Brussels American School

Join the Brussels American School Parent Teacher Student Organization and become a vital part of the BAS support team. All parents of BAS students, BAS students and BAS faculty may join the PTSO. Members receive a PTSO roster annually and provide the framework for academic volunteers and fund-raising at the school. By being a PTSO member you can make a difference at the school; make new friends; sharpen your communication and organizational skills; and discover talents you may not have realized you had.

In addition to being “on call” to assist when needed at the school, through its fund-raising efforts, the BAS PTSO provides scholarships to seniors; covers costs of interpreters when classes go on field trips; covers costs for reading promotion days such as the Reading Counts Kick-off in the fall, Dr. Seuss day held in the Spring, and Passport Day, a half-day reading activity held every May. The organization also funds requests from teachers for assistance with class plays and the annual school talent show.

PTSO board meetings are held every month. General membership meetings will be announced at the beginning of the school year. In addition to these meetings, the PTSO sponsors several events throughout the year including the Welcome Back to School Barbeque, Fall Festival, Winter Fest and the International Dinner.

BAS Scholarship forms now available. To compete for the PTSO scholarship, seniors must submit the completed application in hardcopy, including your high school transcript and all attachments to the BAS counselor’s office by 3 p.m. on Friday, May 7, 2011.

Specific eligibility criteria and guidelines are listed in the cover letter. Be sure you are qualified to apply before submitting an application. Questions concerning the PTSO scholarships may be directed to the PTSO scholarship committee contact: Cece Ockenfels 02-307-3981 (h) or email ockenfelsca@state.gov).

2011 Scholarship Cover Letter

2011 PTSO Scholarship Application

A membership drive is held at the beginning of each school year. The PTSO membership chairman will be present at the Back to School BBQ and the Information Fair held at USAG Brussels in September. Also a PTSO membership form is included in each child’s school registration packet. However, if you would like to download the form, click on PTSO membership form, complete the form; sign it; and return it to the PTSO drop box in the main office at BAS. Membership fees are $20 for each family; $10 for BAS faculty/staff; $10 for associate members. All fees are payable at the beginning of each school year or within one month of when you enroll your child(ren) at BAS. Seniors must become PTSO members no later then 1 December of the current school year to be eligible for a PTSO Scholarship.

PTSO Executive Board Members are voted on in the late spring. As determined by the Organization’s Constitution/Bylaws, elected executive board positions include the following:

President
Duties of the president include presiding at all meetings of the organizational and of the executive board and will perform other duties as may be prescribed by the organization’s by-laws.

First Vice President
The first vice president will act as an aide to the president and perform the duties of the president in the absence or inability of that officer to act.

Second Vice President
The second vice president will be the membership chairman regarding teacher membership and liaison to the teacher’s meetings. The second vice president shall be chosen from the middle school or high school staff.

Third Vice President
The third vice president will assist in recruitment regarding teacher membership and act as a PTSO liaison at teachers’ meetings. The third vice president will be chosen from the elementary staff.

Treasurer
The treasurer will comply with the accounting requirements of pertinent military directives applicable to private organizations, to include maintenance of accounting records to reflect the assets, liabilities, net worth and financial transactions of the organization. The treasurer is responsible for preparing and maintaining a standing operating procedure describing the accounting system used by the organization in a permanent file for reference and inspections. The treasure will receive and collect all monies due the organization and be custodian of the funds in depositories approved by the executive board. Also, the treasurer will present a financial statement at every meeting of the organization and at other times when requested by the executive board.

Secretary
The secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings of the organization and of the executive board; minutes of each meeting will be made available to interested general members.

Student Liaison Officer
Ordinarily the vice president of the Student Council will be designated as the student representative to the PTSO, with the provision that said vice president is a member of the PTSO. Numerous standing committee coordinators also serve on the PTSO Board. The PTSO president may appoint people to act as committee chairmen with the approval of the executive board. Standing committees include the following: snack shack, membership, publicity, hospitality, volunteer, teacher appreciation, fundraising, parent resource. Duties of each committee chairman/coordinator are described under volunteers and fund-raising.

PTSO members volunteer a great deal to support specific academic celebrations such as the Reading Counts Kick-off, Passport Day, etc. However, fundraising is an ongoing activity of which PTSO members dedicate a considerable amount of time. A number of volunteer and fundraising activities are listed below. If you are interested in assisting in as a volunteer in any area, please contact the PTSO Volunteer Coordinator.

The Snack Shack is a snack-food vending area located inside the PTSO Room, next to the Multi-purpose Room at BAS. It is open during the Junior High and High School lunch hour, 11:49 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Both U.S. currency and Euro are accepted as payment at the Snack Shack.
The Snack Shack coordinator (s) is responsible for determining how many items are needed for the Snack Shack, including school supplies; obtaining these supplies; creating and maintaining a roster of snack shack workers; maintaining accurate records of snack shack purchases and sales. Due to the large, routine demands of this position it is best if there are two coordinators who work as a team to manage all the duties.

Gift Wrap, which features holiday and all occasion wrap and small gifts is sold in the late fall. A gift-wrap coordinator, the person who maintains contact with the gift wrap company; distributes catalogs and order forms to students; collects order forms and money; orders merchandise; and oversees the distribution of merchandise in a timely fashion; is needed.

The International Dinner is the organization’s largest annual fundraiser. Numerous volunteers are needed to make this festive evening a success. Coordinators for tombola prizes, entertainment, food, beverages, decorations, publicity, setup, cleanup, and an overall coordinator are needed. And, many other hands are needed to perform the coordinators’ plans. The event is held in the spring, but to effectively plan and coordinate the program; preparations should begin in the fall.
A scholarship coordinator is needed annually to review and possibly update scholarship criteria for PTSO scholarship awards; distribute scholarship forms to eligible seniors; assemble a scholarship committee to review applications; oversee the judging process; calculate scores; create scholarship certificates for distribution to seniors at annual BAS awards ceremony. Work performed by the scholarship chairman is “behind-the scenes” and is confidential. While this position is active for only a few months it is a fairly time-consuming position. Parents who have children in the 12th grade may not be the scholarship coordinator or serve on the scholarship committee.

Membership
The membership chairman is responsible for recruiting PTSO members; assembling the PTSO directory in the fall; distributing the PTSO directory; and updating the PTSO directory in the spring. This position allows you to meet many people as well as sharpen or maintain your computer skills.

Publicity
The publicity chairman is responsible for “getting the word out” about PTSO programs and events. Duties include distributing PTSO information through the BAS Beacon and Daily Bulletin, BAS web site, Brussels American Community web site, and creating and distributing hard copy fliers when necessary.

Hospitality
The hospitality chairman is responsible for coordinating all reception-oriented PTSO events including snacks for general membership meetings, college night refreshments, assist faculty/staff with welcomes or farewells for school officials when requested, and PTSO volunteer appreciation receptions. A goal for the 2003-2004 school year is for a hospitality committee to call or e-mail parents of all new BAS students to welcome them to the BAS community.

Volunteer
The volunteer coordinator maintains a volunteer hours record book in the main office at BAS; records volunteer hours monthly; ensures that PTSO volunteer opportunities are publicized by working with the publicity chairman; provides criteria and volunteer information in support of the PTSO Volunteer of the Month selection process. To volunteer for any PTSO activity/position, click on volunteer coordinator.

Teacher Appreciation
The teacher appreciation coordinator is active mainly at the beginning of the fall semester and during teacher appreciation week in May. In the fall, the teacher appreciation coordinator oversees the “Welcome Back Breakfast” for teachers, which is usually hosted on the first day of joint meetings.
Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week of May. The week usually starts off with a Teacher Appreciation Breakfast and culminates with a Thank You luncheon at the end of the week. Also, throughout the week other signs of appreciation are expressed by PTSO members, parents and students throughout the school.

Fund-raising
The fund-raising coordinator will be a new position for 2003-04 school year. The fund-raising coordinator will be responsible for recruiting coordinators for all fund-raising events, excluding the Snack Shack, to be taken on throughout the year. This person should not be the chairman of all fund-raising activities, but ensure that capable, enthusiastic people are available and have agreed to coordinate certain fund-raising efforts.

Parent Resource
The parent resource coordinator is a newly revived committee position. This person will be responsible for creating a list of “PTSO liaisons” for each grade, first period teacher, specialty teachers and other faculty/staff. In some instances the classroom parent may agree to be the PTSO liaison, but another person may volunteer for this task. The purpose of the PTSO liaisons is to have an individual representing each grade, etc. who agrees at the beginning of the year to distribute PTSO information in a timely fashion to all parents of that specific class via phone or e-mail tree, and/or flyer distribution through the students. PTSO liaisons will be a great asset in achieving the PTSO mission when it is time to coordinate class tombola baskets and teacher appreciation activities. Having an enthusiastic person in this position will greatly enhance the visibility and approachability of the PTSO.
Other special committees that work throughout the year include welcome back party, gift wrap, International Dinner, scholarship, etc. There are MANY volunteer opportunities through the PTSO.

Make a difference … Volunteer!

The Welcome Back Barbeque is held annually to allow newcomers to see the school and meet other members of the BAS community.

The Fall Festival, which is held in late October/early November, is an event hosted by the PTSO in which other school organizations are invited to sponsor booths for fund-raising purposes.
The Winter Fest is an event held in early December, which provides an outlet for elementary students to purchase small gifts for friends and family members and make crafts as well.

The International Dinner is the PTSO’s largest single fund-raiser. Funds raised at this event are used to provide scholarships for BAS seniors. The International Dinner, which is held in mid-March, is a potluck event that showcases some of the best ethnic cuisine our students, faculty and family members have to offer. A highlight of the evening is the entertainment featuring many of the cultures represented at BAS.

B.A.S. PTSO By-Laws (Word)

B.A.S PTSO By-Laws (PDF)