Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Home and School Association?

A Home and School Association (H&SA) is another name for a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). A PTO is an organization of parents, teachers, school administrators, Board of Education members, and community members that all work together to enrich public school education in their town.

What's the difference between a H&SA and a PTA or PTO?

The differences between a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) are fairly simple. The national PTA is a formal membership organization headquartered in Chicago, with a 105-year history of working for children. Local groups that choose to belong to the PTA must pay dues to the state and national organization and abide by state and national group rules. In return, they get member benefits, and they get a voice in the operations of the larger organization.
...
PTO, on the other hand, is a more generic term. It generally represents the thousands of groups that choose to remain independent of the PTA. The acronym PTO is the most popular name, but other common monikers include PCC, PTG, and HSA. These are most often single-school groups that operate under their own bylaws and by and large concern themselves with the goings-on at their building or in their town only.

How is the H&SA different from the Mountain Lakes Educational Foundation?

The Mountain Lakes Educational Foundation (MLEF) and the Mountain Lakes H&SA have similar missions -- to support enrichment opportunities for the Mountain Lakes educational community.
The main difference is in the type of support each organization provides and the scope of their initiatives. The MLEF provides the schools with financial support for very large projects and broad initiatives. They seek financial support from business, community groups and individuals. They may partner with corporations and grantors that wish to affect large numbers of students.

The H&SA provides the schools with volunteers who work on ongoing programs, publications and services within each school throughout the year. The H&SA seeks financial support from its membership, primarily parents of students within the schools.

Does the H&SA decide on matters related to the curriculum?

Absolutely not. This is the responsibility of the Board of Education and the school administrators and teachers.

Who is eligible to join the H&SA?

Membership in the H&SA is open to all households and businesses in Mountain Lakes and to households of students in the Mountain Lakes school system, including the Lake Drive School. Administrators, teachers and staff, present and retired, or our school district are also eligible for membership. Simply by paying your annual membership dues, you become a member of the H&SA. You don't need to volunteer your time or help in any other way. Your financial support, through your membership dues, is greatly appreciated, and enables the H&SA to provide all its programs and services.

I paid my dues last year, do I need to pay again?

Yes. Our membership dues need to be paid annually. We rely on annual financial support to conduct all our activities.

Why do I get The Bulletin if I am not a member of H&SA?

Every household in Mountain Lakes, and those outside Mountain Lakes with children in our schools, receives a copy of The Bulletin each month during the school year. Facilitating communication among the community, homes, and schools is a big part of the H&SA mission, and The Bulletin is the H&SA's primary vehicle of communication. Even though you don't need to become a member to receive The Bulletin we encourage you to do so as a sign of support for our publication and organization.

Why did you create a Web site?

The primary objective of the H&SA Web site is to get more parents and community members to recognize and support our group and join in our efforts. The more people involved and participating, the more great things we can do for the schools. With the Web site, we want to make it easy to get involved in the H&SA, by providing descriptions of all our volunteer positions, email versions of volunteer forms, links to our fundraisers, and online membership capability. Consistent with our mission, the Web site provides another vehicle of communication, and easy access to information about current H&SA news and events.

How can I volunteer to be a homeroom parent?

You can fill out the volunteer form in The Bulletin, volunteer through this Web site by selecting Volunteering on the main menu, or contact your school's chairperson. If more than two parents volunteer for the same homeroom, names are chosen at random.

How can I suggest a topic for a program meeting?

We always welcome suggestions for meeting topics from our members. You can contact the Vice President of Programming with your suggestion.

What is the legal status of the H&SA?

The Mountain Lakes H&SA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, incorporated in 1977.

My question is not here, what can I do?

If you have a question that you don't see here and you'd like one of our members to answer it, please click here to submit it for one of the members of the Board to answer. Questions that we receive frequently will be published in our FAQs for all members to view.