PTO Today

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.

Regina Packard, PTO/Booster Club president at North Chicago Community High School, has been helping out at her children’s schools at every grade level for almost 30 years.

Photo by Rudi Popovich

Regina Packard knows a thing or two—or even nine—about parent involvement. As a mother of nine kids ages 12 to 32, she’s been an active volunteer for nearly three decades. She currently serves as PTO/Booster Club president at North Chicago Community High School, and that’s on top of her job as an office manager. Packard and her husband, Tony, have been avid supporters in their children’s academic success since day one of preschool.

A big bonus of being involved is the open communication she has with teachers, Packard says. “I have grown to understand that the more involved you are in the education of your child, the teachers notice and they know that they have your support in whatever they are working to accomplish with your child,” she says.

Volunteering at the elementary school was the most fun. “At the elementary level, students are happy about anything you do for them,” Packard says. There, she enjoyed being a guest reader, grading papers, attending field trips, and helping with popcorn Fridays and other fundraisers.

At the middle school level, Packard helped with 8th grade dances and graduation activities. Currently, her days revolve around helping the high school booster club organize home-game concessions and sports banquets, and funding college scholarships for students. “The high school level is more of a challenge, but it’s an adventure while trying to discover what really works!” she says.

In 2009, Packard received the Extra Mile Award from the school district for her volunteerism at North Chicago. She credits the success to a team of dedicated parents and the school’s principal, drama teacher, and athletic director, all of whom give equally for the good of the students. Collectively, they share Packard’s vision: “If each parent could find just one thing they would be willing to do to help in any way, that would make a huge difference in what we can accomplish together,” she says.

“This event not only created a sense of community for our school, but was a great promotion of literacy. Plus, everyone had fun. We plan to do this event twice per school year.”

~Joanie Triestman, Board Member

Canyon Vista Elementary – Aliso Viejo, CA

Now for a limited time, when you order a Family Reading Night kit you have a chance to receive a free copy of the new Shel Silverstein book, Every Thing On It (coming September 20th), to give away at Family Reading Night! Books are limited to the first 2,000 schools*, so be sure to order your kit now. (Details on how to request your free copy can be found on the Shel Silverstein-themed activity sheet in this year’s Family Reading Night kit.)

This year’s Family Reading Night kit also includes an activity sheet that provides fun Shel Silverstein-themed activities your event’s activities — Rhyme Race, Draw Me a Poem, and Create a Creature, to name a few!  The kids will be reading, rhyming, and writing in imaginative ways!

Shel Silverstein books are always a hit for all ages, so don’t put off ordering your Family Reading Night kit. And don’t forget to take photos of your fabulous event and share them on our Facebook page.   We’ll send a “My Parent Group Rocks” t-shirt to everyone who uploads photos of their Family Reading Night by the end of 2011.  Have fun!

*If you were chosen to receive or have already received an advance copy of this book from PTO Today, your school is ineligible.

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

Wow, can you believe that July is almost over? For some of you, August means the start of school. No doubt you are in the thick of getting your kids ready and working on organizing your PTO or PTA back-to-school projects and programs. For those of you who don’t start until late August or September, I bet you are already thinking about how to get more parents involved in the next school year – c’mon, admit it : )!

Speaking of parent involvement, thought you may be interested in a neat webinar that Shutterfly (one of our Back2School 2011 partners) is hosting!

Here’s the scoop:
Webinar Topic: Parental Engagement

Audience: Teachers, room parents, principals and district administrators

Date/Time: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)

Webinar overview: “Strong parental engagement with their children’s classroom experience is highly correlated with successful learning outcomes, especially in earlier grades. But how can you build parental involvement in today’s world of busy and diverse families? This web seminar will explore a new program for improving the parent-school relationship called Classroom Connections Challenge from Shutterfly, which provides schools with Share Sites: free, private classroom websites for safely sharing information, photos, videos, calendars and more.”

For more information and to register for free click here.

Sounds like a terrific way to get geared up for the best school year yet!

John Holt, a committee chair and past president of the Parkside Elementary PTA in LaVale, Md., has directed parking at the fall festival, raised money to build a new playground, and chaired the art appreciation program.

Photo by Dave Romero

John Holt unwittingly became involved at Parkside Elementary in 2005, when his wife attended a PTA meeting and volunteered him to chair the playground committee. “I did not know exactly what I was getting into, and sometimes regretted it,” admits Holt, father of Autumn, 11, and Shelby, 7. “But I would not trade the experience for anything, and I owe my current level of involvement to that moment.” Through Holt’s coordinated efforts, the PTA raised $27,500 for a new playground, which includes separate equipment for primary and intermediate grades, a walking track, and fitness equipment for adults.

Holt’s contributions at Parkside include everything from directing parking and constructing a “haunted hallway” for the fall festival to coordinating the school’s Derby Day event. He served as PTA president for two years and is currently cochair of the Reflections art program. In 2010, Holt was named a semifinalist for a state-level parent involvement award. He says there would be “missed learning opportunities, missed teachable moments, and missed friendships” if he weren’t involved in his daughters’ education. Furthermore, says Holt, “It lets them see that learning is important to us and allows us to instill other core values along the way.”

One of Holt’s most memorable volunteer moments came when he was making a routine visit to the school. “I was walking out of the school and a little girl walks up to me and asks, ‘Are you the one helping us build a playground?’” he recalls. “She grabbed me and hugged me and said, ‘Thank you!’ It was really heartfelt.”

Parkside Elementary principal Patti Stevenson says that Holt has helped the school become a better place through modeling parent participation for others. She also praises his ability to collaborate with community organizations like the Lions club. “He values students, staff, and his fellow parents,” Stevenson says, “and continues to seek out ways to make positive contributions to our school community.”

A hearty congratulations to newly-elected officers! We have heard from many of you that you’re excited about your new role, but also a little nervous. No need to worry, we’ve got you covered! In this video, Tim gives some good advice to get you started.

Here is the article that Tim refers to in the video:  A Tale of Two Volunteers.

New parent group officers in years past also gave the following articles a thumbs up:

23 Essential Tips for New Presidents

38 Ideas to Start the Year Right

7 Steps to Grow Involvement

Build Support for New Ideas

16 Tips for Executive Board Members

The Truth About Cliques

Another tip for newbies: Make sure you register your new officers with PTO Today to stay on top of all the new programs and tools (and to receive a free Communication Handbook.) Also, if you are interested in receiving a tip a week from Tim and learning about the next free giveaway or sample offer from PTO Today and our partners, be sure to opt in to our Leader Lowdown Newsletter.

One last piece of advice: connect with other leaders! Sometimes being a parent group leader can be isolating. Our message boards, Ask a Question section, Facebook page and Twitter feed are great ways to chat with other leaders and swap stories and ask questions… maybe even brag a little.

Again, congrats!

Some new incentive programs have students earning benefits such as homework passes, gift cards, and even cash when their parents volunteer at school.

Parent Honor Roll

In a program launched by Petersburg (Va.) City Public Schools last fall, parents earn points for activities such as chaperoning field trips, attending workshops, and ensuring that their children follow the dress code. Credit can be received for a wide variety of activities, making it possible for working parents to participate.

Points are tallied each nine weeks, and if parents earn enough points, their children may be rewarded with an ice-cream party, gift cards, credit to the school store, or homework passes good for a one-time extension.

“By getting the students excited, we’ll get the parents excited, as well,” Kori Reddick, principal of J.E.B. Stuart Elementary, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Cash Incentive

In St. Louis, parent involvement is one requirement of a school’s program that rewards successful students with $300. To earn the cash, a student’s parent had to attend three fall PTO meetings, and students had to maintain 95 percent attendance and not be suspended.

Jefferson Elementary offered the cash to 25 new students who lived in three nearby apartment complexes. The incentives were provided by the company that developed the apartments. Plans are in place to expand the program to 125 students.

Tammy Duncan, chairwoman of the landscaping committee at the East Aiken School of the Arts in Aiken, S.C., worked to turn a weedy piece of school property into a garden everyone could enjoy.

Photo by Todd Lista

The courtyard of the East Aiken School of the Arts features a dazzling array of azaleas, vinca, and yellow jasmine. The impressive grounds are the handiwork of PTO volunteer and novice gardener Tammy Duncan.

Three years ago, Duncan noticed that the L-shaped parcel of school land had become overrun with grass and weeds. “I wanted to fix it up a little, but the teachers and some parents didn’t want to see the money being spent on something like that,” she recalls. So she secured a grant through Lowe’s Toolbox for Education. With the help of a local nursery, Duncan formulated a plan and built the garden. Since then, she’s been weeding away. In spring 2010, she helped students plant more than 300 gladiolus bulbs.

During Duncan’s frequent campus visits, her son Benjamin, 13, often helps with raking. Her daughter Lydia, 11, baby-sits for younger siblings Gabriel, 3, and Aivah, 1. Duncan’s husband, Andy, often hauls leaves and weeds to the dump and maintains the irrigation system.

Duncan became active in the PTO in 2004 and served as president from 2006 to 2009. She helped launch an annual carnival, coordinated the holiday shop, and helped start movie nights. She also serves as the birthday baker, providing staff members with treats on their special day.

Principal Mary Robinson calls Duncan a faithful volunteer who has helped the school in countless ways. But Duncan is just happy she has found a way to make East Aiken a better place and be with her family at the same time. Through her tireless beautification efforts, Duncan is also planting other seeds during her children’s formative years. “It’s their school,” she says, “and I want them to learn that they can influence things around them.”

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.

You can stream movies and TV shows online. Why not parent group meetings?

Parents at three Staten Island, N.Y., schools will soon be able to do just that. Thanks to a funding allocation from the area’s city council representative, the schools’ PTA meetings will be broadcast live and recorded for replay online. Parents won’t be able to participate in the meetings online, but they will be able to watch or replay them later.