Each month, we give a run down of what you should be covering and taking care of in your role as Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) leader, and the month of May is no exception.
The unique thing about PTOs is that they run along the same schedule as schools and generally, what to expect in May this year is pretty much the same as what could’ve been expected last May and what will be anticipated for next May!
Generally, there’s always an opportunity to switch things up, but generally, there are some things that you absolutely must be doing each and every single month to keep your group on track.
This post will get into the details of what each major role of a PTO should be paying attention to and ticking off their to do list in May.
What All PTO Leaders Should Do in May
May means you are close to the end of the school year and the end of the PTO program year.
It also marks the beginning too because this is a big transition month.
In April, you should’ve held your group’s elections so that you can know who the leaders of your group are going to be for the upcoming school year.
This month, you’ll install those officers.
May is also a great time of the year to acknowledge volunteers and leaders whose children are aging out of the school to thank them for all they’ve done through the years for your PTO and school community.
At the very least, you should verbally highlight and thank volunteers because everyone’s contributions really add up to make your PTO what it is.
Next up is welcoming the new PTO officers.
Yes, the new PTO leaders have been elected, but you should actually install them and give them the information that they need to have to do their jobs for the upcoming year.
So, this can take the form of a very formal installation ceremony or maybe an informal reception where the President installs each officer and makes remarks is more your group’s style.
Having the officer installation at the last meeting of the year is a nice time to hand the baton off from the existing leaders to the incoming leaders.
It can also be a fantastic way to get those new leaders energized and motivated and get the ball rolling with them so that they are not starting to gear up in August.
Be sure to ask the existing leaders, if they are not staying in their current roles, to bring whatever resources and materials that they’ve either developed or received from the previous officer or committee chair.
Have them bring their officer binder to the May meeting so that they can physically hand them off to the incoming leader.
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And now on to the specific recommendations for individual PTO leaders.
What PTO Presidents Should Do in May
Aside from the handling the installation ceremony, the PTO President should remind all officers and committee chairs to upload their digital forms, flyers and documents and anything else they created throughout the school year, to the PTO cloud storage system.
Make sure all incoming officers and committee chairs have access to the PTO files in the the cloud storage system.
The President should also be working to fill any outstanding roles or open positions that your PTO has to get volunteers in place to take some weight off of the President’s shoulders.
Having positions filled with willing volunteers means that these responsibilities won’t fall back to you a President and you can concentrate on everything else that’s part of the President’s job description.
If you’re the outgoing President, make sure to wrap up any loose ends and really hand things off in a nice manner to the incoming President.
You know firsthand just what a big responsibility this role has been during your term, so give your incoming President the best chance at a fantastic term by not handing over a mess.
No matter if you’re continuing on in your term as President, or if you’re the brand new President coming in, May is a really good time to get a meeting on the books with your Principal.
During this meeting, you’ll want to develop an initial plan for the upcoming year.
Get on the same page as your Principal, agreeing how often they want to meet throughout the year, what your game plan is, and what are the guardrails and guidelines that you need to follow.
Every single Principal is different; some are easier to work with than others.
So, for those of you that have someone that’s a wonderful thing.
And if you have someone that’s slightly more micromanaging and controlling, well, then I am sorry for you.
But you’re really going to have to cater to them and figure out how to work together.
I’ve seen firsthand how Principal / PTO President relationships can devolve where they’re afraid to talk to each other, and it’s a toxic situation.
So, you can begin to lay the foundation for a really good relationship now by being open to partnering and collaborating with the Principal and communicating this desire to work together.
Ideally, your PTO should act in concert with and as a part of the school and having a working relationship with the school’s Principal is a big part of that.
If the school, and PTO are acting in complete silos, where just the PTO is doing their thing, and the school is also doing their thing with no coordination, there’ll inevitably be some occasional conflicts.
Try to avoid that altogether and set the tone for cooperation and partnership by getting that sit sown with your Principal on the books.
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PTO Membership Chair May To Do List
It may be the end of the year, but for Membership Chairs staying on or coming in to the position this month, it’s time to start planning for the new school year.
Start to develop a plan for how to welcome incoming parents and get them involved come Fall.
May is a great time to start the planning process because things are still kind of fresh on everyone’s mind, and you can kind of be strategic.
Don’t also hesitate to be constructively critical, and figure out the gaps in this past Fall’s plan, and consider what what worked, what didn’t, so you can improve upon or change what didn’t work for the upcoming year.
Quite often at the end of the school year, there are new family orientations or new student orientations.
So, you as the Membership Chair should either be there yourself or ask the President to come with you.
You can also get a small committee together of parents to come and act as PTO representatives at these events to help take the spotlight off of you.
You’re sure to find some new parents at these events who are hungry to get involved.
And if you’re not there and you’re leaving it for the Principal to relay the information about the PTO, which isn’t as effective and is risky since the Principal may or may not be the best ambassador for your PTO.
Also, don’t be tempted to think that just having a stack of flyers at the events will be enough to get new parents interested or involved. There’s no substitute for an actual PTO representative being there to meet and greet parents.
A great idea to jumpstart the interest of new elementary school families is for your PTO to host Summer events, in the form of playground playdates for incoming Kindergarteners.
These gatherings can be super casual, but really work well to attract the new families.
Kindergarten parents typically have a lot of energy and excitement about their child beginning school, so take advantage of their interest!
Schedule a few meet ups throughout the Summer and give them an opportunity to come together and get to know other school families and learn more about what it means to be involved in your PTO.
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What PTO Teacher and Staff Appreciation Should Do in May
The first full week of May is typically when Teacher Appreciation Week is observed, so it only makes sense that it’s the Staff Appreciation Chair’s time to shine!
Note that “teacher” used in this sense really extends to everyone who works in the school, including all staff, teachers, administrators, secretaries, counselors, Principal, custodians and any and other support staff.
Basically, acknowledge and shower with appreciation everyone in the school community to make everyone feel the love.
Teachers may be the main face of the classroom, but it takes a whole lot of other people to keep the school running.
And many of those people are working behind the scenes.
Now just because the first week of May is reserved for Teacher Appreciation Week, you don’t have to do an entire week of events.
Literally anything you do will be delightful.
Showing the love for the school’s staff doesn’t have to be expensive either.
Here are some low-cost appreciation and teacher gift ideas.
And if the week has snuck up on you, here are some last minute appreciation ideas.
In a creative rut? Check out this list of appreciation themes and plans that you can take and run with.
What All Family Event Chairs Should Do in May
For Family Event Chairs, May brings an end to your plans for the school year and one last chance to end the year on a high note with all of your fabulous plans.
Make note of those volunteers that you need to thank who really were instrumental in making the events throughout the year happen.
Parents won’t continue to come back and volunteer and be involved if they don’t feel appreciated, heard, or seen.
You can take a step in the right volunteer appreciation direction by thanking the people who kind of made the events possible.
What Fundraising Chairs Should Do in May
For Fundraising Chairs, May is a really fantastic time to choose your fundraisers for the upcoming year because you’re going to want to work with the Family Events Chair and, of course, the President to figure out what fundraisers you should do.
Ask other school families and PTO members what they think about the fundraisers you’re considering. Because what appeals to you may not appeal to others. And if others aren’t excited about the fundraiser’s offerings, then you’ll be hard-pressed to find fundraising success.
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May To Do List for PTO Secretaries
For PTO Secretaries, you’re going to want to make sure to submit any building permits that you need for your group to gather for the different events, like monthly meetings for the upcoming school year.
Resources for PTO Secretaries
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Watch this!
Give this video a watch for all details about what to handle for your PTO as a leader during the month of May:
Over to you
And now you know exactly what to be taking care of during the month of May for your PTO and as a PTO officer.
They’re great reminders for to do items to both wrap up the school year nicely and start prepping for the upcoming school year at the same time!
Related Reading
Want to know what’s coming up next month? Read all about the tasks to handle each month as a PTO volunteer right here!
