Level Creek Elementary School
PTA Classroom Coordinators Guide
2014-2015
Dear Classroom Coordinators,
Thank you for serving as Classroom Coordinator for your child’s classroom. Yourtime and talents are greatly appreciated.
All Classroom Coordinators must be members of the Level Creek Elementary PTA. You can become a PTA member by visiting or by filling out a hard-copy form. Each membership is $10.00. If you would like to order a name badge, please write your name, email address and phone number on a piece of paper with a check for $12.00 payable to “LCE PTA”and put in an envelope in Donna Clayton’s (PTA Secretary) folder in the file cabinet located in the mailroom. Each nametag is $12.00 and must be paid before the tag can be ordered. The last day to order badges will be Friday, Sept 5th.
As a Classroom Coordinator, you are represented by PTA Classroom Coordinator
Co-Chairs—Kristin Belyea (Grades K-2) and Sherri Atkinson (Grades 3-5). Your Co-Chair will be your primary contact and source ofinformation. All letters that go home to parents need to be submitted first to the Classroom Coordinator Co-Chair via e-mail. These will be approved or changes made and sent back through e-mail. Should you have any questions or concerns, and your Co-Chair isnot able to assist you, please contact the Classroom Coordinator Vice-President—Kimberly Allard.
Classroom Coordinators serve as the primary contact for the teacher whenscheduling and recruiting volunteers for administration-approved classroomactivities. There may be an occasion when a teacher may request assistance inother circumstances. Volunteering for this position should be rewarding andfun!!
To reduce the stress and financial burden, we offer the followingsuggestions:
1)Ask for help!!
Involve other parents in the classroom. You may want todivide the year with another parent or share responsibilities throughout the year.Your teacher will have an idea of who is willing to volunteer. Many times parentscan’t be involved in planning or in the classroom, but they are willing to send inneeded items or contribute financially. Please try to involve as many parents aspossible.
We suggest you send home anintroduction letter detailing the year’s scheduled activities. This is a good time to request the $5 supply/craft donation. In addition, let them know that you may still need to call upon them for additional donations during the school year. Please send your introductory letter (or email) and classroom directory to your classroom parents by Sept. 12th.
2)Communicate with the teacher
Ask your teacher in the beginning ofthe school year for a meeting so you may establish a rapport. At this time you candetermine what his/her expectations are, get the information you need to create the class directory and ask about any allergies in your classroom. If you have a child in your class with a severe allergy, a letter should come home from Mr. Skelton. Never mention the child’s name in any correspondence.
You may also choose to ask your teacher about his/her likes/dislikes. This will help you and your classroom parents during gift-giving occasions. There is a “Teacher information” form available under “Forms and Documents/Classroom Coordinator Resources” at should maintain close communication with your teacher throughout the school year, since things often change.
3) Collect Money/Gifts/Donations
A one-time craft/supply fee of $5.00 may be requested.
Teacher birthday – up to $10.00 per teacher can be requested
Teacher gift-Winter Celebration – up to $10.00 per teacher
Teacher Appreciation – up to $10.00 per teacher
Teacher gift-Year End Celebration – up to $10 per teacher
We cannot give, nor can a teacher accept a monetary gift over $200.00. However, you are not required to total individual gift certificates/gift cards or basket items that the teacher receives from the class. Anytime you request donations, the donations are strictly voluntary.
Parents are allowed to give individual gifts at the end of the year, but we ask that the classroom coordinator communicate to parents that end of year gifts are given on an individual basis (not organized by classroom coordinator).
4) Communicate with parents
On the PTA website ( under “Forms and Documents/Classroom Coordinator Resources”), you will find form letters for you to use whensending home written communicationto your classroom parents. We ask that ALL letters be forwarded to your CC Chair before you send them to your parents. Your CC Chair will check for typos, page layout, etc. and should send it back to you within 1 day. You can change the font, layout, etc., but the basic wording must stay the same. Most importantly, all letters must include the “all donations are voluntary and no child will be left out” statement.
If you choose not to use the form letter, your letter must be submitted to your CC Chair. It will then be forwarded tothe PTA Presidents and school administration for approval prior to going home. This is not to manage youractivity but to avoid miscommunication. The turn-around time on non-formletters can take up to 10 days, so please plan accordingly.
You will be the main communication bridge between the PTA and your classroom parents. There will be several times throughout the year that you will be asked to communicate information to your parents. You may also be asked to recruit volunteers for PTA-related activities (teacher appreciation luncheon, Winter Carnival volunteers, etc.).
5)Celebrate!!
a) Teacher’s/Parapro’s birthday (teacher birthday list attached)*
b) Winter Holiday CelebrationDec 16th- 18th(times TBD)**
c) Winter Carnival—Saturday, January 31st from2:00-5:00
d) Teacher Appreciation Week—March 16th-20th-You can give your teacher his/her gift on any day during this week. You can do small gifts each day with student involvement, one large gift, or both. As classroom coordinator, you can determine what gift options your class will choose. It is nice to involve your teacher, and if you need suggestions, please contact your CC Chairs.
Included in Teacher Appreciation Week is the PTA-sponsored Teacher Luncheon. You will be asked to either volunteer to monitor your class while your teacher attends the luncheon or find another parent to monitor the class. Each of the lunches will be no more than 1 hour. Check with your teacher to determine your scheduled lunchtime. We cannot take the children outside, so your teacher will have a preplanned activity for you to do with the class before or after class. We would prefer two parents to cover Kindergarten classes. Younger siblings cannot accompany the supervising parent(s).
Please consider using the Scrips program that is available at Level Creek. By purchasing gift cards through Scrips, a percentage of each gift card is given back to Level Creek. If you have any questions, please check Look for the “Scrips” option under the “Programs” tab, or contact Angela Neuhauser () or Lisa Cheek ().
e) End of Year Celebration** and Field Day – May 12-15 (Times TBD)
Field DaysEnd-of-Year Celebrations
K
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade***
*We cannot celebrate baby showers, weddings, etc., during classroom instruction time.
**All celebrations must be held in the individual classrooms.
***5th Grade will also have a breakfast from 9:00-9:30 on May 19th with the 5th Grade Carnival immediately following from 9:30-12:30. The 5th Grade walk is at 2:30 pm on May 19th.
We are looking forward to another exciting year at Level Creek Elementary, and wehope that you will find your time spent volunteering as a Classroom Coordinator veryrewarding.
Kristin Belyea770-310-8020
Classroom Coordinator Co-Chair
Grades K-2 / Sherri Atkinson
770-365-4065
Classroom Coordinator Co-Chair
Grades 3-5 / Kimberly Allard
678-409-3978
PTA Vice President