Macon-Hall Elementary PTA
Room Parent Guidelines
Classroom Communication
Room Parenting is to be taken very seriously and recognized as a very important position to have. What you do for the teachers and their students could highly affect how memorable the school year is for them! If for ANY reason you are unable to complete one of your responsibilities, PLEASE be sure to delegate the event to other parents in your class. It is important that we do not disappoint any teacher or student. There will always be someone available to help you if you need help. Please do not hesitate to ask!! We have our own Lesson Line, which I will update monthly of upcoming events. This will be one means of communication. Be sure to call on the Tuesday of every month. It is your responsibility to then pass this information on to the teacher and the classroom as required.
Some of the exciting PTA events planned for this school year are Read-a-thon, Mardi Gras Festival, Kids Kan, Angel Tree and so much more! You will be notified of your responsibilities for these events as they come. Please notify us with any issues that may arise that you are unsure of how to handle. Some school events that you may help the teacher with are the Holiday Party, Field Day, decorating the door for Open House, Immersion Day, ordering class shirts.
Classroom Duties
The goal of a Room Parent is to provide assistance to the teacher so that he/she may devote as much time as possible to the education of the students. You are encouraged to work closely with your child's teacher to find out what specific needs they may have. Some teacher will desire more help than others and have various expectations. Planning celebrations, reading to the class, crafts, field trips, etc. may be some of the things teachers would like assistance with. Don't do it all yourself! There are many willing parents that would like to be a part of classroom events. Many parents that are unable to attend an event are able to send in supplies, treats, or do things at home to help. Be sure to ask! Getting a class list together and distributing it to the students will be the responsibility of the Room-Parent. This can be a helpful tool for you.
Birthday Baskets
We have several baskets in the teachers' lounge that you can decorate and place in the room to collect gifts. Ideas for gifts can come from the personal form. Gifts do not necessarily have to be store bought – they could be hand-made by the children. If your teacher has a summer b-day, choose a day in May to celebrate instead. Be sure to send a note home well in advance listing some of the things the teacher likes (personal form). It will be your responsibility to retrieve and return baskets to the lounge.
Teacher Appreciation Week
This week is a national holiday dedicated to appreciation of teachers and all they do. We would like to see our teachers spoiled as much as possible throughout the week! Try to pre-plan this week as far in advance as possible. All items provided for this week will be donations from the student (and their parents) of your class. Utilizing Tuesday folders to send letters home will allow you to get a huge jump-start!
Schedule for this year is as follows:
MONDAY: Treat Day – Send in goodies your teacher likes. Ideas can come from the personal forms they filled out. Maybe boys can bring in "salty" snacks, girls "sweet" snack.
TUESDAY: Create a Bouquet Day – Fresh flower bouquet: each child can bring a flower (or teacher's favorite) to put into a vase YOU bring in.
Homemade flower bouquet: make Xerox copies of teacher's favorite flower (or trace child's hand and cut out) and have each child write their name on it then color it. Glue to a poster-board vase with class name on it.
Gift card bouquet: gift cards from teacher's favorite places placed on holders.
WEDNESDAY: Dinner and a Movie Day – Send in gift certificates to teacher's favorite restaurant, Malco movie passes, Blockbuster gift cards, microwave popcorn, etc.
THURSDAY: Just Me Day – Send in items that pertain to their hobbies or collections (from personal form), i.e. books from favorite author, candles, stationary items, figurines, etc.
FRIDAY: Create your own Day – Create a day that you think is most appropriate for your class. Perhaps your teacher has a need for supplies (markers, note pads, stickers, etc.) or items to match the class theme ("Gooch's Gophers", "Ross' Rodeo", "Dodson's Dragonflies").
These are just suggestions for the daily themes. Feel free to use your imagination and do whatever would work best for you and your class.
PLEASE do not forget our specialist teachers this week! We have wonderful Music, Art, P.E., Librarians, etc. that we do not want to forget. Be sure to get a classroom schedule from your teacher so you aware of the music day, art day, etc. for your class.
An idea for a gift for these specialists would be a "volunteer day" for them: request parent volunteers to donate an hour or two during the week.
Miscellaneous Items
You will find a Faculty Birthday List. A list of Room Parents by grade level will be compiled and sent home to you. Communication is vital to a successful year!