About Us
Our Mission
1. To provide the best possible education for all our children, by encouraging the community to provide the maximum feasible support for, and involvement with, our schools.
2. To foster good relationships between teachers, staff, parents / guardians, students, and administrators, by providing varied opportunities for positive interactions.
3. To enhance the educational and cultural growth of our children by sponsoring activities and programs, as well as raising funds to be appropriated and distributed on a documented request basis.
4. To strive to communicate with every student's family to promote a network of assistance and outreach.
Goals for This Year
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Foster family relationships in the school community through volunteer opportunities and free events throughout the year
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Provide grants for creative and education classroom and schoolwide projects
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Support the school in planning and carrying out the new K-5 playground
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Encourage more parents and guardians to get involved so the PTO remains strong into the future
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the PTO? The Somerville NJ Pre K - 8 PTO is a Parent & Teacher Organization at Van Derveer Elementary School and Somerville Middle School.
Who is on our Executive Board? Our executive board for the School Year can be found on this page!
What do we do? We work together to build a nurturing and engaging school community to contribute to a better educational environment for our children. We hold fundraisers, such as VDV Spirit Wear, Dine to Donate, Holiday Sales, and hold events such as Trunk or Treat, Scholastic Book Fair, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Holiday Shop.
What do I need to do to become a member? Go to THIS LINK to join now. A $10.00 membership fee is required per family. A $5.00 membership fee is required per school staff.
What are the benefits of becoming a member? All VDV and SMS familes and staff are welcome to meetings and events. However, membership ensures you get all of the upcoming information, events, and volunteering by email. You must be a paid member of the Somerville NJ PreK-8 PTO and have attended 2 meetings (in-person or virtual) in order to vote on budget, event plans, or for the board elections.
Where do we meet? We will meet every other month at the VDV Media Center at 7:00 pm on the third Wednesday of the month, with a virtual option. Stay tuned for meeting reminders in email and on Facebook and TwitterX. A Google Meet link will be sent to members a week before the meeting, as well as posted on the website.
Be sure to follow us on Social Media!
Please email info@somervillenjpto.com if you have any questions.