:30.  Mandatory Parents Meeting during auditions.  Parents are REQUIRED TO ATTEND or their child will not be allowed to audition.  Students and parents interested in Stage Crew should attend the Auditions as well.  They can leave after the Parent Meeting.  Those needing financial assistance with the activity fee should contact the show Producer, Tammy Bourque, at ptjmbourque@yahoo.com PRIOR TO NOVEMBER 17TH.  All registration forms can be dropped off to the Main Office.  The registration form is attached below, and we strongly suggest that the play rules and understood prior to submitting the form.  Parents and students both must sign the form.

The Middle School Play is open to all students currently enrolled at West Boylston Middle/High School in grades 6, 7 and 8.  All students will get a part.  Auditions are held to best match students to roles in their comfort level and within their vocal range.  Once the show has been cast, all roles are final.

Rehearsals will be Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6:00 - 7:30 in the auditorium (end time will be 8:00 after February Vacation).  ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL REHEARSALS DURING TECH WEEK (4/2/18 - 4/5/18).  Rehearsals will be every night during Tech Week.  We understand the importance of diverse activities for our students.  As long as a student can attend one rehearsal per week they are welcome to join us, HOWEVER, as previously stated, STUDENTS CANNOT MISS ANY TECH WEEK REHEARSALS.  If your student cannot commit to this schedule, we respectfully request that they do not audition.

WEST BOYLSTON MHS PTA DQ FUNDRAISER!!!  MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH FROM 5:00-8:00 PLEASE SUPPORT THE MHS PTA BY STOPPING AT DQ FOR A QUICK DINNER OR DESSERT AFTER GAMES, SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, ETC.

The WB MHS PTA meeting dates for the 2017-2018 Academic Year are as follows.  Also attached to this post is the membership form.  Please download, print, fill it out and send it in with your student.  WE DO NOT REQUIRING VOLUNTEERING AS PART OF MEMBERSHIP.  Please help us - one of only a handful of MHS PTA organizations in the state - to help our students and teachers by giving them opportunities to provide an outstanding education for our children.

September 12, 2017

November 7, 2017

January 9, 2017

March 6, 2017

May 1, 2017

Spring cleaning over vacation????   Don't throw away all of those old textiles!!  The Middle High School PTA is running their Annual Spring Textile Drive NEXT SATURDAY APRIL 22 at the MHS from 10:00am - 3:00pm.  See the attached flyer.

The West Boylston Middle/High School PTA hopes you all had a fantastic February Break and got outside to enjoy the spring like weather!!!  We currently have a lot of activities going on at the MHS.  

First and foremost, we are currently conducting our spring fundraiser – Kansas Maid Braided Pastry & Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough. Students should receive an order form on Monday, February 27 from his/her homeroom teacher. The fundraiser starts immediately and ends Monday, March 13. Payment must accompany the order form. The order form and payment can be dropped off at the school office to be put it in the PTA’s mailbox in the mailroom.  Delievry for all items will be April 6th - the week before Easter.  These Braided Pastries make perfect Easter brunch items as well as items for any spring time gathering such as baby and bridal showers!!!  The order form is also attached to this blog in case yours gets lost in the "backpack" shuffle.   If you have any questions, please contact Carol Peterson via email at wbmhspta@wbschools.com.

IMPORTANT - Please be sure to provide the name, phone and email address of the person we should contact to remind you to pick up the order.  Pick-up of the pastry and cookie dough is Thursday, April 6 at 3:30-4:30 at the school cafeteria.

The PTA has just 3 Lions Stadium Blankets left. They are $20.00 each. Contact Carol Peterson via email at wbmhspta@wbschools.com if you would like to purchase a blanket.  These will make great Easter gifts for your MHS student  or will provide you with plenty of warmth during those early season spring sports games!!!

Do you need a gift and not sure what to give? The PTA has digital entertainment apps for sale. They are similar to the Entertainment coupon books but with the added benefit that the 12-month savings does not start until the code is activated. The Coupon App is $20.00. If you would like to purchase a Coupon App, contact Carol Peterson via email at wbmhspta@wbschools.com.

ATTENTION SENIORS AND PARENTS OF SENIORS - It is senior scholarship time.  The PTA Scholarship committee has been assembled.  We will be reading the  applications for our PTA Scholarship in March.   To be eligible for the PTA scholarship, a senior’s family must be a current member of the Middle/High School PTA and participate in a fundraiser during the year. The Pastry & Cookie Dough, blankets and apps are all considered a fundraiser. Scholarship forms are due Monday, February 27 in the Guidance Office.

Did you clean out closets or plan to do so soon? The PTA will conduct a clothing and textiles collection this spring (most likely at the end of April vacation). The date is yet to be determined.

Lastly, the Middle School Play is a little over one month away.  Approximately 50 middle school student actors and stage crew will be performing "The Wizard of Oz" on April 7 and 8.  Show time is 7:00 pm and the doors will open at 6:30.  Tickets will be available at the door for $7 per person.  Rehearsals have been going along with our new play staff and the energy and excitement surrounding the show is building!!

The next meeting of the PTA is Tuesday, March 7, 6:30-8 in the Media Center. Please join us.

Rehearsals for the Middle School Play are fast approaching!  The PTA has made many changes to the production this year in conjunction with the addition of drama into the Middle School Explore curriculum.  

The first big announcement is that the production, which will perform on April 7- 8, 2017, will be "The Wizard of Oz."  The second major announcement is that the PTA would like to introduce Chris Uminski, Anna Maria alum and local private music teacher, as the show's Director.  We welcome Chris to our production and into the West Boylston school community.

In addition to these changes, we decided to move auditions to after the holidays.  Wiith concerts and other holiday festivities, this can be a very busy time for both students and families and we felt that this would help ease some of the chaos of this time.  As in the past, our play is open to all students in grade 6-8 currently enrolled  in the West Boylston MHS.  All students that audition will get a part, however, auditions are held to determine what part(s) fit best with each student's strengths and interests.  All students, INCLUDING THOSE WANTING TO BE PART OF THE STAGE CREW, must be at audition night.  AT LEAST ONE PARENT MUST ATTEND AUDITION NIGHT FOR A PARENT MEETING.  IF A PARENT DOESN'T ATTEND, YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE.  Parents and stage crew students will not have to stay the whole time.  Please be aware that a new rule this year will be that ALL PARENTS must chaperone at least one of our rehearsals.  Due to some behavior issues of the past, we are making this a requirement this year.

Play sign ups will be on audition night.  Activity fees will also be due on audition night so please be prepared.  The 2017 Middle School Play activity fees are $50 for PTA members and $80 for non-members.   For those families on free or reduced lunch, please contact Tammy Bourque at ptjmbourque@yahoo.com in reference to the above fees.  

As in the past, the PTA and play staff will continue to be flexible with students' other outside activities as we feel these are extremely important to the student's overall middle school experience.  However, ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE AT ALL TECH WEEK REHEARSALS.  Please talk to sports coaches, dance instructors, music teachers, etc. now to let them know that your students have a play commitment the week of April 3rd.  All students will be required to let the staff know on audition night if they will be missing a weekly  rehearsal or may potentially have any conflicts.  Please be aware that if your student will be missing every Tuesday rehearsal due to another activity, this will may potentially effect the role that he/she gets.  We have had some issues in the past with students auditioning, getting a major role, then only attending random rehearsals due to other activities.  Please consider your available time commitment when signing up for the play.  Even though we are flexible with our students, they need to realize that being part of the play IS A COMMITMENT.  They must learn lines, dances, etc.  They need to take into consideration the other members of the cast that rely on them for their lines, etc.  The memorizing of lines and dances will take place outside of rehearsal time. 

Please see the attached audition announcement for more information.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the play Producer, Tammy Bourque, at ptjmbourque@yahoo.com.

The Middle/High School PTA is experiencing a very low number of memberships so far this academic year.  We encourage parents and teachers to join as members to help us support our plans for the year.  In addition to the programs below that we sponsor on a yearly basis, this year we have already approved teacher grants, discussed guest speakers for our students on anxiety and healthy relationships, and discussed author visits.  We need your support to help us provide these programs.  Here is a brief history about the MHS PTA as well as information on our yearly programs.

First of all, the Town of West Boylston is very lucky to have not one but two very active PTA organizations within our school district.  In Massachusetts, Middle/High School PTA organizations are extremely rare.  Secondly, the PTA at Major Edwards is a separate entity from the Middle/High School PTA.  Membership in one does not mean membership in the other.  The mission of both organizations is to support the teachers and students at their respective school, however, how each does that is different.  The needs of the students and teachers at the MHS are very different than the needs of those in an elementary school.  The two organizations do work together many times throughout the year and a recent example is the Teacher Appreciation Back to School Luncheon for the faculty of both schools that was held on August 30th.  Both organizations have been sponsoring this lunch the day before school starts for many years.

So what does the MHS PTA do?  First of all, membership includes the financial support to help us fund and support our programs, but meeting attendance and volunteerism aren't as crucial.  Most of our volunteers come in the form of student groups within our school.  For instance, when a Senior class member helps us with a particular fundraiser they are meeting a requirement for one of the scholarships that the PTA gives out at graduation.  For students in other classes, this means meeting the community service requirements for their particular club like the National Honor Society.  "Friends for Change" sells refreshments at the Middle School Play as a fundraising opportunity.  The students help us while we are helping them.  This being said, there are times when we occasionally do need parent volunteers.

Every year in October, we sponsor Career Day for the current high school students.  Professionals make slide show presentations on their particular career but what makes this so special?  Each professional is paired with a student in Lynn Pelto's Visual Communications class and the student prepares the slide show presentation.  As a result the student gets their Adobe Certification.  Another example of the students helping us to help them!

We sponsor the Middle School play every Spring.  This allows students in grades 6 - 8 the opportunity to experience the thrill of performing on stage or working behind the scenes of a production before they have the chance to do it in high school.

Scholarships for seniors at graduation, costs associated with Senior Night, and teacher requests are all things that the Middle/High School PTA supports.

Our goal for the 2016-2017 school year is to support more teacher requests for classroom materials, field trips, etc.  Your MHS PTA membership will help to support these goals.  Please consider helping us to support the teachers in providing a quality educational opportunity for the students at West Boylston Middle High School.

Please use the attached membership form to help support our organization. You can also find the PTA on Facebook at West Boylston Middle/High School PTA or you can email us wbmhspta@wbschools.com.

Happy Fall!  October was extremely busy for the MHS PTA.  First and foremost, the PTA is still accepting memberships.  As a reminder, YOU WILL NOT BE ASKED TO VOLUNTEER.  Your membership helps us in providing teacher grants and programs that supplement the education of our children.

The PTA held their annual Career Day on October 6th for our high school students.  Approximately 30 professionals visited the school and gave one hour presentations throughout the morning about their respective career.   Presenters were greeted by members of the PTA and served a light continental breakfast in the Media Center.  Thank you to Donna Beaulac, Karen Dorman and the countless others that helped to make this year's Career Day a huge success.  A Thank You and Congratulations to Lynn Pelto's Adobe class for creating the slide presentations and earning their Adobe Certification.

Next, the PTA finished up their Lyman's Pie and Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Fundraiser.  Thank you to all that participated.  Your support in this program will help the PTA to provide programs and support our teachers.  Delivery will be 11/19.  For those that ordered, keep a look out for an email reminder as we get closer to delivery.

We have now begun our annual Christmas Wreath and Kissing Ball sale in conjunction with Whitetail Greenery.    The standard door size wreaths are Balsam Fir and come with your choice of red or burgundy bow color.  The Kissing Balls are also of Maine Balsam Fir and come decorated with ornaments, streamers, and choice of red, burgundy or red/gold bow colors.  The wreaths are $12 and the kissing balls are $25.  PICK UP WILL BE THE SATURDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING (11/26) AT WHITETAIL GREENERY ON PROSPECT STREET.    If you are traveling, please make alternate arrangements for pick-up.  The order form is attached to this post.

Christmas shopping?????  The PTA has only a handful of the royal blue Lions fleece blankets left.  These blankets are great for those cold football games or in the trunks of those new drivers in preparation for winter emergencies!  We also have the Entertainment Book App codes.  You buy the code for $20 and it is good for one year FROM ACTIVATION.  The best part is the app is not region based so as you travel for the upcoming holiday season you can use it for shopping and dinner anywhere in the USA!!!  This, too, makes a great gift for teens for when they go out with friends!

Our next bi-monthly meeting is 11/1/16 in the MHS Media Center at 6:30pm.  We welcome you to join us!

Thank you to everyone that has joined the PTA and/or supported our fundraisers this year.  We look forward to an exciting November!

Welcome Fall from the West Boylston Middle/High School PTA!  We had our first meeting of the school year on September 13th, and we were pleased to have so many new people join our meeting and share some fantastic ideas,  Some even took the lead on looking for speakers.

In the meantime, we have lots of exciting things happening in the next few weeks.

First, our membership drive continues to build momentum.  Your $20 membership fee helps to financially support the MHS PTA.  Our goal this year is to provide teacher request grants and speakers for our student body..  A very special thank you to all that have joined so far.  You are helping to enhance the education of the students in our school.

Our annual fall fundraiser with  Lyman's Pies has been paired with Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough this year!  The sale is beginning on September 30th  and will run through October 14th.  Order forms are being distributed to all students in the MHS.   Please look for them in backpacks!  Let us help to ease your Thanksgiving Day baking!  All pies are $17 and the 2.5 lb boxes of cookie dough are also $17.  Delivery is scheduled for the Friday before Thanksgiving - November 18 - at 2:00.  The cream pies come pre-baked so all you have to do is thaw.  The fruit pies and cookie dough just needs to be thawed and baked!  There are 10 different flavors of pies - Apple Caramel Walnut, High Top Apple, Apple Crumb, Pumpkin, Orchard Blueberry, Peach Crumb, Bumbleberry, Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream with Brownie Bottom.  There are 5 flavors of the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough - oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, carnival (M&M), white chocolate macademia nut, and peanut butter.

Entertainment Book App sale is also continues this year!  We have pre-ordered the activation codes for the Entertainment Book App so when you purchase the code from us for $20, you get instant access to hundreds of coupons and discounts on your electronic device.  Unlike the actual Entertainment Book, the app is NOT REGIONAL so as you travel around for your fall sporting events, you can use coupons for the area that you are in at the time.  The app is good for 1-year from activation so this is an excellent gift idea for the holidays.

Also a great idea for the holidays????  Royal Blue WB Lions Logo blankets!  For $20 you can get a fleece blanket that comes rolled and clasped!  This makes a great gift for the car trunk of those new drivers out there during the winter months or for those chilly fall sporting events.  WE ONLY HAVE A HANDFUL LEFT AND WHEN THEY ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE.  This is our third year selling the blankets and it has been an extremely successful long term fundraiser for us, however, with only 5 blankets left, we are coming to the end.

Lastly, Career Day is Thursday, October 6.  We have approximately 25 professionals coming into the school to deliver presentations to our High School students.  A wide variety of professions are represented from Electrical Engineering, Physical Therapy, Attorney, and Pharmaceuticals among others.  Students from Lynn Pelto's Adobe class -  have been working tirelessly on the slide show presentations.  Not only will they earn their Adobe Certification, but the have also had great business experience communicating with their assigned presenters as well as, in some cases, actually holding meetings with the presenters to discuss the presentations.

As always, check out the West Boylston Middle/High School PTA on Facebook.  You can email any questions or comments to wbmhspta@wbschools.com.

Happy Fall!