Volunteering & Donating
Volunteer Opportunities
Join the PTA
There are many ways parents can get involved: you pick what best suits you and your family at any given time throughout the year. It’s fun, rewarding, and a great way to make new friends.
Here are some ideas...
- Attend meetings and workshops
- Volunteer time in the classroom
- Participate in surveys
- Help with translation at meetings
- Share your talents
- Spearhead or participate in a fundraiser
- Donate refreshments for meetings & events
- Make suggestions/offer ideas
- Participate in our dues drive
- Run for PTA office
- Or join one of our committees!!
Committees
We have seven committees you can join. They are listed below with the committee chairs and co-chairs for 2010/2011.
Fundraising
Ivelisse Suarez - ivelisse.suarez@gmail.com &
Vickie Harcum - vtaylor99@msn.com
Provide the income to run our enrichment programs & buy materials to enhance our academic curriculum, through fundraising events and grant writing. Also see the fundraising page.
Hospitality
Chair/Co-Chairs TBD
Coordinate volunteers & refreshments for meetings & events like Staff Appreciation & Spaghetti Dinners.
Community Liaison
Beverly Miller – bgailmillr@aol.com &
Sandra Noreen - sandranoreen@gmail.com
Outreach to local businesses & reaching out to prospective & incoming parents through tours, etc.
Environmental
Sarah Holloway - sarahmholloway@gmail.com (co-Chair), &
Ivan Arbitman - ivan.arbitman@interbrand.com (co-Chair)
Address the school’s physical condition, including gardens, schoolyard, pathways, and traffic congestion.
Wellness
Susan Saar - ssnsr106@gmail.com (co-Chair) &
Lisa Homa - lisa@lisahoma.com (co-Chair)
Work on the general health of our students. Since 2005, it has helped bring movement programs into the school: monthly Family Yoga Nights, Mighty Milers Running Program and Bent on Learning Adopt-a-School Yoga Program. Working with the School Nutritional Partnership, the school now has a steamer for the kitchen and a salad bar in the cafeteria.
4/30 - KIDFIT: Family Fitness and Nutrition Fair! 11am-3pm. Click for details.
Multi-cultural
Barbara Gonzalez - barbara@g2mproductions.com
Denny Kelk - email to come
Promote and enhance understanding, unity and appreciation of the existing and growing diversity in our school and community by organizing music, dance, poetry events and workshops. Honor and suppport racial and ethnic differences with respect and openness.
Class/Grade Parent Representatives
Over the years, many P.S./I.S. 187 parents have expressed the desire to have greater involvement in their childÆs classroom. After researching other schools’ Class Parent Representative programs, and by working closely with the administration and teachers, several years ago the Parents’ Association created the Class Parent Representative Program.
Each year, volunteers are sought from each pre-K to 8th grade class to act as a communications link between the teacher, the PTA, and the other parents in the class.These volunteers help support the teacher, help foster a sense of classroom community, and work to enrich the classroom experience of each child.
The precise role and level of involvement of the CPRs are determined by the teacher and parents in each class, but general duties include:
- Collecting phone numbers and contact information to create a class list.
- Finding parent volunteers to assist in the classroom
- Coordinating social events and holiday-related festivities within each class
- Enlisting parent chaperones for field trips
- Attending orientation meetings, mid-year meetings and monthly PTA meetings Hosting & coordinating a PTA meeting
- Kindergarten CPR assists in the coordination of the Kindergarten Gardening Program at Bennett Park
How Can You Become a Class Parent Rep?
Notices regarding the program and solicitation for volunteers go out by the second week of school. Sign up sheets are also presented at the beginning of the year in class orientation meetings. You may also contact the CPR Program leaders listed below.
The CPR Program is a sub-committee under the umbrella of the V.P. Elementary School and V.P Intermediate School. All persons listed below will be there to help and guide each Rep as needed.
Vice President, Elementary:
Adele Tedesco, AdeleTee@aol.com
Elementary CPR:
Lars Hanson, larsjhanson@aol.com &
Tara Clark, ttclark187@gmail.com
Vice President, Intermediate:
Ivelisse Suarez Levine, ivelisse.suarez@gmail.com
Intermediate CPR:
Ruth Gatton, ruthanngatton@gmail.com &
Francesca di Mauro, fdimaps187@gmail.com
Donating
In addition to donating your time and energy, there are plenty of ways to donate financially to help support the PTA’s programs.