Chairperson Guidelines
Welcome! We’re very happy that you have decided to be a 2010-11 PTA Committee Chairperson. We are looking forward to working with you this year. Thank you for commitment committment to the PTA.
If you are new to this position, the first thing you should do is contact the previous chairperson for your committee. Past Committee Chairs List This person is your best source for detailed information about your committee’s responsibility. See "Giving Back" below.
GENERAL
• Membership in the PTA is encouraged for all chairpersons. Join the PTA
• “PTA Flyers and other PTA Communications (hereinafter “documents”)” Westbriar Elementary School PTA should be printed at the top of all PTA documents.
• PTA data and files are generally produced in Microsoft Word or Excel format. this is to permit ease of file review, email, and transitions for future committees.
• Familiarize yourself with information informaton found on the PTA Website. The more you know, the better resource you will be for your committee members.
• Communication is the key to our success! Each PTA Committee has a mail folder in the PTA File Cart which is located in the PTA Volunteer room at school. The room is located in the lobby of the school - around the corner from the front showcase. Check it regularly for information/registration forms etc. Also, feel free to contact PTA Board members and other committee chairpersons via email.
• PTA Volunteer Room is a resource for you. It contains an inventory of items that are used for each program. If you need supplies for a program you are helping with, please see what is in the room first - before you purchase new materials. You can view the volunteer room inventory from here! Please help us keep the room clean.
• If you are coordinating a new program, you must fill out a Community Use form that is found on the PTA website. Click here Forms and Documents
• Copy Procedures “101” is the PTA code for the school copier. Should you need to make copies of flyers to go into the Tuesday folders, you will need this code to use the Westbriar copier. Committee Chairpersons (or designated committee team member) are responsible for making copies that will go home in the Tuesday Folders. Submit copies to front office staff. Whenever possible, only distribute to oldest/only. The office staff has the count for each classroom. There is colored paper in the copy room in the white cabinet under the sink. Please have your copies ready by Tuesday morning at 9:30 am to ensure that they go into the folders.
• All contracts need to be reviewed and approved by the PTA President. Also, remember that all contracts entered into by your committee must be signed by the PTA President in order to be valid.
• If you are in charge of an after-school enrichment activity - The PTA is responsible for the children - not Westbriar. You, or a designated committee member, will need to stay at school until all children have been picked up. Please use the Parent Sign Out Form and have each parent, guardian or designated pick-up person, sign the children out. Have a list of parent's phone numbers handy, in case a parent is late.
• If you need volunteers for your event or activity, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Elizabeth Keegan. Volunteers are generally solicited in the summer and in the fall.
• We recommend using an electronic method of "sign up" for volunteers, try SignUp Genius THIS IS EASY - if you have ever sent an EVITE, you can use this system. It will make your job a whole lot easier!!! If you need assistance, contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Elizabeth Keegan.
• If your email changes, please login and change it in your profile, and email Allie Jewsbury immediately so that your webpage can reflect the change.
PLANNING YOUR EVENT
Coordinate the date See PTA calendar for events calendar. If no date is shown, coordinate with PTA president. For after-school enrichment programs, contact Shannon Soria in the Wesbriar ES office to reserve a day, time and session length. Limit your sessions to two per year (i.e. spring and fall or winter and spring) so that we can accommodate each program.
Event Planning Sheet Fill out an event planning sheet detailing the needs for your event and return to Ms. Tam at least two weeks prior to your event. Make sure Ms. Tam is kept informed of any schedule or location changes.
Note: If you need to use the cafeteria and or kitchen, you must also coordinate use with the Kitchen Manager (an additional fee may be charged for the food service specialist to oversee the event).
GETTING THE WORD OUT
The Falcon Express is the PTA’s electronic communication E-Blast that is sent every Tuesday to Westbriar parents. It has a brief one or two sentenced description of the upcoming events and links to the Westbriar PTA website.
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To advertise your event or program, please submit the following info to Allie Jewsbury by 5pm on the Thursday prior to the week you would like your promotional material to be included in the e-blast. Late submissions will not be included in the Falcon Express.
Items to be submitted for the Falcon Express:
1. One to four sentence "blurb" that describe your event or call to action – this will appear on the Falcon Express email. (all "blurbs" will link to the relevant page on the PTA website as opposed to a file attachment)
2. Word document containing all information pertaining to your program. This information will automatically be added to the Westbriar PTA website by the webmaster. A link will be included in the Falcon Express directly to your program page.
If you want a hard copy to be sent home in the Tuesday Folders through Westbriar, you are in charge of making copies. You should not send a hard copy home unless absolutely necessary to get attendance - no more than two weeks in a row will be permitted. Documents that are to go home in Tuesday Folders in the student's backpacks must be approved by the PTA President and Mrs. Goodwin via email. Direct your email to Allie Jewsbury. The PTA letterhead template can be found under PTA Business/Forms and Documents. Forms and Documents
On-line event registration is now going to be implemented for every program. If not included in Step #2, include all registration information including prices, limit on registrants, etc. in an email to Allie Jewsbury. The link to on-line registration will appear on your program/event page as well as the Events Calendar. Contact Trang Sabel for administrative rights to your registration page. Trang will give you step by step instructions on how to access your program registration information. Final pricing is left to the descretion of the PTA board to ensure that the costs for on-line registration are covered.
To place an event on the school sign outside send an email to Lee Anne Ritter.
To utilize the display case or bulletin board in the front lobby, check the schedule here. Priority will go to ongoing/upcoming events. Materials to decorate the areas can be found in the Art Room. Please be sure to remove items directly after your event.
To announce an event on the closed circuit TV, email Mrs. Tam who will make sure your event is advertised to the students during the morning and afternoon announcements.
WEBSITE
Most programs and events already have a dedicated web page on the used for communicating information to parents and students. If you do not see a page for your activity, please contact Allie Jewsbury to request one. To maintain a consistent "look and feel" of the PTA website, all content, design and layout of each page is at the discretion of the webmaster.
FINANCIAL RECORDS
Keep a record of all your committee’s expenses. Submit all reimbursement forms to the PTA Treasurer. It is the responsibility of each committee member to fill out itemized deposit slips for each check and monies received. Once the deposits slips are completely filled out, submit those items to the PTA Treasurer. Both of these forms can be found under the PTA Business/Forms and Documents section of the PTA website. Forms and Documents
The Budget for all PTA Committees will be finalized at the September PTA meeting. It is available on the PTA website under PTA Business. Please review the budget and contact the PTA Treasurer if you have any questions or concerns about your budget. Also, please do your best to stay within the budget allocated for your committee. Should you need an increase in your budget, please be sure to contact the PTA Treasurer immediately.
MONTHLY MEETINGS
PTA meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Westbriar Library on the second Wednesday of each month. The President will contact you in advance to confirm whether you will be available to give a report. Please feel free to contact the President, if you would like an agenda topic added for discussion at each meeting. (In December, a social gathering is held instead of a meeting, check the Events Calendar for details)
GIVING BACK
As you go through the year, please remember to keep detailed records. One day you will need to pass this important information on to the next committee chairperson -- should you decide to seek another committee position next year or move on to a new school. Your records about your ideas for the future will be an invaluable item to share with the next chairperson that takes over your committee.
FACEBOOK
New! Westbriar PTA has a page on FB. You are encouraged to join and use this venue as a resource to advertise your events, recruit volunteers and participate in discussions. Click on facebook to join the group.
Thank you for agreeing to volunteer your time to the PTA. We are looking forward to a wonderful year. We’re so happy that you are part of our team. If at any time you are concerned about a PTA matter, please feel free to contact the PTA President or any PTA Officer.