Thank you to each of you. Our meetings can get pretty boring to parents (imagine that) and it's nice to have some ideas to mix it up a little.

we have found that doing this once in awhile is better than having a speaker each month, it actually can work the other way and discourage parents to come if they know there may be a speaker who really doesn't excite them. Now we do it maybe three or four times a year.

Our parents were getting tired of just comittee talk every month so this year we decided to ask the teachers (who do not normally attend our PTO meetings) to come and speak. Each month we are highlighting a different grade and asking that group of teachers to come and talk about what is happening in that grade this year. Our district is in the processing of revamping our curriculum plus we are having major building/class reconfigurations, so this helps keep parents informed.

We just had our Oct meeting last night with the District Food Service Director in attendance to talk to us about the changes that have been made to our school menu. Some parents have had complaints about the healthier menu (proof that people will complain about anything). I put her on the agenda 1st so she would not have to stay for the meeting. She spoke for about 10 minutes answered some questions and then left. People seemed to think it was helpful and informative.

FYI-during our open forum our principal was questioned about school safety because of recent events. He addressed concerns for about 10 minutes, but main request was for a locked front door (all other doors are already locked) that would require people to be let in or buzzed in by the secretary. Boy, what a responsability for her! A good idea in theory, but she is already so busy. My point is that if you do have a speaker on that topic, be prepared for the request for money to be spent to make building more secure.

I have been brainstorming with a few parents and the topic of having a guest speaker (strategically placed in the agenda – like after requesting volunteers) at PTO meetings came up. Many parents have concerns about school safety given the recent violence reported in the news. The thought is that a guest speaker could address some of the parents concerns on the monthly topic and also if advertised well before a meeting 'pack the pews' if you will. We realize this could take more time than a typical PTO meeting may have but we thought limiting the discussion to 20-30 minutes with questions afterward may work. Have any of the PTO's out there tried this tactic and what are some of hot topics you have addressed?