Setting up your PTA account

Welcome, and thank you for volunteering to help the Abernethy PTA! One of the first things you'll want to do is set up your PTA email address, contacts, calendar, and Google Drive access.

The Abernethy PTA utilizes Google Workspace. If you already have a personal Gmail account, the setup will be familiar.

If at any point you need assistance, please contact Doug Lee at help@supportabernethy.org

Claiming your new PTA account

Our PTA uses the following format for email addresses:

first.last@supportabernethy.org

Once you've been assigned a PTA account, you will receive an email from The Google Workspace Team with the following the subject line:

You have a new Google account for Abernethy Elementary School PTA

If you don't see this message in your inbox, check your Spam folder. Please note, this setup email will expire in 48 hours, so please contact help@supportabernethy.org if you need your password reset.

The email will include your PTA username; after you click the Sign In and Accept buttons, you will be prompted to create a new password for your account.

Adding your PTA account to your mobile device

After you've claimed your account, you'll want to add it to your phone or tablet.

We recommend using the Gmail app (instructions) to enable all features of your new account. One particularly helpful option is to use the Gmail app specifically for PTA emails.

If you prefer to use the Mail app on your iPhone, please follow these instructions.

Sign in to multiple Google accounts at once

If you have multiple Google accounts and want to avoid the hassle of signing in and out of them, follow these instructions so you can easily go from one account to another.

Sync Your PTA and Personal Calendars

1. On your computer, open Google Calendar. You can’t share calendars from the Google Calendar app.

2. On the left, find the “My calendars” section. To expand it, click the Down arrow.

3. Find the calendar you want to share, click the three dots to the right, then click "Settings and sharing."

4. Under “Share with specific people,” click Add people.

5. Add your personal email address. Use the drop-down menu to adjust the permission settings. Learn more about access permissions.

6. Click Send.

7. Click the emailed link to add the calendar to your list. Learn how to add someone else’s calendar.

Tip: To share a calendar that you don’t own, you need to ask the owner to give you “Make changes and manage sharing” permission.

Google Drive

Abernethy PTA files are stored in Google Drive. You are welcome to create any folders, documents, or sheets that help you perform or document your role with the PTA. You may see folders that have been created in the past that relate to your role. You should review these items and adjust/update accordingly. Feel free to make a folder your own.

When you are creating documents, sheets, or folders that contain information that the team needs access to, please create (or move) them in the appropriate Shared Drive:

If you find that you have to share a file with others, it is because that file is in your My Drive. It’s easiest to move the file by using the move icon to the right of the file name when you are viewing the file. 

In My Drive, you should have only files that are private to you, such as your drafts/notes while preparing something more polished. Anything you share with the PTA or would pass along to a successor should be in a Shared Drive.

For more info on using shared drives, see Google's best practices guide.

PTA Contacts

PTA email addresses may always be found on our publicly accessible directory page.

Atop the directory are our mailing lists:

• pta@supportabernethy.org reaches all current PTA volunteers

• board@supportabernethy.org goes only to the 14 voting members of the PTA Board, which is comprised of elected officers and committee chairs

• executive@supportabernethy.org reaches the PTA Executive Committee, or its elected officers (Presidents, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary)

For intra-PTA communication, sometimes mobile numbers are preferable; they may be found here when logged into your PTA account. Phone numbers and personal email addresses are available only to PTA volunteers - they are not visible to the public.