"PTA"

[hoverfrog]

I've just signed myself up to be one of the 'parents d'eleves' on the equivalent of the PTA for école maternelle / primaire.

Has anyone else been there / done that and has any tips / experiences to pass on?

Any antagonism for being the only English on the committee?

Any tips for fundraising events that work here as well as in the UK? (don't want to suggest something, and then it falls flat on its face as it's not 'the done thing' here!)

Aaaarrrrgggh! What have I done?!!!!

[Suze01]

It will be different from school to school but when I was a Parent d'Eleve a few years ago (missed out last year due to too many applicants - very unusual) it involved going to a meeting once a term discussing the organisation of the school and to be the representative of the class that you were 'assigned' to ie before the meeting a note would go out to all parents asking if they had any questions or concerns to put to the school and it was up to me to voice those at the meeting.  The end of school year fête is organised by the Committee but this is non-fundraising.

On the other hand there is the Amicale Laïque in the village (of which I'm Vice-President - don't know how that happened [8-)] ) which is more like the PTA in the UK - I was Chair of the PTA at my son's school, a glutton for punishment heh? The AL organise lots of fundraising and fun activities such as Loto soirées, Pettascou Spring fêtes, children's Vide Greniers, Christmas market stall selling various produce including those made by the eleves, selling crèpes at the market at Chandeleur (very popular), the Téléthon event etc etc. and donate funds raised to the schools (primaire and maternelle) to use for outings and purchases for the schools.

"Any antagonism for being the only English on the committee?" - non at all.  As usual with these things at is always the same small group of parents (read 'mums') who put themselves up for it.  On the contrary on the odd occassion when the meetings involve lots of people and it gets to a point occassionally when loads of people are speaking at once they are just concerned that I can follow!

But, as I say it will vary from school to school.

Bon chance!

[Ormx]

i'm also on ours and the only foreigner, they don't mind one bit, actually as numbers are so low I am currently the ONLY parent from the maternelle represented which is disgraceful. We don't do that much really. there's one fundraiser that makes a bit and we just repeat with variations every year. the whole pta is pathetic really but hopefully we'll do a bit better this year. (Actually there was another English mum there last year who came with loads of ideas, having been on a pta in England, and the ideas were all greeted but never implemented. She left. ) Motivation is the problem, not the nationality of the person who comes up with the idea.

[TWINKLE]

Been a member for 4 years now.  I've been in France for 18 years and I'm still a foreigner to them (l'anglaise).  When I can I do a free aperitif concert at carnival time to raise money, or just help laying the tables and serving the food up when they do the end of the year meal. 

I suggested pancake races, egg and spoon races and mum and dad races and they think these are great fun ideas and a real change to the usual things they do year in year out.

There is a shortage of parents and they are glad of the help and fresh input - just be yourself and go for it!  It's another good way of learning french plus you get to know the teachers on a different level at the school council meetings.

[hoverfrog]

many thanks for all the replys - I feel a bit better about the whole thing now!

I'm hoping to be able to improve my french, get to know some more people, and be able to contribute some new ideas.

The town where the schools are is a little bit anti-English now as there are quite a few of us in the region and they see us as responsible for raising house-prices, taking jobs, etc. I've already done quite a lot to dispel myths (aren't all English protestant? Don't you all eat haggis? you've tasted/cooked coq au vin before????) - but there's a lot of work to do still :)