Yeah

Thank you

Fromm us'all here to U


Congrats

Thank you guys for all of the great advise. Our Curriculum Night was last night and seemed to be a success. I had to prerecord my speech on Monday, which releived the pressure last night. I guess it went well, no one told me otherwise.

Thanks again

Shea

I just spoke at our Back to School night last night -- I know all about shaking knees!

ITA with the poster who said to have a basic outine, in case you get lost. I strongly recommend running through your remarks a few times at home, too.

But my biggest recommendation: keep it as short and tight as possible. The beginning of the year is full of information and meetings and presentations and, frankly, it's all a bit boring, isn't it? You don't want people to tune you out or think the PTO is one more "boring presentation."

I kept my remarks to under 2.5 minutes, I chose the key points that I really wanted to make -- things I hoped would stir people to be involved in volunteering and the basics about how to volunteer -- and that's all I said. We have a PTO booklet we sent home the first day of school, so I made sure they knew that all the details about PTO were in the booklet and I didn't waste their time by repeating it in my presentation.

AS far as an incentive to offer for attendance, we have parents sign in and we had a familiy offer $100 to a teacher's classroom budget that had the most parents attend. Notonly did their teacher benifit (she later admited to calling all the moms she knew) but this familiy helped the teacher purchase items she needed being she was a recent graduate and this was her first job.

Even $25 gift card to a favorite teacher supply store is a great prize. This is one you talk up with the teachers first then the parents as many teachers will include this in their newsleters home.


Welcome!!

and some more

It is very clear that parental involvement is beneficial. It can definitely benefit the student in question, but it can also benefit the teachers, the school, the parents themselves, and the community, as well as other children in the family. Everything possible should be done by the school system to encourage the parents to become involved. This is especially true of the principal of the school. He or she is the driving force of the school, and it is his or her leadership that will guide the teachers in the direction of emphasizing the importance of parental involvement

These ten characteristics can provide a blueprint for families to be more effective in their roles of ensuring their children greater success in school.

1. A feeling of control over their lives.

2. Frequent communication of high expectations to children.

3. A family dream of success for the future.

4. Hard work as a key to success.

5. An active, not a sedentary, lifestyle.

6. Twenty-five to 35 home-centered learning hours per week.

7. The family viewed as a mutual support system and problem-solving unit.

8. Clearly understood household rules, consistently enforced.

9. Frequent contact with teachers.

10. Emphasis on spiritual growth. (Campbell, 1992, pp. 2-3)

The important person is the student. Anything that the parent can do to help the student improve is worth doing. "Emphasis should be on effective ways of helping children, families, and schools work together to provide students with the opportunity to put their best efforts forward"