I'd like to start a brainstorming thread. The question: What are the many ways a parent could get involved at your school? No idea too big or too small (in fact, small or from home is great, as we're looking for ideas for those parents who sya "no time" or "too difficult").

I'll start with a few:

Speak at career day.
Design newsletter on home computer
Chair a PTO committee
Room mom or Room dad
Chaperone one field trip
BoxTops chairperson
.....

Let's see if we can make this one of the longest threads ever! There's hundreds of ways to help.

Tim

Great topic, just what I am looking for ways to involve everyone!!! Here are a few!

1.Bake a cake Bake sale
2.check PTA emails and forward to intended person
3.make reminder calls for events
4.make copies of PTA flyers-I often would go to the school at night, when only the night janitor was there to do this!
5.clean up after events!!!
6.babysit so others can attend meetings
7.research fundraisers from your home computer

I am a stay at home mom of 3 (ages 7,5 & 2) so I am always looking for ways to help "jobs" to do at home or at night!!! Last year I volunteered to do all the flyers at home on my computer!!!!

Can't wait to see what other come up with!!!

make calls to ask for auction donations
do thank you letters for auction donations
write press release for auction
call/fax newspapers for auction news

I think there will be a lot of ideas on this question. Here's a few more.

1. Mentor/Tutor students
2. Babysit so other parents may go on older children's field trips.
3. See if your school will allow a parent to tend their child's class, for a couple hours, so that the teacher may go to their child's awards day, field trip etc.
4. The usual provide refreshments(not just cakes) for different events, drinks/popcorn balls/carmel apples etc.
5. Work games, Face/hair paint at carnivals/festivals/help set up/order prizes, our teachers used to do all of that until last year.
6. Change the message on the school sign
7. Make Posters/costumes/cut outs/paint items at home
8. In class sort the students papers to send home, help pack back packs, etc.
9. Read to the class
10. Get to know several parents and form a group to take the children of the ones that are working events around, so they can work with piece of mind and their children can participate in the activities, instead of being left at home or brought real late after mom/dad gets home.
11. "Adopt a child" provide their snack/snack money.
12. Do a craft project with the class
13. Take pictures at events for newsletters, annual, sale ad's for the annuals.
14. Help staple the newsletter, sort into class size and distribute.
15. Help gather donations
16. Help write Thank You notes, and send.
17. Clean out toy boxes and send small toys (happy meal toys are great) to school for teachers treasure/rewards chest.
18. Send old puzzles, leftover craft items to school, puzzle pieces make great reindeer pins for Christmas gifts. Save tissue boxes, toilet and paper towel rolls and send in.
19. Video tape awards programs/spelling bees etc, let parents that don't have a video camera give you a tape, make them a copy, without charging.
20. If student or teacher is real sick or in the hospital make a class book and take to them.
21. Go into school and tell faculty and staff you appreciate them, that includes lunchroom personal and custodians, learn their names.
22. Greet other parents that you don't know with a smile and a HI!
23. First day's, if you don't have a boo hoo room, take a moment, even in the parking lot, to reassure upset parents.
24. PTO Officers make sure you thank EVERY volunteer, from those at events to those that send in a bag of forks.
25. Just go into the school and say Hey!! Where would you like me to help today, or ask "can you put a note in the teachers boxes for me? Ask them if there is anything that I can work on at home for them.
26. Keep a check on Para-pro's that might be out, especially if they are going to be out for a while, and offer to help that teacher.

Hope I didn't go over board. lol There's so many things that parents can do. Maybe some of these y'all haven't thought of. I plan to strongly let parents know this year, that volunteering and helping your school isn't just going in and being there working or working events, but sending things in, such as the small toys. That counts a great deal toward helping, not to mention it gets your children's room cleaned out lol.


[ 07-25-2002: Message edited by: PTOmomof5 ]</p>

Help with the playground building day.
Do playground clean-up one Saturday morning.
Lunch duty or recess monitor once or once a week.
Attend the school fair.
Collect ttickets for the fair.
Cook something for the fair.

For parents/volunteers who can't come to the school:

1. Offer to cut stuff out for various classrooms.
2. Sewing costumes, book bags, whatever...
3. Phone work... These volunteers are my favorite because it really takes the pressure off of scheduling events.
4. Dream Team-Home Division- This is a group of about 4 stay-at-home Moms who, because of smaller children still at home, handicaps, etc. cannot be at the school, but are able to coordinate on a moments notice (i.e.: Someone doesn't show up for their shift at the Santa Shop - one call to a DT-HD Mom and she contacts a replacement for RIGHT NOW! This team also works very close, hand in hand, with the
5. Dream Team-School Division, who are also stay at home parents, only they have more mobility and can drop everything and come to the school to fill in with a moments notice. These parents usually have a family member who they can drop a toddler off to, or an older, preschool age child who can accompany them without too much trouble.