COPPER BEECH PTA
2013-2014 HOMEROOM LIAISON HANDBOOK
Connections/Cooperation/Community and Actions Reward Every Student
CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Table of Contents
Welcome to the Team! ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
Meet the Teacher .............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Introductory Letter .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Distribution List ............................................................................................................................................................... 3
Email Best Practices ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
PTA Communications ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
PTA Meetings ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
CB PTA Facebook Group ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Spring Fair Support ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Classroom Parties and Events ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Teacher Gifts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Appendix A: Teacher Letter ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix B: Teacher’s Favorite Things........................................................................................................................ 8
Appendix C: Sample Parent Letter................................................................................................................................ 9
Appendix D: Sample Holiday Gift Collection Letter ................................................................................................ 10
Appendix E: Sample Teacher Appreciation Gift Collection Letter ......................................................................... 11
Appendix F: Teacher Gift Ideas ................................................................................................................................... 12
Appendix G: Contacting the PTA Board .................................................................................................................... 13
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Welcome to the Team!
Thank you for volunteering to act as the liaison between your child’s teacher and the other parents in that
class. The primary responsibilities of a Homeroom Liaison include:
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Driving PTA membership for the classroom
Disseminating PTA communications to parents as needed
Encouraging parent participation at PTA events and fundraisers
Coordinating classroom parties/events with your child’s teacher
Coordinating teacher gift collections
Please refer to this handbook for guidance throughout the year and feel free to reach out for help as needed.
The PTA Board is always happy to answer your questions.
Connie Whiting has been kind enough to step up as our Homeroom Liaison Coordinator again for this year.
She is also available to answer any questions you may have. Her contact information is below.
Connie Whiting, Homeroom Liaison Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (215) 884-9269
 You can also scan our QR Code to reach the PTA directly.
Meet the Teacher
Please be sure to introduce yourself to your child’s teacher as the Homeroom
Liaison as soon as possible. Email them your contact information and confirm the
teacher’s expectations regarding classroom parties. What parties should we
expect to plan this year (i.e. Halloween, Valentine’s Day, End of the Year)? Should
parents plan a craft and/or game for each of these parties? Are there any allergies
in the class? Do they have any specific requests regarding food in the classroom?
Should you plan to arrange for parent volunteers at the parties?
Please feel free to use the Teacher Letter (or a variation of that) in Appendix A to
gather information about the teacher’s expectations and hopes for the upcoming classroom parties. You will
also find a “Teachers Favorite Things” form in the Appendix that some have used to gather more details about
their child’s teacher. This can be very useful when trying to plan for teacher gifts.
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Introductory Letter
After your discussion with your teacher, the next task on your list as Homeroom Liaison is to send a letter
home to all of the parents of your child’s class introducing yourself. A sample letter is provided at the end of
this handbook. This letter should contain:
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Your contact information
A description of your role as homeroom liaison
A brief summary of the volunteer help that you will need from the other parents
A tear-off slip at the bottom requesting the following from each parent:
o Email Address
o Phone Number
o Volunteer Availability
After drafting the letter, email it to the classroom teacher so that they can
have an opportunity to provide some feedback before you print it up for your
class. The teacher may ask that you include some specific information
pertaining to volunteer activities in the classroom. This is an important step
in establishing open communications with your child’s teacher. If you are
sharing the Homeroom Liaison responsibilities with another parent, please
work on this letter together and only send one letter home to the other
families in the class.
Your letter should be sent home to the parents no later than Friday, October 11th. The first big event that the
Homeroom Liaisons need to organize will be the Halloween Parade. The sooner you can generate a list of
volunteers, the better.
Distribution List
In order to simplify the communication process and cut down on the amount of letters you will need to print
and send home to the families in your class, please put together an email distribution list. Urge all parents to
return the slip at the bottom of your introductory letter, regardless of whether or not they will be available to
volunteer this year.
If you are having problems gathering some of the email addresses for your class, reach out to your classroom
teacher and ask for assistance. They have probably already created their own distribution list and may be
willing to contact the parents that have not responded to you and ask for permission to share their email
address with you.
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Email Best Practices
Please be considerate of others’ privacy when sending emails to the families in your child’s class. Parents may
not want their email address being shared with everyone and we need to respect that. When you email the
group, use the BCC field so that no one else sees the email addresses on your list.
Also, when sending emails to your distribution list, always include the teacher’s name in the subject line of
the message. Many parents have children in different classes in the school. This helps them to keep track of
which messages apply to which classroom.
Don’t forget to copy your child’s teacher as well. This will help to ensure that we are all on the same page.
(The exception to this is when you are trying to organize a surprise gift for the teacher, of course.)
PTA Communications
As your classroom’s Homeroom Liaison, you will play a critical role in helping to share important PTA
messages. Throughout the year, you will be receiving requests from the PTA Board to notify parents about
upcoming events, fundraising activities, schedule changes, PTA Meetings, PTA collections, and more.
Additionally, at the beginning of every month, you will be emailed an e-Newsletter. When you receive it,
please forward it on to the parents on your distribution list.
You will also be asked to help drive PTA Membership in your classroom. The class with the highest
enrollment percentage in each grade as of November 1st will be rewarded with a PTA sponsored pretzel party.
Additionally, at any point in the year, if a class reaches 90% enrollment, the classroom teacher will receive a
gift card.
Additional copies of the Membership Form are available in the PTA Office.
PTA Meetings
Every month, the PTA holds a meeting (typically on the second Thursday at 7:30 P.M., although this is subject
to change) to give the parents an opportunity to interact directly with the PTA Board, the principle and/or
vice principle, a CB teacher, and other administrative staff at the school. This provides parents with an
opportunity to hear important news, find out where their help is currently needed, and share in the group
discussion. Guest speakers are invited to many of the meetings.
While we don’t require Homeroom Liaisons to attend every meeting, it is strongly encouraged. You are the
face of the PTA for your child’s classroom and many parents will come to you when they have PTA-related
questions. The more informed you are, the better. When you don’t have the answer they need, you can always
reach out to any Board member or email us at [email protected].
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
CB PTA Facebook Group
Please encourage all of the parents in your class that use Facebook to join the CB PTA group. This is
proving to be the fastest way to get important messages out to other parents in the school. It is also
a great tool for parents to use when seeking advice or CB information.
Parents can access the group by navigating to https://www.facebook.com/groups/CBPTA/.
The following guidelines have been established to help members understand how this group is to be utilized:
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Always protect the privacy of others. Do not post any private information (about yourself or any other
person) on our Facebook page.
Ensure that all of your posts are respectful and considerate. The CB PTA welcomes constructive
criticism and suggestions for improvement. No one should feel as though they are being personally
attacked by another member of the group.
Any post considered obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful
or embarrassing to another person or entity will be deleted. Additionally, any person that makes such
a post may be blocked from the group.
Posts that do not directly relate to the CB PTA may be removed from the group page. Please do not
use this group to advertise yard sales, business opportunities, or activities not specifically related to
the CB PTA community.
Post questions, share helpful information, and connect with other Copper Beech families. This group
has been created as a tool to encourage collaboration among the members of our CB community.
Spring Fair Support
New for 2013-14: Every classroom is going to be assigned a booth for the
Spring Fair. The classroom will not be responsible for preparing the booth,
just for providing volunteers to work at the booth during the event. As we
get closer to spring, we will be asking you to reach out to the families in
your class to fill volunteer time slots for your specified booth. There will be
at least two classrooms assigned to each booth, so there should only be a need to assign 2-3 volunteers per
class.
Classes will also be given a theme for their classroom’s Spring Fair basket. You will be asked to arrange for
donations for the basket, but will not be required to put the baskets together. More information about this
will be available after Winter Break.
Mark your calendars now – the Spring Fair is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd!
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Classroom Parties and Events
Every teacher has their own way of handling classroom parties, but parents are
typically asked to organize parties for the following events:
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Halloween
Valentine’s Day
Publishing Center Celebration (K-2)
End of the Year
Every party/event will need at least one coordinator to put it together. This can be
the Homeroom Liaison, but you are encouraged to ask other parents to help out with this role. When two or
more parents work together, the task becomes relatively easy to manage.
Discuss your plans with the teacher ahead of time, but in most cases parents are asked to send in things like
food, paper products, and goodie bags. You will likely need to gather a few volunteers to help out with the
event. The coordinator(s) and volunteers may also be asked organize games and/or crafts in the appropriate
theme. SignUp Genius is a great tool for managing volunteer lists and arranging for parents to send in
supplies for events. Parents will become very familiar with this site because the PTA will be utilizing it for
most of our activities this year. If you haven’t already checked it out, visit www.signupgenius.com to get
started!
Teacher Gifts
The teachers at Copper Beech give so much of themselves to their classrooms. It’s important for us to take the
time to let them know how much we appreciate all that they do for our children.
At different times in the year, it is customary to give the teacher a gift to show them how thankful we all are.
These gifts do not have to be expensive. Something handmade by the students may have much more meaning
than anything bought in a store. If parents are able to contribute some money towards a gift, classroom
supplies and gift cards are always appreciated. Find out what the teacher wants and needs. If there is an aide
in the classroom, you may want to put some of the money collected towards a small gift for them as well.
The following events make for great opportunities to thank our teachers with a gift: Holidays, End of the Year,
and Birthdays. Homeroom Liaisons are not required to give the teachers gifts for those events, but it is
encouraged and certainly appreciated.
Every Homeroom Liaison is required to put together a gift for Teacher Appreciation Week (usually the 1st
week of May). Consider organizing a collection from parents prior to this event, and splitting the money
collected between the Teacher Appreciation gift and the End of the Year gift. This way parents are only asked
to send in money once and both events are covered.
It’s important to note that parents should not be required to contribute money to these collections and
should not be asked to donate a specific amount. For some, this may be a hardship. We should ask parents
to contribute what they can, but we can’t expect every family to participate financially. The gift should still
come from the entire class, regardless of which parents sent in cash. Try to include every student by asking
them to make something to include with the gift. For example, every student might send in a handmade card.
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix A: Teacher Letter
Dear Teachers,
Welcome back! We hope you had a great summer. To meet your classroom needs for the year we would like
your input before our meeting with classroom liaisons this month. Please take a moment to answer the
questions below and return it to the school office as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your
cooperation.
Teacher name_____________________________________ Grade______________________
Class parties
1. Room parents will plan games
yes________ no________
2. Room parents will bring in food
yes________ no________
3. Room parents will organize crafts
yes________ no________
4. Room parents will give me an
agenda for the party a week prior.
yes________ no________
5. Food specifics (i.e. no brownies, peanut butter)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
6. What parties or events would you like room parents to assist you with?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Are there food allergies in your class this year? What are they? ______________________________
Gift and Classroom wish list
Gift ideas for you
Classroom wishes
_______________________
__________________________
_______________________
__________________________
_______________________
__________________________
_______________________
__________________________
_______________________
__________________________
Thanks for your time and assistance with this. We are looking forward to another great year!
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix B: Teacher’s Favorite Things
Teacher's Favorite Things
We want to thank you for all that you do for our children. We will try to do this as often as we can, but there
are times we like to go that extra step and get you a little something special. This is where we need your help.
Please fill out this form so that we can surprise you with the things you really like. Thank you!
My Birthday is:
Candy:
Snack:
3 Stores:
3 Restaurants:
Fast Food:
Dessert:
Cold Drink:
Hot Drink:
Color:
Flower:
Pets:
Sports Team:
Way to Relax:
Hobby:
Music/Artist:
Thank you for sharing yourself!!!!
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix C: Sample Parent Letter
Dear Parents,
Hello! My name is Jen Hurley (Ewan’s mom) and I am very excited to introduce myself as Mrs. Schuyler’s
parent liaison this school year. I am looking forward to helping out and making this year a success for our
students and their wonderful teacher. As parents, we can help Mrs. Schuyler with a variety of activities
throughout the year. I will be coordinating that help, but I can’t do it without you. Primarily, parents are asked
to help with the Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and the End of the Year parties. There may also be a need for
assistance with other events and activities, including the Publishing Center Celebration at the end of the year.
I am also here to act as a liaison between the parents of Mrs. Schuyler’s class and the PTA. If you have any
PTA related questions, please feel free to contact me. If I don’t have the answers for you, I will make sure I
find out who does.
Please complete the bottom portion of this letter and return it to me as soon as possible so that I can add you
to my distribution list. If you think you will be available to help out with any of our upcoming events, please
check the appropriate boxes below. If you’re not sure of your availability at this time, please return the form
anyway so that I can keep you informed of the specific event details, teacher gift collections, and other PTA
news.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (215) 885-1450 or email me at
[email protected].
Thanks in advance for all of your help! It’s going to be a great year!
- Jen Hurley
Name: _______________________________________ Phone #(s): _________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________
Please check
all that apply:
I’d like to:
Coordinate
Send in Something
Come in to help
Halloween Party
Valentine’s Day Party
Publishing Center Celebration
End of the Year Party
Please return to Jen Hurley (Homeroom Liaison – Mrs. Schuyler – Grade 2)
Please include your name and the teacher/grade on the
slip at the bottom of your letter. Sometimes these forms
are mistakenly sent to the PTA Office.
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix D: Sample Holiday Gift Collection Letter
December 1, 2012
Dear Parents,
The holidays are quickly approaching! Let’s make sure that we don’t forget to show our appreciation for all
that Mrs. Schuyler does for our children by pulling our resources together and getting her a nice holiday
gift. During the next two weeks, I will be collecting donations for her group gift. All donations are voluntary
and any contribution is welcome.
I have already purchased four of the titles that Mrs. Schuyler included in her Wish List at the Book Fair. I’d
like to group them with a few more classroom supplies and a gift card to one of her favorite stores or
restaurants.
I would also like to include a handmade card from each of the students. Please help your child to create a
card for Mrs. Schuyler and return it in this same envelope. Include your donation, if applicable, and mark
the envelope Jen Hurley.
Please return this envelope no later than Friday, December 14th. Again, your contribution is entirely
voluntary, but I would really appreciate it if every child created a card for Mrs. Schuyler.
Thank you for your participation.
Happy Holidays!
Jen Hurley
Homeroom Liaison, 2-Schuyler
[email protected]
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix E: Sample Teacher Appreciation Gift Collection Letter
Hi Parents!
As many of you are aware, Teacher Appreciation Week begins on May 6th. This is a wonderful opportunity
for us to show Mrs. Schuyler just how much she means to all of us.
I’m planning to visit the classroom and have the students help me make her a handmade gift in the next few
weeks. I’m still working out the details, but I will be sure to send along pictures as soon as it’s finished.
I’d like to include a gift card (or a few gift cards) to go along with our handmade present. If you are able to
make a contribution to go towards the purchase, I would greatly appreciate the help. Any amount would be
wonderful.
Half of the funds contributed will be used for this gift and the other half will be used towards an end-of-theyear gift for Mrs. Schuyler. This way parents won’t be asked to send in two separate contributions.
Please return the bottom portion of this form with your contribution no later than Tuesday, April 30th. Checks
are acceptable, but please make them out to Jennifer Hurley. Be sure to make a note on the envelope that this
is to go to Jen Hurley.
Details will be coming soon about our Publishing Center and End-of-the-Year Parties.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for all of your support this year!
Jen Hurley
Homeroom Liaison, 2-Schuyler
[email protected]
Please return this form to Jen Hurley (2-Schuyler) by Tuesday, April 30th
Parent Name:
_________________________________
Phone Number: _________________________________
Email Address: _________________________________
Contribution Amount: $_____________
☐ I am interested in volunteering during the Publishing Center and/or End-of-the-Year Parties. Please
contact me with the details as soon as they are available.
☐ I am available to send in supplies for the Publishing Center and/or End-of-the-Year Parties. Please contact
me with the details as soon as they are available.
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix F: Teacher Gift Ideas
Below is a list of gift suggestions. You are welcome to use any of these ideas or come up with some new ideas
of your own.
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Gift Baskets – Some popular themes for gift baskets include Classroom Supplies, Relaxation
(this could include a gift certificate for a massage, a box of relaxation teas, and a gift card to a
bookstore or coffee shop), Fruit Basket, Chocolate Basket, Movie Night (this could include snacks,
popcorn, a fuzzy blanket, and a gift card to a store that sells movies), and Summer Beach Basket
(this could include a colorful beach towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, flip flops, summer snacks, and a
gift card to a bookstore).
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Books – The CB PTA Book Fair will be held in November. This is a great time to stock up on some
books to include in a gift basket for your child’s teacher. When you come to the Book Fair, check the
Teacher’s Wish Lists board. This is the perfect way to find out exactly what your child’s teacher is
hoping to get. At the same time, you will also be helping to raise money for the PTA.
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A Giving Tree – Create a small fake tree from supplies at the craft store and hang gift cards for
various stores on all of the branches. This could also be done as a Gift Card Bouquet.
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Thumbprint Tree – Draw, paint, or print out a template of a tree with no leaves. Have each
student add a green thumbprint as a leaf on the tree. Make sure the year and the grade are on the
front and frame it for the teacher.
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Memory Book
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Class DVD
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Class Cookbook – Ask each family to pick their favorite recipe and add the details to a recipe
– Have each student create one page to go into the Memory Book. Ask them to
include a picture, a drawing, and a note to the teacher. Put them all together in a three-ring binder.
You can even decorate the cover of the book with a collage of pictures from the school year.
Remember to bring your camera with you to special events in the classroom.
– For those with the necessary hardware and software, a Class DVD is an excellent
gift for any teacher. Ask your child’s teacher if you could come in one day and work with a few of
the children at a time in the hallway on a project. Set up a video camera in the hallway and interview
the children in groups about their favorite things from the school year. Put the interviews together to
make a video, and then burn that video to a DVD to give to the teacher.
page that will go into a class cookbook. Ask the families to include a picture of the student (maybe
even while they’re working on the recipe!) and have the child rate the recipe. This could even be
included as part of a gift basket with a cooking theme.
Please feel free to share any other ideas that you may have for great gifts. Send your ideas along to Connie
Whiting at [email protected] and she will share them with the group.
There are lots of resources online as well. Here is a great site that was suggested by another parent:
http://www.class-parties.com/
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CB PTA 2013-2014 Homeroom Liaison Handbook
Appendix G: Contacting the PTA Board
Any time you have questions, you can always email the PTA Board at [email protected] or reach out to
any of the following Board members:
Nicole Gesing .................... President ................................... [email protected] ....................... (215) 887-8482
Christine Strange .............. President-Elect ......................... [email protected] ............... (215) 572-6995
Steve Specht ....................... First Vice President .................. [email protected]........................... (215) 380-9219
Jennifer Hurley .................. Second Vice President ............. [email protected] .................... (215) 885-1450
Wendy Kaye ...................... Third Vice President ................ [email protected] .......... (215) 572-1425
Louann Marinucci............. Recording Secretary................. [email protected] .................... (215) 887-8587
Claire Hays-Noonan ......... Corresponding Secretary ........ [email protected] ............................. (215) 885-8683
Courtney Clark.................. Treasurer ................................... [email protected] ........................ (215) 663-1290
Ashley Brunetti ................. Volunteer Coordinator ............ [email protected] ............. (215) 837-4640
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