It’s that time of year again … Board Election Season! Whether you’re new to parent teacher groups or this is old hat for you, we know that this time of year can be stressful for all of the parents hoping to get elected. It can also be stressful for those that are giving up their […]
Prepping for Parent Organization Board Election Season!
We’re barely past the holidays, and winter is just kicking into high gear for most of us – but it’s already time to begin discussing the next academic year and – more specifically – Board Election Season. That’s right, folks – those of you who have been working your tails off for the past few […]
Kick 2016 Off Right With These New Years Resolutions!
Ahh, another year has come and gone (can you believe it?!) and it’s time to begin looking ahead to 2016 and the yearly tradition of setting New Year’s Resolutions. While resolutions are typically something set by individuals, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the New Year as an opportunity to sit down and reflect on what […]
How To Avoid A PTO / PTA Horror Story
It’s a story we hear all too often, and hope never happens to our organizations: late last August the president of the South Middle School PTA in Arlington Heights, VA was charged with stealing funds from the PTA’s accounts. The former PTA president, who ultimately pled guilty to charges of forgery and theft, was using […]
4 Tips To Increase Parent-Organization Meeting Attendance
You’ve made it past the first few months of school and now – as your PTO, PTA, or Boosters Club gets ready to begin fundraising in earnest, you’re realizing you might have a little problem. While parents were eager to sign up to be on your board in early September, everyday life can get in the […]
Increasing Parent Engagement at PTO and PTA Meetings
One of the most frustrating things for the leaders of any sort of group is encouraging and maintaining member involvement, and parent organizations are no different. During the registration periods there may be lots of enthusiasm and good intentions, with parents signing up to be members but as the school year begins and planning for […]
PTO Management Made Easy: PTO Board Positions
With the 2015-2016 school year just around the corner, we thought this would be a perfect time to take inventory of your existing parent organization/PTO Board structure and make sure that everyone’s roles and expectations are clearly defined. There’s nothing worse than people duplicating efforts or having too many cooks in the kitchen. President The […]
Pay4SchoolStuff.com – Summer Camp Edition!
Whether you’re running a day camp or sleep-away camp, or some combination of both, summer camps have a distinctly unique challenge in that most of what they do is outside and there isn’t much time for staff to run to the bank during business hours. This can make collecting forms and money from parents difficult. Not […]
End Of The Year Teacher’s Gifts
It’s nearly here – so close you can taste it. The end of the year! The air is fresh (… well, and probably full of pollen), children are literally twitching with anticipation of summer vacation, and teachers are experiencing a plethora of emotions. Teachers spend roughly six hours per day, five days per week, nine […]
Organization Misbehavior
Have you ever tried to function in a situation or organization in which the proverbial left hand and right hand do not work together? Where there are seemingly no “hands” (one person doing everything) or too many (everyone doing their own thing). Where people communicate, but not in an effective way, to get things done […]