Teachers will appreciate being treated like the stars that they are with a Hollywood-glam Movie Star themed Teacher Appreciation Week! For an entirely themed out week, you’ll need to get a plan together to cover decorations, daily activities and a plan for treats you’ll surprise the teachers with! Unlike some other themes, this Hollywood teacher...Continue reading
Cinco de Mayo often falls during Teacher Appreciation Week… So why not go all out with this theme by showing them they’re Nacho Average teachers? Thanks for putting up with that dad joke… Onto the good stuff! Cinco de Mayo Decorations First, you will want to have a lot of fun with decorating for this...Continue reading
By the time Teacher Appreciation Week comes in May, you bet that teachers are definitely feeling like they’re survivors! As much as they love their jobs and the children in their classes, the reality is that post-Spring Break is a real struggle. So play up that fact by putting on a silly theme that they’ll...Continue reading
As a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leader, aim to welcome opportunities for growth with arms wide open like a big beautiful rainbow. Being defensive or closed off to learning how to be a better person, and in turn, a better leader won’t serve you well in this challenging volunteer leadership...Continue reading
Every year, my PTA throws an awesome school carnival! It’s one of the bigger, more involved events we do all year and it’s both a fun-raiser as well as a fundraiser. It’s a pretty huge endeavor and it is the biggest event we put on as a group. We’ve done it for so...Continue reading
As a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Treasurer, there are things that you absolutely must have in your bag of tricks, chiefly, a specific set of PTO treasurer forms. Using forms as treasurer templates will save a lot of time for you as the school parent group Treasurer, but also the fellow members of your group...Continue reading
One of the very first things you should be doing as a PTO leader to get your PTO organized is to create a PTO Planning Calendar! The main point of this entire exercise is to get all programs, fundraisers, meeting and other events written down in one place. This makes it possible to literally get...Continue reading
Being President of any organization, especially for a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA), can be a daunting task to anyone looking to step up into the role. A clear set of expectations and an outline of duties and responsibilities takes away the surprise of unanticipated expectations. Who likes the surprise that...Continue reading
Ask any PTO what they need and their first answer will be more money, followed shortly by more volunteers. And there’s good reason for both of these answers! While there are over 60,000 PTOs in the United States alone, parent engagement and involvement in groups has shrunken. There are less volunteers doing the work of...Continue reading
In every school I’ve ever been in, there isn’t a whole lot of extra room, especially when it comes to PTO or PTA stuff. And that means that PTO stuff gets not a lot of real estate to work with (if the group is even that lucky!). But the need to have a central...Continue reading
Look, I know I’m being a little cheeky with the title of this blog post, but in all seriousness, you’re working too hard as a PTO volunteer to have parents ignore PTO events. You’re putting in a ton of time to put together wonderful programs and events and it’d be a real shame if...Continue reading
You’re grateful for all the help that parents devote to all things PTO, but what happen when the volunteer doesn’t do their job? And what if the person not doing their job is in charge of something rather important, say managing the finances of your PTO? What do you do then? You can’t fire volunteers...Continue reading
One of the best ways teachers can support your PTO is to communicate with parents and get encourage students and families to come to PTO sponsored events. Teachers are super busy and have negative time to get everything done. So anytime you want to tell them something, it needs to be done smart and strategically!...Continue reading
Have you ever planned an awesome PTO event and thought you’d have a ton of families show up for the event, but in reality, no one comes? So frustrating! One of the biggest reasons why parents don’t show up to PTO events is that they’re simply not finding out about they event! It’s not like...Continue reading
One of the most effective ways to ensure your success as a PTO leader is to develop a good relationship with your Principal. A lot of times the Principal is the gatekeeper when it comes to communicating directly with parents and also for event approval. If you don’t have a good relationship with your Principal,...Continue reading
There’s something we need to talk about. Something troubling that keeps happening in PTO land. It’s bad. Worse that most realize, or else they’d quit doing it. Before I tell you what it is, story time… Not so long ago, I was at my child’s school and was chatting with a fellow PTA volunteer...Continue reading
Thinking of hosting a family movie night at your school for your elementary school? There’s a bit more to putting on a successful event than just choosing a date and any ole’ movie and calling it a day. Not much more is involved, but attention to the finer details is important! Choosing the Right Elementary...Continue reading
Looking for a thoughtful gift for your PTO volunteers and school staff? I have exactly what you need right here! Many of these ideas come with the bonus of being super affordable. Like pretty close to $1 a gift, which means that you can get one for everyone on your list! When...
Planning school events as a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is easier when you lean into events that are already happening. Solar eclipse events are a fantastic event for your school parent group to turn into a fun school event. They present both a fun and unique opportunity for PTOs to sponsor educational event! Let’s dive...Continue reading
Need some great ideas for quick and easy fundraisers for your PTA / PTO school parent group? This post if definitely for you! I’ve got some great ideas that’ll make it pretty easy to add some money to your group’s bank account without needing too much lead time or time investment. Sticker and pencil machines...Continue reading
Is your PTO struggling with getting enough volunteers? You are not alone! All parent groups struggle with this issue from time to time, unfortunately. Here are some ways you can put an end to this problem. These are the same tactics that I use in my own parent groups to attract and retain volunteers! In...Continue reading
Soooo…. you’re a newly-elected PTO Officer. Excited? Sweet. Freaked out or overwhelmed? Don’t be. In either case, this is the post for you! I’m going to tell you exactly what you should be doing right now, so no worries.. #1 Relax That’s right! Relax! I remember when I was first elected PTA President, I...Continue reading
If you’ve not experienced it yet, then there’ll be a day in your PTO volunteer experience when you come across a school parent who is not nice to you and somehow thinks Heathers was a primer on how to interact with others. So how in the world do you handle this type of person without...Continue reading
Looking for an event to run for your Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) or PTA but don’t have a lot of money to pull it off? You’re in luck since it is totally possible to organize an event that students and families will rave about, but at the same time don’t cost a small fortune to...Continue reading