Room Parent Information

Thank you so much for volunteering! Being a Room Parent is a very rewarding job and a fun way to get involved with your child’s classroom. Hopi is an amazing community because of the support of our staff, students and families.

Below are the guidelines for the Room Parent role. The PTA is always happy to hear about your ideas and learn from your experiences — reach out to us anytime to share at volunteers@hopipta.com.

FIRST MONTH OF SCHOOL

•  Attend the Room Parent Training, which is held around the third week of school (usually on a Wed or Thur at 9am in the Cafeteria). The PTA Board Member in charge of Volunteers will send out an email by the second week of school with details, once most classes have the Room Parent positions filled.
• Connect with the other Room Parent volunteers from your class, if any. Decide upon possible positions, or combine as necessary:
  • Communications — Send all emails to class. Creates sign-ups for parties, including supplies and volunteer opportunities.
  •  Treasurer — Collect donated Class Funds (see below). Manage spreadsheet of collections and spendings. Provide periodic status reports.
  • Gifts/Party Planner — Curate gifts for teacher/teacher aide for his/her birthday, the holidays, and end-of-year. Coordinate party details with teacher.
  • Meet with your Teacher (**see Meet The Teacher breakout below). Each teacher has unique preferences and requirements for their classroom, including the need for volunteers, supplies, celebrations, and taking into account student-specific circumstances (allergies, pull-out services, etc).
  • Use the Introduction email template (linked at the bottom of this page) to reach out to your class. Be sure to include the best way to get in touch with the Room Parent(s), whether that’s email and/or phone. This first email is also a great opportunity to solicit Class Funds, as detailed below.
  • Create a plan for the year, including a tentative budget for teacher gifts, a schedule of class events, and potential volunteer opportunities.

**MEET THE TEACHER**

• CLASSROOM DIRECTORY
  • Some teachers make a classroom contact list to share with Room Parents. In the case that you need to make your own, ask the teacher for help gathering information. Often the teacher will ask parents/guardians to “opt out” if they do not want to have their information shared.
  •  Best practice is to always BCC family recipients in class communications to avoid Reply All responses and bogging down inboxes.
• CLASSROOM WISHLIST
  • Check-in with the teacher about helping gather supplies on their wishlist.
  •  Teachers often include a link to their Wishlist(s) in their class newsletter. You can help promote these links in Room Parent class communications.
  •  Periodically, ask if there is anything they really need “now,” or for upcoming projects, that may be procured by the families.
• SCHEDULE PARTIES AND EVENTS
  • Make a list of celebrations for the year and brainstorm tentative dates/locations (if outside the classroom) with the teacher.
  • Plan to firm up details 3-4 weeks prior to the party. Ask for a copy of any volunteer/supply signups the teacher may have started.
  • Create a Sign-up Genius, or gather volunteers via email, to help with the party. Be sure to include all details and supplies needed.

CLASSROOM FUNDS

• Use the Introduction email to begin the Class Fund.
•  Give different collection options, such as Venmo, Zelle and/or setting up a time to collect cash/check.
•  Suggested ask is $40/family. Some families will give more, some may give less.
• Class Funds are only for teacher and teacher aide gifts for the year (birthday, holiday, and end-of-year), not parties, classroom supplies, or Staff Appreciation Week.
• Create a Sign-Up Genius for party items, classroom or teacher Wish List supplies, and/or Staff-Teacher Appreciation Week. Again, these types of donations are separate from the Class Funds.
• Donations are always suggested, NOT required. All gifts MUST be on behalf of the entire class regardless of a family’s ability to participate in donations.
• Keep good records of funds received and expensed.

GIFTS

• Recognize the classroom teacher birthday, winter holiday, and end-of-the-school-year with gifts. Teacher Aides should also be celebrated. Consider a group gift with other grade-level classes for Teacher Aide(s).
•  All gifts should be on behalf of the entire class, regardless of a family’s ability to contribute to the Class Fund.
• Communicate with families throughout the year with how funds are being spent, especially at the time of celebrations. Details and photos of the gift(s) are nice to include.

STAFF FAVORITES LIST

• Find your teacher's favorites here. NOTE, many forms are from previous years — check the date on it. If it's from a previous year, please take the time to ask your teacher for a fresh intake.
• Share the Favorites link above with your class. If you don't see your teacher/staff member, please let us know at webmaster@hopipta.com.

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

• Each classroom has a position called "Staff Appreciation Week.” This is 1-2 parent volunteers that will lead the coordination and arrangements of this week-long celebration in early May. NOTE: If there is no one signed up for this role for your classroom, the Room Parent(s) are asked to execute. Either way, it is encouraged to gather lots of volunteers to help make this week fun for Hopi.
•  Each classroom is responsible for their teacher and 1-2 “adopted” staff members, such as Specialist, Aides, Front Office, Support. These will be assigned as Appreciation Week approaches.
• Recognition will include door and poster decorations around campus and daily tokens of appreciation (ie. cards from students, flowers, coffee/lunch delivered, favorite treats). A Signup-Genius will be an especially handy tool during this time.
• The Staff Appreciation Chairs/Committee will provide details to this volunteer as this special times draws nearer in the Spring.

ROOM PARENT TOOL KIT

Here are a few references to get you started in the role. If you are new to keeping group emails confidential, there are some good videos found online depending
on your email platform.

• Room Parent Sample Email
• Class Funds Tracking Spreadsheet
• Sign-Up Genius Tutorial

Again, we appreciate your dedication to making Hopi the best! Please email questions to volunteers@hopipta.com.