about Star of the bloody day

[JessePinkman33]

Or rather how can I convince youngest dd in yr4 not to be unreasonable about it?
She's desperate to get it & some kids have had it twice, she's quiet & conscientious (teachers words) but the children who regularly get sent to the headmistress get it for good behaviour on that particular day. So I can see where she's coming from, I hate the bloody thing but I want her to give up caring about it preferably...

I don't get the PTA anger. It's open to everyone after all! My dh was deputy chair of our children's equivalent to the PTA (after we moved to Canada) and as far as I could see it involved a great deal of work and mostly resulted in the school having a lot more money to play with. Sometimes we learned things a bit earlier than other parents but otherwise there were no benefits other than feeling more a part of the school community. Most of the awards were given to sporty children as far as we could see. At the leaving assembly our son was one of only about five children who didn't get any award at all (which was crap and he was very upset, it was really poorly thought through).

Yes Lexi and they probably look down on families who do not work. I heard a teacher on question time, on Thursday.
Not in so many words berating poor and workless families. Advocating government tax credits cuts because he works hard, don't we all! And those that don't there is nearly always a bigger story than . I don't work because I can't be bothered., and what about the working poor.
. He's not the only person who gets up off his butt and does a days work.! If he thinks its okay for children to go without then there is no doubt about it. He should not be a teacher, simple as that, but that is another thread. They can't have it both ways parents working full-time yet available for the PTA as well.
Sorry for the political rant. It's something thing I'm really passionate about. And no one can deny that it's a bad day when a teacher is cheering on cuts which will effect children.

Oh OK, ours meets in the evening and has childcare too. It was easier for dh to put in the time as he was a SAHD, but I did some too. We didn't belong to the one back in the UK, not sure when that one met. Didn't notice any difference with the way we were treated, but obviously dh knew more people so when there were events he'd be more likely to talk to other parents/teachers.

Squeaky wheel syndrome.

Mine went to a school where there was no star of the week and no golden time, or any of the other nonsense my niece's school inflicts on children and parents.

They had rotating jobs to do around the classroom every week in every year they were there. Somehow or other, their teachers figured out 25+ jobs in each room every week and dished them out. As they got older there was a buddy system where they were paired with a younger child whom they helped out at the big school funfair, the Easter fair, Halloween fair, bowling day, school picnic day, etc. They were also expected to volunteer for events run by the Home and School organisation (see below) such as a Christmas make your own craft fair, and other events. The more responsibility you were able to take on the more was given to you. The reward for responsibility was trust, and more responsibility.

There was a school board made up of parents elected for a three year term on a revolving basis (so there were three people in their third year, three in their second, three in their first term) plus the priest and the principal. Their job was to research and formulate policies on discipline, tuition rates, hiring and retention policies, spending on capital improvements, technology development, control of the budget, and the massive job of fundraising.

There was also a volunteer Home and School organisation that was separate, whose aim was enrichment of the school curriculum by providing guest speakers, interesting experiences such as a visit from a man with a small menagerie of turtles, snakes, etc., dance troupes, mime artists, Christmas events, etc. It also printed a school directory that was immensely helpful when trying to arrange social lives, lifts, etc. The H&S was supported by contributions from parents. On top of all that there were classroom parents and parent assistants listening to students read, co-ordinated by H&S, and rounding up parents to chaperone class trips, etc. Plus many H&S fundraising activities that contributed to the school bottom line as well as funding extra curricular activities.

You could be on the school board or the H&S as they all met in the evenings. The H&S co-ordinated volunteers who were available during the day. All phone calling, emailing, and general wrangling of potential volunteers took place in the evenings.

Our PTA is evening meeting every 6 weeks. Loads of ft working parents involved eg pr mum gets her junior to design posters, it mum tarts up the newsletter so looks fab. Neither of these come to meetings but input really valuable and appreciated.

To get back to the OP, by year 4 you can disclose what Star of the Day is for. Tell her it's a motivational tool for struggling children or that it is meaningless, everybody gets it. Year 1s might be keen but by year 4 you can stop pretending.

I'm really surprised by that lexigrey. I spent 8 years attending PTA meetings & helping out with PTA events whilst DS2 was at primary school. I also worked full-time. Meetings were all in the evening, as were most events (school discos, Christmas & summer fairs etc. etc.) People were asked to help with setting up & preparation on the day of the fairs, if they could manage it, but plenty of us couldn't and it was never a problem. There were always enough who could. For things like the Harvest Festival, I would probably try to take a couple of hours off work & help out - but that's more because I wanted to see DS2 than a PTA requirement.

The PTA were never asked to supply members to go on school trips. Generally, the class teacher would try to catch parents whom he or she knew to be SAHP and try to persuade them! Nothing to do with the PTA at all.

It makes me quite sad to hear people say that their PTA is a closed clique. It really should be open to all who want to contribute - and almost everyone could contribute in some way if they wanted to.

Not the same as PTA exactly but I attended the primary school where my mum taught. I was never chosen for plays or anything else in case they thought it showed favouritism to a teacher's child. I would have loved to be in the nativity or something but never was.
Like others have said I have absolutely no idea which of my pupils' parents are PTA members, governors etc.

I am a governor. I am on the PTA. I help out in school. I run the second hand uniform stall, so everyone knows me.

My daughter is head girl. She regularly gets star of the day/week.

I get really really pissed off with the suggestion that she is in any way being rewarded because of what I do or who I am. What a bloody insult to her. She is lovely, and deserves this.
The head boy by the way has the parents from hell as far as school is concerned. Guess what? The school wasn't giving the head boy to them, but to the boy himself, a lovely lad who will blossom in the role.

I was also a teacher, and I would never, ever dream of giving out any prize/reward etc based on who the parents were. I didn't give a shit about who the parents were, in my classroom, the kids got rewards based on who they were and what they had done. (and I made sure that no-one missed out, and tried to actually base it on something that has happened that week.)

I agree that the star of the week etc is often poorly done, but in my dcs school there is a system and it seems to go around most kids in the class.
Nothing to do with the sodding parents.

Oh and our PTA alternates evening and afternoon meetings, don't supply anyone for school trips, all events are evenings/saturdays (discos, summer fair, car boot etc) or send home things (buy christmas cards etc) We are always advertising for new people and welcome them with open arms.

For the OP - I would ask at parents evening what it is awarded for and what the system is. Then if she hasn't got one, she might think about it.

Just tell your kids! Everybody knows if Star of the Week is meaningful in their school and if it isn't, tell them. Give specific examples when Johnny got it for no violence for a day or if it always goes to the same 5 kids. No more heartache about a meaningless award plus they'll tell other kids, too and it becomes a sort of in-joke.

If your school is one of those that make it meaningful, let them strive for the awards.