The mission of the CMCS PTO is to enhance the education of our scholars by supporting CMCS teachers, staff and families through fundraising and community building.

PRESIDENT:  Amy Miller
VICE PRESIDENT:  Kristina Strosnider
TREASURER:  Rebecca Ghorra
SECRETARY:  April Kaylor
EXOFFICIO:  Joy Burch

EVENT:  Jaime Davis
GOLF:  Natalie Doudican
COMMUNICATIONS:  Amy Miller

Want to volunteer?  Contact us: pto@coastalmontessoricharter.org
Stay Connected: @CMCS PTO
Event and Fundraising Details:  CMCSPTO.RallyUp.com

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 – KARATE
CMCS PTO Treasurer Rebecca Ghorra is organizing a new after-school offering coming in March…KARATE!!!! Be on the lookout for details and how to sign up. Thank you Karate World!

APRIL 2023 – STINGRAY WATER SHIRTS
Look for an opportunity to purchase limited-edition Stingray SPF water shirts.

MAY 2023 – PGD, TEACHER APPRECIATION
May’s going to be busy! We’ve got Palmetto Giving Day (PGD) May 2-3. You’ll start seeing lots of promotion for this toward the end of April. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year to support the Outdoor Classroom and it’s so fun! Three businesses provided our “seed money” to participate in PGD and we’d like to thank Callaway Estates, Seaton Chiropractic and Brittain Resorts & Hotels for kick-starting the fundraising. We’ve got another anonymous business lined up for a $1,000 donation match. Are you interested in a matching gift? They’re so helpful in fueling excitement and donations during PGD. If so please let us know.

May is also Teacher Appreciation Week and we always show lots of love for that! Our teachers can look forward to food, treats, gifts and goodie bags.

JANUARY 2023
The Outdoor Classroom broke ground (or at least we cleared it!). Our friends at MMP Construction greatly discounted the clearing of debris, dead and diseased trees (identified by horticulturist Jason Kakert – thank you, Jason!) and unwanted briars to facilitate the healthy growth of this outdoor learning environment for our kids. MMP even cut the downed trees into logs that will border our pathway around the Outdoor Classroom. Following the clearing, Dr. T’s class collected 4 lbs of trash in a litter clean up that helped prep areas for plantings. Two greenhouse cold frames were purchased so our middle school students can seed-start. We’ll start purchases and planting the larger plants, shrubs and trees in February.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
The PTO budgets money each year for “Classroom Needs.” We do it in the middle of the year as supplies begin to run low or equipment wears out and give each classroom, specials, specialty and support teachers and staff (including the nurse’s office, custodial, library and lunchroom) Amazon gift cards to purchase whatever they need to support our children in the school. They have the option to use some or all of their allotted budget to purchase books from the November Scholastic Book Fair in our Media Center (thank you Natalie Doudican for doing such an incredible job on the Book Fair!). Then in December the Amazon gift cards are distributed. This year we also treated the entire well-deserving CMCS staff to coffee and baked good from our friends at Caspin Coffee right before the holiday break.

Additionally, the PTO facilitated a staff favorite…”HOLIDAY GIFT CLUB” where families can give the always-needed and much-appreciated personal gift of money to teachers and staff of their choice as a way to say “Happy Holidays and Thank You.” You’d be amazed at how much these individual gifts add up.

The PTO also received two grants for the Outdoor Classroom:

1. $1,700 from the Waccamaw Community Foundation Educational Fund to start the Sensory Garden

2. $2,500 from DHEC Champions of the Environment $2,500 to cultivate our long-leaf pine restoration project.

HUGE SHOUT OUT to our Outdoor Classroom mastermind Kristina Strosnider for her vision, expertise and supervision of this big undertaking that is going to put CMCS on the map!

OCTOBER 2022
Pumpkin Math is always a favorite PTO activity that not only supports students and teachers with fun, hands-on learning math props but also serves as a great fundraiser and easy dinner solution for busy families thanks to Quigley’s Pint and Plate and their delicious chicken bog meals!  This year the 6th graders put on a Fun Fair in conjunction with the Pumpkin Patch that helped raise money for their Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) trip to NYC.

We also fundraised by selling some of our coveted limited edition merch…”It’s a Great Day to be a Stingrary” long-sleeve cotton t-shirts.

AUGUST 2022
August was all about “Welcome Back to School!”  We welcomed the teachers back to school with a delicious breakfast from Applewood House of Pancakes and Pawleys Island Bakery.  The PTO also helped out with the CMCS Open House to welcome families back to school with fun food trucks and inflatables. Beachside Fluff‘s gourmet cotton candy was a big hit!  In addition we moved mulch to the Outdoor Classroom for future path creation.