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LOWER SCHOOL PAL CHAIR
The Parent Association Link Chair assumes leadership for all Lower School PAL activities and meetings. The LS PAL meetings are usually on the third Thursday of each month during the school year. The LS PAL Chair works closely with the Grade Representatives to identify issues of concern in their respective grades. The LS PAL Chair also works closely with the LS PAL Co-Chair to select speakers and topics of interest to Lower School parents and works with other school divisions for Parent Education opportunities. The LS PAL Chair works closely with the LS PAL Co-Chair, Head and Assistant Heads of Lower School, and the Lower School Volunteer Coordinator (LS PAL Communications Coordinator) to recruit chairs and volunteers for various LS events. The PAL Chair attends monthly Common Link meetings.
LOWER SCHOOL PAL CO-CHAIR
The LS PAL Co-Chair assists the LS PAL Chair as needed for all LS PAL events, meetings, and activities. The Co-Chair attends the LS PAL meetings and Common Link meetings. Together, the LS PAL Chair and the LS PAL Co-Chair plan Parent Education events throughout the year. The LS PAL Co-Chair will assume the responsibilities of the LS PAL Chair the following year.
The Co-Chair will also act as Room Parent Coordinator. The Co-Chair selects a Room Parent for each classroom with input from the LS PAL Chair, Grade Representatives and the Head and Assistant Heads of Lower School. The Co-Chair assists with a training session for Room Parents to ensure they are aware of the duties and responsibilities of being a room parent. The Co-Chair helps ensure the Room Parents have the proper volunteer sign up sheets for each classroom for Back-to-School Nights. The LS PAL Co-chair collects the final classroom volunteer schedules from each Room Parent to ensure that volunteer scheduling is fair and equitable and assists with communications to and from Room Parents throughout the year.
LOWER SCHOOL GRADE REPRESENTATIVES
There are four Grade Representatives – one each for Pre-K/Kindergarten, Primary/1 st Grade, 2 nd/3 rd Grade and 4 th/5 th Grade. They attend monthly Common Link meetings, any grade-level coffees or other appropriate meetings, and meet with the Head and Assistant Heads of Lower School as needed to discuss issues of concern in their respective grades. The Grade Reps are a communication link between the OES Administration and the Lower School Parents. They are also involved in the assignment of Room Parents at the beginning of the year. Grade Reps may assist Admissions with the assignment of buddy families and will assist the Lower School in the welcoming of new families.
LOWER SCHOOL PAL COMMUNICATIONS
The Communications Coordinator attends all monthly LS PAL meetings, takes minutes, collects attendance and inputs the minutes of each meeting on to the OES website and distributes the minutes to the Lower School administration. The Communications Coordinator assists with the volunteer database (inputting information as needed from volunteer sheets and helping provide volunteer information to the LS PAL Chair and Co-Chair and to any LS event Chairs throughout the year). The Coordinator identifies volunteers as needed during the school year and works closely with the All School Volunteer Coordinator. The Communications Coordinator will also be responsible for providing updates to website information, including LS volunteer descriptions and forms.
LOWER SCHOOL PAL TREASURER
Treasurer attends all LS PAL meetings. The treasurer maintains all the financial records for LS PAL including writing checks, making deposits and reconciling monthly bank statements. The Treasurer meets with PAL chairs prior to the academic school year to determine the annual budget for PAL related events. The LS Treasurer prepares and presents the budget to the Common Link Treasurer The Treasurer distributes funds to the individual Classroom Treasurers, pays bills and keeps records, following the guidelines set by the Volunteers’ Common Link Treasurer. They are responsible for a monthly report to the OES business office and a year end report at the May PAL meeting. . Some computer skills (i.e.. Excel) are. helpful.
LOWER SCHOOL SUPPLY PACKET COORDINATOR
The Lower School Supply Packet Coordinator position begins in March, working with the Lower School administration and teachers to select the required classroom supplies for the following school year. The Coordinator helps compile the Lower School Supply List (which is posted on the OES website) and provides information for ordering Supply Packets for the Lower School May mailing. Over the summer, the Coordinator receives orders from parents (primarily through the online order system) and purchases, with LS PAL funds, the needed supplies. The Supply Packets are assembled by the Coordinator and other volunteers and are delivered to the students’ classrooms by the morning of the Open Classroom day of Lower School. The Coordinator is also responsible for the accounting of the Supply Packets with information provided to the OES Business Office and LS PAL Treasurer. Some knowledge of spreadsheet software is helpful.
LOWER SCHOOL HOMECOMING LIAISON
Volunteer works with the Homecoming Chair to coordinate age appropriate activities for the Lower School during this Alumni/Community event. Homecoming is held in the Fall usually early to mid October. Volunteers work with Administration representatives to make sure all divisions are involved in the celebration. See All-School Homecoming Chair description for further information.
ROOM PARENTS
Room Parents are determined after classroom lists are available in late August or early September. Room Parents coordinate three classroom parties: Holiday, Valentine’s Day and End-of-Year. The Room Parents help determine a classroom gift to the teacher and the class auction project (but are not required to run these projects) and ensure there are volunteers to assist with designated projects in the classroom and other activities during the year and that the opportunities are equitably filled. The LS PAL organization provides funds for the classroom parties and teacher gift. The Room Parent also ensures there is a Classroom Treasurer to oversee these funds. There is no limit to the number of Room Parents for a classroom.
CLASSROOM VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities to assist in the classroom which may include reading activities, stuffing Wednesday Folders, science helpers, field trip chaperones, service learning, production, and classroom party helpers. Sign-ups for these activities are at the LS Back to School Nights in your child’s classroom in September.
LOWER SCHOOL SERVICE LEARNING
Service Learning projects can involve all grades or can be individual classroom projects. Other all-Lower School or all-school projects include Giving Chapel, All School Service Day, and Project Second Wind. Volunteers can help on many of these projects in different capacities. Specific classroom or grade-level sign-ups are usually found at the LS Back to School Night.
LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers work under the supervision of the Lower School Librarians to process books, check books in and out at the circulation desk, assist students with research, and read to small groups
BOOK FAIRS & GOBS
All School events coordinated through FOESL (Friends of the OES Libraries ). Volunteers organize and staff of the Fall and Spring Book Fairs and the bi-annual GOBS sale (Great OES Book Swap). Proceeds benefit the OES Libraries and fund a variety of visiting authors, lecturers and performers.
USED UNIFORMS
Used uniforms are donated by LS families and kept in Room 10 in bins. These uniforms can be purchased at a discount through the Lower School Office. The uniforms are washed and sorted by volunteers.
USED UNIFORM COORDINATOR
This person coordinates volunteers to collect used uniforms donated by OES families. Uniforms are cleaned, mended, sorted and made available for purchase during the school year in Room 10. Proceeds go to LS PAL. The Used Uniform Coordinator also helps with gathering uniforms after 5 th Grade Uniform Parade in late May.
USED UNIFORM VOLUNTEERS
These volunteers help the Used Uniform Coordinator clean, mend, sort used uniforms and keep the bins tidy. Usually volunteers help for a month during the school year.
BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC
The Lower School Picnic is an event for the whole family held outdoors in the evening on Friday of the first week of school in September. It is held on the JV field with food, games and entertainment. The picnic provides a chance for students and parents to get to know each other and faculty and staff. All families are encouraged to attend.
BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC CHAIR
The Chair plans with Committee Volunteers the activities & menu, the faculty meal, set up and staffing of activities, and arranges for clean up. Planning begins in April and continues through the summer. The picnic is traditionally the Friday of the first week of school.
BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC COMMITTEE HEADS
Volunteers head up the various committees (food, activities, faculty meal, etc.) and help in planning the picnic starting in April and continuing through the summer.
BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC GENERAL VOLUNTEERS
There are limited general volunteer opportunities for the Back to School Picnic – many positions are staffed by US Students to allow LS families to enjoy the picnic.
SPOOKTACULAR
Students (and parents) come in costume for a whole evening of activities, food and games held in the Gym, Common Hall and the LS playground. Spooktacular is held on a Saturday evening close to Halloween. The Pumpkin Carving display occurs on the Friday before Spooktacular. Set-up for the event starts Friday and continues through Saturday. There are lots of fun volunteer opportunities!
SPOOKTACULAR CHAIR
The Spooktacular Chair and Co-Chair oversee the Haunted House Coordinator, OES Food Service, private vendors, OES Facilities staff and parent volunteers for the various Spooktacular activities. Parent volunteers set-up & staff the game, prize and food booths in the Gym and designated campus areas. The Haunted House Coordinator oversees the design, decoration, building and staffing of the Spooktacular Haunted House with assistance from volunteers including US students. Spooktacular Chair is ideally a two year commitment, the first year as Co-Chair the next as Chair.
SPOOKTACULAR COMMITTEE HEADS
These volunteers head up the various committees that contribute to Spooktacular. Committees can include: Goblin Café food and decorations, Prizes, Pumpkin Carving, Spooky Schoolbus decorations, Entertainment, Games, Decorations, Cake Walk, and Haunted House.
SPOOKTACULAR GENERAL VOLUNTEERS
There are many general volunteer opportunities at Spooktacular. Volunteers help with set-up of activities and decorations on Friday and/or Saturday, staff the games and activities for 30 minute intervals throughout the evening on Saturday, and help with clean-up on Saturday evening after the event. The Boy Scouts come on Sunday morning to finish clean-up.
DISCOVERY DAY
On Discovery Day, a variety of quality learning workshops utilizing resources from both inside and outside the OES community are held in May for Primary, 1 st and 2 nd graders. Workshop leaders are OES staff & parents and professionals from the community. The Workshops vary year to year, but have included: fencing, archery, Indian dance, Japanese food, basketball, computers, gardening, sewing, cooking, etc. Workshops are small – ranging from three or four to ten children. Each child participates in two one-hour workshops after lunch. These are fabulous opportunities for these children to experience something they might not otherwise explore.
DISCOVERY DAY CHAIR
The Chair coordinates the Discovery Day workshops on a day in May for Primary through 2 nd Grade. This includes recruiting volunteers (and others) to run and assist workshops, arranging for workshop locations, compiling workshop descriptions for students, printing and distributing the workshop descriptions and sign up forms to all students, and matching students to the available workshops.
DISCOVERY DAY WORKSHOP LEADERS
These volunteers lead workshops in various interests or expertise. There are usually two Workshop sessions of one hour each starting after lunch. It is a fun way to share your talents with the children in small groups.
DISCOVERY DAY GENERAL VOLUNTEERS
General volunteers assist workshop leaders and help gather the children and take them to and from workshops.
TEACHER APPRECIATION
Throughout the year, parent volunteers provide monthly snacks for faculty meetings. Snacks are provided to teachers for conference days in the Fall and Spring. A specific day of celebration for the Lower School Faculty and Staff is arranged, which includes coffee and breakfast treats in the morning and an after school appreciation event. Volunteers help with the Teacher Appreciation day’s planning and activities as well as the classroom teacher appreciation gift (funded by LS PAL), which is presented at the end of the school year.
TEACHER APPRECIATION CHAIR
The Teacher Appreciation Chair organizes the Teacher Appreciation Event for the LS faculty and staff (date and timing decided in coordination with the Head of Lower School – usually after school in May). This includes coordinating the food and beverages, decorations, volunteers, and teacher appreciation activities.
TEACHER APPRECIATION COMMITTEE HEADS
These volunteers head up the various committees that assist with Teacher Appreciation. These committees can include: Breakfast & Coffee, Decorations, Appetizers & Desserts, Teacher Appreciation Cards and Bags, and Invitations. Volunteers can also organize the end-of-year teacher gift in their respective classroom (sign-up for this is at Back to School Night). Funds for this gift are provided by LS PAL.
TEACHER APPRECIATION GENERAL VOLUNTEERS
There are several opportunities to assist. Volunteers can provide food for faculty/staff meetings (sign-ups at Back to School Nights), breakfast items or desserts for the Teacher Appreciation day, help with an end of year gift for their classroom teacher (sign-ups at Back to School Night), help with set-up or clean-up on Teacher Appreciation Day.
FACULTY/STAFF SNACK COORDINATOR
The Coordinator arranges for parents (through classroom sign-ups on Back to School Nights) to provide snacks for one faculty/staff meeting a month (dates to be determined with the Lower School Office). The Grade Representatives provide the snacks for September and the LS PAL Chair arranges for the snack in December. The Coordinator also arranges for Teacher Snack Bags for Lower School conferences in the Fall and Spring.
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