Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year!

Helpful Room Parent Links

What is a Room Parent?

A Room Parent is a parent volunteer for each classroom. We hope to have at least 1 per class but ideally 2 (or more) to allow parents to collaborate and split up responsibilities.

3 Main Responsibilities

1. Collaboration! Provide support to your classroom teacher.

Work with your teacher to support their classroom needs. Tasks vary from classroom to classroom but can include sending emails, organizing class activities (Learning Experiences, parties, mystery reader), making sign-ups, etc.
Learning Experiences are about an hour to an hour and a half of fun for a classroom typically including a craft, a snack and a game. Formats vary according to grade and teacher. Room Parents come up with ideas then create sign-ups for parents to contribute materials and for parents to attend and supervise the Learning Experience itself.
Creation of a sign-up for parents to volunteer to run Character Education sessions. More information about this can be found here.
Additional teacher support (directed by your child's teacher; varies from class to class/grade to grade). Eg. creating sign-ups for classroom supplies that are needed, creating sign-ups for "mystery readers", organizing a parent directory early in the year, etc.

2. Communication! Act as a communication bridge between the PTA and classroom parents.

Our Panther Press updates and email blasts only reach families that have actively subscribed to our mailing list. Room parents ensure that the PTA information can reach all MPE families as each one of you will have emails for your classroom provided to you by your teacher.
Pertinent and time-sensitive information will be sent from the PTA board to Room Parents who are then asked to forward this information onto their classroom parents.

3. Celebrations! Organize classroom collections.

Organize optional classroom gifts for your teacher(s) for birthdays, holiday and/or end of year.
Provide parents with information regarding Teacher Appreciation Week when the time comes.
Raffle Basket donations.

Questions? Email roomparents@millsparkpta.com

Room Parent Timeline

Start of the Year - September & Early October

Sign up to be a room parent - tell your teacher you are interested in volunteering.
Meet with your teacher and discuss how you can help and set expectations are for Learning Experiences as well as any other type of support that is needed.
Meet/email co-room parents and decide how you will divide responsibilities.
Create a mailing list for your classroom and introduce yourself to your classroom (you can do this when you are forwarding your first email from the PTA).
Attend Room Parent meeting.

All Year Long:

Forward emails to classroom parents about PTA events.
Plan Learning Experiences according to teacher's guidelines.
Assist with classroom sign-ups as needed.
Capture photos of your class for the yearbook & submit them via email (link above).

December:

Consider/organize classroom gift for homeroom teacher and instructional assistant. (Optional)

February/March:

Organize class-specific gift/events for Staff/Teacher Appreciation Week. More details to come from PTA on this years schoolwide events.

March & April:

Organize Spring Carnival raffle basket team with fellow Room Parents. Details will be emailed and a kickoff meeting will be held to share more specifics.
Collect donations for raffle basket & assemble final baskets for display prior to Carnival.

May/June:

Consider/organize end-of-year class gift for homeroom teacher and instructional assistant. (Optional)

Thank you for volunteering to be a room parent

Reminder! Please be an active PTA member - complete the PTA membership form in your account and submit the $20 dues. While it is never mandatory to join the PTA, we recommend you join as you will be the PTA "representative" for your classroom.

Questions? Email roomparents@millsparkpta.com