

Halloween Safety in and Around Motor Vehicles!
Jamie Schaefer-Wilson Leave ... National PTA Injuries in and around motor vehicles increase significantly during the holiday season. In fact, Halloween is a time when incidents happen at the highest rates. Take extra precaution to ensure that your children are safe on sidewalks, driveways, side-streets and roadways while trick-or-treating. Remember, no matter the size of your vehicle, there are blind zones that will hide the presence of a child behind, next to or in front of


How to Improve Parent Participation in the PTA or PTO
How to Improve Parent Participation in the PTA or PTO Like teenagers, parents are busy with work, taking care of their homes, raising children, and personal interests – it can be hard to find time to squeeze anything else into the routine, especially when they know they have teachers, administrators, and existing PTA|PTO members they can rely on. This is frustrating to the people involved, but it also gives you a reason to try and think outside the box in order to improve par

101 Fundraising Auction Donations Sources
101 Fundraising Auction Donations Sources An extensive list of sources for fundraising auction donations from companies with links to online donation request information for each business. These fundraising auction donation sources provide items ranging from $25 gift cards all the way up to cruise ship vacations. This list will save you hours of time compared to finding all these fundraising auction item sources on your own. When requesting items for your charity auction, be


Last-Minute Halloween Ideas for Your School PTO
Last-Minute Halloween Ideas for Your PTO It could be that lots of parent groups are ready for Halloween, and maybe even have been for weeks. But if your group isn’t there yet, don’t worry. There are lots of fun and easy-to-execute ideas for Halloween; here are some of our favorites. Quick Costume Swap You’d be surprised how many families might still be in need of costumes at the last minute. Save them the stress of buying whatever’s left at the local store by organizing a qui


Finding Donations for Your Auction
The success of your auction depends on the quality of your items. Here's how to find, and ask for, great items at all price points. Of all the tasks necessary for a fundraising auction, procuring items is the one that can intimidate even the most enthusiastic volunteer. Great auctions are dependent on great items. There might be a hundred enthusiastic guests at your party, but they’ll go home with money in their pockets if they are not motivated to bid on your items. So what’


Teacher Appreciation Ideas They’ll Love
Does dreaming up novel ways to show staff and teacher appreciation have you stumped? Is the mere mention of Teacher Appreciation Week enough to cause full-on panic? If so, relax. Here’s a collection of clever event themes, activities, and gift ideas from parent groups across the country that are sure to inspire. Small Gifts Even if you lack volunteer power, funds, or time, there are still plenty of ways to show you care. The PTO at Westfield (Ind.) Intermediate and Middle sch