Rock the Lot - Back to school event

I am always ready to plan. I love putting events together and then watching it all come together. Most of all I love to see the faces that benefit from my hard work.

My principal thought it would be a good idea to begin to annually have a back to school event. The back to school event is a community initiative that will encourage parental involvement, excite our students about the upcoming school year and invite stakeholders to our school environment.

First a list of things needed was composed. In addition to food and activities for the children, we thought that a great way to get parents involved would be to provide resources that were geared specifically to the betterment of them as individuals. Below is the list:

Food

Cookies

Hamburgers

Hot dogs

Hamburger buns

Hot dog buns

Ketchup

Mustard

Relish

Sodas

Napkins

Plates

Ice cooler

Moonbounce

School Mascot 

Vendors

Home ownership

Investment solutions

Health screens

Girls Inc. of Memphis

Southwest TN Community College

Lemoyne Owen College

The University of Memphis

Tennessee Technology Center

Strayer University

Federal Student Aid

Legal Consulting

Library JobLINKS

Christ Community Health Center – Medical and Dental resources – Outreach for Women

CoverKids

Voter’s Registration

Bullying Sessions

Literacy Sessions

Parenting Sessions

Face painting

Games

Prizes for Games

School supplies

 So what did I do after composing the list?

 1. I contacted the school adopters and solicited donations. We received donations for food, water, sodas, chips, cookies, a disc jockey, a water slide, prizes, face painting, and school supplies. 

2. I contacted my sorors in my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to come out and volunteer in various areas. It is important to use resources wisely. People are eager to come out and disseminate knowledge and literature. 

3. I created a flyer and we are scheduled to canvas the neighborhood and invite the students, parents and stakeholders. 

4. We return to school two weeks before the event. I will present the back to school event to the staff. The staff will work the back to school event. We will all be uniformed so that we can be easily identified. The committees include: games, food, hostesses, photography and vendors. 

5. Thank you letters will be written and/or drawn for the volunteers and mailed to them after the event to show our appreciation. 

Setup for the back to school event

The event will take place on the lawn at the elementary school. 

Tables will be on the lawn for vendors.

Balloons and streamers will be tied throughout the lawn and the front of the school.

Each vendor's table will have a poster displaying the service offered.

 A sign will be displayed on the classroom door where each session is held i.e. bullying, parenting, literacy. 

A list that reflects what is going on during the back to school event will be created to inform parents and stakeholders about what is being offered at the event. This document will be given out at the back to school event.

Happy Counseling! I sure am happy about it!