Helpful Guidelines for all Volunteers Visiting the School
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Volunteers are welcome, we encourage you to follow the general guidelines:
School Sign-in: When volunteering in the school building during school hours, please bring your identification. You will be allowed into the building by the school security. You must use the Visitor Sign-In/Sign-out sheet in the lobby. Please put on the sticker and be sure you have permission to go to the area before proceeding to your destination. You may only go to the intended area.
How to Volunteer: Go to the "Programs A-Z" webpage and take a look at the program descriptions to see what they are all about. Whether you are interested in Chairing or volunteering to help out - just contact the Program Committee Chairperson or an Executive Board member and let them know your interest. Your name will then be forwarded to the appropriate person.
Conduct: Please respect confidentiality issues and be respectful of each child's, and each family's privacy. Please be careful to act professionally and to not discuss PTA issues, problems or concerns in public areas (i.e. the lobby, the front office, etc.) as these discussions should occur in an appropriate setting. Remember that PTA exists to promote the welfare of all children and youth and to enhance their educational experience---don't lose sight of our purpose!
Some Resources and Tips for Program Chairs
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Stepping up to become a program chair or co-chair is a lot of fun, very rewarding and a great way to meet the people in your child's life. You will find past documentation on each program which will allow you to seamlessly get the program up and running again the next school year. Here are a few helpful tips and reminders about "chairing responsibilities":
OMS Unit PTA Resources: Our local O'Rourke Middle School PTA is a local unit that operates under our own By-Laws. When necessary we report to our region PTA office (Northeastern Region). Each local unit, council, region and state PTA has By-Laws, elected officers and committees. The foundation of the organization is the PTA member and the local PTA unit. Feel free to ask to review our OMS PTA By-Laws and Standing Rules.
New York State PTA Resources: The NYS PTA website has a ton of wonderful resources, feel free to visit the following webpages: the NYS PTA Members Only website (the login/password is on the back of your PTA membership card) and The NYS PTA Resource Guide.
General Tips for Program Chairs:
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Chairperson: The executive board creates standing committees or program committees as it deems necessary to promote the purposes and carry on the work of the PTA unit. The Chair is appointed by the president in cooperation with the executive committee. The term of each chair is one year or a maximum of two (2) years if a successor is not appointed. The chair is responsible for preparing and presenting a plan of work to the executive board for approval and then carrying out the plan. The president of the PTA is a member ex-officio on all committees execpt for the nominating and audit committees. A majority of any committee shall constitute a quorum when voting on matters.
Membership: All chairpersons must be members of the OMS PTA. PTA memberships throughout the school year. Typically, a membership drive occurs in September in which you submit your membership form and payment. If you missed that opportunity and want to become a PTA member, you can register by filling out the attached PTA Membership form and submitting your payment to your child's homeroom parent. As a Chair you are considered a member of the PTA Executive Board and you are eligible to cast a vote at PTA meetings.
Program Folders: All committees are required to keep detailed files and notes to help future committee chairs understand what to do. Your program folder and all digital files should be turned in to the appropriate person within one month of your committee’s activities ending, you need not wait until June to turn in your folder. Include as much detail as possible. Include all helpful paperwork (e.g. budget info, flyers, contact information, forms, etc.) and turn these in with your program folder. Ask the PTA President for the Chair who ran the program last year as they will be a huge source of information and may be able to answer any questions you have.
Distribution of Flyers or Information: Any school wide notices that are sent home or delivered electronically need to be approved by a PTA President and the school principal. Approval must be sought before copies are made. Once approval is received, the best method of distribution will be discussed - options include email, morning announcements, PTA Website, PTA Bulletin Board, Marquee Sign, inclusion in Student Report Cards, etc. If distributing through homerooms, there is a list of the number of copies needed for each homeroom to the right of the staff mailboxes in the main office.
PTA Meetings: Committee chairs are encouraged to attend as many PTA meetings as possible, especially when their committee is active. This is an important way to share information and get questions answered. If you cannot make the meetings, please submit a report or update to the PTA President and Secretary, prior to the meeting, or send a designate.
PTA Photocopying Procedures: Whenever possible, the PTA will be use paperless communications in the form of postings on the website, emails and school morning announcements. When copies need to be made, we will try to combine your communication with other PTA communication. Copies can be made at Mail n’ More – you can have copies made at the store and charge the cost to the appropriate committee in the log book. Please be sure to write your name and the program legibly and keep track of the expense to remain within your program budget. You can send your file to be printed via email, shopmailnmore@yahoo.com, for the clearest copy and easy pickup. .
School Property Use: If your committee will be using any of the facilities at school, you will need to submit a "Building Use" form which is available through the main office. The "Building Use" form is a permit/license authorizing groups or individuals permission to use the school premises, properties, and materials whether it be indoors, outdoors, during school hours or after school hours.
Solicitation Policy: Solicitation letters must be approved by PTA President and the school principal before they can be distributed to parents, community members and others. All solicitation (small and large) of local businesses need to be cleared by the PTA Executive Board. We want to maintain a strong relationship with community and avoid duplication so we need to be careful how and when we ask for donations.
Student Behavior: You need to be aware of the student codes of conduct and behavior as established by the school district as these apply to not only school day hours, but include dances, Rec Nights, and other school and PTA sponsored activities. Click here to view the current Middle School Student Handbook. Note that the school's electronics/cell phone policy is to be enforced during PTA and after school sponsored events.
PTA Supplies: The PTA has a storage closet located in the main office's conference room. It is locked at all times. Please ask one of the office staff to unlock the door for you, if the office is closed you can ask a custodian. The closet is stocked with all kinds of supplies including food serving items, dverage fountians, plastic drink pictures, coffee/tea, paper goods, etc. and the disposable inventory is free to use unless marked otherwise. THERE SHOULD NEVER BE ANY TYPE OF FOOD STORED IN THIS CLOSET!!! If you have left over supplies that were purchased with PTA monies that are not perishable those should be stored in the closet for future use. Please use what is there first, before buying new!
Insurance Liability Issues: There are certain events that are considered to require additional insurance and will require parents to sign a PTA permission slip in order for their child to participate in an event or activity. For example, if the PTA offered a contact sport activity in an after school program, the provider would need to supply an insurance rider naming the school district and the OMS PTA as additional insured in the amount of $1,000,000. When in doubt, please ask the Executive Board about any activity that involves risk or posing any safety issues. Click here to view PTA Insurance Recommendations.
Program Expenses: Each committee program is either a fund generating program or is allocated a budget by the executive committee. As chair, you are responsible for keeping careful track of your program expenses as to not spend more than you were allocated. Most chairs find it helpful to use an income and expense form. The Executive Board will need to approve any expenditure exceeding the budgeted amount prior to incurring the expense. Take a tax exempt form with you whenever you are shopping for PTA items. As the PTA is a tax exempt organization we cannot reimburse for any sales tax paid. See the current treasurer for the tax exempt form prior to you purchase.
Reimbursement/Check Request: Don't eat expenses. We raise funds for a reason - we expect to reimburse expenses no matter how small. If you need to be reimbursed for expenses or require a check cut from PTA funds, you can simply complete a check request form available on line. You will need to attach original receipts to the request form for reimbursement. Per federal guidelines, reimbursements will only be made with original receipts not photocopies. If you need a cash box for your event, please contact the treasure well in advance.
Deposits: You will need to complete a "PTA Deposit Verification Form" when collecting funds at and event and bring to the treasurer with 24 hours of the event. All monies MUST be counted and verified by two (2) people. Please take this responsibility very seriously!
Contracts: All PTA contracts must be reviewed by the PTA President prior to being signed.
Term Limits: According to our standing rules, no committee chair may serve more than three consecutive terms as chair of the same committee. We encourage you serve a 2 year term limit as chair. If possible, shadowing during that second year should occur so that the next chair can be trained to continue the work in a seamless fashion. The purpose of this is to spread the work – and the fun – around.
Safety-Wise Policy: We ask that there always be two (2) unrelated parents present when working with children involved in a PTA sponsored event.
Are volunteers protected from liability? Yes, to an extent. Because the federal government realizes the importance of and need for volunteers, it passed the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997. Under the law, volunteers (but not the organizations they serve) cannot be held liable for negligent acts or omissions that occur during the course of their duties. However, if someone was injured because of a volunteer’s willful and wanton misconduct, including the influence of drugs or alcohol, this protection would not apply.