PTO Today

We’re excited to let you know that our new, free Family Movie Night kit is available. Now that the dust has settled a bit from back-to-school mayhem, your parent group may be considering hosting a family night. Good idea! Family nights are a fantastic way to build community at your school. Building community is the first step towards getting more parents to volunteer! Family movie nights are a low-key and fun way to bring families together. Our kit has everything you need to organize a successful event.

So, check out the new kit. It has a professionally designed poster and banner to promote your event, that we’ve been getting rave reviews about! Also, be sure to visit Family Movie Night section on our message boards to get and swap ideas. Once you host a Family Movie Night, don’t forget to share your fabulous event photos with other parent group leaders on our Facebook page!

If you’ve been reading these weekly emails, you know we here at PTO Today believe it’s important to thank your volunteers loudly and thank them often. We encourage you to reach out to new families. Help out your school’s teachers and staff. Give public kudos to the principal for her vital support.

But with all that, don’t overlook the accomplishments of one of the most important players at your school — your parent group. If you haven’t yet publicized all the great work your PTO or PTA has done this year, it’s time to polish up that horn and toot it.

Telling your school community about all the classroom supplies, enrichment experiences, family events, and more provided by your group isn’t an ego trip. Actually, it’s important on two levels: first, it builds your reputation as a successful group that does great things for the school and is worth getting involved in; and second, it’s really the best way to show parents that the hours they’ve volunteered and the money they’ve helped raise has had tangible results. They can share the pride in those accomplishments, and isn’t that a great feeling to share?

And while you’re tooting, take the time to put together a Parent Group of the Year entry. We started the Parent Group of the Year search more than 10 years ago to help give school parent groups the recognition they deserve. Entering is easy — just tell us your story in your own words. We’ll be awarding thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.

The deadline to enter is June 1. It’s always fun and inspiring to read the stories that come in; we’d love to hear about what your group has done, too. Good luck — and thanks for all you do!

It was wonderful to hear about your teacher appreciation programs this past week. Well done! Think it’s fair to say that you made your teacher’s week!

Before long, you’ll be thinking about what to do for your end-of-year volunteer appreciation. No rest for the weary! In this video Tim talks about what to avoid this spring when you execute your volunteer appreciation program.

What is your PTO or PTA board doing for volunteer appreciation this year? Share your best ideas with other leaders below in the comments.

Word on the street is that many groups are working on their fall PTO or PTA planning right now.  Wouldn’t it be great if you could start your school community off on a spirited note next fall? It’s such a hectic time of year for families … they (and you!) need some fun.

That’s why we are so excited to partner with the NFL and their Back to Football Friday program (for the second year in a row!). The NFL would like to invite YOUR school to participate in Back to Football Friday this fall! This fun, FAN-tastic event is a great way to drum up some excitement at back-to-school by rallying that school (and team!) spirit.

Here’s how it works:

• Register your school at www.NFLRUSH.com/backtofootball
• Plan a Back to Football Friday Celebration anytime during the first 2 weeks of the 2011 NFL regular season this fall – invite everyone at your school to celebrate by wearing their NFL team gear to school.
• 34 winning schools will be named NFL PLAY 60 Super Schools and receive an NFL team celebration and a $10,000 NFL PLAY 60 health and wellness grant*!

Registration is open. Once registered, be sure to upload photos of your event (learn more at  www.NFLRUSH.com/backtofootball).

Look for a  complimentary Back to Football Friday poster in the August issue of PTO Today Magazine!

*Grant awarded in form of a check made payable to winning school.

No Purchase Necessary to Enter or Win in the Back to Football Friday Contest (hereafter, “Contest”). Registration starts 12:00:00 p.m. ET on 3/15/11 and ends two (2) weeks following the conclusion of the first 2011 NFL regular season game (“Registration Period”). Entry Period starts 9:00:00 a.m. ET on the day after the first 2011 NFL regular season game and ends two (2) weeks following the conclusion of the first 2011 NFL regular season game. Open only to those who are, as of registration date: (i) legal residents of the 50 U.S. or District of Columbia; (ii) 18+ years; and (iii) either a school Administrator, Teacher, PTA leader or PTO leader representing a public, state-accredited private school or vocational school with grades between Kindergarten and 8th. For the purposes of this Contest, a school Administrator is defined as a Principal, Vice-Principal, Dean, Superintendent or Health and Wellness Administrator. Void where prohibited. Subject to Official Rules available at www.nflrush.com/backtofootball during Registration Period or by sending a SASE for receipt by 11/4/11 to: Back to Football Friday RULES, P.O. Box 17009, Bridgeport, CT, 06673-7009. Sponsor: National Football League.
“NFL Team Celebration” prize consists of a visit to the school associated with the Grand Prize winning Entry for a portion of a school day by one or more cheerleader(s), mascot or NFL player(s).
© 2011 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League.

In elementary school, bullying might take the form of taunts on the bus or the playground. As kids get older, bullying can mean sending harassing text messages or posting embarrassing material on a social networking site. At every age level, PTOs and PTAs are working to prevent bullying and educating parents about how to respond when it does happen.

Elementary School

Many parent groups use interactive assemblies to get anti-bullying messages across to young students. In Cherry Hill, N.J., the Joyce Kilmer Elementary PTA sponsored an anti-bullying program that had BMX bike tricks. The Short Pump Elementary PTA in Henrico, Va., brought in a weight lifter for a program on the topic.

Elementary PTOs also work to educate parents about bullying issues. After its school district implemented a new anti-bullying policy, the PTA at Salisbury (Mass.) Elementary held a parent workshop to explain it. Speakers included the school social worker and a representative from the school bus company. The PTA provided free baby-sitting to allow more parents to attend.

Middle School

Middle school bullying programs often shift the focus to Internet safety and cyberbullying. The Wayland (Mass.) Middle School PTO addressed issues related to bullying at many meetings this school year. Parents learned about state anti-bullying legislation, received advice from local police officers on handling cyberbullying, and heard tips from the school technology specialist. The PTO also added links to Internet safety resources on its website.

Another middle school group, the West Jackson Middle School PTO in Jefferson, Ga., gave parents advice on what to do if their kids view objectionable content online or visit online gaming sites.

“A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.”  ~Author Unknown

Teacher appreciation is top of mind for PTOs and PTAs this time of year. Year after year, we are amazed by the energy and creativity that groups put into thanking their teachers.  This is why we are so excited to tell you that we’ve teamed up with Febreze for a teacher appreciation give-away.

To celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, parents have the chance to nominate the teachers who have inspired their children now through May 6th. After National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2 – May 6), one teacher will be chosen as a winner and receive the “Teacher of the Year” title and a $5,000 cash prize to put toward classroom supplies or a classroom makeover!

Here’s how you can spread the word to your friends and other parents at your school to encourage families to nominate their favorite teacher for the Febreze Teacher of the Year:

• Download the Febreze Teacher of the Year Award flyer to send home to moms at your school.
• Download the Teacher of the Year Award web graphic and post it on your school or PTO website – be sure to link it to www.facebook.com/febreze.
• Cut and paste the following copy into your next newsletter, email, or to your website:

Nominate your child’s favorite teacher for the Febreze Teacher of the Year!

Help your children recognize their favorite teachers by nominating them for the first-ever Febreze Teacher of the Year Award! To celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, parents have the chance to nominate the teachers who have inspired their children. After National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2 – May 6), one teacher will be chosen as a winner and receive the “Teacher of the Year” title and a $5,000 cash prize to put toward classroom supplies or even a classroom makeover! Nominate your favorite teacher at www.facebook.com/Febreze now through May 6th!

How cool would it be to see your child’s teacher or a teacher at your school win $5,000? Talk about a morale booster!

It’s no surprise that parents often find it harder to volunteer at the middle school level than at their child’s elementary. Still, parents at a California school were taken aback when an employees union came out against a new volunteer program.

The nonprofit Healthy Community Consortium launched the pilot volunteer program at Petaluma (Calif.) Junior High School this fall. About 80 parents signed up to welcome students as they arrive on campus and monitor a playing field during lunch, among other tasks.

Volunteers were needed to fill some of the roles because budget cuts have resulted in numerous job cuts at the school, says HCC volunteer coordinator and school parent Lynn King. However, the fact that the program would use volunteers to help fill gaps created by staff layoffs led to opposition from the classified employees’ union, which represents clerical, custodial, maintenance, and other workers.

One point of contention was the use of volunteers in the library to assist the school librarian. A library aide had been employed at the school until funding was cut in the spring, King says.

“Our stand is you can’t have volunteers. They can’t do our work,” union president Loretta Kruusmagi told the Press Democrat newspaper.

District deputy superintendent Steve Bolman said the district is working with the union and the volunteers so that volunteers aren’t used for positions included in the classified bargaining unit.

King says the union opposition is an obstacle, but won’t mean the end of the pilot program. “Everybody acknowledges that when you have more caring adults around, kids do better,” she says. “We’re making sure the positions we come up with are okay with them.”

After piloting the program at Petaluma Junior High, HCC hopes to expand it to other middle schools and to high schools in the district.

Parenting is a tough job. If parents don’t compare notes and support each other, it’s even more difficult. School parent groups have a tremendous opportunity to forge community at their schools by hosting parent education nights. These programs are a great way to facilitate support and conversation. Nice to see an uptick of these events in the news. Take a guess at the two hottest topics. Don’t look ahead…

If you guessed internet safety and bullying, you guessed right. These are such pervasive and important topics. Many schools and parent groups are stepping up to organize workshops or events.

Top-line of school internet safety programs in the news this week:

• Middle school invites police officer to give parents the real scoop on internet safety and cyber-bullying.
• Another middle school acknowledges that kids online is a fact of life, and invites parent to get informed about internet safety.
• If you are interested in hosting a night to educate parents about online safety and cyber bullying use our free kit to organize an internet safety night.

Overview of anti-bullying school programs in the news:

• Bully expert encourages parents to be nosy.
• Nice to read about schools joining together to address bullying.
• Parent group educates parents about the school system’s anti-bullying program.
• An entertaining bully show gives parents something to talk about…

That’s where it all starts, right? Talk. Talk to experts about what’s really going on. Talk to other parents about what they are seeing and hearing. Talk to our kids… keep talking.

What is your PTO or PTA doing for parent education nights? We’ d love to hear more about them.