Room Rep Handbook

• The Room Representative program and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) are closely aligned. Both work to advance communication, encourage parental/guardian participation, and improve working and learning conditions for teachers, staff, and students.

• The Room Representative Coordinator is a board member of the PTA.  

• Room Representatives are encouraged to join the PTA, but it is not a requirement.

• Please regularly check the PTA website for upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and more.

• Volunteer FCPS is a new volunteer management platform. All volunteers must register.

• Sign up for one of the programs/opportunities at KMES to support our school.

• Room Representatives must register as Level 2 volunteers (minimum).

• Remind classroom volunteers to register, especially before parties and field trips. Field trip chaperones require Level 3 registration.

• Under no circumstances may Room Representatives collect money from families. This includes gift cards, teacher gifts, party supplies, or any other purchases. This is KMES and PTA policy.

• Parents/guardians are strongly discouraged from collecting funds for teacher gifts/gift cards. Pooling money may exclude families who cannot contribute and can lead to misunderstandings.

• Individual families may give gift cards or gifts on their own, up to $100 per teacher per year.

• Room Representatives should share the Staff Favorites and Teacher's wist list with parents/guardians.

• Room Representatives are encouraged to organize free gifts with classroom volunteers and students, such as memory books, handmade cards, banners, or slideshows. Ensure all students have an opportunity to participate, and present the gift on behalf of all students regardless of participation.

• The Room Representative may create a wishlist (e.g., SignUpGenius or Amazon) to procure supplies for the parties and other teacher/principal sanctioned events. The Teacher should oversee and finalize these requests. The Teacher may then share the list with the parents/guardians.

• Remind families not to use the school's address for deliveries. Items should be delivered to their home and brought to school at a time agreed upon by the teacher and/or Room Representative. 

• Do not share personal information about families, including marital status, finances, academic performance, behavior, or special needs.

• Do not share sensitive information your teacher provides about individuals or situations.

• As part of your role, you will receive a class contact list from the Room Representative Coordinator:

• Keep all contact information confidential, including names, phone numbers and email addresses.

• If someone asks you for contact info to set up a playdate, etc, contact the other family first and ask for permission.

• Respect requests to be removed from your Room Representative email distribution. Inform the Room Rep Coordinator so that the contact is also removed from the source list.

• Teachers and administration cannot provide parent/guarduan contact information. Work with the Room Representative Coordinator and your teacher to invite more families to join your contact list.

• With the exception of standardized examples of correspondence that have already been provided to you, please check with your Teacher, the Room Representative Coordinator and/or the PTA President prior to sending emails, handouts, and flyers to parents/guardians.  

• When emailing parents/guardians, please copy your Teacher.

• Any specialized or unique letters of communication going home to parents/guardians, need to be approved by Ms. Linda Peace, the Principal of KMES.  

• If in doubt about a particular situation, contact the Room Representative Coordinator and s/he will direct you to whom you should consult.

• Be sure to practice discretion, probity, and professionalism in all of your written and verbal communications.

• It is imperative that you respond promptly to emails/texts/phone calls and make every attempt to attend meetings with the Room Representative Coordinator, Classroom Volunteers, your designated Teacher, or any planning committees of which you are a part.

• It is important that you make every effort to consult and follow the “Responsibilities & Tentative Timeline” throughout the school year.

• You are expected to distribute information as requested from the Teacher, the PTA Board, and/or the KMES Principal Linda Peace.

• If you are not able, for whatever reason, to attend meetings, communicate regularly, or otherwise fulfill your obligations, please let the Room Representative Coordinator and your designated Teacher know as soon as possible.

Room Representatives and Classroom Volunteers may not grade, assess, provide feedback on, or record scores for students’ lessons, homework, quizzes, or tests.

• Room Representatives and Classroom Volunteers may use the Parent Workroom and the copy machine in the KMES Library for tasks associated with their roles as volunteers.

• The Parent Workroom is also the office of the KMES Instructional Assistants.  Please be respectful of their space and needs for use of the office to complete her own work.

• If you need to place something in your Teacher’s mailbox in the Work Room, please ask the Room Representative Coordinator or Mrs. Janis Ours, the Administrative Assistant in the Main Office, to help you with that task.

Parents are asked not to bring in babies, toddlers, and young children when they are volunteering at the school as this poses a potential liability issue. There are several ways for parents with younger children to volunteer and assist the teachers from home.  Please contact the designated teacher or Room Representative Coordinator for more information.