Idea Bag

  • Jersey PTO uses Toolbox Grant to Transform Schoolyard

    Always love it when a PTO project gets completed successfully.   In this case -- thanks to the PTO -- this school backyard no longer looks directly into an active cemetary.

  • This elementary school in CA just gets parent involvement

    The Fairview Elementary School in Palo Alto, California sure knows how to throw a party. Check out this Discovery Fair they recently held.

  • Is your school calendar in right format for families?

    This topic goes right along with my recent push for PTOs to make the move toward email (our Parent Express Email solution is a great tool for that), but school calendars is another area where districts and PTOs and PTAs can be a lot more family friendly with a bit of technology help.

  • Taking the summer off? Not this parent group!

    The parent groups we talk to are a constant source of inspiration. This newly formed PTSA group from Arizona is no different. Motivated by state budget cuts, they are working tirelessly through the summer to raise money for their school and to "have some fun activities for the kids."

  • A playground for everyone.

    For those of you who have been involved with a playground fundraising effort , you know that it's an ambitious and rewarding project. Just look at the faces of the children at a new playground grand opening and all your efforts are instantly rewarded.

  • A Great Field Day Despite the Weather

    Many of us have vivid, and happy childhood memories of their field days at school. It's not until you are a parent, that you appreciate the thought and energy put into these events. And it's not until you're a parent, that you realize that field days cannot happen without the help of -- you guessed it -- parents!

  • My Tip of the Week: Parent Involvement and the Classroom Connection

    If you've been reading these tips for a while, you know how much we value parent involvement. The research makes it so clear that increasing parent involvement is perhaps the most important thing your group can achieve.

  • Another Tip: Speaking to you as a Parent

    I figured I'd take this opportunity in early July to speak to you as a parent, as opposed to as a PTO or PTA leader. Funny, isn't it, how sometimes (often) our work being good PTO leaders makes it even harder to find the time to be good school parents?

  • Walking School Bus = Intriguing Idea

    When this Kansas school district cut bus service to students who live within 2.5 miles of their schools, the parents could have balked. Instead they came up with a really cool idea! It's called the "wallking school bus." Kids will be encouraged to walk to school with the aid of parent volunteers in bright yellow vests.

  • Greening up Your School

    Always nice to hear about parent groups involved in Green Initiatives at their schools.

  • Another Notable Green School Article Worth Mentioning

    Came across this article about a Rapid City Elementary School "joining the green scene" Kudos go to their PTA group for taking a lead on this initiative in their school.This article is a must read for any school who is looking for ideas of ways to make their school more eco-friendly. Also, lots of great ideas about how to teach kids about conservation and the environment.

  • Kitchen Klatch: Way to Raise Funds for your School?

    Here's a creative fundraising idea that involves the entire community and beyond.

  • School Auction Coming Up? Have you added the web?

    Had a chance to sit down yesterday with Jon Carson, the founder of web auction services cMarket and Bidding for Good. Before that, Jon was founder of Family Education Network. (Yes, he’s been busy.)

  • PTO School Event that Combines Math, Geography & Exercise

    Check out this article about a North Carolina elementary school that is getting their students moving to raise money for their school. The Hendersonville Elementary School PTO put together a fundraiser called "Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds: Move Across America."

  • Awesome Idea for Parent Group Website

    If you spend anytime on our website, you know that we are all about  parent groups building community. That's why we love this idea that a New Jersey PTA came up with; use their school's PTA website to help neighbors in a down economy.  To accomplish this, they have set up an "items for exchange" section on their website -- see the "can anyone use a..." tab. Very cool.

  • Parent Group Lets Under-Age Kids Drive

    Got your attention, didn't I? Well this article about a PTA sponsoring a car creation contest certainly captured my interest! Kids who participated in the contest "drove" their car creations to the school's drive-in.

  • Celebrating Parent Involvement in Education

    Neat that some folks in Minnesota think that parent involvement in education is so important, that they set aside an entire month to celebrate it!   According to this recent article, October is Minnesota Parent Involvement Month --  a time to celebrate the powerful role parents play in their children’s education.  Wouldn't it be nice if every state did this?

  • International Walk-to-School Day

    So did you know that today was International Walk to School Day?  I did a quick scan on the net to see if there were any articles or blogs about schools participating. There were tons! Great to see.

  • Fundraising Idea with Heart

    There is no shortage of stories about how California Schools are dealing with budget cuts.  Lots of schools are doing fundraisers to fill  the funding gaps. Just came across an article that talks about a school fundraiser, that caught my attention. Amidst the crisis, this CA school did a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen for the cure organization. Very Impressive!

  • File Exchange Reorg Makes Your Life Even Easier

    Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that we have reorganized the popular File Exchange section of our site. We've added new categories, renamed a few, and moved around a bunch of files that were getting lost -- so leaders can easily find the forms, flyers, letters, and surveys that they need. Hopefully, the changes will also take the guess work out of where to put something when you upload files to share with others.
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