Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas Themes
How to Plan a Successful Elementary School Parent Teacher Night
Unlike parent-teacher conferences, which can be very taxing for both the teachers and the parents, parent-teacher parties are more relaxed and easy going. The only hurdle you have to overcome is this phenomenon called “parental apathy to PTO parties”, which becomes an issue if the only type of meetings that these parents have attended are related with their children’s behavioral and academic performance.
Questions like “do we HAVE to go?” will crop up, which means your PTO party must rock these parents’ imagination and spark their interest enough for them to attend.
Planning for the Parent Teacher Night should be done at least six months prior to the event. This will allow you to conduct surveys and give out questionnaires for parents to answer. In fact, you can start planning for the next PTO party a week after the last one. Check out the log for the names of the parents that attended the event and contact them for feedback.
You can send an email asking them a few questions, or one that directs them to a page on your school’s website where they can fill out a feedback form. Remember to mention the magic words, “this will only take a few minutes”. A simple rating system can be used to avoid complicating the feedback process, but make sure there’s a space for the parents to tell you in their own words what they thought of the party.
Also, explain on the page (or the email) that you are going to use their suggestions to make the next party more memorable. This will make parents feel invested in the next party because it will seem like they contributed in the planning somehow with the feedback they gave.
When you’re done asking for feedback and collating survey results, it’s time to plan for the next party. First, decide on a theme. To do this, you must have a clear idea of the commonalities among the parents. Will the majority of the parents appreciate and attend a 1980’s themed party? Should you hire a 90’s rock band or a DJ who’s familiar with ballroom dancing CDs?
Next, make a list of the food items you will be serving. Because of the cross-cultural nature of the parent community in most schools, you must prepare an open buffet with food elements that most folks can appreciate. Assign one of the teachers to attend to the parents who are getting food from the table. They may have questions on specific dishes that need to be answered immediately (e.g. questions about the presence or absence of meat products, low fat ingredients, etc.).
Assign a host and a front door attendant to usher in the attendees. Make sure the people with these responsibilities are approachable and well-liked. Remember, the usher is the one that greets every parent at the door and hand them the party program, which means that his or her likability will make the parents’ feel glad they attended the party instantly. The host or the program manager is responsible for making sure the parents don’t leave early.
Finally, create compelling invitations that will be distributed a month or two before the party. Don’t rely on a simple bulletin board notice to get the parents’ attention. An invitation is more personal and a more reliable way to inform parents about the PTO party.
About the Author
Angela Costas writes for the Top School Fundraisers blog. Parent Teacher groups like PTA and PTOs are essential to supporting your school’s educational programs. They are supported through PTO fund raising and general elementary school fundraising programs.
