Choose a central location for your PTO gathering so that it will be convenient to parents coming from throughout the area. If you can use the school gym or auditorium, so much the better. It will help parents get comfortable with their child's new surroundings and understand the basic layout of the building itself, in addition to giving parents the chance to meet other members of the group. The location should be a quiet place where people can mingle and easily offer ideas during brainstorming sessions. The place should allow food and drink to keep members at ease and refreshed. There should be ample seating that can be arranged so that members can face each other.
Choose a time where most working parents will have the opportunity to stop home and settle in before having to rush back out the door. A good time for meetings is in the evenings after dinner, usually around 7 p.m. This way the parents (and children, if they attend) will be back home in plenty of time for a bedtime routine and they won't feel rushed during a meal. An evening time also eases the demand on providing refreshments as a light snack and water should be all that's required of the organizers. Weekend get-togethers will also work, especially if the children are invited to the kickoff celebration. On a Saturday afternoon, for instance, parents, teachers and families will be able to come and go as they please, mingling when it's convenient to their schedule. For more formal meetings, be sure everyone can attend at the same time.
Start the event with introductions and icebreakers. Go around the room for introductions and have each member give his or her name, role in the organization, work outside of the PTO and child's name and age. Have a raffle so that parents have the opportunity to walk away with a few small prizes for their time. Have each parent and teacher list their main goal for the school year. Then, depending on the goals, break up into teams so that those who feel strongly about certain issues can brainstorm ideas for those issues. This will be the backbone for future meetings. For a kickoff event, you can line up a speaker or two if you have the funds. Speakers should be known either nationally or in the community for their commitment to education. A mayor, minor celebrity or even the school's superintendent can provide great insight to the mission of the organization.
Make sure you have handbooks, schedules and pamphlets to hand out that explain the different factions of the organization. This information will help parents and teachers dive right in to the issues for the upcoming school year. They'll also be able to plan future meetings and settle into the amount of involvement they'll feel comfortable with. Make sure to emphasize that differences of opinion are OK, but respectful language and discussion should be used at all times. Introduce the members to the board and the leaders so that they know who is in charge and who they should turn to for specific concerns.