How does your school's PTO communicate with families

[niccig]

DS's school is wanting to find new ways to communicate with families about upcoming events like the jogathon, silent auction, book fair etc. They need to tell people what they might need to do, eg. send in permission form, donate goods or sign up to volunteer at an event.

The school has a newsletter that is online and pinned to the noticeboard, room parents will email class reminders of things. There's a monthly PTO meeting.

Just wondering how other PTO etc do this.

Thanks. Nicci

[cilantromapuche]

fliers are sent home and email notices are sent for those who provided email addys. ConnectEd is used for PTO events, as well as website. i don't think anyone reads the website though.

[LD92599]

Flyers are the main means of communication though emailed reminders are often sent, which i LOVE. I do wish they'd also email the flyers.

[SnuggleBuggles]

They have announcements included on the weekly school newsletter that goes home in print for all families (1/ family rather than every child), the parent organization also has a website of their own and a message board. Room parent emails and reminders on the grade level newsletter are the other ways of getting in touch.

Beth

[codex57]

My kids aren't in school yet, but for any group, I love it when they post the info online. Too many e-mails. Can get lost in the shuffle. Nicer to have a website where I can go to and just that info will be there. Can be easier to keep track of then e-mail notices. Just thinking how info is passed out for groups I'm in now like my homeowner's association, etc.

I'd like physical fliers too tho.

[wendmatt]

DD gets a flier sent home in her school daily folder, they also post info on a board outside school.

[caleymama]

Mainly fliers but our school is also trying to be greener and has (in the last year or so) started using BigTent.com so I get a weekly email from that as well as special notices. There is also a monthly PTA newsletter that gets sent home, 1 per kid. There's also a PTA bulletin board in the main hallway/entranceway to the school.

[egoldber]

They use a combo of newsletter, fliers, e-mail and even automated calls. I would be happy with all paperless, but not all parents in our school have and use e-mail.

Our PTA does not have a website, but many schools in the area their PTA does. I would love that.

[crl]

We get the "Wednesday envelope." Every Wednesday the big red envelope comes home in the backpack. It has a place to sign each week that you got it and then you send it back to be return anything that needs to be returned and for the envelope to be reused for the next week. It has stuff from the PTA and random fliers from summer camps and such and it has newsletters from the principal.

(Stuff from the individual teacher, like Scholastic book orders and field trip permission slips come home in the homework folder.)

They also have a google group and send e-mails to parents who have given them their e-mails. And they put fliers up on the doors and bulletin boards at school.

Catherine

[jenmcadams]

We have the following:

Marquee Sign in Front of School
Principal Newsletter (paper 1x monthly)
PTA Monthly Newsletter (electronic)
Weekly Email Blast (includes info on things happening this week and upcoming events)
Website (updated weekly)
Friday Folders (flyers, brochures, etc.)

[egoldber]

Oh, we do have a Tuesday Packet, and the vast majority of flyers and things that come home, come in that packet.

[DebbieJ]

Flyers in folders/backpacks
Email (although I wish they would send things like fundraiser order forms as attachments so I can email my friends/family the info more easily)
Monthly newsletter (edited hard copy sent home in folder, full version on website)
School website "Virtual Backpack"
Monthly PTO meetings

[squimp]

We get the "Wednesday envelope." Every Wednesday the big red envelope comes home in the backpack. It has a place to sign each week that you got it and then you send it back to be return anything that needs to be returned and for the envelope to be reused for the next week. It has stuff from the PTA and random fliers from summer camps and such and it has newsletters from the principal.

We have this Wednesday folder too - and it's red. It contains things related to the classroom or stuff outside of school.

Everything else is emailed - but then most parents either work for the university or in the computer industry. The PTO works through the school - most messages come from the school secretary. The school newsletter is posted on the web and we are emailed a link. Works great - they even remind us of the non-school days and snow days through email - it's very convenient.

[Tondi G]

Our parent organization sends flyers home in the kids folders, they email information and the newsletter is posted in the hallway outside the office in the school. The principal also does a weekly update that is emailed to us as well as a phone message on Sunday evenings.

[niccig]

Thanks everyone.

The school no longer does a paper newsletter - it's emailed and on the school's website. They also changed the time of the weekly All School meeting and there's less parent attendance - still a lot but not as much. It sounds like those 2 things have cut into the communication, and neither will change back to what it was for a number of reasons.

I like the idea of a PTO website or other site that helps to organise the events, sends reminder emails/texts/twitter/facebok etc. I know everyone in our class has email - I'm room parent and send out email updates about field trips etc. I'm not sure about other classes though.

I'll make a list and pass on the ideas.