Room Parent

Thanks for volunteering to be a Room Parent! 

Being a Room Parent is a wonderful way to start getting involved and meet other parents. Participating in classroom activities is also the best way to get to know your child's teacher and the other students in the class. As a Room Parent, you will serve as a liason between the teacher, PTO and your classroom parents. Some responsibilities include:

  • Being the class communicator and voice for other parents 
  • Making suggestions for the PTO
  • Sending email reminders for class parties, organizing classroom drop off participation, and other activities involving the school
  • Help organize class functions/parties
  • Collecting class contributions for party items, teachers gifts, fundraisers, etc...
What should you do first?

1. Contact your student's teacher. Ask them if there are any classroom needs parents can help with (like story time or crafts). Ask them which parties they would like you to organize throughout the year. Each teacher decides what level of parent involvement they would like. As children get older, less parent involvement is required. Let your teacher get specific, then run with it!

2. Attend PTO meetings or view the summary online so that you can share important information with your parents.

Communicating with Parents

It's best to keep your email short and to the point. If you have many topics to cover, consider breaking them down into small bullets. To organize signups, use Sign-Up Genius. It's a quick way to delegate!  (Many teachers use it to organize student conferences. Your parent base might already have accounts.) 

School parties

Looking for inspiration? Need advice? The PTO maintains a Room Parent Facebook page where you can seek advice from veterans and share new ideas. This page is a closed group for Room Parents. Only and administrator can add you. If you'd like to become part of the group, please email hchin@benhempto.org.

Please let your teacher review any party games/snacks/activities before the big event, just in case there are special needs to consider.
 
Teacher gifts

Some classrooms like to create a joint teacher gift during the holidays and end-of-year. It's not required. But, if you plan to organize a group gift, please note, the amount can not exceed $150. Individual gifts can not exceed $50. Educational gifts, which can be used in the classroom, have no limit.