• Recognize Teacher Appreciation Week. Be creative! Contact the provincial Federation for ideas or to order supplies such as pens, fridge magnets, posters, buttons and so on.
• Use publicly respected figures to invite participation at the school.
• Put announcements in churches, recreational facilities, shopping centres, local businesses.
• Schedule a community-wide event (rally, reading celebration, etc.) to inaugurate (or renew) your program of activities.
• Schedule events and meetings at locations convenient for the community rather than always at the school.
• Take pictures (always asking if it's okay) and display them in the school.
• Frequently show your appreciation for participation and contributions, through display scrapbooks, tags and ribbons, thank you notes, announced acknowledgements and recognition of volunteers and special efforts.
• Ensure a positive, welcoming school so that parents will feel comfortable entering.
  • Place a welcoming sign on the door.
  • Train all staff to welcome parents openly and in a friendly manner.
  • Set up a Parent Centre or lounge with resources of interest to parents.
• Consider buying a resource book and sharing it with your school. We recommend:
  1. Henderson, Anne T., Marburger, Carl, & Ooms, Theodora. (1986). Beyond the Bake Sale: An Educator's Guide to Working with Parents. ISBN 0-934460-21-1. $10.95 American. Available from Center for Law and Education, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 510, Washington D.C. 20009. Tel: 202-462-7688.
  2. Swap, Susan McAllister. (1993). Developing Home-School Partnerships: From Concepts to Practice. Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York. ISBN 0-8077-3230-3. An excellent resource book for parent associations and schools. Chapter titles are: 1. The Benefits of Parent Involvement. 2. Barriers to Parent Involvement. 3. Three Models of Home-School Relationships. 4. A New Vision: The Partnership Model. 5. Establishing Two-Way Communication. 6. Two-Way Communication During Conferences. 7. Enhancing Children's Learning at Home and School. 8. Providing Mutual Support. 9. Making Joint Decisions. 10. Three Paths to Partnership.
• Recognize successful graduates and display their achievements.

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