Hi, my name is Maria Hernandez, and I'm this year’s PTSA President at Westborough Middle School. I have two children - a sixth grader and an eight grader here at Westborough.

I have been involved in PTA since my children started school. The reason I got involved and stayed involved with PTA is that I feel strong about my children receiving a good education and I’m a strong believer of the PTA as a way of staying connected to my children’s teachers and staff at their school. Many parents feel that their children need to be more independent in middle and high school and that school involvement is only important during the elementary years, this is not true. I believe that you should be more involved at this stage of their lives even more. I also believe that, being involved and volunteering, your children will benefit, staying connected with their teachers and the school is very important. You may not be aware that studies has shown that when parents/caretakers "are actively involved in their children's education, the children do better in school. The academic level of the parents, their socioeconomic level, and their ethnic or racial origin are not determining factors for academic success."

I would like to invite each and every one of you to become involved. Come join us for our meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm in the office. Have a cup of coffee while you meet and mingle with other WMS parents. Our principal, Ms. Orofino, or our assistant principal, Ms. Bowler will attend every meeting and will try to keep you informed with their reports. A teacher representative will share news of student events, testing and upcoming events.

It takes a community to raise children, let’s help each other by staying or getting involved in our children’s education by volunteering in PTSA. Our children are our future.

Please feel free to contact me through the school’s e-mail at Westborough_m_s@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to working with all of you.