Hi pals,
It sounds exciting. I think you should do the certification too though. Just like PTOtoday's Parent Group of the year included PTAs. You can get it even though you aren't PTA and it just shows your school's accomplishment and hardwork.
Good luck!

I have a meeting with my principal tomorrow and will see what kind of input i get from her. Right now it looks like volunteering isnt so important at our school...yet it plays such a huge part with our group. There is a pta group at another city school(we are pto) and they came over in December to check out our holiday shop. Maybe i can see from there, only problem they have a huge teacher turnout and no parents.let me think specifics and get back to you...like you i feel like all this stuff is going through my head all at once!!I think we could easliy do a log book, and like a volunteer recognition thing every month on the bulletin board and newsletter. we really did bad on all spots...the school not our group=)

hey PAls!!!! I am so glad that you did because I was just referencing this post in another post and I couldn't find it...telepathy?? [img]smile.gif[/img]
As for an help, I wouldn't know where to begin, although I love the program, I can't get my own Principal to do it. So I don't have any first hand experience to draw from. I also haven't had any feedback from my other units as to how they have done but then again I haven't asked.
Our school does have a volunteer log book, our council and state does training but that is PTA specific and I don't know how that would help in your situation. Rockne had mentioned something once in one of the forums (or maybe was asked to do it) some training for PTOs but I don't know if that was a request that was denied or something that is in the works.
Do you have a PTA President nearby who can share some of what they do training on?
Our local PTA uses e-mail rather well (as do I with council) in contacting the members by getting the e-mail addresses and keeping an address book of members and they are well informed that way and the volunteers are maintained by a volunteer coordinator whose job is to e-mail/phone the volunteers to welcome them when they sign up (via paper at the beginning of the year and by internet at the website) and then forwards the volunteers to the chairs.
We also survey once a year at the beginning of the year. "What did you like, what didn't you like, what would you like to see etc" That is made by the board at the beginning of the year.
Yeesh- here were doing it and not working on the certification!!
Anyhow, what do you need??? :0 i'll do my best but be specific, my head has started to swim!

Michelle B. sorry for dragging this back out. We did get our team going last month, I had no problem getting teacher reps, principal finally said okay after I did a survey that I presented to go home about involvement.Told her I was doing it or quit=) Blackmail...yes So anyways we are up to standard four:volunteering. Well we were doing pretty good up to this point, boy did we bomb...thats a nice way to put it. We have no volunteer training,orientation, no hour log book, no system to contact volunteers, very little survey(in 2001 we did one) , and the list goes on. It's funny how we have such a strong group but the overall picture at our school is that volunteers are not taken serious. I guess Im not sure where to even take all this info, I have read alot on this site and have brought up alot of ideas from here. It just seems overhwelming...any advice???? Where to even start???

Hi... I Have to admit our principal is also dragging her feet about forming a TEAM. I told her that one way or another I am going to go ahead and do the assessment. I realize we won't be able to be certify without her but Im hoping once she sees it started then she will hop aboard. She's been under alot of extra stress this year for various reasons so Im trying gently to hold this for a couple of months until she might be ready=)Im wondering if she might be afraid to look at our weaknesses!!

Congratulations! I'd love to hear about other schools gaining the accomplishment. Our school has yet to form a committee. I am working with a Principal who couldn't even submit an article for the newsletter for a full year, so it will be slow going...