Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put PTA fills in budget gaps and uses money to pay for field trips for kids who can't afford them. They do a crisp ton of work to raise the funds. Our school wouldn't be amazing without them. They are not involved in spirit day etc.

Our PTA doesn't pay for field trips or much else.

They might pay the fee for some kids and you just don’t know it.

Twin day is a thing? Really?

-mom of twins who would hate that and probably insist on NOT matching that day

At our school Spirit Days are decided and ran by student council. Kids vote on theme, make posters, go to different classes to tell the students about it, etc. Has nothing to do with PTA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stick to easy stuff like PJ day (every parents' favorite), wear XYZ color, silly accessories, etc.

not mine. PJs are for the bedroom not the classroom

Mine don't PJ's.

I would have respect for the PTA if (T) Teachers and (A) Administrators truly were involved in decisions. They need to say, "no" to excessive silliness.

Anonymous wrote:Stick to easy stuff like PJ day (every parents' favorite), wear XYZ color, silly accessories, etc.

not mine. PJs are for the bedroom not the classroom

Anonymous wrote:Put PTA fills in budget gaps and uses money to pay for field trips for kids who can't afford them. They do a crisp ton of work to raise the funds. Our school wouldn't be amazing without them. They are not involved in spirit day etc.

Our PTA doesn't pay for field trips or much else.

Our PTA didn't pick the spirit week themes, the administration did, we are just passing along the message.

That said "match your friends day" sounds awful - way to exclude kids and make them feel bad about their friendships. If your PTA chose this, then I agree, they suck and you should join them to make some changes.

Anonymous wrote:
They do nothing useful.

This week is celebrate week and the kids are supposed to wear specific outfits.

It creates more work for the parents and does not make it more fun for the kids

Today is Match Your Friends day and DD is having a total meltdown over what outfit to wear.

I hate the PTA.

match your friends day is so exclusionary. I hate it.

Match a twin day is terrible for those kids who struggle with making friends, including those with disabilities. I really wish they would reconsider this one.

Anonymous wrote:We spoke to the SGA teacher leader and let her know about "twin day" and how hard that was for kids. She was very responsive, and just didn't realize and it was never repeated.

The last year we did it I was room parent, and when i sent out the newsletter, just said wear a school t shirt if you wanted to have a buddy that day and it worked.

Our school district does the twin/match a friend day too. I have 4 tween/teens and have seen it from a few different sides. My oldest was SGA president and helped plan the spirit days. This theme was the most requested day. From my vantage point as a parent I could see that it was most requested by the very active students that had lots of friends that participated in these days. Our now 16 ds couldn't care less about school spirit days and pays absolutely no attention. DS 12 loves spirit days like his older sister and dresses up for every single one. For twin day he had a group of 5 boys who all dressed the same in their school shirt. Then we get to ds 13 who has social anxiety and who has been bullied in the past. He is the poster child for the whole will get made fun of at school. He desperately wants to be part of the crowd. We are very careful about when he participates because he has gotten made fun of in the past. Today was ugly sweater day. He did not wear a sweater of any sort because in the past he has gotten made fun of "you make any sweater ugly". For twin day we had him wear a hoodie for the local pro football team. On any given day in the Fall at least 10% of the boys in middle school have a team hoodie on. This was a safe bet that someone else would be his "twin". So, I've been the parent that hates the social anxiety inducing spirit days and I've been the parent that helps their kids make their own t-shirt so that the twins match exactly. It is hard OP. I hope you and your child can come up with something for them to wear that doesn't make the day end in tears. Unfortunately for some students like my ds that is the bar that we have every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This one isn't on the PTA, the SGA (student government association) picks the spirit days, not the PTA. The kids love it, I am sorry it is causing you and your child so much anxiety.

That’s how it is at our school too - the student council does the spirit days.

Elementary schools have student councils? I’m a DCPS parent and have never heard of this.

Our school has one and it’s a K-8 school. Student council starts in 4th grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m on our school’s PTO board and I think that at our school we do a lot of good work to support the school. That said, we don’t get involved in “dress up” days at all. That’s the principal and other school org’s like the student council.

I do think that “Match your friends” day seems like a social nightmare and a huge mistake. I hope they get feedback to not do it again. Something like “crazy sock day” would be a lot more benign.

Agree – at our school, theme days are 100% the student council.

If only there were adults that could overrule a council full of children. Oh, wait. There ARE.

Pp’s were responding to op’s statement about the PTA. As noted here and elsewhere, it’s unusual for the PTA to be in charge of spirit days.

I would be less annoyed by spirit week if I found out about it before the Friday before. Forcing me to scramble all weekend to figure out the random outfits that my kids must wear is just absurd. You don't have to tell the kids that early, but would help the parents if we had a week or two notice!

Put PTA fills in budget gaps and uses money to pay for field trips for kids who can't afford them. They do a crisp ton of work to raise the funds. Our school wouldn't be amazing without them. They are not involved in spirit day etc.