What your board should be doing right now

Every month of the PTO year, by role — the tasks, the deadlines that bite, and the things to start now so they're ready later. Assumes a July–June fiscal year; adjust if yours differs.

May: Appreciation week and the handoff

May runs on two tracks: Teacher Appreciation Week (the first full week of May) and the transition machinery for the incoming board. In May a PTO board should execute TAW at full effort, hold a joint old-board/new-board meeting, get every handoff binder updated while the year is fresh, queue the bank signer paperwork, and chase outstanding reimbursements before the fiscal year closes.

Events & volunteers

Run TAW day by day

Room parents lead rooms, PTO covers school-wide (paras, office, specials). Nobody appreciated twice while someone's appreciated zero times.
Run field day support

Water stations, equipment delivery windows, volunteer checkin — and shade for the volunteers too.
Thank the year's volunteers

A reception, certificates for the kids' résumés someday, names read out loud. Retention is next year's recruiting.

⏰ Deadlines that bite

Teacher Appreciation Week

Nationally, the first full week of May — confirm your school observes it then.

📅 Start now, thank yourself later

Summer contact plan

Collect personal emails for board members before school addresses go quiet.
Draft August's launch

Back-to-school plan sketched before everyone scatters — July-you will be grateful.

Prefer the readable version? Read the May guide · or see the whole PTO year at a glance.

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