PTA Summer: Setting Up For A Great Fall!

What to Plan for Your Summer Retreat

•  Schedule ahead so that people know when it is going to be. Prioritize having the whole team there.
•  Make it fun. A game? A picnic? Whatever seems fun to your board and would help you get to know each other! There are a ton of team-building activities like 2 Truths and a Lie that can help you all get to know each other a little better.
• Give out some homework. To save time, ask everyone to read or fill out a few documents in advance. Examples might include: 
  1. Contact information (including preferences),
  2. Your PTA's Standing Rules,
  3. Your Budget,
  4. Code of Conduct*,
  5. Your PTA Money Handling Policy*, and 
  6. Social Media Policy*.
• Create an agenda. Although you don’t have to take minutes at a Retreat (since you are not voting on anything.), it’s good to have a schedule and try to stick to it.  

What goes on the Retreat Agenda?
Create your calendar as best you can.  Get down your meetings and some of your bigger events.
Review the Budget and Standing Rules.
Discuss your team’s communication norms and individual expectations.
Brainstorm new ideas for Membership, Advocacy, Diversity, and Engagement.
There are more resources available. Check out PTA Year-End Board Transition: Nuts and Bolts and Summer Board Retreat - Northshore Council PTSA 6.10 for previous year’s ideas from Council.

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Communication Methods You Might Discuss

• Sharing the floor at meetings to get everyone’s ideas.
• How to use email. What response time am I expecting?  Should I reply all?
• When to use the phone. How late to call?
• What is confidential and what is not.
• Text message usage.
• When are you ‘off’ work.
• Who posts on Social Media.

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Update Memberplanet 
Assign Incoming 2023-2024 Executive Board/Officers.
We use Memberplanet’s COMMITTEES menu to handle board/officer reporting, a WSPTA Standards of Affiliation requirement. If you haven’t already, please input your 2023-24 officers. You may access a full guide to reporting your officers by accessing the membership database. 

If you have any questions about this process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
More Tips on Using Memberplanet

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​End of Year Financial Review
If you still need a committee, don’t worry! The PTA President just needs to appoint 3 or more members of your PTA who were non-signers on your bank account for the period being reviewed. WSPTA have a financial review checklist to guide them. 

Download Checklist & Forms 
*Check WSPTA Leadership Newsletter for username and password.

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Beware of Text

​Texting is a great resource when someone forgot the ice on the way to the  back to school fair.
Texting is not a great place to:

• Discuss other board members, students, families, or staff members.
• Hold PTA Business.
• Make Committee decisions when there are other committee members not on the text message thread. 
• Settle disagreements or blow off steam.

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​This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to fall into texting especially as you and your PTA team members become good friends.  It’s best to keep business communications and your friendship communication separate.

10 Digital Miscommunications — and How to Avoid Them (hbr.org)