"Wow...we had a great first movie night! We showed 'Lilo and Stitch: Stitch has a Glitch'. We had about 125 people, sold popcorn and Hawaiian punch, and had people come dressed Hawaiian. We also decorated the gym with all sorts of lights, and Hawaiian themed decor. It was a great evening. We are having one every other month-thanks!"

—Penny Meier, Glendening Elementary, Groveport, OH

"Last year was our first family arts and crafts night. WOW we never dreamed the turn out would be so good. Mothers and fathers spending the evening with their child making art projects!!! Wow what a sight. They absolutely loved it and can't wait until next year. Thanks for all the great support and ideas."

—Amy Stover, Tipton Elementary, Tipton, MO

"We held a movie night in October at Kings Creek School. Lots of people came out to see Pirates of the Caribbean. We encouraged people to dress like a pirate and many did. Our signs were made like treasure maps. We sold refreshments and had a fire pit where we could roast marshmallows. It was great fun! Our goal was to involve the community, and I think we succeeded."

—Shanon White, Kings Creek School, Lenoir, NC

"We had our family movie night in December. We had gotten our license for The Polar Express and had Santa come for the first hour. We sold pizza, cookies, sodas and Santa gave out bags of candy to the children. With over 300 guests, there was barely walking room in our cafeteria! The kids brought blankets to lay on while they watched the movie & parents either lay on the blankets with the kids or brought yard chairs to sit in. Thanks for the great ideas & encouragement."

—Sheila Ezell, Peek's Chapel Elementary, Conyers, GA

"This was a wonderful event for our school. I can't say enough about how helpful the planning packet was. We had three guest readers: our School Superintendent and two children's book authors. We did the book swap and I created booklets and packets of stickers for each child to take home and write their own book (this was based upon the authors we had enlisted - they were books written by their families!). Overall it was a very well coordinated and well-attended event and we are looking forward to doing it again! Thank you!"

—Lisa Veldran, Orchard Ridge Elementary School, Madison WI

"Our movie night was a huge success. We had 185 parents and students attending. We showed "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." We sold Wonka bars, which were donated, popcorn and drinks. Many of the kids wore pajamas and brought blankets. Thanks for making the licensing process so easy. We are thinking about showing another movie in April and letting the children vote on the movie choice."

—Alison Welsh, Symonds Elementary School, Keene, NH

"This was our first time, so we didn't have much to go on, but the night was terrific. My goal was for 20 families to show up for "Herbie Fully Loaded", and we had 60 families come!!! We had popcorn and water, families spread out blankets on the floor, and we all cheered for Herbie! The event was over and cleaned up by 9 PM. Thanks for all the information on running a Movie Night. The printable posters from Movie Licensing were great, as was the large advertising poster that came with the information package. Many of our families have asked for another Movie Night!!"

— Bronwyn Teixeira, Davis Hill Elementary School, Holden, MA

"We had over 200 people attend our event — What a success!! It was wonderful to see so many families playing and laughing together. Thank you for the planning kit. It made putting the night together so much easier and the games were so imaginative and fun. Keep 'em coming!"

— Carole Whitcomb, Black Hawk Elementary, Burlington, IA

"Normally we're lucky if 20 people show up in the evening for anything. We had over 150 parents and students and their family members at our Family Movie Night! The program was well laid out and easy to implement and the people at Movie Licensing could not have been more helpful."

— Renea Finney, Okeechobee, Florida

"We have had two Family Nights and are in the planning stages of our third. The second night was the Family Movie Night. We showed "Finding Nemo". Everyone came with blankets and refreshments were served at no charge. Another HUGE success. I can't tell you in words how these events have brought so many people out to help us. Our group started as a 3 man (women) team and has grown to 15!"

— Diane Kallen, Zeyen School PTO, Treasurer

"We are looking to try some different things to increase parent involvement and this is a perfect fit."

— Lori Kidd, PTO President, Bethany, IL

"We had our movie night and let the kids vote on the movie they wanted to watch. Freaky Friday won and it was a huge success. The movie was shown outside on the school's property and the kids brought blankets to sit on. Many parents could not believe how nice it was and all had a great time as a family celebration."

— Nadine Freeman, F.M.B. Elementary's PTO, President

"The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone who came said they would like us (the PTO) to host more evenings of this nature."

— Anne Marie D. Greenfield, President, GTUSD-PTO

"And it’s great to know that it comes with PTO Today’s ‘seal of approval’!"

— Kim Costello, PTO President Thomas Jefferson School, North Arlington, NJ

"I really appreciate the kit being available. It fit my needs EXACTLY in terms of ideas about activities, publicity, presentation and planning. Thank you."

— Kary Kublin, John G Riley Elementary, Tallahassee FL

“We ask our parents to volunteer time and to give money. It’s great to be able to offer them this resource and give something back.”

— Debi Lewis, Vice President Sunnyslope PTO, Hollister, CA

“The presentation was very informative and the speaker was very nice. Thank you PTO Today for encouraging more involvement.”

— Carol Burton, PTSO President, Kelly Middle School, Eastpointe, MI

"Bravo Tim!! Great find!!! This not only sounds like fun for school but I'm going to show this to my church!! They want to start a family night and I'm on that committee,too. This is a great idea!!"

— Tina Musser, Pinnacle School, Thornton, CO

"Parents really enjoyed spending time with their children. It was fun for me to watch — to see the eyes of the little ones, — “ My mom and dad are here helping me with a craft”."

— Maree Swanson, Hawarden, Iowa

"Our family event was a huge success. Thanks for your kit to get us started. Everyone had a great time."

— Barb Zagrodnik, Edgertown Elementary PTO, PTO President, Hales Corners, WI

"Thank you for the kit. It is wonderful. I plan to present it to my board at our next meeting. I feel that it would be a unique way to bring our students and their families together in creating a craft and hopefully a stronger bond with each other and the school. I will keep you posted as to the outcome. Thank you for your ideas and support. It is truly inspiring."

— Jennifer Confident, Pine Lake Elementary PTA President