PTSO News

Dear students, as you go through the year and volunteer to help others, please be aware that the President’s Volunteer Service Award is available to all BHS students who are helping others. This is a prestigious, nationally recognized award given to motivated individuals. 

If you are interested, please keep reading to learn what you need to do for the President’s Service Volunteer Award. It’s important to keep track of your volunteering hours and complete the proper documentation, including supervisors' signatures, to qualify to receive an award, which will be given out at the high school award ceremonies in the spring. A total of fifty five BHS students received PVSA awards last year. Your volunteering needs to have been done between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025 in order to count for this award cycle. The volunteering hours you do for BHS community service hours (and log in the Mobile Serves app) can also count toward this award if they qualify, but you have to take the extra steps to document and submit your hours as outlined below to earn this extra award. Please follow these steps:

1. Now is a great time to make a copy of the President Volunteer Service Award’s 2025 Service Log, which is a master list of your volunteering activities. Rename it with your name at the top. Fill it out during the year each time you volunteer.

   
   

2. Print out some Volunteer Service Forms to bring with you each time you volunteer to get your supervisor’s signature at the time of service. If you did service this summer or last spring, contact your supervisor and get them to sign your form retroactively. You will bring all of these to your PTSO volunteer review meeting (which you set up after you have submitted your application form - see the next step).

   
   

3. When March comes around, you will be ready to submit the President’s Volunteer Service Award Application Form. This has a hard deadline of March 31, 2025. Once you have submitted this, you will be contacted by the PTSO to set up a quick (5-10 minute) volunteer review meeting, which will take place at the high school during school hours. There will be several different days offered for this in April. 

This program is volunteer-run and funded by the BHS PTSO. Many thanks for the parent donations that make this and other PTSO programs possible to support students. 

If you have questions, please send them to bhsptsoservice@gmail.com.

Best wishes,

Amanda Lubarsky & Portia Thompson
BHS PTSO PSVA Coordinators
“We make a living of what we get; but we make a life by what we give.”

Without support from individuals like you, our programs would not be possible. Please consider donating to our annual appeal. Many thanks to those who have already contributed!

You can donate securely online via PayPal or mail a check (payable to Belmont High School PTO) to us at: Belmont High School PTSO, 221 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA 02478

Here are some of the impactful programs your contributions support:

• Student club grants to support student activities

• Parent speaker series

• Student social and emotional support events (e.g., stress balls, petting zoo, and therapy dogs)

• Teacher and staff appreciation

• Educator reimbursements to support students (e.g., equipment, supplies)

• Community building events for parents

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives

• Events for students such as the Senior Capstone Luncheon and New Student Orientation Luncheon

• The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)

The BHS PTSO is a 501(3) non-profit organization. For more information, visit our website at https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bhs/page/ptso or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

CORPORATE MATCHING: Please check with your company to see if they offer programs matching employee contributions to non-profit charitable organizations like the BHS PTSO (Tax ID: 020-617-270).

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest programs and opportunities. You can also contact us at belmonthighptso@gmail.com.