Last year we held our first Back to School Ice Cream Party and I used this as a way to introduce the PTO to new and existing parents. I had a table with PTO information, but I didn't make it too high pressured sales like. I pretty much let them come to me. I stayed around the table for most of the time, but found that when I had to walk away to take care of one of the party issues that some parents found that to be a great time to come over and grab some of my fliers. I printed out some of the articles from the PTOtoday website, such as "Why we do it" and had them available to help spark the idea of getting involved. Here's my introduction letter that I had available:
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome each of you and your families to the
School. As the PTO President it is my responsibility to talk with you about getting involved in the school. But first, since this may be the first time at
for many of you, I think that it is important to explain what the
PTO is all about.
It is important to note that come September you will automatically become a member of the
PTO. In fact, all parents or guardians of children attending
, as well as each member of the professional staff, are members of the Parent Teacher Organization and are encouraged to participate in it’s activities.
The active members of the committee consist of both parents and teachers who volunteer their time to enhance the educational experience of every child in our school. We are an independent organization and we do not belong to any state or national affiliation, or support any political platforms. Because we are a PTO we keep all of the funds that we raise for our school rather than sending money for state and/or national dues or fees.
The
Elementary School PTO's mission is to promote open communication and understanding between parents and staff of the
Elementary School. Our dedication is to enhance and maximize the education of every child while aiding them in achieving their highest potential.
To meet this extremely important goal the organization actively fundraises through various ongoing and event specific programs and activities. These funds enable us to offer many varied programs and projects, all for the betterment of the students' education. Some examples include the reading Incentive Program, Enrichment Programs - including Field Trips and in-school invited events, Field Day, the new "Playground of Dreams" and many, many more. But as you can imagine, to meet all of the goals that we have, we need ACTIVE participation.
This is where you can come in...
Now I truly understand how daunting volunteering can be. Questions such as:
"How much time are we talking about here?", "Will I be required to take on event or committee responsibilities?", or something as simple as, "What exactly is required of me?", are all very normal.
And I am here to assure you that as long as I am the President I will never force anyone to dedicate more time than they are willing, or to be coerced into any undertaking that they are not comfortable with. ANY time that ANY individual is willing to offer is more valuable than I can relate! To give you an example of how important the committee feels your valuable participation is, we have gone out of our way to prevent the need of dues, such as the majority of other PTA and PTO groups require. We also understand that in today's world it is increasingly more difficult to be able to find time to give, even such as one to two hours once a month, which is how often the committee meets. This year we've been able to start offering school age childcare services during the meetings by working with the outreach program at
College.
The funny thing is that most people think of parent groups as being all about bake sales. Or they think of power-tripping moms ruling their domain, like Desperate Housewives or Harper Valley PTA. Well, that's good TV, but it's not us.
We are about men and women working together toward a common goal. That goal simply stated is creating a better school and a better educational experience for our children. We strive to create an atmosphere where both teachers and administrators can do their best work - and so can our children.
There's so much more that can be accomplished, and we need your help. Despite what you see on TV, our parent group is not a bunch of crazed, power-hungry moms (or dads). We are moms and dads, uncles and aunts, grandparents, and friends who care about children and education. We are welcoming and friendly. We are your neighbors, and we share many of the same concerns that you do.
But that's not the only reason to become active. There have been more than 500 independent studies about parent involvement. The results are startling. When parents get involved in their children's education, grades go up, test scores go up, children become more likely to pass and to attend better schools after high school, they have fewer discipline problems, and they're less likely to use drugs and alcohol.
Volunteering doesn't mean a huge time commitment. And whatever your time schedule and interests we have need of you. We have tasks that can be performed in the evenings, during the day, or that don't even involve coming to the school at all.
Won't you join us? I invite you to take a look at the
PTO website to get a feel for all that we do, at http://
.com/ptoweb/ . Then come September just come on out to a PTO meeting or give me a call or send me an e-mail. Becoming active is really easy - and it really makes a difference!
President's signature.
The letter can be altered at the end to indicate the actual meeting date, time and place.
The Back to School Ice Cream Party was such a great event as it was 100% free, had the Radio Disney Party Patrol providing all of the entertainment, games and prizes and was a first opportunity for most to meet their child's new teacher, Principal and even the new Superintendant of Schools.
This event kicked off the year and we ended up having more people in attendance at the first meeting. From what I've been told by the April and May meeting the numbers of attendees in the past were like 5, while this year we continue to have over twenty, and had upwards of 40 to 50 at the September - November meetings.
So, hope this helps,
PresidentJim
