Westbriar Elementary School PTA

Guidelines for Room Parents

General Information

Thank you for your interest in and/or for volunteering to be a Room Parent! 

Each classroom should have one or two volunteers to be room parents. One parent should take on the responsibility to be the lead room parent.  This parent will be responsible for helping coordinate the efforts of class parties for their classroom. The primary responsibility of the room parents  to is support the classroom teachers and work with her/him to plan any classroom events.  All classroom activities must be approved by the teacher.  Room parents should also communicate any necessary information to all the classroom parents.  The teacher will be able to provide room parents with most of the email addresses for all classroom parents in September.  

Room Parents are also responsible for collecting and spending classroom funds appropriately.  One Room Parent should be designated to handle the money and oversee the budget.  Click here for a sample budget spreadsheet.

Please try to involve as many parents as you can in classroom activities. It makes things more fun, allows others parents to participate in their child’s education, and will make your job easier. Communication via email will enable you to notify classroom parents of upcoming activities more efficiently.

The PTA Room Parent Coordinator will inform the Room Parents of PTA events as well as “Staff Appreciation Week” dates well in advance (in the spring), along with the specific events that we as a school are putting forth for Staff Appreciation Week.

All classes are encouraged to participate in these events to honor Westbriar teachers and staff. Families may also want to voluntarily show their appreciation individually. A group gift is not necessary during this week since it is customary for classes to collect for an end of the year teacher gift.

Specific Responsibilities

• Contact the teacher in the fall to discuss potential activities for the year to determine the teacher’s preferences for parties and/or other activities. Coordinate two classroom parties throughout the year with the teacher.
  
• Find out from the teacher when the parties will be held. Examples: Winter party and End of year party are standard
• Collect classroom parent emails from the teacher so you can communicate with them throughout the year.
• Ask the teacher to fill out the "Getting to Know You" Questionnaire and share it with all classroom parents.  This form will be distributed to all Room Parents by the PTA Room Parent Coordinator.
• Request a voluntary donation from each family at the beginning of the year. We suggest sending home and asking the teacher to email out a letter such as this.  The suggested donation amount is $20-25 per child which will make additional donation requests throughout the school year unnecessary. This one-time donation will cover both class parties, Staff Appreciation Week in the spring and anything leftover will go towards an end of the year group gift for the teacher. Please budget your funds accordingly, so you will not have to ask for any extra money from parents. A sample budget is provided HERE.  We recommend that you do this early in the school year by emailing parents. Checks and other forms of payment must go to one of the Room Parents – do not accept checks written to Westbriar or to the PTA.
• Remember that all donations are voluntary. This should be made very clear in all correspondence with parents.
• Recruit parent volunteers for planned activities.
• Assist the teacher with other activities as requested.

Thank you for stepping into this very important role as Room Parent!

Frequently Asked Questions

How many parties may a class have during the year and what constitutes a party? Each class may have two parties during the school year. Typically they are the winter party and the end of year party. You should coordinate with your teacher early in the school year to determine which two parties will be held for your classroom.  They may include a craft or other activities. Snacks may also be provided.

Can there be activities other than parties during the year? Yes, as long as they are curriculum based (i.e. Incorporate something the class is studying in the activity or a snack) and are teacher requested/approved.

What events during the school year will affect Room Parents? December – Winter Class Party;  May – Staff Appreciation Week; June – End-of-Year class Party.

Can Room Parents ask for a voluntary contribution from parents? Yes, with emphasis on voluntary. The Room Parents are encouraged to ask for a one time $20-25 donation from each family to fund parties, activities and a group teacher gift. When asking for contributions ask that the checks be made out to one of the room parents. No cash and no checks made out to the PTA or Westbriar.

What type of letter should I send to the parents and what information should it contain? A sample letter from the PTA Room Parent Coordinator to all Room Parents is provide HERE.

What should the classroom budget look like? A sample budget will be provided by the PTA Room Parent Coordinator to all Room Parents.