Indian Prairie PTO

Thank you for volunteering to be an event leader in our PTO.  With the help of volunteers like you, our school will be the best it can be, our students will enjoy the benefits, and we adults will have the satisfaction of knowing our involvement can make a difference.

Have a question? Submit it on the home page or email it to us [email protected]. We will email you a response and it may even show up here as well!

FAQs:

Copying – This year we may use the school’s copier. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST GET PRINCIPAL APPROVAL prior to printing and distributing. Please limit the number the copies you make.

PTO Board – The PTO board is in the lobby near the cafeteria. Please place a copy of any flier sent home on the PTO board. If  you have any posters that you would like to post here, please see the secretary.

PTO Newsletter – This is published monthly. The secretary is the editor. If your committee has an announcement, please email the secretary with the request by the 21st of the month. The goal is to send the letter home on the first Friday of each month.

PTO Website and Facebook – Please send copies of any newsletters or announcements to the communications chair at [email protected].

PTO Mailbox – The PTO has a blue tub in the copy room for mail and gathering of forms/money from classroom teachers.

Directory – The secretary has an Excel file of the directory. For safety, this is not posted on the Internet. If you are ever in need of directory info, please email the secretary.

Email – Please consider this form of communication with your committee as it leaves a neat paper trail for future reference and filling out the End of Event Checklist.

Volunteers – You will be given a list of volunteers for your committee. Please contact every single one of them now to introduce yourself, even if your event isn’t until the distant future.  You may, call, email, or send a note home with a student. It is important that every volunteer be utilized. You may need to delegate more of the work than you had planned or think of more ways to use the committee. Never tell an eager volunteer, “No thanks, we don’t need your help.” Every year, volunteers are turned off because no one has contacted them. If your committee’s job really isn’t big enough for all of your volunteers, please at least contact them and explain the situation. Volunteers need to be appreciated for any amount of time or skill they offer to the event. A simple written thank you note goes a long way. If you need help with this task, please let the executive board know and help will be provided.

Committees – Committees are empowered to make decisions within the scope and budget of their project.  The PTO President is the liaison between the committee and the Executive board. When you have a decision that must be debated or discussed in detail, please do that during a committee meeting, not a general PTO meeting. Use your committee members to hash out issues, consider alternatives and come to a decision. If the decision is potentially controversial or needs approval from PTO leadership, call or email the PTO President to discuss the issue or set up a time for everyone to meet to discuss the issue. Also, if your committee is very small and you want advice from outside the committee, you can contact the President.

General Meetings –  It is expected that you or a representative attend the monthly meetings around the time that your event takes place. Your presentation at a monthly meeting is to announce your committee’s decisions, plans and need for additional help, if necessary. You do not need to introduce debate on committee issues at a monthly meeting. If a discussion at a monthly meeting gets too detailed or bogged down in debate, the President will suspend discussions and send the issue back to the committee for a follow-up. If there are interested parties in the discussion that are not in the committee, please invite them to your meeting. In the interest of time, we will not do committee work at general meetings.

Records –  Please keep good records for the next chair person. Please fill out the End of Event Checklist and return it to the Secretary along with your event binder.

Budget – The PTO Executive Board has come up with the budget for the PTO based on predicted fundraising amounts and previous expenditures. Please be frugal and save money. The budgeted expense amount is a maximum – not a goal.  If you feel that you need more money, please contact the President immediately to explain the situation. Do not go over budget and expect to get reimbursed without prior approval from the Executive Board.

Reimbursement – Fill out the Reimbursement Request to receive reimbursement for budgeted expenses. Turn the form into the Treasurer or to the PTO mailbox along with all receipts.

Frustrations/Help – Please feel free to ask for help. The Executive board is here to help.