Short summaries of PTO committees.
Detailed descriptions are found in Appendix A of the Bylaws.
Alumni Relations Committee (Liaison: President)
This committee works with the CVHS Administration to identify Alumni and keep a database of Alumni so they can be contacted on behalf of CVHS and the CVHS PTO for the furtherance of the school and PTO missions.
The President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
External Publicity Committee (Liaison: President)
This committee helps the school’s staff keep HISD, the Houston Chronicle, various neighborhood publications, and CVHS social media aware of student and faculty achievements and activities.
This committee also keeps CVHS parents and administration aware of HISD activities and delegates a member or members to attend school board meetings and any other meeting called by HISD that affects CVHS.
The President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Senior Scholarship Award Committee (Liaison: President)
Each year the PTO awards one or more scholarship (s) to graduating senior(s) who have attended CVHS for a minimum of two years and whose parent, legal guardian, or caretaker is a member in good standing of the PTO.
This committee distributes scholarship applications to qualified candidates, reviews submitted applications, interviews the candidate, and selects the recipient(s) who are announced at the Senior Awards Celebration Event (usually in May).
The President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
HISD ADVISORY COMMITTEES
- Parents, students, and other community members who wish to participate in the decision-making process at HISD should consider serving on one or more of the district’s advisory committees.
Parents can offer ideas and feedback at either the campus or district level as members of the Shared Decision-Making Committee (campus), the Parent Advisory Committee (district), the Public Engagement Committee (district), or the District Advisory Committee (district).
Other community members may also participate in some of these committees – and principals have their own advisory committee, which the superintendent of schools chairs. For more information on each committee and details on how to participate, explore the links HERE.
Shared Decision-Making Committee (SDMC) (Liaison: President) *SPECIAL COMMITTEE
- The Shared Decision-Making Committee (SDMC) is the formal committee that discusses major issues related to the school. The SDMC is an HISD-required committee to which the PTO nominates parent representatives.
- The SDMC is chaired by the CVHS school principal and made up of faculty and staff representatives as well as parent, business, and community representatives.
- Two parent representatives are recommended by the Nominating Committee and appointed by the principal to serve a one-year term.
- The President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
WRAPAROUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Liaison: President) *SPECIAL COMMITTEE
- HOLIDAY BASKETS Project/Committee works with CVHS Administrative and Professional Staff to serve the needs of the Carnegie Community before and during the winter break. The WrapAround Specialist and school counseling and nursing staff help identify and facilitate students and families in need while maintaining their anonymity.
FACE – (Family and Community Engagement) (Liaison: President) *SPECIAL COMMITTEE
GATES (Gifted and Talented Education Supporters) Campus Rep (Liaison: President) *SPECIAL COMMITTEE
Institutional/Business Fundraising & Development Committee (First Vice President Co-Chairs)
The committee focuses on gifts from organizations, including long-term investments, grant writing, mentor programs, corporate gift-matching programs, and business partnerships. This committee also assesses the priority of needs for materials and makes recommendations for procurement to the Executive Board.
Focuses on:
- Long Term Investments
- Grant Writing
- Mentor Programs
- Corporate Gift Matching Programs
- Business Partnerships
Grant Writing Sub-Committee Co-Chair
Sub-committee of the Fundraising & development committee. Works with the committee lead and VP of Fundraising.
The First Vice President automatically Co-chairs this committee.
Individual Fundraising & Development Committee (Liaison: First Vice President)
This committee primarily focuses on the Friends and Family Campaign and works with the First VP of Fundraising to focus on the following:
- Event Underwriting
- Friends & Family annual fund
- Corporate Matching
- CVHS Community resources
- Alumni Outreach
The First Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Sales Committee (Liaison: First Vice President)
This committee coordinates ongoing fundraising sales activities, including food sales on campus and incentive programs with area merchants, and presents a fundraising plan as part of the annual PTO budget.
This also includes the School Spirit Sales, which selects and orders school spirit items such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, bumper stickers, and other novelties to be sold. The committee plans sales and coordinates publicity with the administration and the Communications Committee.
This Committee Chair also works closely with the Treasurer to keep accurate accounting and bookkeeping for the position’s term.
The First Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Facilities Development Committee (Liaison: First Vice President)
This committee meets with faculty and staff to identify the broad and long-term needs of CVHS. This committee organizes school landscaping workdays and suggests general exterior campus improvements. It works with the faculty and administration to implement suggestions and identify other needed physical resources for classrooms and campus grounds.
The First Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Communications Committee (Second Vice President Chairs)
This committee informs the membership of upcoming events, school information, and PTO meetings through various means, including email, social media, YouTube, and the PTO website.
- Committee member(s) serve as Internal Communications Chair
- Sub-Committee co-chairs: Webmaster, Newsletter Editor, and Social Media Marketing to maintain the communication via website, email network system, and social media posting.
- Webmaster Sub-Committee co-chair – A committee member chair serves as Webmaster to establish and maintain the PTO website.
- Newsletter Editor Sub-Committee co-chair – A committee member will serve as newsletter editor for sending monthly newsletters.
- Social Media Marketing Sub-Committee co-chair – A committee member will help with social media marketing.
Other committee members may help moderate and oversee other forms of social media as needed.
The Second Vice President automatically chairs this committee.
Membership/Directory Committee (Chair: Third Vice President)
This committee prepares new member information packets, collects registration forms, keeps a record of registered members, and serves as an information source for recruiting volunteers for committees and events. This committee is also responsible for overseeing the school directory, whether online or in paper format.
The Third Vice President automatically chairs this committee.
College Information Programs Committee (Liaison: Third Vice President)
This committee works with the college counselors and school administration to organize, publicize and host events throughout the school year that provide information to students about college financial aid, college preparatory testing, college applications, and recruitment visits.
The Third Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Committee (Liaison: Third Vice President)
This committee plans, recruits, volunteers, and coordinates faculty/staff appreciation events during the school year, with a minimum of three events.
FALL FACULTY/STAFF SUPPLY DRIVE – After FISH CAMP, this committee surveys the staff & compiles teachers’ classroom supply drive wish lists. Early Fall Term, the committee asks for donations and helps to collect, collate and plan the distribution of the fulfilled wishes to the CVHS Faculty, ideally completed before the end of the 1st 6 weeks.
FACULTY/STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCHEONS – usually six months of the academic year.
FACULTY/STAFF COMMON AREA IMPROVEMENTS – Collect, Purchase & Re-Stock Items for the Faculty & Staff Break Room & Bathrooms, usually 3-4 times per year:
First Day/Week of School, Midterms/Holiday Break & Spring Break. If possible, once more before the Finals.
OFFICIAL FACULTY/STAFF APPRECIATION Day/Week Observances (Coordination and Execution of the week-long festivities, determined by the committee in coordination with the Executive Board)
*NOTE* Most Commonly observed celebrated staff are between the FIRST WEEK of FEBRUARY and the FIRST WEEK of MAY:
| October 2022 | October is National Principals Month |
| Oct. 2, 2022 | Custodian Appreciation Day on Oct. 2 |
| Feb. 6-10, 2023 | National School Counselors Week is always celebrated the first full week in February. |
| Apr. 26, 2023 – Wed | Administrative Professionals Day 2023 Administrative Professionals Day is always celebrated on the Wednesday of the last full week of April. |
| May 6, 2023 – Sat | National Nurses Day 2023 – National Nurses Day is on May 6, the first day of National Nursing Week, which concludes on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. |
| MAY 8-12, 2023 | Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated during the first full week of May each year. MAY 8-12 FOR 2023 |
The Third Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Class Representatives (Liaison: Third Vice President)
The Nominating Committee recommends one or more parent representatives from each class of students attending CVHS to serve for a one-year term to coincide with the PTO membership year. Representatives may be appointed for successive one-year terms if they wish to follow the class they serve.
Each representative works with students in the given class and faculty members and staff to plan for and carry out special class events, fundraising projects, celebrations, and outings as approved by the students and administration.
If more than one parent representative serves a given class, the representatives choose one among them to communicate with the Third Vice President as the Executive Board liaison.
The Third Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Social and Auction Committee (Fourth Vice President Chairs)
This committee organizes adult functions open to families, friends, faculty, and alumni of CVHS.
The committee solicits item donations for the live and silent auctions, plans the location and date of the event, produces and mails invitations, publicizes the event, sells tickets, arranges for the food and auction item displays, produces the auction catalog, and conducts the auction at the event.
The committee may decide that some type of fundraising event other than an auction is appropriate, but this committee would still plan and manage the function or functions.
The Fourth Vice President automatically chairs this committee.
Recruiting and Welcome Events Committee (Liaison: Fourth Vice President)
This committee works with the school administration to provide refreshments, tour guides, and other assistance during Magnet Awareness in the fall and helps to coordinate any Magnet events held on campus.
This committee also works with the administration to assist with Fish Camp, the off-campus weekend orientation held for incoming freshmen students in August of each year.
This committee works with the administration to organize welcome and PTO registration for parents during student registration and a meet-and-greet event for parents during Fish Camp.
The Fourth Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Senior Awards Celebration Committee (Liaison: Fourth Vice President)
This committee organizes the end-of-year Senior Awards event/celebration, which is usually held in early May after AP Exams (at the discretion of school administration.) The event is open to all students and their families.
The committee sets the location and date of the event, produces and sends invitations, sells/distributes tickets, plans the program in conjunction with the faculty, and arranges for the food and decorations.
This committee works closely with the Senior Scholarship Award Committee
The Fourth Vice President serves as the Executive Board liaison with these parent representatives.
Special Committees
- Special committees may be created by the Executive Board as required.
- The chairs of these committees shall be selected by the Vice-President for Volunteers and Membership, approved by the Executive Board, and shall serve for the life of the committee or the term otherwise specified by the President or the Executive Board.
- When a committee co-chair is needed, the president or the 3rd vice-president may nominate a co-chair, and the executive board then votes to approve that co-chair.
- A list of any special committees established by the President or the Executive Board shall be attached to these Bylaws as part of Appendix A and shall be modified by the President or the Executive Board as necessary from time to time without requiring amendment of these Bylaws.