BIG BLUE!

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY PACKAGE

2008-09

 

This package is presented in committee format.  Look for the bolded text in each of the descriptions; it will give you details about the job(s) to be done. Please use this information to fill out the INVITATION to join the Loyal Heights Community (interest survey).  Return the invitation to the main office by the end of September. 
Thank you!!  Shelley and Debbie

Download Invitation Here >>

LHPTA Volunteer Coordinators:
Shelly Imel        Debbie Ulrich

    

Standing Committees

These committees perform a continuing function as approved by the general PTA body and exist to enable the PTA to support educational enrichment for all of the students at Loyal Height Elementary.  The chairpersons of these committees are expected to attend monthly board meetings and are voting board members.

 

Art Docents and art docent assistants – Orientation on Wednesday, September 24th at 9:05am in the Lunchroom - Share art ideas, lead a discussion, introduce great works of art and have fun creating original artwork with your child's class. Art docents go into the classroom once a month to enrich our students' education in art. It's one of the reasons there is so much great artwork hanging in the halls at Loyal Heights. Art supplies, resources and training are provided. Be part of an enthusiastic and creative team of docents. Chairs:  Mara Lim or Kelly Holton

 

Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Committee – meets monthly on Thursday mornings – This year, 2008-09, our AIR experience will be Opera!!  The AIR committee is responsible for selecting the subject of the AIR program, hiring the artist, coordinating with the teachers to integrate the artist into classroom learning, and supplementing the work of the artist with related resources, activities, and/or field trips.  Do you have some great ideas for the 2009-10 school year?  Planning starts this year and we’d love your help!  Chair:  Susan Ovens

 

• Communications Team – This group works together to get all important information on PTA events and school happenings out to our community.

Chair:  Lori Monlux

Beaver Tales (the school newsletter) – Help gather materials for publication, create the newsletter and return it to the office for duplication.  Chair/Editor:  Marilyn Esguerra

 

School Photographers - If you like taking pictures this is a great way to contribute your time to the school.  We need photographers at all school events and help creating and updating the photo event board in the hallway.  Photos will be published in Beaver Tales and displayed on the photo event board. Chair:  Martina Machackova (Martina’s last year!  OPEN for 2009!)

 

Beaver Notes Editor – Weekly mini-newsletter to keep you posted on important happenings at Loyal Heights. Chair/Editor:  Kirsten Purdy and Assistant:  Lara Lorenz

 

Publicity - Write press releases and feature articles for the Ballard News-Tribune and other local publications.  This will help to promote special events and activities at Loyal Heights.  Lead Editor:  Laurie Pritchard

 

Website committee -   We need your help posting content to LH website (training included for ANYONE!) and help for teachers to post content and updates.  Chair:  Torrey Volk

 

 

Information Center – The bulletin board and table in the front hall hosts a wealth of valuable information for students and parents alike.  Help post items in a timely and keep it well organized throughout the year.   A simple job, but an important one…and you could get all the info first!   Lead:  Nancy Buran (Nancy’s last year!  OPEN for 2009!)

 

Reader Board Keeper - Responsible volunteer needed to regularly update our reader board with school info.  It’s a quick job and great for an individual who lives near the school.  Lead:  OPEN NOW!!

 

Legislative Committee - This committee is our connection to the world of policy making at the neighborhood, city, county, state and federal levels.  The committee works with the PTA Board to inform and educate the general membership regarding education and children’s welfare issues.  Your job could include (although rare) representing Loyal Heights before the Ballard Council, City Council, Seattle School Board or Seattle District PTA council meetings; or you could help research and report to our school on any legislation, initiatives or referendum that would effect children and/or schools.    Chair:  OPEN NOW!!

 

Membership – This committee focuses on renewing members and recruiting new parents to join Loyal Heights PTA.  Members are entered into a computer and issued a membership card.  Steve and Jennifer needs your help with data entry and membership recruitment.    Chair:  Steve Beaulieu and Jennifer Doherty

 

Enrollment – This team plans and organizes our school tours for prospective new families.  The chairs work with main office staff to compile our enrollment packets. You could lead the tours in January and February, on Tuesday mornings, or help put the information packets together.     Chair:  Barbara Ellingson and Erin Axton

 

 

Special Committees

These committees are created as the need arises to carry out a specific task. When the task is complete the committee is done.  The chairpersons of these committees are not voting board members, but must be a member of the PTA.  For easier reference, these committees are grouped into 5 categories: 

 

“PTA Fundraising Fun”

“All About the Kids”

“Taking care of Business”

“PTA Events”

“Our Community”

“PTA Fundraising Fun”

Are you organized or a salesperson at heart? 

 

Our three major fundraisers:  Wrapping Paper, Jogathon, and Auction

 

Wrapping paper/Products sales - September 8-22, 2008 – Our first fundraiser of the year requires a well organized person(s) to handle all the logistics:  put out flyers, collect checks and order forms from the office, and keep in contact with the product company.  Committee members help with various logistical jobs.  Products to be sold are determined through consultation with the PTA Fundraising Directors.  Chairs:  Steve & Liz Schmidt

 

 

Jogathon - Friday, October 17th,  2008 – This fundraiser includes the entire school!  It is a very fun and straightforward event – but it requires a lot of manpower.  This committee publicizes the event, organizes prizes for kids, plans the pizza dinner, and supervises the “field.”   If you can help with the countless jobs the day of Jog-a-thon let us know by writing in Jogathon on your attached interest form and watch for shift sign-up notices in your ‘kidmail’.  If you want to help at the committee level for this year (or next), be specific on your INVITATION/ Interest Survey since planning is already underway!  Chairs:  Janet Solan and Margie Balcos

 

 

Auction Committee - Saturday, March 7th, 2009 – MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!  The Auction is our highest grossing fund-raiser of the year, and also a very fun evening spent with other parents in our Loyal Heights community!  If you have a flair for the dramatic, love to be in charge, have creative ideas, and want to be where the action is, this is for you!  The chairs of the various sub-committees meet throughout the year up to the night of the event.  There is a subcommittee for silent auction, live auction, entertainment, procurement, and so on. Watch for notices as the year progresses as each sub-committee looks for help.  We will also need countless volunteers to actually “run the show”.  So please indicate Auction on the INVITATION/

Interest Survey if you can help set up, decorate, cashier, etc. 

Chairs:  Jennifer Doherty, Margie Balcos, Lisa Glover

 

Other Fundraisers:

 

Ballard and Greenwood Market Receipts – This committee collects and returns receipts to the stores.  The stores donate 1% back to our school.  Help publicize this so we can collect more receipts. Chair:  Loy and Michael Dahl

 

Box Tops for Education - We have a drop off bin in the main hallway for General Mills tops.  This committee collects the box tops and sends them to General Mills.  They return a percentage in cash to the school.  Help by publicizing this program to bring in more cash!  Chair:  Kirsten Bolduan

 

Soup Labels - Campbell’s product labels are redeemable for points to spend on helpful school equipment from the Campbell’s catalog.  Help the chair to publicize this program so we can get more great school equipment and supplies!  Chair:  Loy and Michael Dahl

 

 

“All About the Kids”

Do you want more face time with the kids?

Classroom Assistants are needed to read with students, lead a group lesson, give spelling tests, grade homework, assist kids on computers, photocopy, and other jobs that vary according to teacher preference.   These volunteers should be reliable to the best of their ability as the teachers include this help in their planning.  If you want to be in your child’s classroom or any classroom, speak to the teacher.  (This is not a PTA-sponsored activity and is completely up to the discretion of each teacher.)   

Chair:  classroom teachers

 

• After School Clubs - We have a very comprehensive program at LH.  Watch backpacks for sign-ups and further information.   This year, we’re looking for a reliable parent helper for:  Art Club Assistant, Book Club, 2nd and 3rd grade Science club, Movers and Shakers-type club, Knitting/Crocheting/Sewing club, Homework Club Leaders (2 needed – 1 day/week)..  You can specify which club you want to help with on your attached INVITATION/ Interest Survey and Lena will contact you to discuss the details.  Chair:  Lena George

 

• Snacks for After School Club – Before the clubs begin, students gather in the cafeteria for a quick snack.  We need volunteers to serve the snack (2:50-3:25pm, one day per week).  Chair:  Susan Thomas

 

• Lunchtime Helpers - Ms. Toner needs a team of smiling faces to assist at lunchtime with all the little things that come up.  You may help open food containers, release kids from lunch when they are done, answer the assorted questions that kids ask, like “Whose mom/dad are you?” and “Will you open my milk?” Clover will work out a schedule with whoever signs up.   Chair:  Principal, Cashel Toner

 

• Nurses Helper - Assist Nurse Julie with health screening in September and October.  You would work approximately ½ to 1 full school day.  This is a fun and easy job.   Chair:  Julie Kaloper

 

• Popcorn Person – The “Popcorn People” are the envy of us all!  Approximately every other Friday is Popcorn Friday and you can help choose which Fridays.  It’s a really great way to connect with all the kids.  They pop the corn, bag the corn, and sell the corn.  Chairs:  OPEN NOW!!

 

• Room Parent – Friday, October 1st, 9am – FIRST MEETING in the cafeteria!!  This is one of the most important and fulfilling roles you can undertake, and the kids love you for it!  Work with your child’s teacher to organize parties, coordinate volunteers for special class projects, work with chairpersons for special events such as Auction and Teacher Appreciation Week and to help organize Science Kits. This is a yearlong commitment, but usually shared by 2 or more parents, making light work.   Show your interest in this job by coming to the meeting on Oct. 1st.  We need at least 2 volunteers per classroom, more is preferable.  Chair:  Shelley Imel

 

• Spanish Program Volunteers -   We are looking for parents who want to be in the Spanish room to assist with materials preparation, set-up for activities, reading to the children, etc.  The program can use your help whether you speak Spanish or not.    Chair:  Colette Blangy, our Spanish teacher

 

 

• Student Banking - Washington Mutual sponsors a bank day during the lunch break.  Helping at the bank station is a great way to meet students of all ages and other parents who volunteer.  The students are always happy when they get a banking prize!  Banking will be on Wednesdays, 11:15am-1pm.  You can volunteer on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, or be on the substitute list if you’re not available on a consistent basis.  We need people to help collect the children’s money, hand out prizes, or enter deposits in the computer.   Chair: Barbara Sinn

 

• Tutoring - Volunteer one hour a week to work with our students that need a little extra help.  Tutoring can be during school hours or after school at the homework club. No experience necessary, just a love for helping kids!  This is a very rewarding job. Chair:  Kathy Katzen             

 

• Crossing Guard -  Work with Mrs. Cartwright, our PE specialist and coordinator of safety, to help with crossing guard duty at the corner of NW 80th St. and 24th Ave NW.  The times are 8:15-9:05am and 3:00-3:20pm.  The commitment would be for one day a week (or more), AM or PM (or both).  Any help is welcome! 

Chair:  Mrs. Cartwright, our saftety coordinator and PE specialist

 

• School Store – The every other Friday school store (opposite Popcorn Friday) is a fun and educational event for the student council members running it and those supporting it with both coins and well-earned Beaver Bucks (earned for good behavior).  Two volunteers are needed to learn the “biz” before 5th grade mom graduates!

Chair:  Nancy Buran (Nancy’s last year; OPEN for 2009-10)

 

“Taking Care of Business”

Do you like to get the job done?

 

Come to a Volunteer Orientation and we can answer your questions and show you the ropes.  You’ll learn your way around the building and how to use basic office machines. 

Monday, 9/29, 2-3pm  and Thursday, 10/23, 7-8pm

Volunteer Orientaton and Principal Cofee

 

Office Assistants – Our teachers and office staff need you!  We know that many of you chose Loyal Heights because of the feeling in the building – many buzzing bees working to create our vibrant learning community.  We need a small pool of Office Helpers who are able to help out in the office on an “as needed” basis (filing, copying, answering phones).   Chair: Mary Slater

“Bodacious Beaver” -This is the name of a student-earned, teacher- generated, monthly award given to recognize outstanding academic improvement, classroom citizenship, etc.  The award is given to 2-3 children from each classroom each month.  We need parents to call the families of the recipients.  This gives families a chance to plan to be at the assembly when their child receives the award!  Chair:  OPEN NOW!!

Family Phone and Address Directory - This phone directory will become an invaluable tool.   We need your help to compile, revise and edit.  Each family will receive a copy when it is done.  Chair:  Sue Theiler 

Yearbook – Work with Dorian Studios, our publisher, to put together the best Beaver yearbook ever!  Springtime commitment - work from home on your computer.  Free training.  No experience necessary.  Chair: Martina Machackova (last year!   OPEN for 2009!!)

Landscape Maintenance aka “Eager Weeders” - Love to garden?  Be part of this important committee and keep our flowerpots, containers and garden beds looking great.  Our goal is to make the school grounds look better each year, and we can always use more helping hands.  This group helps with two annual all-school work parties and committee members also weed flowerbeds on their own schedules.  

Chair: Laura Blumhagen

Library Assistant - Help in our wonderful library with re-shelving, mending and putting new books out.  Help is also needed for book check-out.  You can work out a schedule with our wonderful librarian, Mr. Harvey.  It’s a great way to connect with students and teachers.  Chair:  Sean Harvey

Loyal Heights Merchandise - Help Victoria to provide cool Loyal Heights merchandise and then help sell it at various events.  Great job for the retailer at heart!  Chair:  Victoria Marod

Reflections -  The national arts competition sponsored by the National PTA.  Advertise and create incentives for kids to participate and collect the artwork and submit it to the local PTA unit for judging.  This job starts in October and is over in January.   Chair:  Anna Ungar

ID Tags – Committee sends a form to all families to ask whether they would like to purchase an ID tag; places an order with the company; and distributes the ID tags when they come in.  Chair:  Lori Forthsythe

Pinch Pool - Can you be called without much notice to help with a detail for a project or event?  For instance, we are 2 days from Auction and we realize we do not have enough help to decorate the hall.  Could you help?  Or maybe you would be asked to pick up the pizzas for Jog-a-thon at the last minute because the pizza-picker-upper got the flu.  Show your willingness to be part of this pool on the INVITATION/interest survey  Chair:  Debbie Ulrich

Safety Committee - Work with our own Safety Czar, Janet Cartwright, to keep the building and grounds safe for all of us.  Chair:  Janet Cartwright

Comfort Kit Lead:  Barbara Sinn

Mini-Grant Program Coodinator – NEW POSITION!! -- Help our teachers find creative ways to spend their mini-grants to classrooms.  Our PTA provides these grants for $500 per teacher with the intention that they be used for students to experience educationally enriching activities.  These grants have been used to visit special places or to bring special people into the classroom.  Teachers need help to research ideas, make phone calls and other tasks required to make the experiences a reality.  This is a great way to get to know the teachers in our building and make a difference for all Loyal Heights kids!:  Chair:  OPEN NOW!!

 

 

“PTA Events”

Can you help in the evening, or help put on a fun-filled family event?

Coffee Crew - This committee is responsible for procuring (preferably donated or at a reduced rate) and picking up the “tanks” at your favorite coffee shop and delivering them to the lunchroom before our family events.  You do not have to be available to attend every one of these events – just help Liberte’, our chair, get the coffee there and set up.  Chair:  Liberté Liberté

PTA-sponsored EVENTS:

Welcome Back Social –Thursday, September 18th, 2008, 6-8pm - This well-attended event is used to inform the community of various PTA activities as well as special curriculum programs.  The lunchroom is lined with information tables!  The social is held in conjunction with our first general PTA meeting.  Desserts are provided by our very own LH bakers and donations from area bakeries.  Volunteers are needed for set-up, clean-up, and handing out desserts. Chair:  Dana Malik (last year!  OPEN 2009)

 

Book Fair – November 12-14th, 2008 – An exciting event lasting 3 days, plus an evening (Harvest Night), where a local bookstore, Secret Garden Books, works with us to bring fabulous books to our children.  Volunteers are needed for cashiering, set up and take down, keeping books organized and assisting students. 

Chair:  Christine Ellin

Harvest Night – November 14th, 5:30-8:30pm -The air is cool, the leaves have changed and it’s time to celebrate the bounty of life and our great school community!  Harvest Night involves craft tables and a light dinner served up by the fabulous 5th graders.  Join the committee and add your special touch to this great family event. 

Chair:  Mara Lim (last year – OPEN for 2009)

 

Family Dance – Friday, February 6th, 2009 - Loyal Heights families know how to have a good time and Family Dance is one of the highlights of the year!  Help plan all fun for this not-to-be missed event.  Chair:  Laurie Blackburn (last year –

OPEN 2009!!)

 

Science Fair -  Thursday, March 26th, 2009 – This team works with John Hamel (teacher, Room 15) to put together what has become a very popular and fun evening.  You would work with the chairs to send out a notice and reminders to the parent community about the fair and what is required of children who want to enter a project, coordinate set up and clean up the day of the event, and provide ribbons and certificates for each entrant.   Chairs:  Gwyn Mannery, Michele Black and John Lederer

 

School Play – March through May – PARENT COORDINATOR(S) NEEDED!!!  The school play is organized by PTA volunteers and, in the past, has been offered to all 3rd through 5th grade students who want to participate.  In order for us to have a play this school year, we need a group of parents to come forward and recruit a director and select the play; and then organized the auditions, practices and performances.  It’s a big job but the entire school will thank you when we watch those darling students perform!  This job is really “for the kids!”  Chair:  OPEN NOW!!

Field Day – Monday, June 15th, 2009 - At the end of the year, we reward our students and teachers for a job well done!!!  Field Day is a half-day, outdoor event held during school hours sometime during the last week of school.  It is not like any Field Day you experienced as a kid!!!  Anne would like help to plan the event, do publicity, or help coordinate volunteers for the day.   Chair:  Anne Forester

Fifth-grade activites – Parents needed to help plan our 5th graders’ last year activities:  fund-raising, Harvest Night dinner, gift to school and/or students, promotion ceremony, family party.  Chairs:  Debbie Ulrich and Shelley Imel

 

“Our community”

Do you like to better the community and thank those who give so much?

LH Community Corner – Serving our Neighborhood, World and Environment.  Join the team to develop projects that serve our community.  Volunteer for the year or by project:

Fall:  Neighborhood-based Giving Programs

Winter:  International Project

Spring:  Environmental Focus

Chair:  Jenny Collins-Friedrichs, jcollinsf@msn.com

Giving Tree - Help the office prepare and deliver gifts to local families.  This is a moderately busy job in Nov. and Dec.  Chairs:  Office staff  

Staff Appreciation  - Let our teachers and school staff know how much we appreciate them!!  Help Kara and Monique plan Teacher’s Appreciation Week in May (with the help of room parents and classroom parents).  This team will also coordinate the monthly scrumptious lunches for the entire staff (organized by the room parents and prepared by classroom parents) and possibly come up with some other new ideas!!!  Chair: Kara Laverde and Monique Shira

 

So, what happens after I turn in my INVITATION/interest survey?

We will deliver your contact information to the appropriate committee chair(s) who will then contact you. Please feel free to contact the committee chair(s) or your volunteer coordinators if you don’t hear back or you’re really anxious to get to work.  All of your talents and efforts are valuable.  Working together, we can best utilize them to continue to make Loyal Heights Elementary the best it can be!  THANK YOU Eager Beavers!!

 

What if I have a new idea?

We encourage you to present any new ideas to us at any time!  Each one of the programs described herein exists because a parent believed in its value, brought it to the LHPTA and a “special committee” was formed.  Your LHPTA Board is here to receive and act on your suggestions.