We Crushed It: Thank you, Whittier!

WE DID IT! On Wednesday night we officially crossed the $30,000 mark, reaching our fundraising goal for the Fun Run for a second straight year. The generosity of this community is truly as astounding as it is heartwarming and we cannot thank you enough! We had a blast with you all and the kids on Wednesday! Extra special thanks to our pals at KidStrong for doing their thing with us for a third year in a row! Huge thanks goes to our AMAZING volunteers: Melissa Avila, Anna Burandt, Jennifer Coco, Marlene De Jesus Veach, Jerry Flory, Karen French, Claire Frieling, Tiffany Hall, Rebecca Ho, Kimberly Jursa, Alexis Keane, Jenny Lang, Noemi Mata, Stefanie Morrison, Lauren Pandel, Jude Santos, Kruti Shah, Betsy Showel, Shelly Steffens, Elisa Westapher, and Erin Woods.

And we're not calling Fun Run season done just yet! Donations have been trickling in every day since the run, so we figured why not see if we can stretch it out with some target goals? Here's what we're thinking:

• If we reach $32,000, we will add another $800 to our annual $1,200 library donation
• If we reach $35,000, we will contribute an additional $2,000 to our Wildcare Fund

Let’s keep it going–but just for this week! Can we reach $35,000 by Friday October 16th? Let’s go!

Thank you, Fun Run sponsors!

A BIG thank you to our 2026 FUN RUN Sponsors Trader Joe’s & Cermak Fresh Market for the donation of 400 bananas to refuel our Fun Runners on Wednesday!

October 14: Book Club Night
& Adult Ed Workshop

Sign up to join us for Book Club Night on 10/14 at 5:30pm! All books are available now on hold at Dole Library for pick up. If you prefer a book option that can be completed quickly, take a peek at our graphic novel and picture book options!

Your child can read then join our small group discussion and activity while adults can join the Adult Ed discussion on the Screen Sense initiative in D97. Food will be served.

See the post below this for more information & register for the Screen Sense Oak Park presentation while you’re there.

Select Your Book and Sign Up Here

The Scholastic Book Fair is Coming Soon! Mon 10/19 - Thurs 10/22

The Whittier Book fair will be open in the auditorium from Monday, October 19 through Thursday, October 22, but you can get ready now to make shopping super simple.

Sign up to volunteer!
First and foremost, the Book Fair needs helpers to set up, serve as cashiers, and pack up at the end of the day. This is a fun way to support the school and watch the kids get excited about reading.

Create your student’s eWallet!
The eWallet allows your student to shop the fair without worrying about losing cash or a physical card. Set up an account and add funds on the Scholastic site, and the funds will be ready for them at the fair.

Contribute to your classroom’s “wish list” eWallet
Each classroom will also have an eWallet, which teachers can use to shop the fair to refresh their classroom libraries. You can find your teacher’s eWallet link in your teacher's weekly communication.

Sign Up to Volunteer Set up E-Wallet Here

School Gave Your Child an iPad. Now What?!

Join us on Wednesday, 10/14 from 6-8 pm at Whittier:

Parents shouldn't have to figure this out alone.

Join fellow parents for a hands-on workshop focused on kids and school devices. We'll talk about why screen use in and out of the classroom matters, then get practical: how to manage iPad settings, limit distractions, and set boundaries that work for your family.

We'll also share where Screen Sense Oak Park stands in our conversations on tech usage in school with D97, and how you can help shape what comes next.

Bring your child's iPad, your questions, and your experience. Parents belong at the table on this.

Food and childcare will be provided. Register here so we can get an accurate headcount. We hope you'll join us!

Screen Sense Workshop RSVP Now

Teacher Conferences Dinner

The PTO is buying dinner for our hard working staff during the Teacher/Family conference night on Thursday, October 22. We would love your help to supplement the main entrée with chips, dips, fruits, veggies, desserts or drinks on Thursday, 10/22. Our Wildcat Team looks forward to dinner and treats during long conferences. Sign up with your donation below.

Volunteer Sign Up

Calling All Helping Paws: PAW Place Needs You!

Got a little time? Want to make a BIG difference? PAW Place needs our school community to lend a hand! 💙

Can’t volunteer? You can still help! Shop our Amazon Wish List and send a much-needed item our way. Every volunteer hour, donation, and purchase helps make PAW Place an even more welcoming and fun place for our students. 🐾

🙋 Ready to Help?

Sign Up for a Volunteer Shift
Shop the PAW Place Amazon Wish List
Every paw makes a difference! 🐾

Amazon Wish List Sign up to Volunteer

Check Out Next Year’s Events Calendar!
Subscribe and Sign Up to Help!

We’ve got next year’s PTO calendar ready to roll and couldn’t wait to share it with you all ASAP! Not only did we want to give you all the chance to save the dates early, we also wanted to call out a few events in particular that we’ll need some help with planning. Want to step up and help with (or lead!) an event? Click the button below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the calendar (available in Google, Apple, or Outlook format) so you don’t miss anything—note you’ll need a Membership Toolkit account in order to access the calendar subscription. This calendar will update automatically with any changes and new additions. Note that we don’t yet have start times set for all events, so these will show up as all-day events on your calendar for now.

Find Event Specific Roles