Like most of you, we already have all of our major items on next year's calendar. Also, while our previous Board did a great job with all of the activities, the organizational aspect was not the greatest. I have already started folders for the new Board Members with copies of the forms, with the appropriate changes of course, that the excellent posters here were kind enough to share. I've purchased paper for color coding of forms and am preparing things that we will need throughout the school year. Hopefully, next week the copying of membership packets can begin. (This is also something that we have not had before.) Also, tomorrow the sec't and I are putting up our "Welcome Back" bulletin board! Our Board will meet in the next week or so to plan our August activities. I'm very excited about the coming year & all of the ideas that we can use from this website! [img]smile.gif[/img]
Our planning is going to be evolving over the summer. We are planning to support the Science Fair, a Humanities Contest, Career Day for the 8th graders, Poetry readers visiting the school, a Black History Month project, a Family night, the School Store, T-shirt Sales, Concessions Stands, the annual fundraiser, etc. What is really exciting is the number of staff who have approached me about working with our various committees next year. This is going to be really cool year for us.
Hi. A Parents Club at my school would help tremendously. Then I understand the District is the real say so. I couldn't believe all that I could actually plan out and now I think maybe it's the reason no parents want involvement in my school. I'm in a minority school, like just about 95% andthe every so bright lights of active interest with a majority of parents and students together has to much space inbetween. I'm on 2 Councils, seems we're doing the same supporting, where's that faithful parent interest/dpflood4@aol.com
The most important thing we do is set all dates for the upcoming school year. We have met with the principal and in planning the school calendar for next year have chosen dates for all our major events: Fall Festival, Winter Wonderland, Carnival, Book Fairs, Fundraisers, Jog A Thon, etc. This helps prepare parents from the beginning of the year and also helps the teachers. We be sure to plan only one thing a month so no one gets stressed out. It really helps us.
We are fortunate to have a very supportive school staff which includes our principal. Most of the next years PTO activties and programs are all voted on and in place by the previous May. For instance, all our fundraising programs have been set and placed on next year's school calendar. Most of next year's assemblies have also been booked. Family events, ect are set as well. We work closely with our principal in setting up dates for these programs and he is more than willing to place our activities on the school and district calendar. This will prevent any scheduling problems. Our PTO board will meet again in July with the teacher reps and principal to finalize plans for the upcoming year. It is at this meeting that we work on our parent information day which is held in August and decide how we will communicate our programs and goals to the families. Our Board feels a lot of advance preparation is the key to alleviating a lot of stress.
Because we are a new shool with no history - I would say that our board is doing more planning than would be the case every year in the future. We are meeting every 5-6 weeks, but we have to start from the ground up with just about everything we are doing. We began talking to the parents from the 4 schools feeding into this one in April with meetings for by-laws, etc. and have come up with a board and quite a few committee chairs. Anything happening during 2002 we've got plans underway. And to what end all this planning . . . . see post under Free for All "New Prez, etc." My heart is breaking! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about any of the planning we've been doing - seriously - I would, if you think it would help. Have interviewed vendors for fall fundraiser (live and in person) will be doing the same with spirit wear vendors later in the month. We're doing the holiday shop by having the companies send us their info and then we'll all review and vote, will most likely handle spring fundraiser (cookie dough more than likely) that way as well. Smaller things like duh - do we sign up for the no brainer fundraisers with cartridges, schoolcash, etc. - I'm just doing it! Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
