I'm serious. I know you're tired. I know you have spring fever as bad as the kids. But I always hear groups saying "We'll take care of that this summer." And I hardly ever see anything getting taken care of in the summer.

The result: a rush of last-minute craziness the week school starts (when you're already slammed) and -- worse yet -- missed opportunities to make a great impression during the most important impression time of the year. Ugh.

So, what can you do? Work now to get a couple of new leaders in key spots for the new school year. Don't save that for August. Send something home now to all the new families for next year welcoming them to your school. You'll forget that step or be too busy in August. Pick a date now for a welcome event for new families or parents. Update your PTO website now (because all the new families will be checking it out this summer). You get the picture.

Want some inspiration? Try these links from the site:

Make Planning a Priority

PTO Year-End To Do List

"Sign Fairy'' Eases First-Day Jitters"

And if you get a minute to share on our message boards, we'd love to hear about what your group is doing to get set up for next year.

It's really easy (and tempting!) to take the rest of the year off. Try not to. You can have a big impact on next year with a bit more effort now. Good luck!