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🎉 Room Parent & Classroom Celebrations Program Overview

Welcome to the one-stop hub for everything related to Room Parents and Classroom Celebrations at Overland Trail Elementary! This page includes all the key details about what the program is, how it works, what’s new this year, and how you can get involved.

🆕 What’s New This Year (2025–2026)

We’ve made some exciting updates to improve clarity, consistency, and ease for Room Parents and families:

  • New Donation Process: All classroom celebration funds will now be collected online through the PTO website by grade level, rather than through individual Room Parents. This provides:

    • Greater transparency and consistency

    • Automatic receipts for families

    • An audit trail for accountability

    • Relief from the awkwardness of sending money to personal Venmo accounts

  • Room Parents No Longer Handle Money: You can focus on building community and helping in the classroom—we’ll handle the funds!

  • Celebration Consistency: All snacks and activities will be pre-planned and consistent across each grade. The PTO will purchase materials in bulk and distribute them to classrooms.

  • Streamlined Room Parent Sign-Ups: Families will sign up via the PTO website. Sign-ups go live on Friday, August 22 at 12:00 PM CST and are first-come, first-served.

🎈 What Are Classroom Celebrations?

Each year, the PTO sponsors three fun and inclusive classroom parties:

  • Halloween

  • Winter

  • Valentine’s Day

How Celebrations Are Structured:

  • Grades K–4: Each class hosts its own party in the classroom.

  • Grade 5: All fifth-grade classes come together for a joint celebration in the gym.

  • Snacks & Activities: The PTO provides all materials and snack items for each party, ensuring consistency across classrooms and eliminating the need for Room Parents to plan or purchase supplies.

💵 How Donations Work

To support these celebration experiences, the PTO collects voluntary donations via our website:

  • Donations are collected by grade level, not by individual classrooms.

  • If donations fall short of the set celebration budget, the PTO will subsidize the difference to ensure equity across all classrooms.

  • Funds collected go toward:

    • Classroom Celebrations

    • American Education Week

    • Teacher Appreciation Week

Note: Funds will not be used for birthday or holiday gifts for teachers.

🎁 Teacher Gifts: Birthday & Holiday

To bring more flexibility and eliminate the need for Room Parents to collect money, we’ve updated how teacher gifts are handled:

🥳 Birthday Gifts:

  • Room Parents will share a sign-up form with families based on the teacher’s “Staff Favorites” list.

  • Families who sign up will purchase and deliver the gift individually.

  • No money is collected by Room Parents or the PTO.

🎄 Holiday Gifts:

  • Holiday gifts will be handled individually by families.

  • Room Parents will not coordinate group gifts or collect funds.

  • Families are encouraged to use the Staff Favorites list as a guide when choosing a holiday gift for their teacher or other staff members.

These updates aim to give families more personal flexibility while ensuring Room Parents aren’t responsible for managing funds or gift purchases.

👥 What Is a Room Parent?

A Room Parent is a volunteer leader for your child’s classroom who helps coordinate celebration logistics, shares important PTO and school information, and supports the teacher throughout the year.

High-Level Responsibilities:

  • Help facilitate classroom celebrations using materials and instructions provided by the PTO

  • Communicate with classroom families about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities

  • Coordinate teacher birthday gifts (via a sign-up form based on teacher favorites; no money is collected)

  • Serve as a liaison between the PTO, classroom families, and your child’s teacher

  • Collaborate with your co-Room Parent (if applicable) and attend a virtual Room Parent Kickoff Meeting on Monday, September 8 at 7:00 PM

Don’t worry—we’ll provide all the tools, templates, and support you need!

✅ How to Get Involved

  • Room Parent sign-ups will open on Friday, August 22 at 12:00 PM CST on the PTO website.

  • Sign-ups will be first-come, first-served, and each class may have up to two Room Parents.

  • This sign-up is for the Room Parent role only. Classroom celebration volunteer sign-ups will be shared closer to each event.

Want to learn more about the specific responsibilities?
👉 View the Full Room Parent Role & Responsibilities

📣 Questions?

We’re here to help!
Email us anytime at info@otepto.org with questions about the program, responsibilities, or how to get involved.

Together, we can make this a fun, connected, and memorable school year for every student, family, and teacher at OTE! 💙