School of Excellence Celebration Kit

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National PTA School of Excellence

   

Congratulations 2023-2025 PTA Schools of Excellence!

Check out National PTA's official press release celebrating your achievement in strengthening family-school partnerships in your school community. As 2023-2025 National PTA Schools of Excellence, you and your Excellence Team deserve recognition for working to create an environment where communities are engaged, families feel included and empowered and students feel safe and supported. 

In honor of your designation, by the end of September, National PTA will send your PTA a certificate and letter by mail, as well as your banner to hang prominently at their school, along with digital celebration materials. Once hung, please take a picture with your Excellence Team in front of the banner, send it to Excellence@PTA.org and share by using #PTAExcellence. We want to celebrate with you!

If you do not receive your banner by October 15, please email Excellence@PTA.org.

  

 Digital School of Excellence Celebration Toolkit

Your PTA worked hard to achieve this designation—now it's time to celebrate! Use the resources and materials in the sections below to:

  • Share and promote your National PTA School of Excellence designation
  • Tell your Excellence Story and raise visibility of the improvements you achieved
  • Host an engaging, fun and impactful celebration event for your school
  • Continue your success and build on the momentum you made in the program

Sharing is caring! Email Excellence@PTA.org with ideas, templates or tools that your PTA has used to successfully promote a your School of Excellence designation. 

Share Your School of Excellence Designation

Promotional Resources to Start Your Celebration Today

Be sure to use all of your PTA and school communication tools—social media, e-newsletters, phone and text systems—and, when school starts, use student folders, school drop-off lines and morning announcements to spread the great news. And don't forget to include National PTA by using the hashtags #PTAExcellence. We want to celebrate with you!

  • Graphics can help visually highlight your achievement and start conversations on all your communication platforms. Celebration Idea: Use the 2023-2025 School of Excellence designation Zoom frame during your virtual PTA meetings at the beginning of the school year.
  • Through ShopPTA.com you can find items like pens, lanyards, lapel pins and more to help you celebrate your incredible accomplishment. Celebration Idea: Hang your banner from National PTA in a central location and order a customized banner with your PTA's name and designation years that can be moved around campus for special cases or brought to off-campus events, like programs held in a city park.
Download and Customize

Use the sample messages for PTA promotions, newsletters and meetings to share your success.

Promotional Toolkit

Click the dropdown to download designation graphics in multiple size formats.
Media and Graphics
  • Use this Zoom Frame to ensure all your virtual PTA meetings celebrate your PTA's excellence. 
  • Add the 2023-2025 School of Excellence designation and e-signature graphic to your e-mail signature line.
  • Find items like pens, lanyards, lapel pins and more through ShopPTA.com to help you celebrate your incredible accomplishment. Most items can be ordered and shipped within one week. There are also three package deals that will allow you to bulk order and save! 
 

Tell Your Excellence Story 

Not everyone understands or is fully aware of what PTA does in our school communities. It is up to you to tell them and your work in the School of Excellence program is a great place to start! Go beyond the general facts and capture the heart of your story—WHY you applied to the program and HOW you used it to make a positive IMPACT in your school community.

  • Your hard work and commitment to excellence will attract action-oriented PTA people who are interested in making a difference. Celebration Idea: Use the your Excellence Story to promote PTA membership with direct outreach and engagement with potential new members to share the designation and outline how joining the PTA supports this work. Use the YOU Belong in PTA — Grow Your PTA with Programs templates to highlight the value of the School of Excellence program.
  • A story can be more impactful way to capture the attention of new families and/or members in your community during the beginning of the school year. Celebration Idea. Once you have your story outline, create a quick (6-7 minute) presentation that your PTA can easily plug-and-play into PTA meetings or school events. 
Click the dropdown to find the 3 basic elements of a good story.
Storytelling Easy as 1, 2, 3

These basic elements are just a good place to start! See what works and what doesn't along the way and explore how you can innovate and make more engaging the information you share with your community. 

1. The Challenge (Why) Use your responses to the Step #2 Community Feedback Form to outline the backdrop/beginning of your story.

  • Describe the need/issue revealed in your community feedback, including who was impacted most.
  • Explain the potential consequences of not addressing the need/issue, including who was impacted most.
  • List the goals for success that you outlined in your Excellence Action Plan.

2. The Solution (How) Use your responses to the Step #3 Share Your Plans Form, your Excellence Action Plan and your Step #4 Community Impact Form to explain exactly how the hero of your story (YOU!) saved the day.

  • Describe how your PTA took action to achieve set goals for your project and school community.
  • Highlight the main components of your action, including innovations and ways your incorporated the National Standards.
  • Share what was critical to your success and the key partners and collaborators that led you to success.
  • Outline the challenges you encountered and how you addressed them.

3. The Resolution (Impact) Use your responses in your Step #4 Community Impact Form, including quotes or notable data points to convey the true impact of your efforts in the program to your school community. Rather than a laundry list think about what was the one moment that perfectly describes your success as a School of Excellence. 

  • Share how your efforts led to long-lasting benefits for the lives of families and students in your school community.
  • Highlight how families are more empowered to support their child’s success and well-being?
  • Explore perceptions within the school community that may have changed. 
  • Point out what comes next and encourage families to get involved with your PTA efforts to enhance family engagement.

Build Connections with Your Designation

Your designation recognizing the work you and your Excellence Team did in the program will  demonstrate the power and value of PTA to meet the critical, community-specific needs of our children, families and schools. Intentionally highlighting your designation to different groups in your community will help personalize and raise the visibility of what your PTA does in your school community.

  • Connect with community partners your PTA worked with in your action plan or partners you want to work with in the future to highlight the value of partnering with the PTA. Celebration Idea. Download and customize the sample community announcement letter to let them know that PTA is invaluable to enhancing family, school and community partnerships.

  • Your PTA knows the benefits of transformative family engagement through PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, which guided you and your Excellence Team in the program. Celebration Idea. Help bring those benefits to all children in your community by partnering with your district and/or state school board and advocate for them to adopt the National Standards as their policy on family engagement. Learn more at PTA.org/Standards and explore this pre-crafted model policy (en español).

Click the dropdown to download template announcements, letters and messages.
School and Community Announcements
  • Your community helped you earn this designation so share the news so they know their feedback helped improve their school community. Customize the sample family announcement letter (English and en español) and include it in back to school packets to explain the accomplishment and celebrate. 
  • Don’t forget to thank those that support your PTA in earning the designation. Customize a 

    Volunteers Thank You Letter (en español) with details about your impact in the program and how they helped achieve this accomplishment.  

  • Promote the designation and your celebration events to your government officials to highlight your efforts to enhance family engagement. Customize this template Letter to Elected Officials as a starting place. Check out this response from U.S. Senator Cory Booker celebrating a past designee.

Host a Celebration Event

Make Your Celebration Impactful 

Host a celebration event that celebrates your designation and shows your community all the work you put into the program. Your celebration will open the doors to attract new, action-oriented PTA members and allow you to officially present your School of Excellence banner to your school and community! Brainstorm the following to set you up for success early on:

  • Where? Secure an physical location (e.g., cafeteria, community park, gym) and/or or virtual platform that can sufficiently support your celebrations. Be sure to consider accessibility and inclusivity to make sure your announcements, invitations and celebrations reach your entire community.
  • When? Select times when you believe the most families and special guests could participate. Look at the school and community calendar—perhaps the event could be combined with another special event, like Back-to-School Night, Fall Festival or Homecoming, or coupled with a family engagement game or contest.
  • What? Consider the best way to celebrate your designation and do what meets your community’s unique needs. Think about: How you will make the presentation of the banner and certificate special? Which community partner would be willing to sponsor the celebrations? Who will speak? What student groups could provide entertainment? 
Click the dropdown for ideas and tools to get inspired and begin planning your designation celebrations.

Plan and Promote Your Event
Invitations and Promotion

When possible, send personalized invitations to families, school leaders and community leaders. Research shows people who receive a personal invitation from someone they know and trust are more likely to attend a school event. 

  • Reach out to your district, council, region or state PTA to invite them to the event, thank them for any support, and/or develop connections for future PTA programming.

Your community helped you achieve the designation, so be sure to include them in your event. This will raise the visibility of your PTA among the parents and students in your school and help your whole community feel pride in this accomplishment!

  • Use all of your PTA and school communication tools—social media, e-newsletters, phone and text systems, student folders, morning announcements, websites, etc.—to invite your community to the event. Customize these template Social Media Posts (en español) to promote and wrap-up your event and recruit volunteers. Here are examples of social media promotion from Ladera Palma Elementary PTA and Winter Park High School PTSA.
Celebration Event Ideas and Recommendations

Use the lessons you learned in the program to host an event that highlights your hard work and think outside the box to host a fun and engaging event that reflects the Excellence you achieved.

  • Ensure your event is organized, inclusive and accessible by removing barriers to attendance, such as timing and location or the use of an interpreter, and expanding your invites to include everyone, including non-PTA members. Customize this In-Person Event Day Checklist (en español).
  • Decorate for the event—proudly display your banner and other School of Excellence and school spirit décor. If your event is virtual use the Zoom Frame or Zoom Background images to brand the event.
  • Prepare a welcome or opening activity that greets attendees and gets them excited for the event. For example, include student performances to enhance the event with engaging experiences for families and your school community. 
  • Include a “Join PTA” table or area where you can provide information about PTA programs to generate membership and support. Specifically promote the School of Excellence program as a membership benefit with these customizable YOU Belong in PTA membership resources!

Make Your Celebration Impactful 

Think outside the box and use the lessons you learned in the program to host an event that reflects your hard work and the Excellence you achieved.

  • Make sure your School of Excellence celebrations are for your whole PTA school community. Use the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion resources and materials at PTA.org/Diversity to ensure your event welcomes everyone who made your designation possible. 
  • Invite many different groups from your school community. Include school staff and administrators, families, community leaders and local news media and others to attend. And be sure to share your plans with your district, regional, council and state PTA leadership—they may be available to participate and support your celebration activities.
  • Highlight what comes next. Use your celebration event to show your commitment to sustained Excellence. This will inspire similarly motivated potential members and expand support for your PTA. You'd be surprised how many people don't know that the events they attend and the programs they participate in at school are all thanks to the hard work of your PTA/PTSA.
Click the dropdown for ideas and activities to elevate your event and a sample event schedule.
Sample Celebration Event Schedule
Celebration ceremony (15-25 minutes)
  • Opening remarks. School principal or PTA President provide welcoming remarks. Consider speaking to specific joint efforts to emphasize your mutual commitment to continuing this work.
  • Present the work and banner. Excellence Team volunteer(s) overview the work done in the program and present your School of Excellence banner and certificate. Check out this certificate display from Cobb Middle School PTA.
  • Thank your volunteers. Welcome the people who made your designation possible to be recognized, including student leaders, PTA volunteers, school personnel, local and district officials and/or community partners. Honor critical volunteers for outstanding work with a thank-you certificate and/or gift.
  • Welcome special guests. Invite the  school district office and/or state PTA representative to attend and speak as a special guest at your celebration. Consider speaking to the impact of family-school partnerships on student success, school improvements and the community as a whole.
  • Closing remarks. School principal or PTA President that emphasize your PTA's commitment to continuing this work. Encourage future participation in School of Excellence and PTA membership.
Reception (15-30 minutes)
  • Offer refreshments like a School of Excellence cookie or cake. Consider hosting food trucks that are owned by families in your school to build relationships and soliciting donated refreshments provided by a community partner.
  • Create and premiere at a featured video or slideshow highlighting your work in the program and using the chat to engage attendees in your celebration. Check out this celebration video from Oak Hill Elementary PTA for inspiration.
  • Incorporate games or contests like a personality scavenger hunt, that engage families with one another and/or school leaders. Offer educational opportunities like meet and greets with special guests (e.g., principals, teachers, district or PTA leaders).
  • Provide a pop-up photo booth where people can share what is excellent about your PTA. Provide easy-to-complete Media Release (en español) and use photos in a social media schedule that promotes your designation and PTA further! Don't forget to include National PTA by tagging @NationalPTA and using #HowWePTA and #PTAExcellence.

Continue Achieving Excellence  

Continue forward on in your Excellence journey by re-enrolling in the National PTA School of Excellence program! Enrollment is open at PTA.org/Excellence until Oct. 15. National PTA encourages PTAs to re-enroll year-over-year as a best practice for deepening your impact and building on the momentum you’ve gained.

You can also be a leader in your community by encouraging local PTAs near you to enroll and by providing support and leadership to building effective family-school partnerships for ALL students. You can also promote program enrollment by accessing and using our Enrollment Toolkit to promote the program to PTAs.  

Don't Stop Celebrating!

Following your designation and celebration event, consider these options for continuing to share your excellence.

  • At every PTA and school event, reinforce the importance of your work to support and improve student success and remind your community that the work is ongoing to help attract action-oriented volunteers. 
  • Continue to seek community feedback on how well your efforts are being maintained and how your PTA can improve on the work you did in the program. Remember the is always room for growth!

 

Grow Your PTA with School of Excellence

Demonstrate the value of PTA to your membership with customizable School of Excellence YOU Belong in PTA  resources. Find, download and customize sample social media graphics and print & go flyers that spread awareness about your PTA's impact through the School of Excellence program.

You Belong in PTA School of Excellence

You Belong in PTA School of Excellence

Stay connected with National PTA

Throughout the year, we will highlight National PTA School of Excellence designees through e-newsletters, blogposts, social media, etc. to share how your school and PTA partnered to engage families. In addition, as leaders in family-school partnerships, your PTA will be provided insider access to future opportunities from National PTA and our partners.