Dear West Ridge Families,

Where do I even begin? The past two years as President of the West Ridge PTO have been nothing short of incredible. It’s been an honor to serve our school community, and I’m thrilled to begin my next—and final—term in this role.

First, please join me in extending a warm welcome to our newest addition, Mrs. Ballaera. She has truly hit the ground running this summer, already proving to be a wonderful and supportive partner to our parent community.

This is our year of action. For the past several years, our PTO has relied on budget overages from the COVID years, and we have been slowly working to bring our finances back to a sustainable, “normal” non-profit level. As a PTO, we believe that when we want to make something happen, we should actively fundraise for it—your contributions are meant to be put to work, not just sit in an account. And that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Over the past two years, together we have:

• Hosted a free Fall Festival for our families.

• Increased funding for assemblies and field trips.

• Expanded the Field Day budget and redesigned the faculty lounge.

• Launched a mini-grant program and invested nearly $10,000 in new teaching equipment, curriculum, and technology.

• Provided new charging stations for classrooms and annual stipends for teachers to support their classroom needs.

• Revitalized our outdoor gardens, complete with an irrigation system.

• Heard your feedback and initiated our Playground Initiative to provide engaging, age-appropriate, and ADA-accessible play equipment for grades 3–6.

We are now more than halfway toward our $200,000 goal for the new playground, thanks in part to fundraisers like Pavers for Play, which also transformed the front of our school. A special thank you goes to our local Park Ridge landscapers, Alex Kaplan and Eric Nasello, for their generosity and hard work in bringing this vision to life.

But we’re not done yet. Our goal is to have this playground ready by spring 2026—and personally, I would love for my 6th grader to enjoy it before he graduates. To get there, we need your continued support. Please consider making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or participating in our upcoming fundraisers.

As the “little school that could,” West Ridge has always come together in remarkable ways. It is a privilege to serve as your PTO President and to witness the magic we create when we work toward a shared goal.

Sincerely,

Caley Svensson

WR PTO President