Dater Room Parent Guidelines

Requirements to be a class parent:

1. Must be paying members of the Dater PTO for the current school year.
2. Must have completed background check through school district*

Background checks are valid for 5 years.  If you are unsure if your background check is still valid, please email Dater PTO at daterpto@ramsey.k12.nj.us.  Please click here for more information on how to submit for a background check.  

*The Board of Education has instated procedures to require background checks on volunteers who are likely to be working with students while not under the direct supervision of District Staff.    In order to minimize the inconvenience to our volunteers, the Board of Education has contracted with the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) to provide this service. The application can be completed on your home computer in a few minutes at no cost.  The District will be discrete about the results of the background check. We will only receive the ‘Red Light/Green Light’ notification from NCSI, and the only list of names that the District Office will distribute to the Building Principals is the list of those volunteers who have been approved to work with our students.  We have also been assured by NCSI that applicants have ample opportunity to clear up any ‘Red Light’ determinations that they feel is in error.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF ROOM PARENT

1.  Communicate with Class:

Your homeroom teacher will reach out to provide a class list and their individual expectations for your role. However, we encourage you to send an email to your teachers introducing yourselves. If you have not already received a class contact list, you can ask for it then. Also feel free to ask if there is anything else they need at that time. 

The class lists are to be used only to communicate specific events in your class.  Please do not share this information or use these e-mail addresses for any other purpose.  Most emails will be sent directly from the PTO Executive Board. However, you may be asked to forward emails and communicate other information.  When communicating via email with your class, please use the BCC function so that emails are not shared with everyone. Finally, please check with the PTO executive board before you ask the office secretaries any questions regarding parties, PTO events, and field trips.

2.  Organize Class Parties with Teacher:

Your teacher may ask you to help coordinate should any items be needed throughout the year. Organize any class parties with the teacher.  Reach out to parents to request volunteers to send in items (i.e. crafts or games). 

3.  Attend PTO Meetings:

Attend each meeting.  A room parent from each class is required to attend. Please see the home page for the PTO meeting calendar. 

4.  Collect for Teacher Gifts:

The PTO Board will provide a letter and very specific guidelines for this OPTIONAL contribution. This collection should be conducted in October, and the typical amount is $20. 50% of the money should go to a holiday gift, and 50% to an end-of-year gift. If there is a Teacher’s Aide in the class, you can either request a small optional additional amount from parents, or use a small portion of the funds collected towards that gift. Room Parents are responsible for getting the gifts and providing it to the teacher. Some Room Parents like to survey the Teacher to see if there are specific gifts they like; others prefer to make it a surprise - it’s up to you. Either way, we encourage you to send an email out to parents letting them know what gift was given, so they know what their contribution went towards.

5.  Chaperone Special Events (Field Trips, Field Day)

Room Parents have the right of 1st refusal for field trips and field day.  Due to insurance restrictions, siblings are not allowed to school events or on any school trips, so please make other arrangements for your other children.  If you cannot attend either the field trip or field day, please contact the teacher and he/she will make necessary arrangements.  

6. Be a Role Model for our Students and Supporter of Dater & the Ramsey School District.

We expect our Room Parents to model the type of behavior we work hard to teach our students. Please treat anything you witness among students/teachers during any in-school/in-class events as strictly confidential. Similarly, please ensure that you are not engaging in any discussion of private information about students with other parents or staff. Sensitive information should never be shared with other parents, or discussed openly in school. The students are always listening, and you could be putting a child or their family’s private information at risk.

Thank you again for volunteering for this important role. The children enjoy having their parents involved in their school activities, and the PTO appreciates your active participation. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at: DATERPTO@RAMSEY.K12.NJ.US. We are absolutely here to help -- it’s going to be a great year!   

Thank you for volunteering,

Your 2024-2025 Dater School PTO