A resource for PTA and parent involvement project ideas

Communicating With Parents

Parent Packets! (an excerpt from PTA's Great Idea Bank)

With over 850 families in our middle school we have a difficult time getting communications home to our parents. Plus middle school students are not the best way for us to get important PTSA information home to parents. We decided to compile a PTSA packet that would be sent home to families either through the mail prior to the start of school or during the 1st week of school. Each student receives a folder with a PTSA label on the front. In the folder we placed:

1) Welcome letter from the president - including instructions on what needs to be filled out and returned
2) Need to Know document with important numbers to place on your refrigerator
3) PTSA membership form
4) PTSA Membership Dance flyer
5) Major fundraiser order form
6) Volunteer form
7) Parent survey.

The packet is organized, easy to understand and pretty much contains everything a parent needs to know to get involved in the school year. We have found that if we do a good job with this packet at the beginning of the school year, everything runs more smoothly. It does require that your Board do some work over the summer to have this packet ready before school starts. Plus you need an ''assembly party'' to stuff the packets. I will be glad to share samples of letters and forms if you are interested.

Benefit: It is helping us build higher membership numbers and volunteers. Much to our surprise sending the packets home with the students the 1st or 2nd week of school worked better than mailing them via US Postal Service two weeks prior to the start of school.

Contact Information: lnugent@insightbb.com

For more details and more ideas, PTA members can log in to the searchable Great Idea Bank database.

What do you think? Is this an opportunity for you? Share your thoughts.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lenora Everett on July 18, 2009 at 9:03am

Last year our PTA sent home a great packet with many similar pages. Unfortunately, our high school students aren't good about delivering papers home to parents. (I'm one of the parents that was new to the school and never got the information.)

This year, we have combined key items onto one page that will be in the student registration packet. We'll also have a presence at all major parent events. (Most will be combined with PTA meetings.) We'll have the forms there. They will also be available at a PTA "Family Resource Center" that we are setting up in our school office.

Permalink Reply by Sheila Davis on July 18, 2009 at 9:45am

We also make this "back to school" packet. When we have registration, this is for grades K-12 and we hand out the packets when parents come in to register their children. This gives us a chance to speak with the parents and answer any questions. We had a great turn out last year, and recieved many volunteer names :) The problem was when it was time to contact these persons on an event, fundraiser, baking what have you, many of these parents did not answer the phone, or replied back they did not sign up for such a thing. The beginning of school it seems parents are more than eager to help, support and join. Three months into the year these parents lose steam and we are left with the board members and a small handful of volunteers doing all the work :(
Any suggestion on how to get and keep the enthusiasim going for volunteers would be greatly appreciated.

Permalink Reply by Marie Solla on May 15, 2012 at 8:43am

I would love samples of what to include in a "Back To School Welcome Kit". We are a middle school with about 1500 students, and we had a hard time getting information home!

Permalink Reply by Jeannie Gustafson on June 3, 2012 at 2:41pm

Hi, would you please share a sample of the letters and forms in your PTA packet? Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Marie Solla on June 4, 2012 at 10:45am

Hello Jeannie. I posted on this thread back in May asking for sample letters and no one responded. Our PTSA will be making our own. Our welcome letter, application, etc.

Permalink Reply by Jeannie Gustafson on June 5, 2012 at 10:37am

Hi Marie. I will be working on a packet over the summer too as well as more ways to communicate:)I started a Facebook PTA page since so many parents use it. I will make cards or fliers to get people to "like" us on it. Updates will go to the school website as well, and we also use email to communicate with parents and teachers who have signed up for it. I plan to laminate 8x10 signs to tape to the doors alerting of a "PTA Meeting this morning"... If your school allows, maybe the prerecorded calls home to remind parents of meetings or events. We can brainstorm more ideas!

Permalink Reply by Marie Solla on June 5, 2012 at 11:04am

Yes, our school uses the ConnectEd system, so they get voicemail and emails. We plan on being present at the 6th grade orientation for new students to our school and at the Open House. Did you start the Facebook page through your own, or completely separate? I like the Facebook idea. In the Welcome package, we will put a letter of introduction, our membership application and explain our Membership Drive incentive. (we haven't decided what yet). Last year, we held a drawing for a Flat Screen TV for those who joined before November 30th. Also the H.R. with the most membership won a pizza party. Coincidentally, the winner of the TV was a student member from the winning H.R., who had 100% student membership!! Two of our new officers are students from that class!

Permalink Reply by Jeannie Gustafson on June 5, 2012 at 1:14pm

All great ideas! I love the drawing for a TV idea, my husband mentioned doing the same thing!!! I just finished the Webinar about the new membership cards, they have a $10 coupon/gc for Office Max attached. That kinda helps the membership pay for itself depending what the dues are!