Organizationally, the PTA is comprised of the Executive Board and Committee Chairs.   Below is a description of the volunteer leadership positions that support the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School.

For information, inquiries, and to get involved, please email us. We will be glad to help direct your message to the appropriate committee.

Email Mary Lee Burbank PTA

2024-2025 - Samantha Thu

Co-President role is currently vacant and open to any interested individuals.

Two-year position with one new co-president at the start of each school year, with the intention of the new co-president serving in the following year as well.  The president/co-president(s) is/are the presiding officer, the official spokesperson and the primary contact for Burbank PTA. The president/co-president(s) presides at all meetings and plans community and board meeting agendas with the PTA secretary. Co-Presidents are ex officio members of all committees.  An effective president brings a vision and drive for the work, helping provide strategic direction for the board and community.  Estimated commitment is 4 hours per week, or 16 hours per month, for each person. This fluctuates notably with upcoming meetings, events, and other deadlines.

• Convene and attend Monthly School Admin Meetings

• Plan and attend monthly Board/Community Meetings (~1.5 hrs)

• Attend assorted committee meetings, as relevant 

• Formalized fiduciary responsibilities

• Participate and volunteer regularly in school events

• Update documentation as necessary for smooth transition to new board

2024-2025 - Faisal Karmali

Two-Year position.  The treasurer holds the critical role of overseeing and managing the financial operations of the PTA. The role tracks incoming and outgoing funds, manages the budget, complies with tax and other business deadlines in partnership with an external accountant, and presents budget updates at board and general meetings. This position is great for someone who loves attention to detail and spreadsheets.  Estimated commitment is 4 hours per week, or 16 hours per month. This may fluctuate with upcoming meetings, events, and other deadlines.

• Responsible for all funds of the PTA, managing books and records, budgets, deposits, invoices and receipts for audit, providing necessary information to accountant for tax returns

• Update all pertinent financial documents on Burbank PTA Google drive

• Prepare for and attend monthly Board/Community Meetings (~1.5 hrs)

• Attend assorted committee meetings, as relevant 

• Formalized fiduciary responsibilities

• Participate and volunteer in school events as time permits

• Update documentation as necessary for smooth transition to new board

2024-2025: Brittany Kuterbach

The secretary is responsible for record keeping. This includes sending meeting notices, maintaining orderly files, helping prepare meeting agendas with the president, highlighting unfinished business, and taking meeting minutes at board and general membership meetings.  This position works well for someone who listens well, takes great notes, and follows through. Estimated commitment is 1-2 hours per week, or 4-8 hours per month, for each person. This fluctuates with upcoming meetings, events, and other deadlines.

• Attend and prep for monthly Board/Community Meetings including taking minutes, reviewing minutes for approval

• Responsible for running the motion/voting process during PTA meetings

• Update all pertinent documents on Burbank PTA Google Drive

• Formalized fiduciary responsibilities

• Participate and volunteer in school events as time permits

• Update documentation as necessary for smooth transition to new board

• Write and distribute the online biweekly newsletter, The Buddy Buzz

2024-2025: Susanne Zwierlein

Ensure support for in-class enrichment activities for all grade levels. Examples of Enrichment Programs at Burbank

• Coordinate volunteers from each grade level to connect with teachers to help plan enrichment activities throughout the year. Each grade level should provide a rough timeline of when they'd like the program/guest to visit Burbank during the year.

• Reach out to organizations/persons for availability, rates, and scheduling.

• Send Invoices to PTA Treasurer for prompt payment.

• Attend Board and assorted committee meetings, as relevant.

2024-2025: Laura Kane
Co-VP of Events role is currently vacant and open to any interested individuals.

Burbank PTA hosts many wonderful events throughout the school year to enhance our students' experiences and encourage community connections. The VP of Events coordinates volunteers to run these events.

• Determine schedule of events for the upcoming school year and ensure that all events have a committee or co-chairs to run successfully. 

• Maintain documentation for events to ensure continuity over time. 

• Attend Board and assorted committee meetings, as relevant.

2024-2025: Zhenyi An

PTA Grants support grade-, curriculum-, or classroom-specific requests from teachers, resource teachers, and specialists to help supplement the educational goals of Belmont Public Schools. The funds cover resources and enrichments that are not provided for in the school budget or other PTA-designated funds and are intended for long-term impact (i.e. furniture that provides a new service for students; equipment that facilitates student learning; reusable classroom resources like science equipment, books, manipulatives, etc.). 

• Oversee the PTA Faculty Grants process, including facilitating board review, communicating with teachers on the status, and coordination with the treasurer on reimbursement.

• Ensure Burbank staff are informed of the ways to take advantage of the available grant funds each school year.

• Attend Board and assorted committee meetings, as relevant.

2024-2025: Martin Guentert

PTA funding comes entirely from community donations.

• Oversee PTA Fundraising including Annual Appeals and Community Outreach

• Attend Board and assorted committee meetings, as relevant.

2024-2025: Kelly Michaud and Betel Girmay

The VP of Extracurriculars coordinates and plans all before- and after-school extracurricular classes offered by the PTA. These classes can be anything including language instruction, arts &crafts, gardening clubs, coding classes, sports, music, cooking, etc. Extracurriculars not only allow students to explore their interests and passions to enhance their educational experience, but funds earned from these classes support in-classroom enrichments and grants for all students. 

• Coordinate and plan PTA extracurricular classes.

• Recruit parents, teachers, and/or organizations to run classes.

• Hire Burbank aides/staff to support classes.

• Plan and ensure smooth logistics including class registration, communication with parents, and coordination with instructors. 

• Communicate with BASEC and Burbank regarding locations of classes.

• Ensure safe dismissal of students to established guardians or BASEC.

• Report expected expenses and income to treasurer.

• Attend Board and assorted committee meetings, as relevant.

2024-2025: Pamela Schmidt

Manages all PTA initiatives to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our Burbank community.  

• Create and sustain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that respects and accommodates every person in the Burbank Community.

• Attend Board and assorted committee meetings, as relevant.

Fundraising & Membership: Coordinates and implements all membership and Fundraising communications. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

BOKS (Build Our Kids Success): Manages the before school fitness program. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Burbank Walks: Organizes annual Walk to School Days and promotes other programs to encourage walking to school. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Classroom Programs: Researches, coordinates, and schedules Enrichment Programs for each grade level with teacher involvement. Coordinates a parent observer to provide feedback for each program. Publicizes programs in the school newsletter after the program takes place.

Garden Curriculum: Works with teachers to create and implement curriculum related to the Garden Classroom. Manages classroom volunteers to facilitate projects.

Green Team: Collaborates with faculty, other PTA committees and the Belmont community on issues related to recycling, reducing waste and environmental issues.  *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Landscaping-Garden Classroom:  Oversees volunteers and maintenance in the Garden Classroom.

Landscaping-Grounds: Coordinates grounds clean-up and plantings twice per school year. Oversees maintenance of playground, including purchase of fibar mulch as needed.

Landscaping-Veggie Garden: Coordinates care and curriculum in veggie garden.

Library: Assists Library Aide in various activities, including organizing cur rent collection, filing cards, pulling discard books, and processing new books. Schedule is flexible.

METCO Family Friends: Pairs Belmont families with Boston families in the Burbank METCO program. Coordinates events for Boston and Belmont children in town-wide elementary school METCO programs. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Room Parent Coordinator: Manages room parents who facilitate communication between teachers and classroom families.  

School Committee Observer: Attends a number of School Committee meetings per year with school committee observers from other Belmont elementary schools. Writes a summary of School Committee meetings to share with the Burbank PTA Co-Presidents and the School Committee Observers from the other elementary schools. Collects documents for Burbank at these School Committee meetings and gives them to the Burbank Co-Presidents. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Social Action: Coordinates all community support activities, including, but not limited to, food, clothing, and toy drives. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Website: Works with PTA Executive Board and School Principal to update the Burbank PTA Website. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*

Welcoming: Coordinates and implements welcoming activities for incoming kindergarten parents and new Burbank families. *role is vacant, open to all interested individuals!*