But what struck me from a PTO perspective was the community feel of the whole graduation week. It was palpable; it’s what made the week and my son’s whole school experience so special, and it was almost all parent-driven. Over the past few years, the school has been the centerpiece, the organizer of our lives — from homework to sports to family events and fundraisers.

As I sat there on graduation night, it wasn’t the dollars that the PTO supplied that I was remembering. Or the facilities or the textbooks. Rather, it was how thankful I am that my son (and his three siblings) attend a school where they feel like they’re part of something special. And while I’m very thankful for the teachers and administrators at our school, I’m equally thankful for the parents who’ve made it so much more than a brick building.

On behalf of all you do at your school — thank you! I hope you’ll feel free to share this note with your fellow parent volunteers.

I’m also reminded of this classic piece, “One Last Dance.”

The two schools earned $2,651.90 in just one month of collecting box tops! So we certainly agree when Mary Bendel-Simso, box tops coordinator at West Middle, says “everyone is a winner.’’

Amy Gromada, West Middle's principal, (left) will be wearing the East Middle T-shirt next week!

We wrote about this East-West face off a few weeks ago when the two schools were in a tight race.

The raw numbers show that East Middle collected 16, 517 box tops, while West brought in 10,002 during the four-week competition. Shows you what can happen when there’s a fun and new way to motivate students and their families.

Based on the rumble’s rules, the principal of the losing school would wear the winning school’s T-shirt and also declare that the winning school “rocks.’’ Bendel-Simso says Gromada plans to live up to her commitment next week.

What’s great about this story is it gave lots of PTOs a new idea to get their school communities interested in raising funds. The principals were great sports, and that’s often key to making a program like this successful. And based on the response this story received on Facebook, we suspect there will be more box top rumbles next year!

1. Whether you’re a new volunteer or an old, grizzled veteran, take a minute to read my ”A Tale of Two Volunteers” column. It’s all about wearing the other’s moccasins.

2. On Twitter and into parent involvement? Check out Joe Mazza, a Pennsylvania principal who is a huge advocate of parent involvement. And maybe review his weekly Parent-Teacher Chat (#PTchat) Twitter conversations.

3. Get your school’s school supply lists posted on TeacherLists. It’s a great resource for parents and teachers and — right now — offers lots of great rewards (free stuff!) for getting involved.

4. Have you seen all the great stuff for PTOs and PTAs on our Pinterest? It’s quickly becoming a key tool for parent groups.

5. Nice cause for 2013-14: Check out what Share Our Strength is doing with schools and hunger.

Have a great week!

Meanwhile, parent groups around the country are reaching out to these school communities. Here are a few options for offering help:

• The Oklahoma PTA set up the Oklahoma PTA Disaster Relief Fund for folks wishing to send a financial donation. Checks can be mailed to the Oklahoma PTA, 2801 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 214, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73105. The Oklahoma PTA said it would also accept donations of clothing, food, and basic supplies like toothpaste, soap, and sunscreen. Those items can be delivered to the same address.
• The PTA at Plaza Towers Elementary, which was leveled by the tornado, is accepting donations at Plaza Towers PTA, c/o Sheila Striegel, 5425 Mystic Place, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73150
• The Moore school district has set up an online fund at www.fundly.com/moorepublicschools

As well, there have been benefit concerts, organizations offering “comforting dogs’’ to victims, and celebrity baseball games, all of which help families heal.

For those of us observing this rebuilding, we can once again see the resolve and compassion that define so many school communities. Like other tragic events in the past year, including the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary and the destruction brought by Hurricane Sandy, we are witnessing a determination to move forward that ends up making us all feel a little bit better.

Just one example of that determination: The Moore school district published a newsletter that provided many updates, including information on how people can donate funds (http://www.fundly.com/moorepublicschools ).This followed an announcement that the driver’s education program that was scheduled to begin on May 29 was still on. At a new location, but still on schedule.

And just like the Sandy Hook and Hurricane Sandy events, much of the Moore community’s story is unfolding on social media, in particular on Facebook, as PTAs and PTOs as well as many individuals reach out, asking how they can help.

On the Plaza Towers PTA Facebook page, the group members posted “good news’’ that they had secured a storage space to keep donations for sorting. That post received 20 responses of parent group leaders and individuals offering to send whatever they could and providing additional ideas for donations.

It’s also a great time of year to highlight some nice programs that schools and PTOs and PTAs can use to connect with and honor our military heroes while educating students.

One of our favorite events is the History channel’s “Take a Veteran to School” program. Give it a look.

And we’d love to hear how your school or group activates around Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day, or how it connects with our military heritage in general. Share your good work on this Facebook discussion.

Amy Gromada, principal of West Middle School

East Middle School and West Middle School, which share a typical school rivalry, began this contest on May 1 and have until May 31 to bring in the box tops. So far, East is maintaining a lead over West, reports Mary Bendel-Simso, box tops coordinator at West Middle. The schools must check in with each other on each Tuesday of the month to report their collections numbers.

Bendel-Simso is updating the tallies on a poster in the school lobby with two thermometers featured on it, one for each school.

Bendel-Simso says she came up with the East versus West

Christian Roemer, principal at East Middle School.

idea because she wanted to try a different approach to motivate families to send in their box tops. She of course knew the schools had a rivalry. But she also wanted to find an inexpensive or even no-cost box tops collections prize.

And, she was hoping for some pizazz—or more excitement than the typical pizza party thrown for the winners. When she broached the topic with West Middle’s principal, Amy Gromada, she received a unqualified yes.

“It’s always great to have them behind the idea,’’ she says.

We’ll keep you posted on the competition!

I know school is over or nearly so, and I know you want to go to the beach or pool, but there are a few last steps to close out the year well.

Of course, we have those steps laid out perfectly for you in “Your PTO Year-End To Do List.”

If you can’t do them all, please take a few minutes for these two:

1. Check the school summer schedule and best dates for school office staff and principal.  You know you’re going to need them over the summer, so be prepared.

2. Ask each of your event chairs to really complete an event wrap-up form, while memories are still fresh. This small step will make a big difference next year. We have a sample post-event evaluation form on our File Exchange.

Good luck!

For many new leaders, it can be a scary time if there’s no transition strategy to bring them up to speed. We heard about one group recently that is taking an unusual approach. The six-member executive board agreed to step down as a group, retaining committee responsibilities while an entirely new group of six will step up to board positions. The idea is the new board will have mentors on hand.

But there are many ways to tackle the transition challenge. For example, PTO leaders of the Temple Independent School District in Temple, Texas, will come together this weekend for a morning workshop on PTO basics. Run by the district, the event is intended to give new leaders a primer on PTO group management.

Attendees will get an overview on bylaws, budgets, and nonprofit status as well as discuss ideas for recruiting volunteers and collaborating with each other.

“It started because one PTO parent was so frustrated by being dumped into the deep end,’’ says Regina Corley, PTO president at Western Hills Elementary in Temple.

That parent was Corley, who described a situation that will ring a bell with many PTO leaders: She stepped up to run the PTO at Western Hills in 2009 when a group of grade 5 parents, who had been on the executive board for a long stretch, moved on.

“They left and we didn’t know what to do,’’ Corley says. “We had a tough, tough year.’’

Since then Corley has been on the board in one capacity or another and will serve as president again this coming year.

But in 2009, she and her fellow board members felt overwhelmed. “I remember our first fundraiser,’’ she says. “We all just looked at each other when we realized we had raised $15,000.’’

At the time, Corley was also the director of communications for the school district, a job she wrapped up earlier this year. She shared her rough-start story with the superintendent and they talked about ways to help PTO leaders become more informed. That eventually led to the idea of the workshop and the first one was in 2011.

The district now keeps a copy of each group’s bylaws and budget on file, and new leaders can access those documents when they take over a group.

“What’s come out of it is we have strong, functioning PTOs,” Corley says. “So the next time a group of grade 5 parents moves on, the new officers won’t be completely lost.”

For any leaders who need transition tips, we have many resources on this important topic, including:

Help Prepare New Officers for Success

Officer Transition Survival Kit

You’re Elected! Now What?

8 Tips for Passing the Gavel

When it comes to our annual Parent Group of the Year search, that’s exactly the case. You don’t apply for the pats on the back, you apply because the recognition can really energize your group and help you do even more for your school in the years ahead.

Oh yeah — and the prizes are pretty great, too. This year’s sponsor, Labels for Education, is offering $3,000 plus 100,000 Labels for Education points to the grand prize winner.

And lest you think only the “amazingest” supergroups have any chance, that’s just not the case. We have categories for just about everyone. And groups of all shapes and sizes have been honored in the past. See for yourself in our Parent Group of the Year archives.

One thing — our deadline is coming up on June 3, so the time is now for getting an entry form in. More details and the entry form are available on our website.

My advice: Take the time to brag a little. And share your bragging with your whole school community. Folks are attracted to success, and a little self-marketing can go a long way in advancing the perception of your group.

Here are some more ideas to inspire you:

• 2012 National Winner: Service to the School and Beyond
• 2012 Idea Gallery

Good luck!

Well, Karlyn McConico knows.

The PTO president at Avondale West Elementary in Topeka, Kan., McConico recalls the day in late March when the group’s secretary told her a rumor was floating around that the group was out of cash and wouldn’t be able to fund its upcoming annual carnival.

“We were like, ‘What?’,’’ McConico says. As far as she knew, the finances were in order. “We had just had a board meeting,’’ she adds.

But McConico decided to investigate and took a solo trip to the bank where she was confronted with the harsh truth: The PTO account was nearly empty. Because the matter is under investigation, McConico was unable to share details of what exactly was missing or who is under investigation. But she did sum up that day by saying, “To have the carpet pulled out from underneath you, it was sickening.’’

McConico, along with the group’s vice president and secretary, decided to tackle the problem head-on. They reached out to the administration and made a quick decision to contact the police. Then they called an emergency meeting for parents to inform them of the lost funds and to let them know the carnival, which was scheduled for April 19, might not take place. The parents immediately began to rally and said the carnival couldn’t be canceled. An emergency carnival meeting was scheduled for the next day.

“We saw a tenfold increase in the number of parents involved,” McConico says. “Parents mobilized to get the word out to their contacts and employers, and social media was flooded with announcements about our predicament.’’

In addition, local media began covering the story. Before long, donations were pouring in, including two gifts of $2,500, one from a local company and the other from a person who had attended Avondale Elementary in the 1960s and wanted to make sure the kids got their carnival.

McConico says the carnival took place on schedule and was one of the best the school had ever seen. Because of the generosity of the community and profits from the actual sales at the carnival, the PTO made between $7,000 and $8,000 and will have more than enough to cover its other end-of-year events.

Now looking back, McConico says she and her team realize that they could have done more to ensure that financial best practices were, well, really practiced. “Routines and traditions get established and they don’t always allow for transparency,’’ she says.

They are now focused on turning that around. “We are restructuring our bylaws and other protocols have already been assigned,” McConico says. “We have two parties on the checks and two doing the resolutions of bank statements.”

One other piece of advice from McConico? If you are worried that your group doesn’t have solid financial best practices in place, say something. “When you want something to change, be willing to be persistent,’’ she says. “Keep bringing it up and push for things that will make your organization smarter and stronger.”

For more help and resources for your group, check out these articles:

5 Smart Financial Controls

What Every Treasurer Should Know

How to Manage Your Budget

Handling Cash: 6 Simple Steps