The advantages of attending BIS are not just for the children. The Parent Teacher Organization is committed to helping parents find new friends, connections, and resources so that their life in Bavaria - whether they are here temporarily or permanently - is as rich as they would like it to be.

The PTO has two stated goals: to support the school and to support the community of BIS - both the parents and teachers and staff. The core of the PTO is our Family Welcome Committee, a network of parents throughout the Munich area who put together coffee mornings, lunches, parties for children, and are on call to help newcomers find doctors, recommendations for where to hold birthday parties, and even help translate bills and official documents. These parents were also once new to BIS, and they know that a friendly greeting in the hallway or a telephone call can make a huge difference to a recently moved family.

The PTO is also host to many clubs, ranging from sports clubs to cinema and an expatriation support group. As parents of children attending a small school, our PTO is flexible and able to create new clubs or committees as needs and interests arise.

Through the PTO there are many different ways that parents can be involved in school life. To support the school through fundraising, we organize our own Christkindlmarkt with booths of handcrafts to buy, games for the children to play, International foods, and raffles. This is a fundraiser, but it is also tremendous fun for all. Funds raised at the Christkindlmarkt are used to purchase items that the teachers have requested through a "PTO Wishlist" - ranging from additional software for learning support, to special instruments for the music program, to new equipment for the after school sports activities.

Our PTO also organizes parents who wish to volunteer in the classroom or library or in other ways around the school. 

Because every community has a social aspect, the PTO hosts a variety of other social functions throughout the year. On the first day of school, the PTO provides First Graders with Schultuten, a traditional German token that welcomes children to their first day of this more challenging year. In the spring, we hold a Mayfest, a games night, and pay special tribute to the teachers with a yearly Staff Apprecaition Lunch. You'll find PTO members at the school's many sporting events, musical performances and assemblies, as well.

Our monthly general meetings are excellent ways to find out about what is happening around school and ways for parents to participate in our clubs and activities.