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Accelerated Reader (AR)
Program
The AR Program is a computer-based reading comprehension program in which
students read books and take short quizzes on the computer. Students earn points based on their
reading comprehension. The program tracks reading success of students in grades 1 through 5.
Occasionally, kindergarten students that are able to read participate in the program also.
PTA Volunteers work directly with students, encouraging reading and assisting with visiting the
library and using the program. They also arrange and maintain the visual portion of the program,
which is designed to enable everyone to see the children’s progress from another perspective and to
reward the children for their reading successes.
The program runs from September through mid-May. Chairpersons for this committee are responsible
for attending monthly board meetings and the following committee efforts:
- Arrange an AR Committee (20 – 25 volunteers)
- Enroll all students in STAR & AR
- Maintain the computer program throughout the year
- Train volunteers & students to work with the program
- Print monthly reports
- Set up reading reward/recognition system
- Decorate & maintain the bulletin board outside the library
- Order tests & label books
- Run raffles from time to time
- Encourage reading
Beautification – Gardening Club
The Beautification/Gardening Club committee is responsible for keeping up school flower beds and
flower pots at the front entrance of the school– including weeding planting, and making sure the
city does its part (spraying for weeds, mulching). It is also responsible for keeping up the
outdoor classroom (weeding, planting, getting city to mulch, and spray for weeds) and for
coordinating the Gardening Club. Beautification efforts are ongoing throughout the school year. The
Garden club meets one time monthly during the school year, and is open to student’s grades 2-5.
Students work with parent volunteers in the garden learning about gardening and planting and
maintaining the garden.
This committee chairperson is responsible for scheduling beautification and garden club workdays,
attending board meetings and coordinating efforts with school personnel for front entrance
beautification efforts. Volunteers need to be energetic and love to garden. Some knowledge of
plants is desirable but not necessary. Garden Club volunteers will work directly with
students.
Cut- Copy-Collate
The Cut-Copy-Collate
Committee utilizes volunteers to assist teachers with their cutting, copying and collating needs.
Volunteers are asked to contribute one to two hours per week (or at least every other week) to
assist with this committee. Training is provided on utilization of the copy machines. The
chairperson of this committee is responsible for scheduling volunteers and coordinating training
sessions, communicating with office staff regarding copy room needs, and attending monthly board
meetings.
Dey-A-Log
John
B. Dey’s PTA newsletter is called the Dey-A-Log. This newsletter is distributed to all students and
their families (approximately 765 copies) on a monthly basis throughout the school year. Designing
the layout and editing the newsletter is a fun and creative job if you enjoy working on a computer.
This volunteer position is active for the entire year, but is a job that can be done in the comfort
of your own home. Some experience with desktop publishing software is helpful.
The layout program utilizes Microsoft Publisher (software provided by PTA). Digital copies of past
newsletters for past school years are on CD-rom. Maintaining an email address that can receive file
attachments is vital to this position. Specific duties include: scheduling the submission, draft,
approval and distribution deadlines for each month: communicating with PTA committees and school
personnel regarding articles for submission, design and layout of the newsletter; coordinating
approval and final layout with PTA president and school principal, and attending monthly board
meetings.
Directory
This committee is responsible for
developing an annual directory of student information that is distributed to each family and staff
member in the school. Specific responsibilities include: gathering student, PTA, SCA, and faculty
information, as well as advertising sponsors.
The information gathered is put in a database then sorted and checked for
accuracy. Microsoft Publisher is utilized to format the information. It is then printed, collated,
stapled, and distributed. The committee begins the first week of school and the goal is for the
directories to be distributed by the end of October. The committee chairperson organizes the
volunteer efforts, final directory editing, coordinates copy and distribution efforts, and attends
monthly board meetings.
Most work is done at home by the chair and volunteers who alphabetize the
information forms and those that enter the information into the database. It is recommended to have
5-7 volunteers who will help with the alphabetizing, data entry and proofreading along with the
Committee Chair. Approximately 60 - 80 hours total will be required.
Fall Festival
This is a major fundraising
and community event sponsored by the PTA in early fall. It is very well attended and is a day that
families look forward to annually. The event features food, entertainment, children’s games and
other activities and is held in back of the school on a Saturday afternoon – usually in
October.
Committee Chairpersons are responsible for coordinating all aspects of the festival, including
solicitation and follow-up with local business sponsorships, volunteer recruitment and supervision
(including parents and high school students), event advertising, repair, construction, and setup,
and tear-down of event booths, coordination of food and other vendors, permit applications,
purchase of prizes, and coordination with school personnel and PTA officers, and attending monthly
board meetings. Past events have featured a cakewalk, carnival games, hat decorating, magic show,
maze, face and hair painting and more. Sub-committees are established by the chairpersons to handle
different aspects of the event and are responsible for completing tasks as assigned as well as
communicating progress and needs.
Many volunteers are needed and utilized in all aspects of event preparation. They are especially
needed on the day of the event to work on set up and/or clean up of the carnival booths and during
the event to work a 1-2 hour shift (classrooms are assigned specific booths and room parents
coordinate the parent volunteer schedules). There are also opportunities to volunteer prior to the
event especially on the work day (usually a Sunday in September) to prepare booths and advertising
signs.
Family Night Scholarship Dinner
This
committee is responsible for sponsoring a dinner sometime during the school year (usually in the
spring) to raise funds for the PTA scholarships that are awarded at the end of the year. The dinner
is usually held on a Friday evening and includes some form of entertainment. Past events have been
held in conjunction with the Silent Auction.
Volunteers are utilized to plan the dinner and help with setup and clean up on the day of the
event. Coordinators work with the school principal, cafeteria manager, Cox High School student
volunteers, Silent Auction chairs (if applicable) and PTA president to plan and execute the event
and are expected to attend monthly board meetings.
Field Day
Field Day is an all day event held on a Friday in early
June. The day consists of fun outdoor activities such as team relays, collaboration games, and an
obstacle course for all the students to participate in. The day is usually split up with half of
the grades participating in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. Coordinators work with
the school staff to plan the day’s events and ensure the day runs smoothly. They are also
encouraged to attend all board meetings. Both parent and Cox high school volunteers are needed to
help run the event as well as assist the room mothers with individual classrooms. This is a great
way to wrap up the school year, and in the past, both the students and the parents have had a lot
of FUN!!
Folders for Organization
(FFO’s)
Folders for Organization are folders that are sent home weekly (last year
on Thursdays) with communication from the school administration, PTA and individual student work.
Volunteers are needed to help fill folders on Wednesday mornings for about 1-2 hours. The committee
chairperson is responsible for communicating w the office secretaries and PTA committee
chairpersons regarding materials that will be placed in the folders on a weekly basis as well as
attending monthly board meetings. This committee is active weekly throughout the school year.
Grade Level Program Coordinators
Committee responsibilities include
contacting the teachers who are the grade level chairs to find out what their interest for programs
might be; contacting companies/artists for prices, dates, etc; scheduling the events on the school
calendar; receiving contracts and making sure payments are made; staying in contact with 1st VP of
Programs and insuring that the visiting artists’ needs are met and that the program is running
smoothly on the day it is scheduled.
The children will benefit from the committee’s efforts. The programs are an enriching experience
for them! The coordinators are most active at the beginning of the school year by helping teachers
to determine the best program for their grade level. There is also minimal contact throughout the
year prior to the actual program to tie up loose ends. Coordinators are expected to attend monthly
board meetings. The majority of the volunteer efforts take place at home. Most of the contacts with
the teachers and artists were made via email and with a few phone calls.
Graduation
This committee is composed
of at least one 5th grade and 4th grade parent volunteers. They are responsible for working with
the 5th grade lead teacher to organize the activities related to the 5th grade “moving-on
ceremony”. This includes coordination of food at the student’s end of year off-campus activity
(sponsored by the school and in past years has been a skating party) and the parent/family
reception that is held after the graduation ceremony. Chairpersons are expected to attend monthly
board meetings.
Hands on Science
The PTA Hands on Science Program is responsible
for providing a "Hands On" experience of Science for students. This is achieved by having students
come to the Science lab and rotate through a series of stations specifically related to their
current curriculum. Students and teachers benefit from the reinforcement of the subject matter by
doing the activities - students can see their learning in action! Parent volunteers assist in labs
and directly work with students to complete the activities. The Hands on Science program is active
throughout the year with each grade level visiting the lab approximately 3 to 4 times, for one-hour
sessions each.
This program is managed by a Chairperson and 2 to 3 Coordinators. This group coordinates lab
content and scheduling with the grade level teachers, sets up the lab stations along with supplies
and worksheets, manages the lab (by instructing parent volunteers for the class) and cleans up when
the lab is completed. Much of this work is performed in the school's Science Lab. Scheduling is
generally done at home via email and some labs require outside shopping for supplies. These
coordinators contribute about 6 to 8 hours a month and are expected to attend monthly board
meetings. Parent volunteers for individual lab sessions are recruited through the classroom
teachers and room parents and spend approximately one hour in the lab per session, with a short
orientation session before the lab begins.
Holiday Breakfast
This is a community event usually held in the morning the first week in December. In several of the
past years it has been held in conjunction with a Book Fair and at times the Silent Auction. It is
a fun, family morning at the school. Past breakfasts have involved a breakfast, a “kids-only
shopping area, some type of craft activity and pictures w Santa. Event chairpersons are responsible
for coordinating activities, and food w the cafeteria supervisor, school principal, PTA president,
other event chairs (when applicable) and Cox High School and J.B. Dey 5th grade volunteers. They
are also expected to attend monthly board meetings.
Legislation
(Description in process)
Original Art
This is a fundraising committee for the PTA.
Chairpersons are responsible for coordinating with the Art teacher, an outside vendor, the
principal and the PTA president. Children draw a picture in art class. The picture is sent to an
outside vendor who reproduces the picture onto various items (i.e. mugs, tee shirts, tiles) that
are then made available to families for purchase. The coordinators handle all communication with
the vendor, order processing, money collection, distribution of the art items, and follow up as
needed. This committee is active at the beginning of the school year and usually wraps up by
January. Chairs for this committee are also expected to attend monthly board meetings.
Public Relations and Citizenship Awards
This chairperson is
responsible for coordinating with the school counselor the recognition of students nominated for
PTA citizenship awards on a monthly basis (picture on bulletin board and marquee recognition). They
are also responsible for coordinating with the school’s media/PR person to actively provide local
papers with information regarding upcoming school/PTA events and recognition items. Attendance at
monthly board meetings is expected.
Reflections (Arts in Education)
The annual PTA Reflections program
is one of the best hands-on activities of the PTA. Every student is challenged and encouraged to
produce an original artistic entry via literature, music composition, photography, dance, video or
visual art. The Reflections committee is responsible for marketing the event to students in order
to obtain the highest number of entries possible. This is done through flyers, posters, morning
announcements, bulletin boards, entry packets and classroom visitations. The Reflections committee
is responsible for producing all of the above items. They are also responsible for obtaining judges
and couriering entries to and from judges. The first place entries also need to be delivered to the
designated citywide location for inclusion in the citywide contest. Two assemblies are planned by
the committee chairs to present all participants with an award or participant ribbon sometime in
December. The committee procures these prizes/awards.
Committee members should plan to spend 2-3 hours a week on the committee during the months gearing
up to the deadline and then the week of the deadline should plan to spend approximately 8-10 hours
a week on the event. Work can be done at home or at school, but committee members need to be able
to go back and forth to school at least every other day to pick up submitted entries. Chairpersons
for this committee are expected to attend monthly board meetings.
Room Parent Coordinator
Individual classroom teachers select Room
Parents at the beginning of the school year. The room parent coordinator holds an orientation
session (usually scheduled for the evening - sometime in late September) for all room parents. At
this meeting the Room Parent Handbook is distributed and the duties of the Room Parents are
discussed. The Room Parent Coordinator compiles a list of room parents and contact information.
They also are responsible for notification of room parents regarding special events taking place at
John B Dey so that all room parents are doing similar things for all teachers. Room Parents and
Teachers benefit from this committee because it keeps everyone on the same page with the same goals
in mind.
This position is minimally time consuming. Most of the effort takes place at the beginning of the
school year in making sure each teacher has a Room Parent and compiling contact information and
attending monthly board meetings.
Savings for Seagulls
The chairmanship of this committee is perfect for two “working moms” to share. Those who chair this
committee will have several responsibilities. First, chairs will be responsible for organizing a
school-wide “Box Tops in Education” collection, then preparing the box tops for and submitting them
to General Mills for rebate. In addition, the chairs also organize the collection of Farm Fresh
receipts and once again tally the amounts and submit them to Farm Fresh for rebate. You will work
closely with the principal and with the computer resource teacher in deciding how the proceeds from
this committee will be spent. Chairs should anticipate working several hours/week in the fall and
the same in the spring when collection deadlines are looming. Finally, it is wise for the chairs of
this committee to attend all monthly PTA board meetings.
Scholarship
J.B. Dey PTA funds scholarships annually. The
scholarships were established in the memory of past school employees and are awarded to graduating
seniors that have attended J.B. Dey in the past and or to current teachers who are furthering their
education. The Scholarship Committee is responsible for judging scholarship applications and
determining the winning applicants. The beneficiaries of the committee are the winning applicants
who receive the $500 scholarships. The Committee Chair is active in Dec/Jan and then again in April
and is encouraged to attend all board meetings. The committee must have 9 volunteers and one
chairman. The 9 volunteers need to devote approximately 4 hours during a one week time period in
April toward reading and evaluating the scholarship applications. The volunteers are grouped into
3’s and given copies of the scholarship applications to read and judge. Each of the 3 scholarships
receive 12-15 applications. The reading can be done at home.
School Store
The school store sells a variety of supplies to
students before school starts in the cafeteria. The "store" is actually a rolling cart that gets
rolled into the cafeteria every morning from 7:35 - 7:55. Items are usually not priced over $1
since the goal is not to make a profit but to provide the students with a learning experience about
dealing with money and making their own purchasing decisions. The ideal committee consists of 2
volunteers managing the store each morning, Monday thru Friday. The chairperson attends monthly
board meetings, coordinates volunteers, orders supplies for the cart, and coordinates moneyhandling
with the PTA treasurer.
Science and Technology Night
(Description in progress)
Silent Auction
This is a fundraising event held either in the
spring or in December. Chairpersons are responsible for soliciting contributions from school
families and area businesses. Items are then displayed in a format for families to bid on the
items. The highest bidders are awarded the items upon payment. Chairpersons are responsible for
set-up and take down of the event, coordinating with other activities happening concurrently,
determining checkout process, and thanking contributors in writing. Attendance at board meetings is
also expected.
Volunteers are utilized to monitor items during the bidding process, assist families in the
checkout process and help with setup and teardown the day of the event.
Spirit Wear
This committee is responsible for working with the PTA
officers to determine the year’s theme and LOGO. The committee chair chooses a vendor to reproduce
the LOGO onto tee shirts or other items that will be made available to J.B. Dey staff and families
for purchase. Chairpersons are responsible for coordinating advertising, ordering, distributing,
and follow-up with the purchase of these items as well as attending monthly board meetings.
Staff Appreciation
This committee is responsible for recognizing
school employees throughout the year in some way. The committee chairs coordinate with the PTA
president to determine who will be recognized and how. Past committees have hosted 1-2
teacher/staff lunches during the year, and have purchased token recognition gifts for such staff as
bus drivers, secretaries, and the school nurse. Committee chairs are also expected to attend
monthly board meetings.
Volunteers in Education (V.I.E.)
The VIE consists of two co-chairs
that share the responsibility of coordinating and recognizing the volunteers throughout the year at
J.B. Dey. In this position you interact with all the committees, administration, faculty, staff and
parents in the school.
Each month the co-chairs select the volunteers of the month from the nominations, recruit
volunteers for various events, tabulate volunteer hours, place volunteers, maintain paperwork and
databases and attend the board and general meetings of the PTA. This committee is active beginning
in August, to prepare for the new school year, and winds down in June. The majority of the work is
done at home with approximately 25% at school. Hours involved: 10-20 monthly per
co-chair.
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