I posted that from PTO Today on our bulletin board. Things like that are not posted this year that I have seen. If I could figure out how to get that on our web page that would be great. I have PTO Today as a favorite link. I always mentioned volunteering and parent involvment in my newsletter, and on the web page (she did let me take that since it went untouched for 6 months). My volunteers that were in the program asked that they get updates every 2 weeks or so. There were only a few that wanted this and I think it really helped. We were all a great team and I think the kids knew it too. They would see how we worked together and hopefully some of them used that as a model.
I am really frustrated right now. All the things I worked so hard on seems to be just down the drain. I started a volunteer program that was really catching on. She wouldn't even call volunteers that was needed for Fall Festival and there were several games that the kids would've enjoyed just done away with after the VP had already made the posters and things for them. It's just heartbreaking. I can tell you why and how parent involvement works, I'd really like some numbers, but I don't know if she will listen. I don't tell her "This is what you need to do." A few times I've told her that "This has worked in the past" or tell her why it didn't work.
We've heard there will be Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 6. Which is the same day as another big community event. We don't even know what company she is going to use for the Santa shop. Last year was our first and I had a committee that met several times and it was still so chaotic, for one we didn't know what to expect and then when we got throught it we knew how to make it work better for everyone. I don't think she is going to change what made it so bad.
I am sorry for rambling on, I just needed to vent. I know it is nearing the holidays it's a busy time. I just want my kids to enjoy it and I am probably over reacting.
[ 11-13-2003, 10:48 PM: Message edited by: C. Brooks ]
We printed up copies of this article and showed it at our PTO meeting. We have really been pushing involvment in the classroom this year and it has worked. The volunteer hours for September were nearly double over the prvious year's and the October hours were almost triple what we had in October of the previous year. As I talk with teachers they can't emphasize enough how very important it is for the parents to be involved in the educational process and that having parents help in the classroom is incredibly beneficial. Our parents help children who are behind with their math and reading skills and perform many other functions to allow the teachers more time to spend working with the students. Their prescence can mean the difference between a child being behind in a skill and being caught up with the rest of his class. As school districts struggle to meet budget deficits and the requirements of the No Child Left Behind and Every Child Reads programs, parental involvment will become even more crucial. WE are the difference between our children succeeding or failing in their education.
I have been all over the web looking for stats on the difference parental involvment makes. I can find thousands of articles on the importance, but no numbers.
I would like to have these for 2 reasons: 1. a class project and 2. to present to the current president who seems to refuse to use the volunteers we have that want to be involved. She doesn't encourage parent involvement much at all, I had a program that was working pretty good for us and it was really catching on, she doesn't acknowledge it no matter how hard the VP begs.
