Welcome Room Parents to the 2025-2026 School Year!
Being a Room Parent is a wonderful way to connect with your child’s teacher, classmates and other parents. Thank you for volunteering – the PTO is grateful for you!
Now you’re a Room Parent – What’s Next?
STEP 1: TEACHER MEETING
Send one email from all Room Parents to your classroom teacher, introducting yourselves and requesting a time to meet, either in-poor or virtually.
Out of respect for the teacher’s time, please coordinate mutual availability with the other room parent(s) so there is only one meeting. Some teachers will hold this meeting amongst all the grade’s teachers & Room Parents, others will prefer to do it on a class by class basis.
The meeting should be an information session for the Room Parents to learn the teacher’s expectations and preferneces for how they would like the Room Parent role to function, as well as communicate preferences regarding relaying PTO information with the other classroom parents.
STEP 2: CLASSROOM PARENT COMMUNICATION
Request parent contact list from the teacher and write an introductory email to the parents that have ‘opted-in’ to these communications.
You can use the Sample Room Parent Welcome Letter or create your own email/letter as long as it includes the following:
*Introduce each Room Parent, including child’s name(s).
*Encourage parents to join the PTO if they haven’t already, as well as SIGN UP for the PTO Newsletter, The Scoop.
- Request an optional classroom donation of 35 to be used for Teacher Gifts, Classroom Parties and Door Decorating. See the next step for details on the donations.
Teacher Gifts are given:
- Birthday (or half birthday, if their birthday falls in the summer
- Winter Holidays
- Staff Appreciation
- End of Year
There are 3 classroom parties per year:
- Fall Festival/Halloween
- Winter Holidays
- End of Year Celebration
STEP 3 : Collect classroom donations
One Room Parent should be responsible for managing the class donations. The money should be collected electronically via Pay Pal of Venmo. Cash/Checks should only be used for special exceptions.
The Room Parent in charge of the class funds should track the amounts collected as well as the money/spent reimbursed. At any point througout the year the Room Parents should be able ot provide parents visibility to how the classroom donations are being used.
There is a Sample Class Funds Tracking Log Room Parents can use if they don’t want to create their own.
STEP 4 : CONTINUED COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
As Room Parents, you are responsible for sharing PTO information with your other classroom parents. Communicate also with the parents regarding parties and volunteer opportunities, keeping in mind your specific teacher’s preferences for parental involvement.
You can also create a classroom specific What’s App group, for ease of communicataion. This is options – many parents find this helpful, but not everyone may want to participate.
The PTO Room Parent coordinator (springhillptorp@gmail.com) is here to support your efforts and answer any questions along the way.
Thank you for volunteering your time and energy as a Room Parent!
Room Parent Documents and Resources
Click HERE for important documents, templates, and resources to help you get started as a room parent.
Contact the Room Parent Committee Chair for login credentials.
The documents and resources you will find on this page are for Room Parents ONLY, and the information within is CONFIDENTIAL.