AGENDA – Diary of a PTA
Diary of a PTA
CHAIR
January There hasn’t been a meaningful PTA
event for nearly two years due to Covid. The former PTA committee is fragmented: some have physically moved, some have mentally moved on, others have lost enthusiasm and momentum. A few playground chats and cups and coffees later, I find myself volunteering for the role of chair! At the PTA meeting, held via Zoom, I am elected – unopposed by other candidates. Crucially no one steps forward to be treasurer. I form a WhatsApp group of
enthusiastic parents from the attendees of the call. Already I find myself thinking how best to communicate with fellow trustees, potential volunteers and everyone else. The usual pitfalls of WhatsApp groups come with extra barbs: who’s in which group and why? Who’s the admin? Who does the logo? What colour should it be? Who are the Facebook admins? Who does this and who does that? Lots of volunteers, lots of ideas… still no treasurer, though.
February A new headteacher has joined the
school since the PTA was last at full strength. The previous head had
Nick Alexandrou, PTA chair at St Paul’s CofE Primary School in Brighton on creative ways to form a PTA committee
been at the school for more than 20 years, and it becomes apparent that this change will be another key consideration in rebuilding the PTA. Not only is the change important because of the lack of continuity from the pre-Covid area, but the new headteacher wants to do things differently. For example, she raises valid concerns about the appropriateness of one alcohol- orientated event. I find myself agreeing with all of her points, but it means more change and some of the other parents won’t be happy. With this in mind we hold our first
in-person meeting at the local pub to discuss the wishlist of events and the importance of the treasurer role. It is mutually agreed that a long- standing event – the summer camp – could be doubled up into a PTA fundraiser while we search for other fundraising ideas.
March The lack of treasurer is becoming a
burning issue. A PTA cannot function without a chair and a treasurer. I try to persuade all of the enthusiastic parents who are keen to volunteer that being a treasurer is for them! But my whispers of ‘look at all these pretty spreadsheets’ continue to fall
on deaf ears. Parents want to help but there is a fear of having a formal role, a fear of an uncertainty, that the obligations – though not always clear in their minds – might be too much. I arrive at a new idea – I volunteer
myself to be treasurer and try to sell the chair role! It seems like an easier sell to me and this time it works. I find a new brave soul ready to be chair and another parent to be vice-chair, a new role I created to spread the burden. Our new committee is now fully established and raring to go. In April we look forward to our first official meeting to be held at the school and the chance to welcome our new chair. My chairpersonship was short and sweet and it seems my biggest success was to form a committee.
pta.co.uk SUMMER 2022 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
