Strong Involvement: Six Groups

Involvement 12 Months a Year

Wildcat Mountain Elementary School
Littleton, Colo.

PTO leaders at a year-round school in Littleton, Colorado, can move mountains—or at least their own mountain. During the past year, the Wildcat Mountain Elementary School PTO raised more than $50,000 for the school's library, had record attendance at the Fall Family Festival, purchased six new reference computers for the school library, and sold more than $20,000 worth of books during its first Scholastic Book Fair. Amazingly, this school has only been in existence for a little more than three years.

When Wildcat started in 1998, the PTO instituted a "no door-to-door selling" policy. Instead, families were asked to make a donation to the school based on what they would spend on traditional fundraisers, such as candy and gift-wrap sales.

By year three of the donation campaign, contributions were on the decline. Parent leaders recognized the campaign did little to promote the school's vision, "Everyone working together for the good of the children." But the PTO faced a challenge unique to year-round schools: At any given time, a group of students is absent from the school. The school operates on a "track" system in which students attend school for nine weeks, then have three weeks off. The key was to find a fundraiser that could involve as much of the school as possible. And so, the Mardi Gras Mask-erade Dinner/Dance Auction was born.

The February 2001 event involved everyone from parents and teachers to staff and students. Parent volunteers wrapped baskets, stuffed invitations, assisted with class projects in the art room, and canvassed neighborhoods for donations. Every classroom created a "work of art" that was signed by each student in the class and donated to the auction. Some painted birdhouses; others chairs or tables. Each child decorated a mask that was either purchased for $1 by a parent, who could wear it, or used to decorate the "ballroom." Nearly 300 items were offered up for auction. The result? The PTO raised a whopping $50,095, which was used to fill the library with books.

"This is something we pulled together as a new community," says Sherri Hesen, PTO president at Wildcat. "People can walk into the library and see with their own eyes what their participation and passion have done."

And that was just the beginning. In November, the PTO hosted the school's first Scholastic Book Fair. A total of 80 volunteers ran "Books Are Magic," a four-day event. Book sales topped $20,000, $11,000 more than the goal set by Scholastic. As a result, nearly $6,000 was added to the PTO bank account to fill additional teacher requests.

In addition, the PTO reworked the fall donation campaign, focusing more on participation and less on the dollar amount raised. Previously, campaigns stressed that no gift was too big or too small, and no suggested amount was listed on the donation form. On its fall 2001 forms, the PTO printed $5 as a possible donation amount, which encouraged more families to participate.

"I am always amazed, though I shouldn't be at this point, at the participation we have from the parents of our students. Parents support whatever events we're having," says Hesen. "Our school has a passion for helping our kids, and that makes such a huge difference."

Putting the T back in PTO

Richer Elementary School
Marlborough, Mass.

Over the past year, Richer Elementary School PTO has lived its motto, "Discovering Richer Ways to Learn." With a new name, a fresh outlook, and a shared vision, this Marlborough, Massachusetts, PTO has brought unity to its community and discovered how far you can go when you work as a team.

Redistricting at the city's four elementary schools in spring 2001 changed Richer's staff, student population, and grade levels to include kindergarten through third grade. Parent leaders took advantage of the opportunity to bring the school community and city together.

They began by organizing a citywide meeting with the 2001-2002 officers from each of the four schools—Home & School Organizations. At the meeting, leaders agreed to change the group's name to PTO and established a citywide PTO board. They also worked together to develop up-to-date bylaws and a nonprofit status. Three additional citywide meetings were scheduled throughout the school year—with each elementary school hosting a meeting—to share ideas, resources, and successes.

Parent leaders also helped put the T back in PTO. With input from teachers on how volunteers could support them, the PTO formed a number of service teams. The Supply Team fills and delivers monthly teacher requisitions, a task previously done by an administrator. The Copy Team spends each Tuesday photocopying, laminating, and binding items for teachers.

In return, the PTO asked teachers to attend one meeting during the year as a grade level representative or guest speaker. The response was overwhelming; every teacher agreed without hesitation. The format of monthly meetings changed, combining a shortened business meeting with a regular meeting featuring a guest speaker. Subjects addressed to date include "Music Makes Me Smarter," "The Writing Process," and "Special Needs."

"Our guest speakers have been a wonderful source of increased attendance," says Terri Phalen, Richer PTO co-president. Attendance at meetings jumped from 10 to more than 50 people.

Richer PTO doesn't stop there. When a book-of-the-month program was established, the PTO's Corporate Scout (a new position geared at tapping the local business community) secured $200 donations from each of nine local businesses to purchase a book for every classroom. Business contributions are recognized at monthly PTO meetings and in the newsletter.

The PTO maintains a book-of-the-month display on a school hallway bulletin board. A copy of the book's cover is cut into a puzzle and a new piece is posted daily on the bulletin board during the first week of each month. "The kids get a big kick out of trying to guess what book it is," says Phalen. At the end of every month, a raffle is held and one student in each classroom takes home the book.

The school's monthly school spirit day ties in with the book of the month. In October, for example, the book was The Lonely Scarecrow. On school spirit day, everyone came dressed as a scarecrow. For a community outreach program scheduled the same day, students brought in more than 400 pounds of food for a local food pantry.

To reflect the spirit of giving that students have learned from parent leaders in their community, the PTO placed a laminated photograph of a 9-foot deciduous tree on a brick wall outside the cafeteria. It's called the Richer Giving Tree, and it features pictures of students performing acts of kindness. "We want to keep that visual in front of children to say 'good job,'" says Phalen.

A Moving Experience

Annunciation Academy
Reston, Va.

What do you get when you give a group of dedicated parents 20,000 square feet of open office space and four days? At Annunciation Academy in Reston, Virginia, it was a new home.

An independent Catholic school founded in 1995, Annunciation Academy has 130 students in grades K-8. The school has no formal affiliation with or financial support from the local Catholic diocese, putting fiscal responsibilities squarely on the shoulders of parents whose children attend the school.

The school's resources were put to the test about two years ago when the school lost its lease and had to find a new location. Although school supporters saw the bright side of this situation as an opportunity to move to bigger digs, they also knew they had to accomplish the move with minimum financing and maximum parent participation, according to one of the parent association's fundraising chairs, Laura DeGroat.

Attempts to find new space at favorable terms failed, and as the 2000-2001 school year drew to a close, Annunciation was without a permanent home. The school negotiated a month-to-month lease with the existing landlord, and by mid-September the group secured 20,000 square feet of open office space.

Now they had a place to go, but how were they going to move the school there without disrupting the education process? Toting folded chairs from home, parents met at the new site to work out logistics. The call went out for packing supplies, and within days the school-s all-purpose room was filled with empty boxes and rolls of tape. Parents, teachers, and staff worked together to get everything ready for the November 1 moving date. A parent donated $3,500 to hire a commercial moving company to transport heavy items such as desks. Parent volunteers lined up to move the rest. "Because of the heavy lifting and building, a lot of fathers volunteered. It really created a wonderful community atmosphere," says DeGroat.

While a crew of parents emptied out and cleaned up the old site, other volunteers were at the new site "building" classrooms with modular walls and furniture. From dawn until dusk for two days, parents and teachers unpacked, arranged, rearranged, and cleaned. One parent even managed to have a phone system donated to the school.

When students arrived at school Monday morning, it was business as usual. Annunciation parents had moved the entire school, clocking a total of 654 volunteer hours over the course of four days, with virtually no interruption in teaching.

With the move complete, the parents faced their next challenge: to increase enrollment. Not only had the tenuous lease situation in the summer led some uneasy parents to pull their children from the school, but the newer, bigger facility meant larger bills. It was essential to make up for lost tuition.

Once again, parents stepped up to the challenge. Press releases announcing an open house went out to newspapers, local churches were asked to spread the word, and fliers were posted at public facilities around town and handed out door-to-door.

On December 5, 2001, the school hosted its most successful open house ever, with more than 60 prospective families attending; a second event followed a month later. By the end of January, seven new students were enrolled, 13 had applied for admission in September 2002, and hundreds of phone calls inquiring about the school had been fielded.

"It was a pretty amazing effort," says DeGroat. "There was really a great sense of willingness to work together."

International Flair Welcomes All Families

Johns Hill Magnet School
Decatur, Ill.

When Johns Hill Magnet School PTO members decided to celebrate the school's cultural diversity during last spring's annual art fair, they chose this theme: "Johns Hill has CLASS" (Cultural Learning Through the Arts, Social Studies, and Sciences). The challenge was to figure out a way to tap into the rich heritage of the school's families. Many of the approximately 560 students at this K-8 inner-city school in Decatur, Illinois, hail from countries including Japan, Russia, Mexico, China, Iran, India, and the Philippines. In some cases, these English-as-a-Second-Language students have no English-speaking adult in the home. Sending home a notice written in English to these families was of little use.

But the PTO had a solution. Information distributed about the art fair was written in both English and Spanish, since the latter is the language of the largest group of non-English-speaking students. Parent leaders also enlisted the help of an ESL teacher who placed phone calls to those who spoke neither English nor Spanish. The purpose was to invite them to share their cultural backgrounds during the fair.

"Although they may not be proficient at reading the English language, a simple phone call to invite them to join in our art fair celebration proved to be worthwhile," says PTO President Stacey Boline. "The PTO was able to draw in families that wouldn't normally take part in PTO projects."

A large group of Spanish-speaking families got together and prepared authentic Mexican food for visitors to taste. A father-son team from Iran displayed an authentic Persian rug collection as well as a collection of old money from the Middle East. And an American family that has traveled extensively brought a large map on which they displayed money from around the world. Entertainment included Celtic dancers and bagpipers. Overall, 19 different countries were represented in the fair.

Each student received a passport upon entering the fair and could have it stamped at each "country" he or she visited. Those who received at least 15 stamps could enter a drawing. The event, says Boline, was "wonderful."

Other highlights marked the PTO's 2001 year. The group won second place for its sticky craft at the annual "Stick With Your Kids" community event at the Decatur Civic Center. Children used large index cards and straws donated by McDonald's to create their own flags. And Campus Clean-up Day drew nearly four dozen volunteers who spent four hours beautifying the school grounds.

The PTO also created an information flier about Johns Hill, which Boline says has generated interest in the school. "People are aware of Johns Hill, but a lot of them think it's a private school. That's a misconception we're trying to eliminate," she adds.

The sense of family that pervades the school is gratifying, Boline says, and makes students—and parents—proud to be affiliated with Johns Hill. "Parents support us because whenever we ask for help, we've got it," she explains. "It's an amazing place to be."

Database Helps Build Involvement

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parochial School
Cincinnati, Ohio

In the past, when Immaculate Heart of Mary Parochial School in Cincinnati, Ohio, needed parents to help out in the classroom or at events, PTO board members shared volunteer needs with their own circle of friends. They managed to fill the volunteer slots—but with the same families as usual. A weekly newsletter went home to parents, but this impersonal and untargeted approach did little to attract new families, recalls PTO Secretary Kristi Click.

Rapid growth at IHM led the school's PTO to rethink its parent involvement methods. To attract new members, PTOers created a questionnaire focused on parents' talents, availability, skills, occupations, and preferences. Special software organized the information into a useful database for teachers, staff, and the PTO.

Thanks to the database, called IHM Assist, students in all grades have benefited from extensive parent volunteerism, Click says. Parents have helped with math and reading groups, writing and editing activities, a Christmas play for two grades, speaker arrangements, and Culture Day preparation.

"We are quite pleased with the whopping 56 percent family participation, especially given that the program was developed as recently as January 2000," says Click. "Overall, IHM Assist has absolutely escalated how quickly we find people to participate in different events," she adds.

The database was just one of a number of steps IHM's PTO took to address the parent involvement challenge. The group also developed detailed descriptions of leadership positions to demystify involvement and created a nominating committee that distributed a survey to gauge parents' interest in leadership roles or apprentice positions. The results of this combined effort were gratifying: 28 percent of chairpersons this year have never been in PTO leadership positions before.

A New Family/Student Connections Committee was established to welcome new families and keep them informed. "It's helpful for new families to have a contact at school. It eases trepidation," says Click.

Click says this group was instrumental in increasing participation in some of the school's long-standing events. For example, profits from the "Make It, Bake It, Take It" annual crafting/social event more than tripled, and participation nearly doubled over the previous year. The Connections Committee fostered the increase by coordinating tables for groups such as "new friends" and "first-grade moms."

Other achievements include a 91 percent attendance increase at the winter carnival and a 40 percent increase at the welcome-back coffee. Click sums up the changes this way: "Targeted communication yields a higher participation rate."

Powerful Outreach to All Parents

Ensley Elementary School
Pensacola, Fla.

Most people agree that parent involvement is a key factor in whether a child succeeds at school, but at Ensley Elementary School in Pensacola, Florida, that involvement is a real challenge. The K-5 school with nearly 600 students is located in Escambia County, one of the nation's poorest, according to the school's family involvement coordinator, Judy Miller. About 83 percent of the student body is on free or reduced lunch; yearly turnover rate is approximately 47 percent. And many students come from single-parent homes or live with grandparents.

So the school has made an extraordinary effort to reach out and help families, adopting "We Are Family" as its theme song, backed up by an impressive array of family support programs—after-school family counseling, CPR classes, GED classes for parents and family members, a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group, Dads Club, and computer classes for adults and students.

"We want to send a message to our families that they are important to us," says Miller. "When a need arises, we address that need."

The school's goal is to "form school-family-community partnerships that nurture strong family relationships," Miller adds. "Everyone understands that family involvement is critical to student success," she says.

Ensley offers monthly parenting workshops on topics such as drugs, bullying, gangs, depression, and divorce. Both morning and evening workshops are held, and sessions are videotaped and made available for checkout through the Family Resource Room. Ensley also has hosted town hall-style meetings open to the community to address serious issues facing parents and children. "We have provided child care and transportation, which allows families to get involved," says Miller.

In an effort to involve fathers in their children's education, Ensley formed a Dads Club. Members meet monthly and include grandparents, uncles, and anyone who will serve as a male role model for the students. "We provide opportunities for dads to be involved by offering flexible times, child care, transportation, and after-school activities of interest to men," says Miller.

The club encourages fathers to be involved in classroom activities, such as reading books, as well as to improve the general school atmosphere. Dads don aprons to cook for the school's fall festival and serve hot chocolate during the annual Christmas get-together. The Dads Club also hosts outings such as pizza parties, trips to a monster truck rally, and skating events.

Dads aren't the only ones who find themselves more involved in the Ensley community. The school formed a partnership with Informed Families and the Department of Juvenile Justice to create a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group. Grandparents meet weekly for a night of food, fellowship, and educational classes. A youth motivator meets with the children while adults meet with case managers and counselors. "This provides a time for them to share their problems with others and get the help they need," Miller explains.

Ensley was recognized for its efforts by the state when the school received the Florida Department of Education Award for best parent/family involvement program in both 1999 and 2001.

"To overcome many of our challenges, we found a way to meet the basic needs of our families," says Miller. "We are really a family at Ensley—and families must look out for each other."