Ebinger

Room Parent Bulletins (Newsletters)

October 2011 Room Parent Monthly Bulletin

November 2011 Room Parent Monthly Bullletin

2011 Teacher Holiday Gift Merchant Card Order Form

 

 

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September 03, 2011

 

Welcome Back Everyone!  The Room Parent Program will be looking for parent volunteers to be the Room Parent (RP) in their child’s classrooms.  The RP will serve as a liaison between the teacher and the parents in that classroom.  A few responsibilities may be to help with projects, assist in classroom organization, field trips, help with holiday parties, etc.  They work with their Teacher to determine what would be of most assistance in that particular classroom and invite other parents from their classroom to participate.

 

It is a fantastic opportunity to meet other parents and network, as well as participate in your child’s learning environment.  Please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in becoming a RP.  There will also be a sign-up sheet during Curriculum Night (September 15).  Please note that if there are more than two families per classroom interested in becoming RP, a “go to person” will need to be picked as the liason between the parents in your classroom and your Teacher and myself.  If you are not interested in becoming the RP, but are interested in volunteering in your child’s classroom, you will also have the opportunity to sign up.  This way, if your RP needs extra help he/she will be able to contact you.

An initial meeting to discuss the program and answer any questions you may have will be established, once we have all the RPs and volunteers situated.

 

Thank you for supporting Ebinger School - Bernadette A. Phelan, PTA Room Parent Program Chairperson

 

 

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General Information for Room Parents

We'd like to thank all of the Ebinger parents who have signed up to be Room Parents. Room Parents will be coordinating volunteers to assist during various activities and events throughout the school year. They may also be asked to do copying, reading and additional activities requested by the teacher. Room parents will also be communicating and coordinating with the other parents in the classroom regarding the aforementioned activities. Room Parents will also invite and include any other parents that express an interest in helping as the school year progresses.

As the school year is well under way, hopefully all the classroom routines have become established and everyone is settled into them. We have many exciting events and activities coming up in the school year that we will be asking Room Parents to help with. The various committee chairs will work with the Room Parents to coordinate activities with the other families.

TEACHERS…WHAT TO EXPECT OF YOUR ROOM PARENT

For the teacher, the Room Parent can be an invaluable resource for assistance as well as a liaison with the Ebinger PTA and with students’ families. Often, a parent has offered to be a Room Parent because they have the interest and the time to make a commitment to their child’s class and teacher

1. The teacher should discuss with the Room Parent what their availability is and be sure that both are comfortable with the commitment being made.

2. The teacher should also have a clear agreement with the Room Parent regarding how they will communicate with each other (i.e. phone, email, notes, meeting, etc.).

3. The teacher can reasonably expect the Room Parent to:

• Help coordinate parent volunteers within the classroom
• Coordinate class-based activities related to Ebinger PTA and Foundation events

 

The teacher should not expect the Room Parent to:

• Coordinate acquisition of supplies for class activities
• Get involved in confidential classroom matters
• Be able to make commitments to him/her with less than one week’s notice
• Be able to spend an excessive amount of time in the classroom

ROOM PARENTS…WHAT TO EXPECT OF YOUR TEACHER

In agreeing to act as Room Parent for a class, a parent is making a commitment to the teacher of that class, upon which that teacher will rely. The parent can and should expect the teacher to communicate with them regarding their expectations of the parent’s involvement. Likewise, the Room Parent should be forthcoming regarding their ability to meet those expectations in a reliable, effective manner.

The Room Parent can reasonably expect the teacher to:

1. Discuss and agree on clear expectations at the beginning
2. Communicate as needed in a responsive, mutually agreed upon way (i.e. phone, email, notes, meetings, etc.)
3. Seek his/her help in coordinating parent volunteers within the classroom
4. Rely upon his/her leadership in coordinating class-based activities related to Ebinger PTA and Foundation events. Seek his/her help in planning class projects, and/or special class celebrations
5. Provide contact information for any needed communication with classroom parents (i.e. class list with phone numbers and/or email addresses)
6. Provide sufficient lead time for any requests for assistance

The Room Parent should not expect the teacher to:

• Provide supervision of his/her activities (beyond what’s necessary to ensure the teacher’s request for help is clearly understood)
• Include him/her in confidential classroom matters
• Be available for discussions/conferences during normal class instruction time (unless previously agreed upon)

 

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND ROOM PARENTS

Communication between teachers and Room Parents is important to a successful coordination of effort. Teachers and Room Parents should agree up front on what type of communication works best for them. Both teachers and Room Parents should then make a point of responding to each other in a timely manner. As the school year progresses, teachers and Room Parents should be proactive whenever there are concerns or questions that may arise about the Room Parent's role or responsibilities.

 

ROOM PARENT REQUIREMENTS/RESPONSIBILITIES

We ask the representative to be familiar with the following guidelines:

1. Class projects, class celebrations, and related activities will be jointly planned with the classroom teacher and the room representative.
2. Communication between the room representative and the teacher should be arranged at a mutually convenient time.
3. Room representatives will not divulge confidential information to which they have access. Children’s behavior, needs, and interactions must not be discussed outside of school.
4. All communications sent home by the room representative must be approved by the teacher or an administrator.
5. All verbal solicitations to parents must also have prior approval.
6. All volunteers are required to sign in and out of the office and wear a volunteer badge when in the building.