Room Parent Guide - simplycircle.com · A room parent is like a teacher's magical sidekick, helping out wherever he or she needs. As a room parent, you will act as a liaison between

Room ParentGuide

Table ofContents

1. What is a Room Parent?2. What does a Room Parent do?3. Where do I start?4. Room Parent checklist5. Teacher meeting checklist6. Room Parent do's & don'ts7. Room Parent party guide8. Room Parent field trip guide9. Teacher gift guide10. About SimplyCircle

What is aRoomParent

A room parent is like a teacher's magical sidekick,helping out wherever he or she needs. As a roomparent, you will act as a liaison between the teacherand parents to help facilitate communication andensure the school year is as organized and as muchfun as possible. Thank you for volunteering yourvaluable time and congratulations on becoming aroom parent! We know you will look back on thisyear with fond memories.

!

What does aRoom Parent

do?

Helps the teacher

communicatewith parents

Acts as aresource for class parents

new tothe school

Joins the PTA &

has fun!

Collects money

& school supplies when

needed

Recruits other parent

volunteers

Plans & organizes

class events& parties

Attends & helps withschool-wideactivities

Don't feel like you have to do EVERYTHING! We know you don't have

superpowers! Part of your job is to delegate tasks to other parents. Trust us,

most parents WANT to help, they just don't know where they're needed!

Quick Tip!

Where doI start?

Schedule a meeting with your teacher to determinewhat his or her preferences, expectations, & needs are.

Register for SimplyCircle.com, a free & easy tool to helpyou facilitate classroom communication, send reminders,& notify parents of events & volunteer needs.

Create a class directory with each family's contactinformation, verifying parents' privacy preferencesbefore posting to your SimplyCircle.

Build a calendar of all school & class events along withvolunteer needs for each. Upload the calendar toSimplyCircle & post each as an event to enable reminders.

Send a welcome letter to parents introducing yourself asthis year's room parent for their child's classroom.

RoomParent

checklist

Tasks marked with a

be done in a breeze on

SimplyCircle .

Register for SimplyCircle.com

Psst!

Meet with yourteacher

Create classdirectory & sendwelcome email toparents

Create classcalendar of theyear's activities andvolunteer needs andshare with parents

Ask parents to signup for the volunteerpositions onSimplyCirc.le.com

Join the PTA

Delegate certain dutiesto other willing parents

Create a budget (ifapplicable) for parties,field trips, teacher gifts,etc...

Enjoy this special time with the kids!

Teachermeetingchecklist

Teacher's preferred method ofcontact by parents?Email:Phone:

____________________________

Ask teacher to use SimplyCircleif he/she doesn't already!

Teacher's favorites:Favorite color:Favorite food: Favorite store:Favorite team: Favorite activity:

Teacher's wish list:_______________________________________________________________

Discuss ongoing class volunteerneeds.Reading volunteers:Art lab help:Recess helpers:Snack coordinators:Musical volunteers:Cultural volunteers:

Discuss class activity volunteerneeds.Field Trips:

Class Events/Parties:

Back to School Night:

Talent Shows:

Amount of parent donationsneeded for:Parties: Field trips:Classroom supplies:

Class parties:Who plans:

How many:

Which occasions:

Types of activities:

Food:

School policies:

Room Parentdo's & don'ts

Keep other parents updated on classhappenings by uploading pictures of fieldtrips & parties to SimplyCircle!

Use your role as Room Parent to ask forspecial favors.

Welcome!

Be inclusive of all families, including ones whose firstlanguage is not English or those who are new to theschool.

Ask your teacher what he/she is looking for out of aRoom Parent and take your cues from him or her.

Visit the classroom unexpectedly.

Do

Don't

Do

Don't

Do

Room Parentpartyguide

Make a list of party ideas for eachoccasion and get teacher approval.

Upload a calendar of all the parties on your SimplyCircle so all the parents can see.

Ask parents to volunteer for set-up, clean-up, partyactivities, making a playlist, bringing food.

Remind, remind, remind! Make it easy on yourself &post each party as an event on SimplyCircle so parentsget reminders automatically.

Bring decorations!

Designate a photographer!

Bring utensils & trash bags.

Pick a start & end time.

Do'sFlake on your assigned duties.

Don'ts

Post pictures to the class

circle on SimplyCircle

Bring or plan anything that

wasn't pre-approved

Expect all parents to be able to

chip in to the party fund

Room Parentfield trip

guide

Determine what field trips are planned for the year and create a budget for each.

Add the field trips to the class calendar and upload it to SimplyCircle for parents to see.

Ask parents to volunteer as drivers and/or chaperones.

Post each field trip as an event on SimplyCircle soparents get reminders automatically!

Use bright (or tie-die) shirts

for all the kids.

Ask parents to provide car

seats if necessary.

Post pictures to the class

SimplyCircle.

Do'sLeave without taking

headcount!

Don'ts

Do anything on the trip that

wasn't pre-approved.

Purchase anything extra

for the kids in your group.

Request field trip fees from parents early in the year.

Teachergift

guide

Typical gift occasions include: Birthdays or halfBirthdays, Teacher Appreciation Day, Holidays, Year end.

A teacher takes a hand,

opens a mind,

and touches a heart.

Aim to collect anywhere from $5-$10/child per occasion.

Make it clear that participation in the gift is optional.

Use ideas from the teacher's "favorites" & wish list youcollected at the beginning of this guide.

SimplyCircle makes it easy for parents,teachers, and other group leaders toorganize and communicate, whetherthey're managing a family of four or agroup of 100. Our mission is to make

parents' lives easier.

Please check out our free app at:simplycircle.com