Welcome

• The K-5 Class Parent program is run by the PTSA; class parents must be a PTSA member.
• A class parent’s primary responsibilities are to assist your child’s teacher and work as a liaison with the PTSA, families and the teacher. 
• Decide with your co-class parent how to divide up the different tasks.
• The PTSA Website is updated frequently with useful information, forms etc.  Website is: www.irvingtonnyptsa.org

Meet with Teacher
The two class parents should set up a meeting with the teacher ASAP to discuss:

• Class information:  Let the teacher know you will be collecting email addresses at open house.
• Celebrations:  Find out how the teacher wants to handle any class celebrations.  We encourage you to have any needed food and paper goods donated via Sign-Up Genius http://www.signupgenius.com
• Field trips:  Find out how the teacher wants to handle field trip chaperones.  He/she may ask you to send out emails, use Sign-Up Genius or he/she may place a sign-up sheet at open house.
• Parent teacher conferences:  Ask if the teacher needs any help in conference scheduling.

Open House

• Introduce yourselves:  Provide your email/phone and/or cell number.
• PAC:  Briefly explain how PAC pertains to parents.
• Volunteering:  Remind everyone that any time/involvement a parent can share is appreciated and really does help.
• Communication: Encourage all parents to sign up for the PTSA weekly newsletter.  it will contain essential information and reminders of events at MSS.

Emails

• Create a distribution list from the teachers’ email list for your class and send out an introduction email.  An example of an introduction email will be sent to you.
• Privacy Issues: Parents have authorized the PTSA to use this email list. It is to be kept private and not used for other purposes.  BCCs are necessary in order to maintain the privacy of individuals on the list.
• Families without email will need emails to be printed out and backpacked home with the child. Check with the teacher to facilitate this.

Seeking volunteers:

• Class parents may be asked to help coordinate volunteers for field trips and in school events.
• Try to include all parents in the class; ideally have each parent volunteer at least once.
• Try to give as much notice as possible so parents may arrange their schedules.

Class Gift – Past gifts have included cash, a gift card or a gift.  Gifts are given before the December holiday break, and at the end of the year.

4th and 5th Grade: $10 collected from each family.  $5 presented at each gift time from each family.

4th and 5th Grade Collaborative:  $20 collected from each family for both teachers*. $5 presented at gift time to each teacher from each family.  
*Please note: if there is an aide in the collaborative class, please collect $25 from each family, and distribute $5 from each family to each teacher at holiday time and at the end of the year, and $2.50 from each family to the aide at holiday time and at the end of the year. 

• Collect money at the beginning of the year.  Parents can backpack the money in an envelope marked for the child of the class parent or give it in person at a beginning of the year.
• If parents want to give more than our guidelines permit, they may do so individually. The state limit for teacher gifts is $75 per family.
• We respect any parents’ decision not to participate in the PTSA class gift.  The class gift is still from every child in the class, not just the families who participate.  Reminders are to be sent to the entire class.  Class parents should not cover families that choose not to contribute.

Contribute to the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) 

• The Parent Advisory Council meets monthly.  This is an important way for parents to present issues to the principal while maintaining anonymity.  We rely on you to contribute agenda items to those meetings. PAC members are PTSA Vice Presidents, PTSA Grade Parents, and the school principal.

• Parents can present an issue confidentially to their PTSA class parent, grade parent or VPs of the school.  The issues are then presented anonymously to the principal at the PAC meeting.  The minutes are posted on our website and responses are brought back to the parents that raised them.

Thank you so much for agreeing to carry on this important PTSA program! 


Any questions?
Please contact one of the PTSA Presidents or a MSS Vice President for guidance. On events specific to your child’s grade, contact your Grade Parent.

PTSA Presidents:
Co-President: Susan Brunenavs, president1.irvptsa@gmail.com
Co-President: Maggie Kadro, president2.irvptsa@gmail.com

MSS Vice Presidents:
Niki Grados, mssvp1.irvptsa@gmail.com
Dympna Kenny, mssvp2.irvptsa@gmail.com

MSS Grade Representatives: 
4th Grade: Melinda Chappelear  melinda.chappelear@gmail.com
5th Grade: Melanie Hoeffs-Kwon, mhoeffs@hotmail.com​