Hello all Room Parent Volunteers!
Thank you again for your dedication to your children and their classes! I hope all of you have had a smooth first full week and everyone has settled into routines. Now, it’s time to start a bit of our work as room parents!
Highlighted below are items to help you get started and tips for making it easier for you. For veteran room parents, there are just a couple of new things and reminders to keep in mind of. For new room parents, please feel free to check in with veteran room parents at any grade level for advice!
Meet your Teacher
By the beginning of next week I will be sending out an email to your teachers to introduce you and get you connected. That should springboard you and your teacher to find a time to meet and discuss the layout of the year’s activities. If meeting in person is not an option, then emailing each other should be sufficient.
Meet with Each Other
Feel free to connect with each other as some of you are new to room parenting and others have been room parenting for several years. Consider even connecting with the other room parents in the same grade level. There are always new ideas to share! If you haven’t already, you can also decide who will take on what responsibilities and how much time you are able to commit to this year. Life is busy and we all have different needs! Please refer to the attached Room Parent Guidelines and Room Parent List for more information.
Curriculum Night
Curriculum night is on Thursday, September 15, 2022. When meeting in the classroom, it’s a great time to introduce yourself to other parents so they can put a face to the name. It may be even better to be “formally” introduced, so feel free to ask your teacher to introduce you.
Class Lists
Please use the online directory to compile your initial list of parent emails. Verify this list with your teacher because the directory isn’t always complete. On Curriculum Night, take your verified list and ask parents to check their emails and add any additional emails that may not be there. Note: Kindergarten room parents, K families take longer to input into the directory, so you may need to get a list from your teacher.
Optional Room Parent Meeting with Shutterfly Tutorial
This will be the only Room Parent Meeting offered at two different times to accommodate all of our schedules. Some room parents have found it helpful to make a website through Shutterfly or another web resource for communication and sign ups. It keeps all communication and sign ups in one place and reduces the number of emails that go to your inbox. If you would like to learn more, we will be able to give a tutorial on making a Shutterfly website on Monday, Sept. 25 at 10am at VO (after the first V-OPA meeting) and on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 8pm at my house. If you bring a laptop or tablet, you can make a site during the meeting! Time spent to (hopefully) save you time! We can also discuss and share other resources that will fit your team’s needs. Other room parents may choose to simply use email for communication in addition to SignUpGenius for soliciting help. Please do whatever is easiest for you.
As many of you know, V-O is extremely grateful for all the work our parent community does to support the school. You will be directly impacting your child’s learning experience this year. I can’t thank you guys enough for stepping up for this important role. I am here for you throughout the year for anything you may need. If you need an answer right away, feel free to send me a text.
Wishing you all a great start to the year!
- LISA