• Add a little pizazz to your first meeting. Icebreaker bingo or printable conversation-starters are good ways set the tone that your meetings won’t be all (boring) business.

• Finalize your fall event details and start working out the details of your event plans for later in the year. (And make sure your parent group is insured beforehand.)

  • Free School Family Night kits

  • 6 Simple Fall Events

  • Organize a Trunk or Treat

• Present your annual budget for approval.

• Be sure to distribute a volunteer interest survey form to find out how parents would like to get involved—and follow up with each response.

• Think about the community service projects your group might want to pursue, especially for the holidays—they’ll be here before you know it.

  Ideas for Giving Back at the Holidays

• Organize a leadership meeting where leaders can meet to discuss goals for the year.

• September is Fruit and Veggies—More Matters month. Plan a try-it day so kids can sample fruits and vegetables they might not otherwise eat regularly.

• Work out the nuts and bolts of your newsletter—its purpose and format (emailed or printed) and who will be its point people. You could split responsibilities among a few people, such as having two or three editors responsible for a few newsletters each during the year.

Suggested Teacher Appreciation Effort: Casual Welcome-Back Meal

Since most schools are still getting into the swing of things, a casual welcome-back breakfast or potluck lunch are nice ways to encourage teachers to relax a bit.

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Originally posted in 2016 and updated regularly. School Family Nights® is a trademark of School Family Media®.