Scenic Hills Home and School Association

Volunteer Opportunities 2009/2010

There are numerous opportunities to help out at Scenic Hills throughout the year.  We welcome all parents/caretakers to take advantage of these chances to contribute to your child’s overall school experience and to deepen your association with Scenic Hills.  The opportunities that are coordinated by the Scenic Hills Home and School Association are listed below.  We have provided a brief description of each activity, so you may determine which opportunities fit your schedule and interest.

Each activity has been designated as “Sibling-Friendly” (you may choose to bring a non-Scenic Hills student with you, but we ask that you bear your child’s temperament in mind), “Adults Only” or “Weekend / Night”.

look below for the volunteer form

Sibling-Friendly Opportunities:

Absentee Phone-In:  Approximately once a month, you will be asked to come to school at about 9:30 am to retrieve the Absentee Hotline messages and reconcile the phone messages to the attendance records.  This job usually takes about 30 minutes, but varies with attendance.  Accompanying children need to be quiet, but may play with provided toys, crayons and puzzles within the designated Absentee Hotline room.

Community Service/Valentine Projects: These outreach projects are a wonderful opportunity to do something for others in our community.  Students, under the direction of their teachers and the assistance of volunteers, make Valentine’s Day cards and other projects and deliver them to local nursing homes, assisted care facilities and hospitals.  Volunteers assist with the organization and delivery of the projects

Field Day: Friday, June 5^th (Rain date June 8^th): Field Day is a big school-wide athletic event held on a school day.  Many volunteers are needed to staff the events, the water stations, help with snacks and lunchtime treats, and general assistance.  This job requires a couple of hours of time on Field Day.

Fundraiser:   H&S usually has 2 fall fundraisers and one spring fundraiser if needed.  H&S is totally self-supporting. Our fundraisers are the only source of funds for all of our programs and activities.  Volunteers are needed to organize and distribute fundraiser merchandise. It normally takes about 2 hours and is typically done during school hours. 

Guest Reader:  The Guest Reader program is a very enjoyable way to spend some time with your child and his/her class during the school day.  The scheduled time varies from class to class. A sign-up sheet will be posted in your child’s classroom on Back to School night, listing the day and time that story time will be conducted. Parents who participate are asked to come in to your child’s class to read a book of your choice for 20-30 minutes (based upon a schedule that is sent home with your child in Sept/Oct).

Hospitality:    Volunteers assist in set-up, clean-up and serving of food/drinks for various events, such as the Senior Citizen Now and Then Day, the Volunteer Luncheon, the Teachers’ Back-to-School Luncheon and the Teachers’ Appreciation Luncheon. 

Playground/lunchroom Helper:  Volunteers assist students in the cafeteria during their lunchtime to help the meal go smoothly. Volunteers are also asked to help during indoor/outdoor recess time to organize an activity and keep the students active and safe.  Schedules are done so that the volunteer is available during their own child’s cafeteria/recess time only. Siblings are welcome as long as they follow the school rules.

Publicity / Photography:  Scenic Hills has a number of activities during the school year that we try to capture for the yearbook, school publications or the newspaper.  Volunteers will take photographs of various events as directed by the Publicity Coordinator. Film, developing and cameras will be provided as necessary.

Senior Citizen Now and Then Day: October 23rd: This popular event allows grandparents or invited seniors to tour the school and visit with the children in their classrooms.  Many volunteers are needed to assist with refreshments, to setup/cleanup, and to provide general hospitality.

School Store:  The school store is open every 3^rd Thursday of the month during each grade’s lunch period (11:15 am – 1:00 pm).  Volunteers’ duties may include set up of the school store (which is stocked with school supply items, priced at no more than $1.00), cash register handling, and general assistance.   There are usually 3-4 parents present at each school store.

Spirit wear:  Spirit wear is our line of custom designed T-Shirts, sweat clothes and other apparel and non-apparel items.  We offer two sets of Spirit wear each year and volunteers are used to assist with distribution.  Volunteers spend a few hours at the school packing orders, then delivering them to the children’s classrooms.   

Yearbook:  The Yearbook coordinators require assistance in gathering, organizing and labeling photographs.  Volunteers may also participate in monthly meetings to ensure the Yearbook’s progress and to work on scrapbook-type page layouts.  Most of the work can be done at your convenience and should only take a couple of hours per month from October through April.  Volunteers also assist at Scenic Hills on Picture Day.

Adults Only Opportunities:

Health Screening:  Volunteers are needed to help in the fall and spring with health screenings for all students.  This opportunity requires a morning or afternoon on the specific day to record the students’ height/weight, assist the nurses with vision/hearing checks and to escort the children as needed.

Holiday Shop: December1st through December 5th: The Holiday Shop provides our children with an opportunity to purchase holiday gifts on their own.  It is held in early December and is great fun for the children and the volunteers.  Parents spend about 45 minutes during the school day helping their child’s class complete their shopping.  Volunteers are also needed prior to the Holiday Shop to help set up and inventory items and at the end of the Holiday Shop for inventory and break down.

KinderKub:  This program is designed to welcome incoming Kindergarten students and their parents.  Volunteers are needed to assist in welcoming the parents, recording the children’s height/weight, helping the nurses check vision/hearing and escorting the children to the various assessment areas.  This is done in early spring and requires a morning or afternoon on the specific day. Please note that you need not have an incoming kindergartner to enjoy this event.

Library Helpers: Parents spend about 45 minutes during their child’s LMC special to assist children with finding books and/or to assist the LMC staff with book returns. 

Scenic Showcase:  The Scenic Showcase is a school-wide art and music celebration held during May.  Volunteers are needed during school to label, mount and hang artwork. There are also volunteer opportunities at home or after school hours. Although special skills are not needed, an eye for display is helpful for hanging artwork.

Week-End / Nighttime Opportunities:

Baked Goods: Expenses for many events are reduced with the donation of baked goods, either home-made or store-bought. Donated items such as cookies, brownies, etc. are used at several events throughout the year such as Teachers’ Luncheons, Family Fun Nights, Class Parties, Scenic Showcase and Spring Fair.  Donated items can be sent in with your child.

Blood Drive:  The Scenic Hills’ blood drive is typically held in late winter or early spring.  Volunteers make telephone calls to schedule appointments for blood donations.  This is done from home at your convenience. You are provided with a script, a schedule and a list of 15-25 previous donors to call.  You report appointments to the coordinator two weeks prior to the drive. Red Cross provides the postcards and the address labels that you are asked to prepare and send out.

Ecology Center:  Our Ecology Center is a beautiful, educational resource for the whole school community.  It has gardens, a pond and various animals that require year-round care.  Volunteers help with various activities, such as weeding, planting and pruning.

Family Fun Nights:  Family Fun Nights are an opportunity for the Scenic Hills community to gather and share a good time.  The Home and School hosts several very popular socials such as Bingo nights, a movie night and square dancing.  Volunteers are needed to assist with setup, cleanup, selling and collecting tickets, checking Bingo cards, helping with refreshments and hallway monitoring.  These events are held throughout the year and require an evening commitment from volunteers.

Recycling:  Recycling is a great volunteer opportunity for those who cannot come to school during the day.  All recycling work can be done at your convenience.  Volunteers collect items, such as Acme receipts, Box Tops for Education, Ink Jet cartridges, aluminum can tabs and other items each week.  Then, items are totaled, clipped, bundled, mailed or delivered as needed.  Most volunteers contribute 1-2 hours a week.

Spring Fair:  Spring Fair is a fun day dedicated to our children.  There are many activities, games, crafts, refreshments and prizes for all to enjoy. The spring fair provides a volunteer opportunity for everyone.  We need many, many volunteers to ensure the success of this event. 

Visit with Santa: Saturday, December 13th:  Visit with Santa is a fun-filled day.  The day includes a picture with Santa, a continental breakfast, crafts, face painting and entertainment. There are many volunteer opportunities: setup, clean-up, decorating, face painting, assisting with the photo, crafts, tickets and refreshments.  Volunteers are asked to assist for 1 ½ hours, allowing plenty of time before/after your shift to accompany your child to the various activities.  Dads - we need a stand-in for Santa! You provide the jolly, we’ll provide the costume.

TALENT SHARING OPPORTUNITIES

Many of the events listed above could use your talents.  We have hired entertainers for various events, such as a Comedic Bingo Callers, Disc Jockeys, Balloon Artists, Magicians, and Jugglers.  We have constructed games and painted signs and posters.  If you have a particular talent related to any of these areas, please share it with us! If you’ve attended our events you have experienced first hand how much fun the children (and the volunteers) have.  You could be a really special part of that!

Volunteer Form (doc file)

doc file: You need the Microsoft Word program, a free Microsoft Word viewer, or a program that can import Word files in order to view this file. To learn more about the free Microsoft Word Viewer, visit the Microsoft Word website.

Teacher Websites © 2010 SchoolWorld