Ever since I was old enough to imagine having children, I knew I wanted to be room mom for their classrooms at school. I loved school parties and I couldn’t wait to help create some of that same fun and excitement that other moms created when I was in elementary school. But not every parent has a schedule flexible enough to allow them to be as present in the classroom as they wish they could be!
Here are some ways to stay involved when you can’t physically be in your child’s classroom:
- At the beginning of the year, it never hurts to send a “hello!” email letting the teacher know that you are eager to help in any way they might need. Do they need extra hand sanitizer? I’ll send them tomorrow! Do they want help cutting out flashcards? Put them in my son’s backpack and they’ll be done this week. Extra snacks for the classroom? I’ll add it to my grocery pickup order. It’s nice for a teacher to know that they have some parents that they can call on for help when needed. I also love school parties. So, about 3-4 weeks before a classroom party I like to send the teachers an email asking what I can do to help. I’ve offered to send treats, crafts, take-home goodie bags, or games. Sometimes it’s easier to send a Target or Amazon gift card so the teachers can get what they want for the kiddos and it doesn’t all come out of their own pockets. With parents not in the classroom and planning the parties, a lot more falls on the teachers and paras so any help is appreciated!
- See if the school’s PTO has a Venmo account set up. If they do, this makes it simple to Venmo a little bit of money to help cover expenses that they use for the students. This year our PTO decided to provide popcorn and hot chocolate for the winter parties. While parents didn’t send in treats, it made it easier for them to donate money to help pay for the treats and snacks.
- Attend the PTO meetings if possible. A lot of them are still virtual so that makes it a little easier especially if you have littles that struggle with that after school restraint collapse! You can turn your camera and microphone off while still being able to (somewhat) hear what is going on. And if you can’t unmute but have a comment, the chat feature is great! If you can’t attend a meeting, you can always check the school’s website to look at the minutes so you can have an idea of what was talked about as well as any upcoming fundraisers or events.
- This seems like a no-brainer in this day and age of technology and social media, but make sure to follow the school’s Instagram and Facebook pages. I love this because not only do they share pictures, but they also share reminders about events and important dates. Some classes have their own pages as well that make it convenient to follow so you can see pictures, newsletter and current happenings going on in each particular classroom.
There are so many ways to be involved and stay connected in your child’s life at school. When in doubt, just send an email or give the school a call. In my experience, they’re more than happy to have parents that are eager and willing to help out!
