PTA Board & Committee Chair Job Descriptions

Transcription

1 PTA Board & Committee Chair Job Descriptions What helps to make Stephenson such a great community? Our parent volunteers of course! Stephenson Elementary takes great pride in its tremendous parent volunteer support. You can really make a difference! We hope that the following information will help you find a role and answer your basic questions about how to join in Stephenson s volunteer effort. Contents Page Introduction & Overview of a PTA Role 2 PTA Board Descriptions 3 Committee Chair Descriptions 5 Classroom Role Descriptions 8 Frequently Asked Questions about Volunteering Optional New Positions for Stephenson 11 Thank you for your contribution to our community!

2 Introduction & Overview of PTA Roles Stephenson Elementary is a wonderful community because of its extensive parental support and the volunteer contributions of people just like you! Job descriptions for PTA board and committee chair roles are on the following pages. To get you started, here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions: What PTA board positions are available? PTA board positions are open to any Stephenson parent and do not require previous board or PTA experience. If you are interested in a PTA board position for the following school year, you should contact a nominating committee member. How do PTA board positions get filled? A nominating committee, coordinated by the current secretary, is elected in January of each school year. This committee then seeks out nominees for each board position and presents a slate of candidates to the membership at the March PTA meeting. Board elections are conducted at the April PTA meeting. How do PTA committee chair positions get filled? Once a PTA board is elected, the PTA president and VP Support Services for the following school year will begin seeking individuals to fill committee chair roles. If you are interested in a PTA committee chair position for the following school year, you should look for announcements in the Stephenson Lion News, or talk to the President-Elect in April or May. What are the basic and shared job responsibilities of board members and chairs? Help to recruit and train your successor, keep position binders up-to-date and maintain good files; attend PTA meetings whenever possible What are the basic job responsibilities of board members? All of the above, plus: attend board meetings scheduled as needed throughout the school year, act as liaison between President and board and those Chairs who fall in to your subject area (e.g. VP-Fund Raising needs to serve as liaison between PTA Board / President and chairs of Fall Fun Night, Entertainment Book Sale, Plant Sale). What kind of files should I keep? It is a great help if you create and/or audit a binder for your position and to have a short orientation when you hand it over to your successor. An ideal binder contains a summary of the position, a calendar or timeline for your job or event, your budget, vendors used, ideas you tried and liked or didn t like, fliers you created, feedback you received, and anything else you think would help your successor to get a good start.

3 Board Position Descriptions President Time Commitment: 8-12 hours per month, varies Busiest Times of Year: beginning of the year but flattens out; additional special projects Manage overall objectives and strategies of PTA (including fundraising objectives, community building events, educational events, etc.) Act as liaison between parents and principal / staff Recruit PTA Committee Chairs Create agenda and facilitate monthly PTA meetings and 3-4 PTA board meetings Write a periodic PTA News bulletin Create a mailing for all Stephenson parents in August for inclusion in back-to-school packet Collaborate with Principal to create annual school calendar Collaborate with Treasurer to create annual PTA budget Speak at Back to School Night and other events Attend Portland Council PTA meetings, a consortium of the PTA Presidents from all PPS schools. Secretary Time Commitment: 2-3 hours per month, busiest following each PTA meeting Take minutes at PTA general meetings, type minutes, and distribute them in a timely fashion. Make copies of minutes from the last general meeting for distribution (and approval) for general meetings. Submit approved minutes for inclusion on website and posting on PTA bulletin board. Attend executive board meetings, participate in discussions and decision-making, take minutes for preparation and distribution to the other officers. Prepare the sign-in sheet, set out nametags, and arrange the room for the general meetings. Forward required documentation to Oregon PTA main office. Maintain a complete file of all approved minutes, agendas, and materials distributed at any official PTA meeting. Manage/oversee the Nominating Committee process. Recruit and form a nominating committee, and remain available to assist them at their request. Treasurer Time Commitment: 4-6 hours per month, including attending PTA meetings. Busiest Times of Year: Ongoing, some summer work preparing budget for Fall Collaborate with the PTA President to generate the annual PTA budget. Prepare the annual audit and tax return. Pay bills and reimbursements as required. Oversee ongoing PTA finances, ensure adherence to approved PTA budget. Prepare and present budget report for each PTA general meeting. Record deposits that come in to Stephenson. Send donor acknowledgement letters. VP - Support Services (formerly Volunteer Coordinator) Time Commitment: 3-6 hours per month, busiest time is Back-to-School, varies ongoing Serve as a year-round clearinghouse to fill PTA volunteer needs. Collaborate with the President to prepare volunteer position descriptions for Back-To-School packet and online volunteer page. Coordinate with web-master to prepare and post online volunteer sign-up page. Coordinate volunteer recruitment tables at back-to-school events (picnic, KG testing & welcome, BTS coffee) Maintain a database of volunteers and provide these to board members and chairs as needed. Recruit potential room representatives (head parents) for all teachers and provide training if needed. Act as liaison with school secretary for Jackson Middle/Wilson High student volunteers Facilitate volunteer training events; ensure that volunteers complete mandatory paperwork

4 VP - Hospitality ** Time Commitment: 3-5 hours per month (**can be a shared position) Busiest Times of Year: On-going, varies by event, monthly for PTA meetings Recruit committee of helpers and focus on making all parents feel welcome at Stephenson. Host several events during the school year including a back-to-school lunch for school staff, a Back-to-School Coffee, a Kindergarten Welcome Coffee, Back to School Night, and teacher luncheons during holidays, conferences and at end of year. Coordinate Staff Appreciation Week events Prepare/provide refreshments for PTA general meetings. Solicit or prepare beverages (coffee, water, etc.) and baked goods for events as required. Solicit and package bake-sale treats for sale at several school events. Recruit workers and coordinate/work at bake sales and events (in conjunction with VP Support Services) Maintain and organize paper goods supplies for PTA events. Maintain coffee/tea service supplies for staff in copy room area.

5 Committee Chair Descriptions Membership - Directory Chairperson Time Commitment: 1-3 hours per week at beginning of year; flattens out after directory production Busiest Times of Year: September November (Good job for parent working daytime hours) Coordinate membership drive: develop letter for The Lion News, create membership envelopes for distribution, collect envelopes & record memberships in database, record online memberships in database. Collect, count, and deposit money with Treasurer. Develop Lion News notices to list and thank all paid members. Directory: compile data collected from PTA President, Volunteer Coordinator, and school Secretary to compose school directory; arrange for professional printer or PPS print shop to have materials printed and collated; label and distribute the directory to Stephenson families. Fundraising Chairperson (*new) Time Commitment: about 1-2 hours per month; more during peak times Busiest Times of Year: around major fund raisers (Fall Fun Night, Entertainment Book, Plant sale) Assist with recruitment of and provide support to committee chairs for key fund-raising events. Coordinate and execute Entertainment Book fundraising campaign, recruit volunteers as needed. Maintain Stephenson Lion insignia products place vendor orders, advertise merchandise sales, organize and maintain inventory, submit invoices to Treasurer for reimbursement to vendors. Coordinate Spring Plant Sale with event chair and volunteers Advertise ongoing fundraising campaigns, such as Stephenson Bricks, Stephenson Store Monitor results of fund-raisers; align fundraising objectives and strategies with Stephenson s budgetary needs and research other fundraising opportunities as required Grants (*new) Time Commitment: Unavailable Busiest Times of Year: On-going Research grant opportunities that align with school needs as determined by Principal and PTA Apply for grants, monitor applications Meet with Principal and PTA President/Foundation President as needed to determine funding needs.

6 Fund Raising Committee Positions Scholastic Book Fair (Good Job for a team of 2-3 co-chairs) Time Commitment: 20+ hours during week of sale only Coordinate all aspects of the Scholastic Book Fair: overall operations including marketing and advertising, sale set-up, staffing and sales, inventory control, and tear-down. Fall Fun Night (2-3 co-chair positions) Time Commitment: varies by week, heavy in 2 weeks prior/during event, busy in September - October Coordinate our largest community-building event and fundraiser. Fill key volunteer positions and manage a FFN committee and budget. Preferably a team of 2 or 3 co-chairs. Run For The Arts (1-2 co-chair positions) Time Commitment: 20 hours total, planning starts in September; event is in October Coordinate distribution of pledge sheets to classrooms. Advertise event via bulletin boards and The Lion News. Coordinate volunteers /assign volunteer roles for event. Solicit donated treats and provide water for event. Collect returned pledge sheets and deposit money with Treasurer. Free Money for Stephenson (formerly ESCRIP) Time Commitment: 5 hours per month Coordinate outreach to Stephenson families, educating and encouraging them to sign up for cash back to Stephenson through a variety of community sources and E-SCRIP. Handle renewals, collect and analyze usage reports. Be creative about signing up new families. Academic & Community Positions Art Literacy Chair Time Commitment: About 20 hours per year Prepare materials for monthly educational meeting for volunteer instructors Notify volunteer instructors of monthly meeting and provide art lesson to volunteers with suggestions/examples of art projects relating to the artist of the month. Purchase and maintain supplies for Art Literacy program within PTA annual budget; request additional funds from PTA if needed. PTA Clothing Closet Time Commitment: Monthly collection drives, ongoing organization of drop-off area Maintain donation area near lost & found. Bag/box used clothing donations & place them in office for PPS courier to pick-up. Organize school-wide clothing drives for Portland PTA Clothing Closet and arrange delivery. Coordinate twice yearly volunteer shifts at the Clothing Closet. Webmaster / Stephenson Lion News (*new) Time Commitment: Unavailable Assist school secretary with assembly of The Lion News (formerly NewsNotes), for distribution. Maintain Stephenson s web presence by updating web information and beautifying Stephenson School and PTA websites. Bulletin Boards & Signs (*new) Time Commitment: about 1 hour per week Update the reader-board in front of the school to reflect goings-on for the week. Update the fliers hanging on bulletin boards and at school entrances as required. Historian Yearbook (*new) Time Commitment: Minimal, spread throughout year, heavier with yearbook prep Keep records and take photographs of programs and events at Stephenson. With assistance of volunteers, compile and prepare the Stephenson Yearbook to be distributed at year-end. Prepare a slide show to be presented at the start of the following year Archive all photos.

7 Beautification (*new) Time Commitment: 6-8 hours per year, if no special projects Organize weekend work party for a "school beautification project" that could be clean-up, maintenance, improvement (for example, plant trees, clean up flowerbeds next to classrooms, or freshen up the bathrooms). Time is generally after school, weekends. Health & Safety (*new) Time Commitment: about hours a year; busiest at start of year to set up program Ensure that each classroom has updated disaster supplies. Research and schedule guest speakers during the year to address nutrition, exercise, safety, etc. Coordinate with Principal and teachers to schedule guest speakers for classroom presentations Note: someone in this role with time, interest, and resources can be as innovative as they wish in promoting health and safety among students and families. Teacher Appreciation Chair (*new) Time Commitment: 6 hours per school year Busiest Times of Year: On-going Work with volunteer team and room reps to coordinate Teacher Appreciation Week events Recognize the teachers and staff with a festive card on their birthday Deliver 1 or 2 small, thoughtful gifts to Stephenson teachers and staff during the school year (they are intended to be inexpensive but thoughtful reminders of how much we appreciate their work throughout the year). The job entails coming up with creative ideas for gifts, putting together the gifts, and delivering them to the teacher/staff mailboxes.

8 Classroom Positions Room Reps Room Reps have a long list of tasks, and for that reason, it is suggested that at least two people from each classroom share the job. Duties can vary greatly depending on the needs and desires of each teacher and changing school-wide needs and events. Those interested in being room reps should notify the VP Support Services the first week of school, who will then make a list of those interested to be shared with the teachers. Teacher selects the room rep(s). Room reps should write a letter to all parents introducing themselves, explaining their roles, and asking for whatever help they might need with their tasks. The following are some of the duties which may be included in the role of Room Representative: Room Representative (can be team of 1-2) Time Commitment: can be several hours per week, varies throughout the year Coordination of classroom activities Class trips: recruit parent drivers, chaperones Class parties: Fall Harvest, Winter Holiday, Valentine s Day, 100th Day, End of Year Scholastic Book Orders: collect orders, distribute materials, etc. Teacher Appreciation Week: Grade level planning and contributions Correspondence / Communication Request donations of money, food or help for parties or special events Keep an accounting of money collected, purchase teacher gifts, cards, etc. Recruit parents for special projects like auction art projects, etc. Other Attend meetings with other Room Reps 1-2 times per year. Topics may include: Orientation, Teacher Appreciation Week, Creating community in the classroom family; Welcoming new Stephenson families to the classroom and to the school. Responding when a life cycle event takes place in the family of one of the classroom students. This might include coordinating meal delivery to families who have just had a birth or death in the family. Create a community feeling among the parents in the classroom. Here are some suggestions: At the start of the school year, create an list of all classroom parents and distribute it to make connecting about classroom events and requests easier. If a family new to Stephenson is in your classroom, give a call to welcome them. Invite them to a Stephenson event or PTA meeting. Organize events for all families in your class to get to know each other. These can be very simple, such as a play date in a playground after school in the first week of school, or inviting all parents to meet at Starbucks after drop-off one morning or having a Mom s/dad s Night Out for your class at a local restaurant. Be aware of opportunities to organize events for all families, like during parent-teacher conference week. Assist the PTA committee chair of Free Money for Stephenson to register families in your class at Escrip.com and to inform them of other ways that our community partners give back to Stephenson. Coordinate class parent volunteers to complete the Stephenson Foundation Auction Art Project.

9 Optional new positions: New Parent Mentoring Program (*new) Time Commitment: about 40 hours spread over summer and at start of year Develop a new family mentoring program Work with school site council representative to welcome new families to Stephenson Elementary at the beginning of the school year via the mentoring program. Recruit parent mentors, orient them and compose mentor groups. Serve as continuing resource to mentor parents. Library Chair (*new) Time Commitment: hours across the school year Busiest Times of Year: Early in school year for creating schedule and training Organize and mobilize volunteers for the library. Working with the Librarian, create a volunteer schedule, train volunteers, implement or assist in library activities (e.g. book groups or events), providing backup when volunteers are unable to serve Yard & Lunch Duty (*new) Time Commitment: 1-2 hours per month Recruit volunteers for lunch/yard duty. Orient volunteers via ed notices. Establish a volunteer schedule and send out reminders. Music (*new) Time Commitment: as requested by music instructor Assist music teacher as needed with instruction needs (music/instrument set up, in-classroom assistance) Assist with coordination of student musical events Math / Science Enrichment (*new) Time Commitment: hours per year, busiest around events Coordinate math and science events funded by the PTA to provide hands-on lab experiences for students. Duties include researching programs, scheduling events, recruiting and organizing parent volunteer helpers. Dad s Club (*new) Time Commitment: Unavailable Busiest Times of Year: Unavailable Coordinate a group of Dads who wish to contribute to Stephenson while supporting PTA goals and raising funds for Stephenson. Coordinate work crews for heavy physical labor projects. Fall Community Building Event (*new) Time Commitment: Unavailable, busiest in September Coordinate a fun, FREE community building event for the Stephenson community early in the fall. Technology Chair (*new) Time Commitment: hours per year Busiest Times of Year: First few weeks of the school year Recruit volunteers and compose a schedule to staff the computer lab with parents during lunch hour. The chair can also be available to assist the Technology Instructor/Media Tech with any technology needs that may arise in the lab. Computer experience is not required, but general computer knowledge is helpful. Adopt-A-Book (*new) Time Commitment: 1-2 hours per month Work with Librarian to maintain an inventory of adoptable books (purchased by librarian with PTA monies)

10 Writes blurbs in Lion News for available books Prepare paperwork when books are adopted and distribute the adopted books. Fun position that can easily be held by a "working" person as most of the job requirements can be done at home. Fifth Grade Coordinator (5th grade teachers should be asked for input first before this position is recruited) Time Commitment: Considerable, heaviest in May-June Responsible for 5th grade group activities which fall outside what the usual classroom reps would handle, including communication with 5 th grade parents about special events. Much of the responsibility is geared toward graduation week and includes coordinating a committee that plans a party; coordinating the graduation ceremony and reception, and coordinating the food, set-up and clean-up volunteers for events; preparing and printing the graduation program and certificates. Position requires 1-2 coordinators for everything throughout the year, and then gather additional volunteers as needed.