Room Parent Information

The Room Parent’s responsibility is to communicate with the classroom parents and keep them informed about all PTA events and based on teacher preferences classroom activities.

Thank you for giving  your time and volunteering to be a room parent this year. You will have a unique opportunity to get to know your child’s teacher and their classmates and we appreciate your willingness to help!  Please see below for information regarding room parent roles and responsibilities.

1. Meet with your teacher to find out what they will need for the year as soon as possible. If you can’t meet before October, please get a very detailed email dialogue going.

1. 1. 1. What parties do you need to help plan?

         1. Will there be stations for the kids to move through?

         2. Does the teacher have any projects already planned?

         3. Will the December party be a winter party, or will it include Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa?

         4. Check if there are any food allergies in the classroom. What foods should or should not be brought in for treats?

         5. Ask if the teacher would allow siblings to come into the parties if parents are volunteering?

         6. How many volunteers are needed?

         7. Can you set a tentative date?

      2. Does the teacher need help getting parent volunteers in the classroom?

      3. Some of you will get your teachers completed “These are a few of my favorite things” sheet tonight. I will get the rest to you as soon as I can. If you ever need an extra copy let the Room Parent Coordinator know. 

      4. Get the contact info from your teacher to create a friendship list for the class.

      5. HOEDOWN:  The JA Hoedown is the PTA’s only fundraiser.  As room parents you are responsible for: 

         1. Getting volunteers to run a 30-minute shift for whatever station your class is assigned to.

         2. Pumpkin: Each class makes a pumpkin for hoedown and the room parents are responsible for helping the class to decorate (not carve) a pumpkin for this.  The pumpkins are provided by the PTA, some teachers like the class to help, others will hand you a pumpkin, give you the class theme and have you decorate it.  Please discuss with your teacher.

2. Create a friendship list for your class unless your teacher has already done so.  Please complete this task by October 1st and email it to all the parents on the list.  Your teacher will have collected this information at curriculum night, through the PTA packet or from Meet and Greets.  Only the parents who wish to be on the friendship list may receive a copy of the list.    Please email your class to introduce yourself as the room parent especially if you are waiting to send out the friendship list. 

3. If the class decides to collect money for a gift, the room parent can collect money or you can ask another responsible adult to collect it for you.  PLEASE NOTE:  Group gifting is always optional and you cannot set an amount of money to collect from each family.

4. Since there is no universal Jefferson Avenue email list we rely on room parents to disperse information to their class.  Periodically the Room Parent Coordinator will forward email blasts to room parents to send out to the class. Please distribute these emails promptly; ideally these emails would be sent the day that you receive them.  If you have parents that do not wish to be on the friendship list, please find a way to share these emails with them, either contact them directly or ask your teacher to forward the information to them. 

5. Please remember that just because you are the room parent, you are not solely responsible for crafting supplies or party snacks. You have a team of people at your disposal. If you are providing materials for the Valentine’s Day craft, then you can and should ask someone else to send in green pipe cleaners and tissue paper for the spring craft. 

6. It is important to remember that we are volunteering to support a loving and supportive community for the children in our school. When we volunteer in the classroom it is possible to witness something sensitive like a child having a meltdown or struggling to read. Please keep this information confidential and speak to the teacher first if you have any questions. Just remember to treat the situation like you would want someone to treat your child.

7. Each grade has its own big event over the year.  Please note that you will be responsible for filling any volunteer spots that come up for these events. It is best to start as early as the sign up doc is sent to you. Some years many parents want to participate and some others it is harder to fill the slots but you can always ask your teacher to send out reminders to parents.  The earlier you start the more time you have to remind them.  

8. All Grades: Teacher Appreciation Week: We will be making it a point to celebrate all your staff members at Jefferson Ave!  We are going to try to make it easier this year and decide on what to do earlier in the year and make it the same across each grade. I will be planning a meeting for all the room parents in the spring so that we can get together and plan it all out ahead of time. More to come on this. 

Thanks again for your time!  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask we’re always happy to help.

Room Parent Coordinator : Eric Spoth and Shelia Schwallie