Idea Bag

  • Parent Groups in the News Round-up 3/4/11

    Here are the featured articles for this week. Hope you find something that sparks an idea -- big or small-- for an upcoming event or program.Don't forget to let us know if your PTO or PTA event gets press! We'd love to include your story in our round-ups. Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloak8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2 = 'lgundlach' + '@'; addy8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2 = addy8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2 + 'ptotoday' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2 = 'lgundlach' + '@' + 'ptotoday' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloak8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2').innerHTML += ''+addy_text8eccb51bdce8008a1f18aaae110d9bc2+''; .

  • My Tip of the Week: Teacher Appreciation Ideas

    I have three links for you this week. If you have a fellow leader working on teacher appreciation, this would be a great email to forward.

  • My Tip of the Week: Use Email for Your PTO or PTA

    I've been getting a lot of questions lately about Facebook and Twitter for PTOs and PTAs. While they're both fine, I actually think email remains the current best communication tool for parent groups.

  • Q&A: Helping Parents Help Schools

    Soon after her children started going to Van Bokkelen Elementary in Severn, Md., Rhonda Ulmer learned that the school might be taken over by the state because of poor academic performance. In 2004, when Ulmer was PTA president, she formed the Van Bokkelen Family Network to connect parents with resources to help stabilize their families, such as food assistance and GED classes. In the next few years, students’ test scores and parent involvement at Van Bokkelen improved and the school was taken off the takeover list.

  • Earth Day Ideas

    Does your parent group have anything planned for Earth Day? If not, think about borrowing one of these great ideas.

  • These 6th Graders Make a Difference

    Talk about an amazing rate of return! The Merrill Middle School PTA in Des Moines, Iowa, gave 210 6th graders $1 each, and in just 32 days, the students had used the seed money to raise an additional $8,151.

  • Can't Make It To a Meeting? Replay It Online!

    Parents who can’t make it to PTA meetings at three Staten Island, N.Y., schools will soon be able to catch the proceedings online. Thanks to a funding allocation from the area’s city council representative, the meetings will be broadcast live and recorded for replay online. Parents won’t be able to participate in the meetings online, but they will be able to watch or replay them later.

  • My Tip of the Week: Streamline Your Meetings

    I'm not one who thinks PTO or PTA meetings are super-important (really, your meeting attendance doesn't matter that much), but they're definitely on nearly all parent group calendars and they're almost always too long.

  • A Low-Key Family Event = Way to Recruit Volunteers

    Word is that families love the low-key aspect of Family Movie Nights. A table set up with volunteer sign-up sheets near the snacks inspires parents to contribute to future events. Parents are much more likely to sign up for a shift when they feel like part of the school community and after they had a good time a school family event.Leaders also told me that finding a volunteer to run a Family Movie Night is easier than most because you can hand them a kit with:

  • My Tip of the Week: Help One of Your Friends

    Do you know another parent group leader (or someone starting to get into this crazy stuff, or thinking about it) who could benefit from ptotoday.com or from these email newsletters?

  • My Tip of the Week: Working With "Bad" Volunteers

    If you volunteer at school long enough, I guarantee that you'll run into volunteers who don't do a good job. It's not if but when, and how you deal with those volunteers can affect the culture and success of your group for years. (Note: Have you experienced this already? Share your "bad volunteer" stories on the message boards.)

  • 5 Additions To Spice Up Your Newsletter

    Give your weekly or monthly communications home a boost with some fun new items.

  • My Tip of the Week: Help Make Your School Green

    With Earth Day coming up this Friday (April 22), the focus is on environmental awareness. There are lots of things your PTO or PTA can do to help students think more about the environment and to make your school more green. Here are some of my favorite ideas.

  • My Tip of the Week: The 3 Keys to a Successful Fundraiser

    Is your group making its fall fundraising plans right now? Perhaps considering early signing bonuses or cookie dough vs. gift wrap vs. a catalog sale?

  • Featured Q: What Happens When Nobody Volunteers for Board Positions?

    Most groups, at one time or another, have positions they have trouble filling at the end of the school year. What has worked for your PTO or PTA for filling these empty positions?

  • My Tip of the Week: 3 Ways To Add Fun to Your PTO or PTA

    Quick tip this week based on my belief that if your parent group isn't fun, you are going to struggle mightily to get lots of parents and families connected.

  • Parent Groups in the News Round-up 5/13/11

    It's so refreshing to scan the recent parent group news and see so many articles about schools taking on gardening projects. In general, we are seeing a trend of parent groups taking a more active role in green school initiatives. This week's article round-up speaks to the benefits of school gardens:

  • Honor Roll: Tammy Duncan Makes School a More Beautiful Place

    Tammy Duncan, chairwoman of the landscaping committee at the East Aiken School of the Arts in Aiken, S.C., worked to turn a weedy piece of school property into a garden everyone could enjoy.

  • My Tip of the Week: Spring Planning Leads to Fall Success

    What can you do now that will have your group better prepared for August and September?

  • My Tip of the Week: How Your School Can Support the Troops

    In the spirit of Memorial Day, my tip this week is a recommended link: Could your school Adopt a Platoon?
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