Ideas for High School and Middle School PTA Programs

Themed Programs | Red Ribbon Week | Orange Ribbon Week
Unity Day | Health & Safety | Newsletters
Student Participation Programs      

Sponsoring programs for parents and families is an important part of the mission of the PTA.

It’s so easy for elementary PTAs to find programs to sponsor. But for the middle and high school PTAs the task is more difficult. It’s important to find out what your members want. Before you plan the programs for the year, do one or both of the following:

• Ask the students on your PTSA board (if you don’t have them, get them) what would interest their peers. If your PTA is not currently a PTSA, changing your bylaws is all that is required to become one. (Remember to have the general membership approve any bylaws changes.)
• Survey the parents about what they want to know about the school or high school in general.  Ask what programs they would like to attend.

Below are some ideas that we have learned about that are suitable for middle and high school PTAs. Try something different this year! As always, if you need help with speakers, or any other aspect of sponsoring a program, call the PTA Office at 485-3535. 

• Host a Reflections Showcase: show the video entries, have the dance and music entries perform, and display the visual art and photography.  Local retailers can provide prizes for winners. Local artist could give mini seminars or one local artist could be the main speaker.
• Have an after school coffeehouse held monthly or so.  Students, parents, staff and community members would be presenters on the theme of the month.  Refreshments were provided for a very minimal fee or free.  January could focus on Martin Luther King, March could be Earth Day or environmental awareness. 
• Host an Individual Graduation Plan forum for parents, on the new ACT requirement or other high school requirements.
• Hold a Volunteer Showcase with community organizations that need volunteers.  The groups should be from all around the city so that transportation is less of a barrier. If a showcase is not possible, one or two groups a week could be featured in the lunchroom or on the daily broadcast.
• Improve your parent communication by various methods, from print, to internet, to phone trees.
• Host a Job Fair or information session where employers talk about what they want in a good employee, important questions to ask before agreeing to work, and law associated with minors working during school hours.
• Have an Every1Reads training session for parents and students.
  
  

 Red Ribbon Week Programs

 Red Ribbon Week is intended to highlight tobacco, drugs and alcohol prevention. Schools are encouraged to sponsor drug-prevention activities and programs during this week. Here are some suggestions adapted from the Kentucky PTA Idea Book 1995–1997 and National PTA Best Ideas:

·Sponsor assemblies/workshops on tobacco, alcohol and other drug abuse prevention

·Plan a Hat day to symbolize putting a “lid” on drug use

·Plan a tie day to symbolize being tied to a healthy lifestyle

·Have contests for creating buttons, t-shirts, slogans, posters and rap music with a drug-free message. Designate a day for students to wear the T-shirts. Display the posters in the hallways. Play the rap music in the cafeteria at lunchtime

·Start a Tell-It-to-the-Wall project. Make and pass out paper bricks to students, staff and parents, and ask them to anonymously write how tobacco, drugs and alcohol have affected their lives. Display the bricks in a prominent area of the schoo

·Have a Wear Red Day and give prizes to the class wearing the most red

·Provide red ribbons for all faculty, staff, students, volunteers, and visitors to wear. Give red ribbons to area businesses as well, and ask them to spread the drug-free message.

·Attach red ribbons to your October PTA newsletter. Include an article that explains Red Ribbon Week and that lists your school’s Red Ribbon Week activities.

 

 Orange Ribbon Week Programs

 Orange ribbon week is intended to highlight violence prevention. PTAs should use this week to educate students and parents on how to make schools safer and more secure.

Orange Ribbon Week was conceived in 1999 by 15th District PTA Past President Rose Babiak to highlight safety in all aspects of a child’s life. Below are some ideas on promoting anti-violence and safety, adapted from the Kentucky PTA Idea Book 1995–1997 and National PTA Best Ideas:

 ·Sponsor assemblies or workshops with the police, faculty, therapists, Health Department staff or Kentucky PTA representatives to speak on issues of violence. Suggested topics:

• Cyberbullying: bullying through cell phones and internet
• Violence prevention
• Bullying prevention www.kysafeschools.org.
• Bullying Testimonials from students who have been bullied and who have been the bully.
• Violence at home

Gun safety

·Invite police officers to make presentations to students on child safety, drug-abuse prevention, gun safety, and juvenile-justice practices and policies.

·Invite medical and mental-health professionals or victims of violent crimes to speak at school.

·Sponsor a poster contest with the theme “How to Make the World a Better Place” or another violence-prevention theme. Let students/faculty vote on the winning poster. Or have a safety-slogan poster contest. Display the posters in your school, area businesses or a mall.

·Challenge students to be fight-free for the entire month, with an offer of a reward if they are successful. Conduct contests:

—For the entire student body—Challenge all students to be fight-free for the entire month. If there are no fights for the entire month, reward the students.

—For each class level—Conduct a contest between grade levels to see how many students will sign a nonviolence pledge and will keep their pledge for a certain time period.

·Coordinate a nonviolence pledge signing. Have all students and faculty sign one large banner to be displayed, or have individuals sign pledge cards for display.

·Ask students to sign a non-violence pledge. Go to http://www.kycss.org/pledge or http://www.pledge.org for more information on a non-violence pledge.

·Organize an anti-violence march followed by a candlelight vigil in remembrance of victims of violence. http://www.kysafeschools.org/clear/ssweek is an excellent resource for violence prevention.

·Make and distribute buttons for students to wear with a safety slogan or anti-violence message.

·Plant a memory garden or hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of victims of violence.

 

Unity Day Programs

 Unity Day is a day to celebrate the differences that make us unique and contribute to what unites us. Unity Day is observed on the Monday before Thanksgiving. Below are ideas for celebrating Unity Day.

·Start a Diversity/Unity club

·Bring in artists from a variety of cultures for an assembly or workshop

·Sponsor a mini United Nations

·Essay contest—essays from students of all shapes, sizes and opinions from their viewpoint

Health and Safety Programs

 ·Have a health workshop for student, parents, or both. Ask a health care worker give a talk about Aids/HIV and Sexually transmitted Infections

·Have Sweet Sixteen Birthday party for the sophomore class, because most students turn sixteen that year. Ask the school to require all sophomores to attend a program in the school auditorium followed by a “ birthday party”, complete with cake, punch, and gifts.

Eastern High School’s PTSA has sponsored this type of program. Realizing the seriousness and potential dangerous aspects of teens turning sixteen and getting drivers licenses, Eastern’s PTSA attempted to enlighten their students about some of the hazards that they will face behind the wheel.

The focus of their program was promoting seat belt usage and avoiding driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.  Their PTSA president and Eastern’s principal shared their feelings about recent tragedies involving teens in auto accidents.  They also had guests from local law enforcement agencies that provided details on not only the deaths and injuries that can occur, but also the legal ramifications that can occur in even a non-fatal accident. Because money talks to many teenagers, they had a representative from the insurance industry discuss the costs of auto insurance for young people and how even a fender bender can effect their rates.

·Sponsor a health run. Walk/run to a specific location. Give prizes as incentive to participate.

·Coordinate a Quilt Project for Aids awareness or for students affected by Drunk Driving or Drug use. The quilt could be made from cloth or paper cutouts and students could make their own piece. The finished quilt should be displayed in a prominent place in the school. In addition to the quilt, information forums about the topic could be held all year for both parents and students.

·Host a program for parents and an assembly for students on the dangers of huffing. Huffing—the intentional inhaling of a volatile propellant or gas to get high—is on the rise with teens and preteens. This is a topic that needs to be discussed. See “Grieving Parents to Parents” article on page   of this newsletter for more information on huffing.

Student participation programs

 ·Arts in Education—sponsor a student art fair

·Reflections program—contact Sharon Whitworth at 485-7450 for more information

·KY. Kids Day—have a DJ play music in the cafeteria, or ask a local radio station to play student requests during lunchtime

· Self Esteem Essay Contest—contact 15^th District PTA or Kentucky PTA for more information

·Artist in Residence—sponsor an artist to teach at the school for a semester

·Mock elections—sponsor a debate and election with mock candidates

·Voter registration—coordinate with the Board of Elections a special time at the school for students to register to vote

·Meet the candidates night--sponsor a forum where candidates running for office can answer students’ questions

·Getting Ready for College--Host an open forum for high school students led by a for parents ofpanel of experienced parents, representatives of several types of postsecondary schools, scholarship recipients, and transfer students. Discussion can run the gamut of the college experience: selecting a postsecondary school, being admitted to and enrolling in a school, getting ready to leave home, and making adjustments. Invite college and university representatives, and have a mini-college fair where prospective students and parents can find out about available choices.

 Newsletters

Newsletters can be considered as a program. If you are producing a newsletter, you are reaching parents!

·DuPont Manual has a weekly e-mail newsletter, sent out at the beginning of the week detailing events and dates for the upcoming week. This is also a good way to solicit volunteers for upcoming events as well as recruiting new members. E-mail addresses are collected on membership, volunteer and directory forms. E-mail addresses whose owners checked a box asking to receive the weekly newsletter were automatically added to the free subscription list. E-mail addresses without a request to receive the newsletter were sent an e-mail inviting them to join the list.

·Print tips, articles and content from National PTA, Kentucky PTA, or 15^th District PTA Web sites/newsletters in your PTA newsletter.

·E-mail is the ideal way to get a newsletter to parents since it is not costly. If e-mail isn’t possible, make sure there is money in the budget to mail your newsletters to the homes. Mailing newsletters vs. sending them home with students will ensure that they get to the parents.