119: Passing the Baton

During the March 2008 VIPS General Board meeting, volunteer leaders shared some ideas to help incoming board members get prepared for the following year.  Suggestions included:

• Put your volunteer notebook in order, and be sure to pass it on to the 'new you'!
• Stay in contact with your replacement, and make yourself available to answer questions.
• Plan a luncheon with the 'old' and 'new' board members. Use this occasion to exchange notebooks, and share information and ideas. (McMeans Junior High School)
• Arrange for the incoming board members to shadow their predecessor during April and May. (Katy High School)
• Arrange a family picnic or pot luck dinner to allow board members, and their families, to become acquainted. (Mayde Creek Junior High)
• Schedule a PTA Board Retreat, and invite the Principal to attend. See #105 below. (Bear Creek Elementary School)
• Share your list of volunteers, and their contact information, with the new VIPS Coordinators. This will ease in filling volunteer positions during the summer, and at the beginning of the school year, while waiting for new volunteer registration forms to be processed.

 118: You Might be a Volunteer IF...

Cinco Ranch Junior High school published an article titled "You Might be a Volunteer IF.." in The Howler, their campus newsletter, to encourage their volunteers to complete a volunteer registration form, and to report their volunteer hours. The article can be downloaded, and adapted for use on any campus. For more ideas about  collecting volunteer hours at your school read the Gathering Volunteer Hours Success Stories and Ideas from the November 2007 VIPS General Board meeting.

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 117: Care Calendar

Do you have a family at your campus in need of help during a time of illness or after a life changing event, such as the birth of a baby?  Cinco Ranch High School recently used the CareCalendar website to coordinate assistance for a family in need at their school. Coordinate meal sign up, and other needed assistance, without having to make dozens of phone calls. Volunteers can read about the family's needs and sign-up for items that fit their schedule. All CareCalendars are password protected for privacy, and the website requires volunteers to log in to sign up to help.

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116:   Spanish Volunteer Kick-off for bilingual campus: Fielder Elementary

In an effort to reach their Spanish speaking volunteers, the bilingual campus Fielder Elementary, hosted a Volunteer Kick-Off entirely in Spanish. At the time, the school had 135 bilingual students, and 70 parents attended. Following the success of the event, Spanish speaking volunteers have become an integral part of the VIPS program at Fielder Elementary.
Ser Voluntario: ¿En qué me beneficia a mí?
Ser voluntario en la escuela de tu hijo puede ser una de las cosas más importantes que afecte su vida positivamente.

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 115:  Homecoming Information meeting: Seven Lakes High School

The PTA at Seven Lakes High School host a meeting each fall to help new parents become familiar with Homecoming traditions and practices. The evening includes a fashion show of appropriate student attire for the dance, and information about ordering mums and overalls, Homecoming dance dress code, hair styling tips, ordering pictures at the dance, the theme, parade, election of the King and Queen, purchasing tickets, and other tips and ideas to help parents and students enjoy this annual tradition. Click here to read the handout distributed at the meeting.

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 114:  Booster Clubs and PTO meetings: Katy High School

To encourage communication, and provide support for the various booster clubs that serve their campus, and with the support of the administration, the PTO at Katy High School meet regularly with representatives from each booster club. The meetings are scheduled twice each year, once in the spring when the new boards have been elected, and again in the fall soon after school begins.
The meetings are short, but have been very successful with 100% attendance. They allow the presidents to get to know each other, share information about their organizations, and meet the campus principal. The topics discussed have included the importance of filing for 501c3 classification, food restrictions for fund raising at school, the VIPS program, registering their volunteers, the importance of recording volunteer hours and how to report those hours to the VIPS Coordinator.
At the parent open house each booster club sets up a table in the commons area, to make parents aware of the many opportunities they have to become involved at their child's school.

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 113: Icebreaker Ideas

Do you need some suggestions to get your meetings and Volunteer Kick-offs started, and put your volunteers at ease? Check the website www.businessfundamentals.com/IceBreakers.htm for some great ideas.

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112: Custom Crystal Shirts: Griffin Elementary

Volunteers at Griffin Elementary ordered custom made shirts online from 'Ancy and Me Unique Designs'  to promote their program and their school. The shirts are decorated with crystals and metallic nailhead stones, and can be customized with your school colors and mascot names.

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111. Fundraising Ideas

Do you need some ideas to raise funds for your campus parent organization? Check out some suggestions that have been successful on other Katy ISD campuses.

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 110. Volunteer T-shirts: Winborn Elementary School

In order to promote the VIPS program at Winborn Elementary the PTO made t-shirts for their board members. The distinctive shirts read “Got Time? - Volunteer at Diane Winborn Elementary“. The PTO board wear the shirts when volunteering on campus, and while attending events such as Open House so that parents who might be interested in volunteering know who to contact for more information.

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109. Collecting Hours: Nottingham Country Elementary School

The VIPS Coordinator at Nottingham Country Elementary offers some tips to help collect volunteer hours.

• Send out monthly emails to all volunteers reminding them to turn in their hours.
• If your school has a big event that includes a lot of parents, send home flyers in the take-home folders with an email address and phone number where they can report their hours.
• Periodically send out emails with information about what qualifies as volunteering, e.g. field trip chaperones, baking for teacher treats and working the carnival etc.. (Publish the same information in the campus newsletter as well).
• If volunteer hours are reported by email, always respond with with a short reply to let your volunteers know they are appreciated.

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108. Incoming Parent Welcome Coffee: Cinco Ranch High School

Each spring the Cinco Ranch High School Parent Teacher Student Association hosts a Welcome Coffee for parents of the incoming freshman class. The event is designed to introduce new parents to the school, allow them to meet members of the PTSA board and campus administration, and tour the school. Refreshments are supplied by the Hospitality Committee and theAgenda includes a welcome from the PTSA President, VIPS Coordinator and the Principal. The counselors and grade level principals are introduced and there is time for discussion. The PTSA compiles a handout for the parents,"FAQ by 9th Grade Parents" which answers many of their questions. Invitations to the event are distributed to all the feeder schools through flyers, e-News and newsletters. The event is advertised in the local papers, school marquees,  the PTSA website and Katy ISD campus websites. This kind of event can be adapted for incoming kindergarten and 6th grade parents. You may download more information, a copy of the agenda and the handout "FAQ by 9th Grade Parents" from the Documents page.

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107. Volunteer Hours: Rylander Elementary School

The PTA at Rylander Elementary have created the option for all Rylander volunteers to report their off campus volunteer hours through the Rylander PTA website. The information is forwarded to the Rylander VIPS Coordinator.

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106. Volunteer Gathering: West Memorial Junior High School

Each six weeks, at West Memorial Junior High School, the campus VIPS Coordinator serves coffee and donuts at a volunteer gathering, during which volunteer hours recognitions are distributed.

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105. PTA Board Retreat: Bear Creek Elementary School

Each July, the PTA President from Bear Creek Elementary plans a retreat for the PTA Board. Through games and activities they get to know other members of the board, and plan the PTA activities for the upcoming school year. Committee chairs and board members share their plans and expectations for the year, and the Plans of Work are approved. It's a great opportunity to get a headstart on the year.

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104. New Student Brochure: Bear Creek Elementary School

Each year the Bear Creek Elementary PTA puts together a booklet for distribution in the student first day packets. This brochure contains all the information parents need to know about the PTA, and the school in one publication. It includes a campus map, calendars and information about the school, the PTA and the VIPS program. It advertises upcoming events, fundraisers, spirit wear and yearbook sales. PTA membership and VIPS registration forms can be detached and returned to the school, and there is a receipt page to record all the items parents order at the beginning of the school year.

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103. PDA's: Rhoads Elementary School

In an effort to encourage parents to read their campus newsletter, the Rhoads Elementary PTA decided to publish PDA's (Personal Display of Affection). For a small fee, the PTA will take a picture of a student, and publish it in the newsletter, together with a special message from the child's parents. Students and parents love to see the student's pictures in print.

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102. Membership Drive: Cinco Ranch High School

Cinco Ranch High School students from the PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association), FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), and the Cougar Stars Drill Team were among a large group of student volunteers who offered to promote PTSA membership at Open House. The students, wearing large signboards, walked around the campus inviting parents to join the PTSA by distributing membership information. The CRHS PTSA encourages student involvement, and this activity provided an opportunity for students to become involved in the organization. Parent and student volunteers were available to give information, and answer questions about the volunteer support that the PTSA gives the school.

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101. Helping Hands: Creech Elementary School

The PTA at Creech Elementary wanted to show their parents, teachers and administrators the many ways in which the PTA has benefited the school.

At a recent Open House they decided to use handprints, cut out of construction paper, placed in all areas of the campus where the PTA and their volunteers, have supported the students and the school.

There was hardly an area of the school that was not decorated with the handprints. From every classroom inside the school to planters outside the building, from the greeters desk to the library, and the workroom to the gymnasium, the PTA has touched every corner of the campus.

This idea was followed up with a “Did You Know...“ section in the weekly campus newsletter that greatly raised campus awareness of the PTA and their volunteers. 

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