PTO Today

Looking for a programming/service idea? Like what these guys did with a community health fair. Looks like three different groups got involved, recruited some neat local speakers, and even roped in the Radio Disney crew for some fun. Cool.

So I went off on this on the SchoolFamily.com Blog, but it deserves even closer attention over hear on ptotoday.com, because this kind of nonsense can do real harm to our groups. We have to make sure that the wellness regulations going on retain a sense of sanity.

Does it make sense to limit soda machine hours and make sure kids have water as an option? Sure. But the old traditional bake sale isn’t the cause of obesity. And a discussion of a wholesale banning of all kinds of foods (foods — like hot dogs and a slice of pizza and dessert after lunch and a cookie at a bake sale — that the vast majority of parents feel are fine) has to include a discussion of the harm that can and will do to the good works of PTOs and PTAs and similar good organizations.

Who better to be in that discussion than parents and parent group leaders? If the regulations have gone too far in your town, it’s Ok to re-open them. Talk to your principal. Make sure your school board knows that sanity is OK.

Like the community spirit of this local parent-serving effort. Local PTO partners with Visting Nurses Association to bring flu shots right to school setting.

We’re seeing this more and more these days from individual groups, and — as often happens — these good grass-roots ideas tend to bubble up into full-blown organized efforts. PTAs, for example, can do something similar through this program. I suspect we’ll be seeing more of these national-scale through-schools flu efforts coming, too. It’s the perfect place to reach high numbers of involved families.

Always fun to read about one of our programs paying dividends for a group, so I was more than pleasantly surprised when i picked up a local paper this morning and ran across this piece from a paper near my hometown.

The BF Norton school in Cumberland, RI is seeing strong involvement gains using the 2 Hour Power Pledge model. Volunteerism has nearly doubled, and we’re only in October!

Want to check out our free 2 Hour Power for your school? Full details and downloadable letters and forms are all here.

(Note: cross-post from our schoolfamily.com blog). Really like this idea spearheaded by a couple of kids down in Florida. Can your PTO or PTA run with the same or similar concept? Quick summary: kids choose to support a charity for their birthday (as opposed to getting the toys they don’t need), party involves delivering the gift right to the cause, and PTO celebrates the giving with a plaque at school. Cool. You can read all about this birthday club here.

This trend started before the economy cratered (though reporter makes the connection), but this Michigan piece is still interesting. More and more Michigan groups organizing major community events for their fundraising. Piece profiles several.

This four-year-old group decides that PTA option not working best for them and makes switch to PTO. For more on the PTO v PTA differences, our cover story on PTO v PTA is here.

How’s your fall fundraiser going? This Lancaster (PA) feature takes a critical look at some early-return fundraising struggles for area schools. My take on the current situation included in the piece.

Will just add a bit to my quotes that made the piece: think one big challenge will be what groups will do if these lower returns continue. There will be great tempation to run another big fundraiser or two. Trouble with that, though, is that more groups than ever will start to suffer from over-fundraising-itis.

I’d rather adjust the budget down if we have to (or work even harder on our one biggy) than lose parents for the long-term by fundraising them to death.

How are your returns so far this year? And what are you doing about it?

Impressed by this feature from Michigan, where author captures both the importance of involvement and the challenges of growing involvement at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

A good read…

Interesting ruling in Iowa, where state Board of Ed tells schools that they can not charge fees for school-day, curriculum-related field trips. Such fees are akin to tuition, rules the Board.

I can see the thinking here. Reminds me of a similar debate over during-school fundraising reward assemblies. I have no problem with all kinds of extra-curriculars, including those that might charge fees. But it does seem that — especially at a public school — that the school day should be open to all… and free.

You agree?

PS — Speaking of field trip funds, Target has a generous field trip grant program that’s worth a look.