Room Parent Sign Up Opens Friday, September 5th! Click Below
Room Parent Description, Duties & Outline
Room Parents play a key role at High Plains: not only are they a link between teachers and families, but they also foster a sense of belonging by helping families feel connected to one another. They create opportunities for parents to engage, build relationships, and find community with other like-minded families, strengthening the home-to-school connection for everyone.
At High Plains, each Room Parent is responsible for the following tasks:
- Communication & Connection
- Create a grade level introduction email–let the grade know who your kids are and any other details you’d like to share. This is a great opportunity to extend yourselves as a resource (does a new family have questions about after school clubs, what fundraisers does HP offer, or what time does Trunk or Treat start, etc).
- Party Planning
- Plan, attend, and run the Winter Party.
- Plan, attend, and run the Spring Party.
- Teacher Birthday Celebrations
Room Parent jobs by Grade Level:
Each grade level will need a Parent Liaison, Treasurer and a Communications Parent. The responsibilities are as follows:
Parent Liaison: Each grade level group of room parents will choose one parent who will be the Parent Liaison, or the main contact person communicating with the Room Parent Coordinators and the Teacher Liaison. (Each grade level team chooses a Teacher Liaison – we will let you know who yours is today.) Your job is to coordinate with the Teacher Liaison regarding any special requests, ideas, tips, etc. You will also need to get the Teacher Liaison’s approval of any party plans. Parent Liaisons will also be emailing the party Sign-Up Genius link (that will be posted to the PTCO website) to the Teacher Liaison to be included in their weekly newsletter.
Treasurer: There should be one Treasurer per grade level on each room parent team. You are responsible for keeping track of expenditures and turning in receipts via the Expense Reimbursement link (below) to the PTCO treasurer for reimbursement. Keep in mind that the PTCO will not reimburse anything over the designated budget per grade. Your receipts must be turned in no later than thirty (30) days after the party for reimbursement.
In the link below, please include the grade being represented and attach a picture of the original receipts to the form. The reimbursement form is available through this link here.
Communications Parent: This person will be creating the Sign-Up Genius and link, for the parties, and sending it to the Classroom Communications Manager (Kristin Furfari), so that she may post it to our PTCO Website. You will also be sending the Teacher's birthday celebration (or half-birthday if their birthday falls during the summer) email so that she may communicate with classroom parents.
Room Parent Jobs by Classroom:
Each Classroom will have to decide how they want to run their party.
Day-of Party Lead Parent: This room parent will be “on” during your party! The teacher is truly supposed to be off duty. This is a fun job interacting with the kids and explaining crafts, games, etc. ** Note: all Room Parents should be at the parties. It most definitely takes at least 2 to pull this off!
Party Particulars: The room parents for each grade should meet to plan the parties at least four to five weeks in advance. This will give adequate time to arrange for party helpers, contact parents to buy goodies, and make sure the teachers approve of the party plans.
Winter Parties will include an initiative called Hawks with Heart. Hawks with Heart is a way for our kids and classes to “give back” to the community. Rather than making a craft that will come home, kids will be involved in an activity or project that will benefit members of our community.
Please refer to the attached handout for additional information and ideas.
As a room parent, it is your job to run and facilitate your classroom party! If you cannot attend the party, you MUST make sure you have designated a volunteer who can run the party. It is not the teacher’s job to facilitate the party, this is their chance to relax and enjoy their students.
Budget: Some money has been set aside in the PTCO budget for classroom parties. Each grade can receive up to $100 per grade for the entire year (this is the max amount you can receive from PTCO to support both parties). Please use Sign-up Genius to request as many food and craft donations as possible from parents.
Planning: It is a High Plains tradition to let the Room Parents have lots of flexibility/creativity when planning the parties. But it is IMPERATIVE that all parties in a grade level look the same. The room parents for each grade level will plan the same type of party for each class. For example, each class in 3rd grade will have the same Hawks with Heart theme, treat, games, etc. This eliminates any hurt feelings.
Treats: Focus on a few items, rather than having lots of choices for the kids to pick from. Be as specific as you can in asking for donated treats (i.e., ‘goldfish crackers’ instead of ‘salty snack’). In the past, for example, we’ve had goldfish, cookies, naval oranges, and juice boxes (every student gets at least one of each). Make sure you check with the teachers concerning student allergies. There should be plenty of snacks to go around, including siblings, teachers, parents, and aides. It’s always a good idea to request individually wrapped treats for convenience and to avoid germy hands in a bowl of goodies.
Helpers: It is the job of each room parent to arrange help for the parties. Volunteers from your class can be called upon to help on the day of the party or for anything else that is needed. We recommend at least three people per classroom to help the day of the party. However, all parents are welcome at the party as well as younger siblings that may still be at home—please just remind them beforehand to be respectful of the teachers and their interest in keeping the party under control.
Games: Hint: the kids love to play BINGO and Minute To Win It games. Some teachers prefer to limit the commotion and may suggest a quiet game. Please make sure to coordinate your game ideas with your Teacher Liaison. Games are usually free to create/produce and stories/movies are other options to fill extra time.
Crafts: Some grades prefer to do a simple craft with the children. Please make sure that supplies will fit comfortably into the budget of each party and that the craft can be completed in a short time. Keep in mind any ‘drying time’ that might be involved! (We would suggest stickers vs glue if possible – and glitter is not easy to manage with 20+ kiddos!)
TEACHER BIRTHDAYS – we will tell you your teacher’s birthday today and remind you as it is coming up.
Teachers really do appreciate having their birthdays acknowledged and room parents can make it happen without spending a lot of money or time. In an effort to be more inclusive this year we are changing the way we celebrate teacher birthdays.
- Choose a day to celebrate your teacher.
- There are many teachers with summer birthdays and we recommend you celebrate their half birthday.
- Coordinate an email announcing the teacher’s special day to your classroom parents to go out via the Classroom Communications Manager, Kristin Furfari.
- The afternoon before the teacher’s birthday:
- Room Parents will be allowed time after school to start decorating the teacher’s door.
- The school has large rolls of craft paper located in the 5th grade hallway that we are able to use.
- The morning of the teacher’s birthday
- Room parents will be allowed time to help students write messages, draw pictures, or sign their names on the craft paper.
COMMUNICATING WITH CLASSROOM FAMILIES
Due to privacy that families often request, we cannot, as room parents, communicate directly with classroom families. We have a Classroom Communications Manager that helps us. Additionally, we’ve been given permission for the Grade Level Liaison to communicate directly with the Teacher Liaison to include our communication in their weekly emails!
See Document from Kristin Furfari - Communicating with Classroom Families
BIG THANK YOU FOR BEING A ROOM PARENT THIS YEAR!
We encourage all of you to work together and have fun! Thanks again for stepping up to do this job. These wonderful party memories wouldn’t happen without you!! Don’t hesitate to ask us anything!!
Communicating with Classroom Families
Contact: highplainsroomparents@gmail.com
