What is the Cary Elementary PTA?

We are a diverse group of parents, relatives, and friends with a wide range of vocations, talents, interests, and styles. We are focused together on improving the lives of our kids, their teachers, and all staff at Cary Elementary School.

Our Organization's Story

We are affiliated with the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) which, founded in 1897, is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in America. There are numerous family resources available online via the National PTA website. The National PTA also sets the School-based PTA by-laws.

We are also a member of the North Carolina PTA, a state-level organization that prizes collaboration, commitment, accountability, respect, inclusivity, and integrity. The NCPTA is located in nearby Raleigh, maintains several impressive programs and events throughout the year, and organizes an annual conference. 

The Cary Elementary PTA was founded in the 1960's to serve the students, families and staff at our school. Throughout that time, and as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association, we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and distributed those funds back to teachers to support classroom programming. We have also maintained flagship programs and events that enrich our students' experiences in and out of school, and build a deep sense of community. 

North Carolina PTA Mission:

To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

​North Carolina PTA misión:

Hacer realidad el potencial de cada niño al involucrar y empoderar a las familias y comunidades para que aboguen por todos los niños.

Our Priorities for 2022-2023

Although our organization has been around a long time, we are a constantly evolving as families graduate into middle school and new families begin their journey with our School, often from the very first day of Kindergarten. 

Every school year has its opportunities and challenges, but the Covid-19 pandemic years of 2020-2022 put an unmistakable strain on our community, beyond the extraordinary stress of increased illness and tragic loss of loved ones. The Cary Elementary PTA found innovative ways to still contribute to the school community, but the gifts we are best at sharing are most often in-person.

We are thrilled to reopen and rejuvenate so many of our beloved programs during the 2022-2023 school year, and we also want to be intentional about the new post-COVID community that we will build. This year, all of our activities and outreach will be driven by these themes:

---

How can I get involved?

There are so many ways for you to get involved with the PTA.

• You can attend one of our many out-of-school events with your child(ren), meet friends, and enjoy yourself!
• You can ask your child(ren) about any of our in-school programs (like Book Stop) that they are experiencing this year.
• You can volunteer a little or a lot, whatever you have time for.
• You can donate to a specific event or make a one-time donation to support our entire organization. 
• You can attend a General Membership meeting to learn more about what we do and share your feedback.
• You can be on the lookout for monthly newsletters in your child(ren)'s backpack that will fill you in on upcoming events.
• You can buy some stylish Cary Elementary Spiritwear to show off your support.

​To get started, you can Join the PTA by purchasing a membership ($10 for one, $17 for two).

If you are not ready or not able to purchase a membership at this time, consider joining our contact list, so you'll get the emails. We try to make them just frequent enough and include the most important announcements.