PTO Today

School-based book clubs have increased in popularity in recent years, in part due to the support of parent groups. PTOs and PTAs often sponsor the clubs, sometimes leading discussions, providing refreshments, and even donating books.

For Parents Only

The Longfellow Elementary PTO in Boise, Idaho, formed an international book club in the 2010-11 school year. The books selected have a story set in or are written by an author from a particular country. Parents gather in a local restaurant to discuss the book.

A book club was formed at Hanes Magnet School in Winston-Salem, N.C., for parents of middle schoolers. Members read young adult literature so they can recommend age-appropriate titles to their children.

Just For Kids

Elementary school students have a wide range of reading skills. Several parent groups have formed book clubs for specific grade levels to group readers of the same abilities together.

In Bristol, R.I., the Rockwell PTO Literacy Committee formed a K-2 book club where students listen to a book being read and do a related activity.

Students in 3rd and 4th grades have their own book group at Bell-Graham Elementary in St. Charles, Ill. Kids read the books in advance, then meet after school to discuss stories together.

Read more: Start a Parent-Child Book Club

Thanks to everyone who submitted a fun phrase to our Facebook contest! The PTO editors said it was not easy deciding, but we do have 3 phrases picked! Congrats to Jennifer Leach, Karen Shore, and Lisa Singeisen for being chosen as finalists.

Now it’s up to you! Which fun phase would you like to see on the 2012 PTO Today Expo giveaway t-shirt? Head over to Facebook to see the choices and cast your vote.

Two random voters will each receive 5 free t-shirts with the winning slogan. Be sure to tell your fellow school volunteers to vote too!

Are you good at thanking people? Is your PTO or PTA good at thanking people?

While many groups thrive at organized volunteer appreciation and teacher appreciation, they often fall short on the more basic and more important everyday thank-yous that can make a huge difference in long-term engagement.

I’m not talking about big gifts or parties. I’m talking quick emails, one-line mentions in the newsletter, or a simple shout-out at a meeting or event. It’s amazing how powerful those little steps can be. For sure, the recipient of your thanks feels good. But thanking frequently and publicly and broadly also affects the impression of your group with the entire wider audience at your school. Your group isn’t one that takes help for granted; instead, you’re one that knows how busy everyone is and appreciates every little bit of assistance you receive. That’s a powerful message.

If it’s not your strength (it doesn’t come naturally to me, for example), make “thank-you chairperson” a new job within your group. Seriously — find someone with the gene and let her go nuts. Your whole group and school will be better for it.

We have a great piece online about appreciation and thanking volunteers and helpers. And — from me — thanks for all you do for your school. You’re making a big difference.

It’s not too early to start thinking about PTO Today’s 2012 Parent Group of the Year search. Entries are due May 31, 2012, but you can start collecting information for your entry now, saving materials from or making notes about your activities as you hold them. Just tell us how you connected with families and students this school year, and your group could win cash prizes up to $3,000.

Click here to see the entry form, complete details, and answers to frequently asked questions. And be sure to read about the fantastic groups that took honors in the 2011 search, too.

Get out and smell the coffee. That’s my tip for this week. I wrote a column for PTO Today magazine with this title a couple of years ago, and it remains one of my favorite simple but underused ideas.

The concept is to call another school in your area, get in touch with the PTO or PTA leader, and make a date to have coffee together. No agenda — just a chance to chat about your respective groups and your schools. I bet you’ll be surprised at what can come from a simple get-together like this. Just the act of talking with someone who is dealing with the same types of concerns that you are can be powerful.

You might find some ideas or solutions in things the other school has done. Or maybe you’ll even be able to create a partnership — supplying volunteers for each others’ family nights, for example, so more parents can spend the night with their children. Even simply sharing calendars so your fundraisers don’t overlap can be helpful.

I can’t guarantee you’ll come out of your meeting with any concrete results, but I can guarantee it’ll be well worth the price of a cup of coffee to make this contact.

By the way, a great place to meet other leaders, of course, is our PTO expos. To kick off this year’s season, we’re running a slogan contest on Facebook for our expo T-shirts. Stop by and share your best fun phrase!

One PTA found a way to take the sting out of back-to-school shopping for families. The Reeves-Hinger Elementary PTA in Canyon, Texas, bought supplies for all the school’s students and had them set up on desks on the first day of school. The group spent $10,000 and purchased all but three items on each list. The preK-4 school has approximately 750 students. That’s a lot of no. 2 pencils!

2011 PTO Expo T-shirt -- Your fun phrase could be on the 2012 t-shirt!

We are super excited to be in 14 cities for our 2012 PTO Today Expos! To kick off the Expo season we need your help! Do you remember the “My Parent Group Rocks” t-shirts that we gave away last year? (pictured right) They were a huge hit. In fact, we ran out. So, this is where you come in!

We need a new fun phrase for the 2012 Expo t-shirts!

Share your creative brilliance and you and your parent group can win!

Here’s the scoop on the Fun Phrase T-shirt contest!

First of all it’s living on our Facebook page on the Contest tab (left hand column of our Facebook page).  Pop over there to submit a fun phrase (7 words or less) that captures the spirit of PTOs, PTAs, HSAs, etc. (Note: We want all parent groups to be able to wear the t-shirt. So please use the term “parent group” instead of PTO or PTA.)

What will the winner get, you ask?!  Well, fame, notoriety and free stuff!

The winning fun phrase will be printed on t-shirts that will be used as prizes at PTO Today Expos and beyond.  The winner will be featured in a photograph wearing the winning t-shirt (with up to 4 fellow parent group volunteers) in an upcoming issue of PTO Today magazine. Also, you and 11 of your closest PTO or PTA peeps receive a free t-shirt. AND everyone who enters gets one free admission to your closest PTO Today Expo!

Here are the details on timing:

• From October 13- 25 submit your fun phrase (7 words or less) — use the “Enter Contest” button on the Contest tab or Facebook to get started. One submission per person.
• On October 26 the judges, the PTO Today editors, will choose the top three slogans.
• Starting October 27, all parent group volunteers are invited to vote for their favorite phrase until November 9th. Be sure to invite your PTO and PTA friends to vote for your fun phrase!
• The winner will be announced on November 10th.

Just think of the boost your parent group would get by winning the contest, getting the free t-shirts, and having your photograph in an issue of PTO Today Magazine! As they say in the Mastercard commercials, priceless!

* NOTE: When entering the contest using the Internet Explorer browser, after you hit “enter contest” and you get to the next page you need to scroll down to see the contest information. This is inherent in the contest application we are using and beyond our control.

A Florida PTO found a creative way to raise money and reinforce math skills at the same time. While walking through the hay maze built by the S.S. Dixon Primary PTO in Pace, students can use a handheld GPS and take measurements while trying to find a hidden package. The “Haystackular” hay maze is open during weekends in October. Teachers can also arrange field trips during the week.

Three facts: First, this is about the busiest time of year for PTO and PTA leaders; second, this is the time of year when new parents first express interest in helping out at the school; and third, it takes work and patience (which are in short supply) to get a new volunteer started.

One key tip: Do not let your busyness get in the way of bringing in those new volunteers. Do whatever it takes right away to say yes to (or to find a job for) every new parent who asks to help. Connecting with them and welcoming them now is the most important thing you can do these days for the long-term health of your group.

If you delay — or worse, say no — those new parents will think you don’t want their help. Their enthusiasm will wane. The clique word will creep in even when it’s not your intention. Ugh.

I love this article about little things PTOs and PTAs do that hurt involvement. Saying “not yet” to willing volunteers is at the top of that list.

Parents play a key role in helping children learn to read and encouraging them to keep reading. PTOs can help by holding family literacy events and providing parents with helpful tools and information. Consider observing Family Literacy Day on Nov. 1 with one of the activities below. For more ideas, visit the National Center for Family Literacy website.

Book Swap
At your next family event, invite students to bring books they have finished reading. Give kids a ticket for each book they donate. At the end of the event, they can take home a different book. Donate any books left over to a children’s hospital or a local nonprofit that serves children.

Family Reading Night
Plan an evening of reading-related activities for families to enjoy together. Include stations where attendees can listen to stories as well as play games and make crafts related to popular children’s book characters. Provide books and some quiet corners where kids and parents can read together. Give each family a bookmark before they leave. For a limited time, everyone who orders a free Family Reading Night kit receives a free copy of Shel Silverstein’s book Every Thing On It. Now who doesn’t love Shel Silverstein?

Parent Education
Provide parents with printouts that give tips for working with early readers and encouraging reading at home. Invite the school’s reading specialist to speak to parents about common difficulties young readers have and what parents can do to help.

Every Thing On It cover and artwork © 2011 Evil Eye, LLC.