We haven’t done this in a while, but it’s always helpful to get an update on the latest with parent groups and parent group leaders. What you’re doing. How you’re using the web and technology. What we can do for you? All that good stuff.
Really appreciate your taking the time to help us out. Confident that you’ll see the results in the next few months as we plan our next advancements here on the site and beyond.
Happy Valentine’s day, Happy Chinese New Year, and Happy President’s day!
Here’s a quick overview of articles from this week. Perhaps these stories about creative PTOs & PTAs will inspire some new ideas for your parent group:
Did you know that by the end of last year approximately 18 million people were using Twitter? Many schools have jumped on the bandwagon and are successfully using Twitter to get the word out about school events and get quick feedback on issues. On a personal level, it’s a great way to stay on top of news and trends that matter to you — like parenting.
If you are not familiar with the basics of twitter, watch the video below:
Most importantly, Twitter is a great tool for building parent involvement. Here are some sample posts or tweets from parent groups:
PTO Meeting this Thursday. XHS Princpals will be on hand to talk about the upcoming transition for the 8th graders. Don’t miss it!
Thanks to all who have volunteered for Friday’s Holiday Shoppe. We still need more volunteers – if you can help, DM me.
Working on our school auction. Anyone have an ideas for a fun theme?
Some Twitter lingo and basics:
Follow- When you follow someone on Twitter, that means you elect to see, in your twitter stream, the tweets that they post.
Tweets – this is just another word for post or status.
Your “followers”- (a.k.a. “tweeps,” or “tweeple”) are the people who have chosen to see your tweets.
@ Replies – When you want to reply to someone or simply get their attention, you use the @ sign followed by their username and your message. Note that when you do this, everyone who follows you and that person sees your message.
Direct messages – To send a private message you type a ‘d’ before their user name and then the message. Direct messages are often referred to as “DM.” You cannot, however, DM just any Twitter user – only people who you follow and happen to be following you back. This restriction helps prevent spamming.
Adding links to your Tweets: You can include links in your tweet simply by posting the complete URL, including “http://”, but some URLs are long. Luckily there are free online services that will shorten your URLs. Three popular services are Hootsuite, snurl, and bit.ly. They all work basically the same way: You enter the long URL, and the service generates a shortened URL. You then copy and paste the short URL into your tweet.
Well happy Friday PTO Today community! Can you believe that January is coming to an end? Felt like a fast month to me, how about you? When you live in New England, winter months flying by is a good thing.
Here’s the news recap for this week:
Found more great stories about schools and parent groups coming through for Haiti with creative ideas:
Remember, if your parent group has been in the news and you’d like to share your story with other leaders email me at lgundlach@ptotoday.com and I’ll include your story in our round-up. If you are wondering how to get your school event in the news, be sure to read our article on how to write a press release.
Tim talks about the 2010 Back2School Program and explains why parent group leaders should take advantage of this great opportunity to reach out and connect with parents at their schools.
Has your parent group been in the news and you’d like to share your story with other leaders? Email me and I’ll include it our round-up. lgundlach@ptotoday.com
Yes, I know it’s still January, but this is actually when we start accepting registrations from groups who want to sign up for our very cool annual Back2School package of know-how for your group and giveaways for your parents. You don’t want to miss this one.
As a summary, the centerpiece of the Back2Schoool offering is Jump In! magazine, which is written to help parents make it a great school year. How and why to get involved. Tips for communicating with teachers and helping the kids succeed in school. Lots of stuff. You get one copy for each parent in your school to hand out from your parent group. (Check out some sample Jump In! articles and other content.)
We also provide custom materials to help you make the most of back-to-school night and ideas on kicking off a great involvement year for your PTO or PTA. There are usually extra giveaways from our sponsors and supporters, as well, which are always nice. And all of it is completely free for K-8 PTOs and PTAs.
I have a request for you this week rather than a tip. Would you please take two minutes and let us know the one or two things we could do for you as a PTO or PTA leader that would be of most help?
As usual, we’re in the midst of planning for the new year, and we’d love to hear from you what you’d most like us to work on. More online tools (like what)? More programs for groups (in what areas)? More freebies or giveaways? Anything else?
Word is out that Simplified Scrip ceased operations on December 21, 2009. The following is a direct quote from their website home page:
“We will now concentrate on taking care of all customers. If you have an outstanding order, you will receive a refund check for any unshipped items.Once all refunds are processed, we will send donation checks for any funds earned during the last quarter.”
A tough economy has forced some tough decisions. We hope that all that are owed refunds are paid promptly and we wish those who have lost jobs, due to this closing, the best of luck.
My message to you this week is simple — thanks for everything you do. I hope these next couple of weeks bring you peace and rest and great times with your families and friends. You deserve nothing less.
A friend of mine recently mentioned that it seems we’ve been talking a lot lately of the tough parts of PTOing. Dealing with drama, tough principals, embezzlement. “Doesn’t sound like something I’d want to get involved with” was his comment. And I can see his point.
So this season, I hope you’ll remember (and be rewarded for) all the great things about this work. The smiles on the kids’ faces. The schools made better by increased involvement. The lifelong friendships that are forged on the playground you built. The teachers inspired to keep at their difficult jobs because of your support. The great times shared by school families at your fun events.
That’s what makes this work so worthwhile and rewarding.
My resolution for 2010 is to remember those things more, both personally and in my writing here at PTO Today. Reminds me of one of the most popular articles ever on the website — ”One Last Dance” by Sharron Kahn Luttrell. If you’re looking for a PTO gift, give that one a read.
