The end of the school year is a busy time for everyone. Students are taking final exams, and there are end-of-year parties and graduations to plan. In addition, many parent-teacher groups have their June fiscal year-end to prepare, plus new officer elections and officer transitions. With everything going on, it can help to have a guiding hand to make sure everything gets addressed, and nothing falls through the cracks. Not to worry, AIM is here with an armful of resources to make sure you stick the landing for the 2020-2021 school year-end. First, by making sure your current school year duties are all in order.
End of School Year Parent-Teacher Group Tasks
It’s time to clean house. Roll up your sleeves and go through your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club’s inventory. Get rid of the old, the expired, and the no longer useful items cluttering up your group’s inventory space. You’ll need to get new or replacement items for the Summer and upcoming Fall semester in some cases. Pay special attention to any perishable items you need to throw away and replace. Going through your group’s storage space is also a great time to ensure your inventory is accurate and up to date. Or a great opportunity to create a group inventory if you don’t have one. That way, you can easily keep track of what items you have and what you need to get before your next event, fundraiser, or school year start.
Tidying up at the end of the school year isn’t relegated to fundraising materials and leftover event items. The end of the year is an excellent time to review your group’s important documents. But, before you throw away anything important, go ahead and give them a quick scan and keep them backed up on an external hard drive or flash drive for easy access. Backing up your important files can save you storage space and ensure there’s no headache later if you lose a physical copy of your important documents.
Speaking of headaches, many of your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club committees and officers should be preparing their year-end reports. If you have some spare time, they would likely appreciate a helping hand in developing the report. See if you can pull examples of previous officer and committee year-end reports your officers and committee chairs can use as templates.
Also, don’t forget to form your new audit committees, review your policies, and if you haven’t already done so, hold your officer elections! If you need to catch up on holding your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club elections, This AIM Blog can help you catch up!
The end of the year and transition of parent-teacher officers is a good time to update the login credentials of any software or online services your group uses. Even incumbent committee chairs and officers should update their logins once a year to reduce security risks. You should also get rid of any old logins that are no longer in use. If you need help remembering these end-of-year tasks, download the Free AIM Year-End Checklist for Parent-Teacher Groups.
Another great way to cap off a long school year is by holding an awards ceremony. Many PTAs, PTOs, and Booster Clubs present service awards to teachers, parents, students, and community members who helped make the school year a success through their efforts. You can bundle this event with the announcement of your group’s new officers and use it as a chance to bid a fond farewell to parents who are leaving the organization. Awards recognition can help you encourage more support from group members and your school’s community.
PTA, PTO, and Booster Club Summer Activities
The end of the school year doesn’t have to put your parent-teacher group on hiatus. You can do many things over the Summer to make an impact at your school for students and community members in need. Some PTA, PTO, and Booster Club groups encourage Pay It Forward drives. This parent-teacher group led initiative tasks students, parents, and teachers to do small acts of kindness and appreciation to pay it forward to neighbors and strangers, to strengthen the community. Suggestions include picking up litter, removing graffiti, running small errands, and providing services like lawn mowing. These service activities help to make your community a little brighter, nicer and closer together.
If you’re looking for a Summer way to help fill your parent-teacher group’s coffers, one fundraising idea is to create a symbiotic relationship with local restaurants and stores. Encourage your parent-teacher group members to patronize these local businesses, who in exchange, provide a small portion of the proceeds back to your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club as a donation. This easy Summer fundraising arrangement can be an excellent way for you to support businesses in your area while also supporting your school and students.
Another way to give back this Summer is to provide community service by assisting with your school’s free or reduced meal Summer program. Besides volunteering, you can also donate items and create food boxes for families in need to pick up. Want more ideas? Here are some more Ways Your Parent-Teacher Group Can Give Back This Summer.
Preparing for the 2021-2022 School Year
Once you have settled all your 2020-2021 affairs, it’s time to start preparing for the Fall semester. A smooth transition of your parent-teacher group officers is essential to a successful start. After officer elections, you want to make sure all your new officers have a copy of your procedures and what they need to do to get up to speed. Your procedures guide should include things like a description of the position’s responsibilities, your group bylaws, and historical information, like meeting minutes and an events calendar. See HERE for more details about creating a procedure book and establishing a smooth officer transition for your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club.
New parent-teacher group officers should also take time to review your parent-teacher group mission statement. This step is helpful to make sure any events or initiatives your officers plan for the future all serve the mission statement of your group and Don’t Stray From Its Mission. Officers should also review your group’s bylaws for clarity and any necessary revisions. If your new officers do find something that needs amending, here is helpful advice on How to Revise Your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club Bylaws.
One of the most important officer positions in a parent-teacher group is the treasurer. The parent-teacher group treasurer is in charge of the group’s funds: how they can be accessed, used, and accounted. AIM has a New Parent-Teacher Group Treasurer Guide to help them understand their duties and how they can best support your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club.
With your new officers in place, your parent-teacher group is ready to begin planning for the Fall semester. One of the first things you will want to start planning is your Fall fundraising activities. If you’re in need of some new fundraising opportunities, AIM has Nine Parent-Teacher Group Fundraiser Ideas you can use as inspiration.
An integral part of planning your 2021-2022 school year and its fundraisers is deciding on the right insurance coverage for your parent-teacher group. For an example of what parent-teacher group insurance AIM offers and how it can apply to your group and your events, see the AIM Fall Fundraising Carnival. AIM offers Embezzlement, General Liability, Property, and Directors and Officers Liability coverage to insure your group’s funds, events, property, and members. You can get started with an AIM quote right now. Getting a quote and purchasing coverage for your group only takes a few minutes!