I agree - I think that he may be refering to the Directory/Handbook - the one that many PTA units produce each year for the families that joined the PTA.
If you can sell enough ads to cover the cost of printing the Directory/Handbook, then there is no out of pocket expense for the organizatiion (except your computer ink and paper (under $50.00). This way the membership gets a Student Directory Handbook (with the names and phone numbers of administration (school and district), the classrooms (kids names, phone numbers and parents names), as well as maybe lunch hour, teacher conference time, daily bell schedule, school district calendar, dress code, and the advertisers advertisements (they cover the cost of printing - remember?)
Our school district prints and distributes a district-wide handbook, but our PTSO does publish a student handbook for the school. The information is specific to our school- i.e. phone numbers. The PTSO compiles all the data AND pays for the project.
Even though they aren't fancy (an 8-10 page booklet), they are expensive to print, so we have limited them to one per family.
Hope this helps in case the principal really is serious about the PTO getting involved.
I, too, would be eager to hear the result when you meet wtih the Principal. If my principal were to leave me a message like that, my first guesses would be:
1) he meant something else like "directory"
2) he's looking for PTO volunteers to help with the labor: the layout and setup of the master (assuming the school would provide the content and handle expenses)
3) he meant a different kind of handbook, maybe more of a welcome packet
I would find it very odd if he expected the PTO take over responsibility and expense of what we call the student handbook. You won't know for sure until you talk to him. Let us know what the final answer is.
I'm pretty sure that the school district offices have a budget for this. I agree with Imovepeople, this is not really a PTO thing. Even if you are talking about the date books that are traditionally used in Jr. and Sr. Highs as homework guides and hall passes, it would still fall to the district or school budget, as a rule, because of the information they provide. I think we might be willing to help pay for the latter mentioned books, but they would have to carry a lot more PTO information as well as school/district information.
The one thing I do know about the hand book/date books is this: Each part of the book (ie: the cover, the ruler, the pencil zipper thing, the calender, the info pages, etc.) each cost money! The fully equipped books run into the $10-$12 per student, and you need to have extras for new students who come in during the year as well as for students who lose theirs.
The bare-bones book is just a large date book, which you can get at any Factory-2-U or Dollar store for about a dollar each. You might be better off to buy the book from a wholesaler and have a local print shop do the cover with a sticky back and stick them on your self.
I know this won't be much help - but here's what I know - our school district/school sends home handbooks the first week of school and the student and parent must sign saying that they received, read and understand. It includes everything from dress code (no bare midriffs and the like - not uniforms) classroom/school/bus conduct, in-school internet usage, school property and fines for loss and/or destruction, and disciplinary actions that can be taken in the event of violations - basically the rules that the kids must live by while in school. Not something that as a PTO we would get involved in.
Good luck - you've picqued my curiosity as to why principal wants PTO involved in that type of project.
I am a 1st year president. Our principal has just left me a message that he wants to meet with the board about us doing student handbooks. Does anyone out there have any experience with this?
I would like to know as much as I can before I go meet with him. Thanks!
