Lowe’s has been a huge supporter of schools and of PTOs and PTAs these past few years (their Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program has given millions to PTOs and PTAs these past 5 years), and I’ve really enjoyed working with their whole team on a variety of projects.

But when they started talking about Lowe’s giftcards as good teacher appreciation and holiday gifts, even I was a bit skeptical. After all – you can’t exactly buy ceramic apples at Lowe’, right?

After they walked me through a few things they’re doing though, I was impressed. And I think it’s worth a look for you.

First of all, while you can’t get ceramic apples — you can get about a billion other things, tons of which would be great for a teacher. (Classroom stuff and stuff for when the teachers are being actual normal everyday people). Think: plants, gardening tools, organizing bins for the classroom, even Christmas decorations. And a whole bunch more.

Even better, Lowe’s now has the ability for you to customize your gift card in a very cool way. You can, for example, add a picture of your son or daughter along with “Mrs. B – thanks for helping me with fractions!” right on the giftcard. How cool is that?

Check out their Lowe’s giftcard page and the personalization features before you make your holiday gift choices this year.

It’s been interesting to watch so many groups getting proactive on the issue. Groups are spearheading flu clinics at school and hosting family events around healthy habits. Two great volunteers at my school just put together a weeklong health and wellness program, including a blood drive, pilates in the classrooms, and a road race. Love it.

With that in mind, we’ve recently put together a new dedicated space on ptotoday.com just about what groups are doing about Healthy School Kids. It’s already a nice resource and will get better each month as we add even more of the best ideas we find from parent groups around the country. And — bonus! — we also expect to have a whole host of free offers (samples and the like) from health-focused companies available for “Healthy School Kids” groups, starting in the next month or two. Check it out now (and preregister your group) at ptotoday.com/healthy-school-kids.

This Margaret Mead quote comes to mind:  ”Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed citizens to change the world. Indeed, it has never been done otherwise.”

If you are looking for a way to get your school on the green team, check out our Go Green Night Kit. It’s a fun way to build community in your school and teach families about ways they can help the environment.

Is your PTO or PTA involved in any green projects? We’d love to hear what you are up to!

Save time!

Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that we have reorganized the popular File Exchange section of our site. We’ve added new categories, renamed a few, and moved around a bunch of files that were getting lost — so leaders can easily find the forms, flyers, letters, and surveys that they need. Hopefully, the changes will also take the guess work out of where to put something when you upload files to share with others.

Some new categories include:

• volunteer recruitment
• fundraiser forms & letters
• fun run, walk-a-thon
• spaghetti dinner
• holiday shops
• audits
• community service

New file additions of note include a slew of generic parent group logos and a new email opt-in form.

Thank you to all who have uploaded documents to share with fellow parent group leaders. We hear from leaders all the time that the file exchange is such  a powerful resource.  Happy sharing and swapping!

Top 5 things to love about this fundraiser:

1. It’s for a GREAT cause:  Susan G. Komen for the Cure
2. It ties into Breast Cancer Awareness month: October.
3. It teaches middle school kids to think of someone other than themselves.
4. It shows that this school has incredible school spirit & enthusiasm … love the photo of the principal with pink hair! No doubt Middle schoolers would think this was hysterical… and kind of cool!
5. It’s a great idea for PTOs or PTAs who want to do a fundraiser that gives back!

Loved reading about what one PTO is doing to celebrate Walk-to-School Day.  Not only do they do some fun things to promote this day but they also have a  PTO walk-to-school coordinator for the whole school year.

Is your PTO involved in any programs that encourage healthy habits in the students at your school? We’d love to hear what you’re doing!

But I guess I am preaching to the choir! We know if you are on this site you care a tremendous amount about being involved in your child’s education. Bet you wish there were more parents at your school that shared your passion! If you’re nodding your head, check out our Parent Involvement Toolkit! And remember, it doesn’t hurt to remind parents – again- why involvement matters.

• fostered kid’s creativity
• encouraged kids and parents to work together
• promoted learning (how cool is it that it prompted kids to get online and research cars, etc.?)
• created a fun sense of community!

Thought you’d enjoy hearing about this unique PTA event. PTO Today is all for parent groups events that promote learning or tie into the curriculum.

”With the current economy the way it is, it would be kind of nice for neighbors to help neighbors,” said Rodger Lippman, the PTA’s president and webmaster. “Items that may be obsolete for one person can go a long way toward helping someone else.”

Now, that’s the kind of parent group that will attract attention and make people want to join. Thought maybe your parent group would like to take this idea and run with it.

What does your PTO or PTA do to build community or reach out to neighbors? Jump in here and tell us about it.