August PTO To Do List

• Hold a casual get-together for board members. First, get our free PTO/A planner (designed just for parent groups) - a great way to organize and plan for the coming school year. It includes "meet the board", monthly calendar pages (with tasks, reminders and to-do's) school appreciation days  and fun national holidays to celebrate at school, social media highlights, resources, and more. Encourage board members and new volunteers to fill out a questionnaire (get our free printable). This is also a great time to brainstorm new ideas - check out 20+ fun ideas for school events and more to get you started! 

• Boost morale and set a positive tone for the new year! We round up fun ways to welcome back students and staff. 

• Make sure your group is in the know when it comes to all the important dates for the coming year, like school staff appreciation days (Teacher Appreciation Week, School Custodian Appreciation Day and School Librarian Day, to name a few!) and national holidays and treat days that are fun to celebrate at school! For example, stock the teachers' lounge or your teacher treat trolley with the fixings to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day (August 6), National Lemonade Day (August 20) or National Trail Mix Day (August 31).  Get our free printable special days planning calendar and social media graphics

• Spruce up your school. Efforts like tidying up the front of the school, washing main windows, stenciling stall doors with messages of kindness and positivity, and updating your bulletin boards can give new parents a welcoming impression. Check out your playground equipment to see if it needs any upgrading or new equipment, or consider adding a sensory path. 

• Hold a welcome event for new families. Check out 38 Ideas To Start the Year Right! Schedule a boohoo/yahoo breakfast (sometimes called "Cheers and Tears") or a Kindergarten "signing day" for incoming kindergartners and their families.  

• Update your website and social channels with any information pertaining to back-to-school. Read 10+ ideas to keep parents engaged on social media over the summer and Social Media 101 for Parent Groups. And, don't forget to introduce your new board (have fun with it...we have lots of creative Meet the Board ideas!)

• Ramp up your volunteer recruiting! The beginning of the year is a crucial time to get new parents and caregivers on board. Make a point to make personal contact with new families and parents of kindergartners in particular. Consider starting with a meet and greet for families at the school playground, like "Popsicles on the Playground" or "Pastries with the PTO". Download our free Canva templates to share with parents: Top 10 Ways Parents Can Support the PTO/A flyer and PTO/A Volunteers Needed flyer. And, use social media to your advantage! Grab parents' attention while they're scrolling their Facebook, Instagram or TikTok feeds. (You might want to download these volunteer and "join the PTO" memes!)

• Make sure your parent group is insured before you plan any fall events or fundraisers. Many parent groups assume they're covered under their school or district policies, but more often than not, this isn't the case, so always, always check. 

• Do a final check of your organization systems and make sure everything is in order. Back-to-School Ideas for PTO Officers

• Firm up your roster of major events and fundraisers, and have a calendar to note them (we like this free school calendar magnet because it comes pre-loaded with dates you can customize for your school!). Check out 75+ school fundraising ideas, get school event ideas (like Stuff a Mascot and Glow Dance), and download our free fun run planning guide and school holiday shop guide (both include tips, Canva templates and timelines). You can also bookmark our list of online "athon" fundraising providers and school holiday shop providers (many of them offer special incentives!). 

• If you’re planning a fall fundraiser, double-check with the fundraising representative. Determine how many volunteers you need. Develop a master schedule of important dates for promotion, sales deadlines, delivery, volunteer appreciation, and evaluation. 

• Get ready for your back-to-school event (open house, Meet the Teacher night, etc.).  Add any finishing touches to your welcome packet (read: How To Create a Welcome Packet.) Get our open house printables: PTO Volunteers Needed flyer (Canva template), Top 10 Ways Parents Can Support the PTO flyer (Canva template), a PTO/PTA Does That? banner stand (Canva Template)

• Schedule a meeting with the principal as close to the start of the school year as possible to discuss ideas and goals for the year. Get PTO meeting tips and templates 

• Review your bylaws. Be sure you’re familiar with them and that overall they’re up to date. Read: How Good Are Your Bylaws? If your PTO needs bylaws, check out our sample PTO bylaws template to get started.

Suggested Back-to-school Teacher Appreciation Ideas

Stock the Teachers' Lounge: Stock the lounge with snacks and beverages at back-to-school. Try printing out memes for a fun take on this stock the lounge idea. Check out our stock the teachers' lounge shopping list 

Hydration Station: Here’s everything you need for a teacher hydration station, from a shopping list to teacher-themed recipes (like "It's 3:30 somewhere") and signage. Give it a welcome back theme, like "Sip Sip Hooray...Happy First Day!"

Welcome-Back Breakfast: Teachers will love starting the year with a back-to-school welcome breakfast. They’re easy to organize and generally not expensive, and can be as simple or as elaborate as a group likes. You’ll find ideas plus tips in “Celebrate With a Teacher Appreciation Breakfast.”

Originally posted in 2016 and updated regularly.