Volunteer with the Dragon PTA!
These roles may be subject to change and we're open to your ideas.
Open positions for the 2023-24 school year are TBD, the most critical roles are highlighted yellow.
PTA Volunteer Positions - Newsletter
Details on open roles for the 2023-24 school year
PRIORITY ONE: Committee Chairs
Communications
SJE & Advocacy
Student Enrichment
Timeframe: School Year (Sept-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 4-6hrs minimum, to attend meetings and provide Committee support.
We ask that the Chair also take a Committee role in addition to leading their committee. Chairing a committee is a relatively light lift and you’ll be more effective if you’re also actively involved in the work.
Description:
- Supports all Committee members through proactive outreach/check-ins to ensure everyone has what they need to be successful in their role.
- Attends all Board meetings and PTA General Meetings when possible.
Requirements:
- Proactive & responsive communication with SJE Committee and PTA Board via email
- Attend Board & General meetings when possible
Supported by: ptapresident@greenlakedragons.org
Other roles - jump to:
- Communications roles
- Social Justice & Equity / Advocacy roles
- Teacher Support roles
- Community Connections roles
- Student Enrichment roles
Communications Committee roles
Newsletter producer & publisher
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 4-10 hours every other month, when the newsletter is produced & published
Description:
Produce the bi-monthly printed newsletter, Dragon Prints. Includes all critical & relevant information for Green Lake families for the next 2 months, as well as recaps of major events, volunteer needs, and fun stuff.
Requirements:
- T-2 weeks prior to publishing, send out ~3 calls for content to PTA Board members with a link to a Google Doc template for dropping information.
- T-1 week copy editing and writing, and graphic design (as much or as little you want).
- Recommend sending final draft to the PTA Board for review & approval. Get at least one Board member to review if you can.
- Coordinate printing and distribution with school Admin Amy Carroll. This is a tremendous favor she does for us; in years past we’ve had to do our own printing and she may decide we need to revert at some point. Let’s be super appreciative of her amazing support!
Supported by: communications@greenlakedragons.org
Social media content creator
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-6 ad hoc
Description:
Create and publish social media posts and events on Facebook & Instagram, to promote upcoming events and volunteer needs. Can be done anytime on your own schedule. Source content to come from Communications Chair and event leads.
Requirements:
- Proactively read weekly emails from Room Parents and Principal Klainer, and follow with social media blasts and Facebook event creation as needed to support major events and school needs. Include a call to action and a point of contact.
- Monitor and manage Facebook membership: 1xmonth, check for new members and remove if bots or suspicious.
- Reactive social content for anything the Comms Committee Chair may need.
Supported by: communications@greenlakedragons.org
Reader Board manager
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 1-2hrs/month
Description:
Required: Update the reader board in front of the school at the end of every month, to share what’s coming in the next month. Comms Committee Chair will provide you with an editorial calendar and copy, all you have to do is swap out the letters, which takes only a few minutes.
Optional: Update the sandwich boards we have for playground entrances, at the end of every month. Take the laminated posters home, clean them with Magic Eraser and degreaser, and write a new update with Expo markers. Include the most relevant upcoming events for the month: reference Principal Klainer’s most recent Friday email, and inquire with Comms Committee Chair. Another ~1hr per month.
Requirements:
- Responsible for the reader board tiles; you may keep them at home for your convenience but please update the board first if you’re leaving town or find an alternate to update the board for you.
Supported by: communications@greenlakedragons.org
Social Justice & Equity (SJE) and Advocacy roles
SJE Community Events Coordinator
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-20, depending on how many events you plan and when
Description:
Owns the PTA relationship with sister school, Rising Star Elementary. Includes quarterly weekend or weeknight co-community events: service activities & picnic playdates.
Drives awareness of SJE issues through newsletter content & support for:
- Nov: Native American Heritage Month - assembly content
- Feb: Black History Month - assembly content, BLM t-shirt distribution
- Mar: Women’s History Month - assembly content
- May: AAPI Heritage Month - assembly content
- Jun: Pride - assembly content
Optional/additional, as your time & budget allow:
- Identify & propose special guest speakers & performers for school assemblies and PTA General Meetings, to raise cultural awareness and support SJE
- All ideas welcome!
Requirements:
- Responsible for BLM t-shirt distribution; this has become an important GLES tradition
- Proactively plan for comms and content that will generate awareness of select social and cultural SJE topics, no more than 1xmonth. Find opportunities for breaks, there are more topics than there is time to cover so you’ll have to prioritize. Quality over quantity. 😊
Supported by: SJE Chair
SJE Community Liaison (gift cards, scholarships, Cedar Crossing partnership)
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-4 on average, 12-2 if you host an event
Description:
Actively promotes and facilitates:
- scholarships for enrichment and in-school activities and needs for our low income families, via newsletter and email communications: our families don’t take sufficient advantage of this offering!
- Gift card drives, at the beginning of the year and during the holiday season. Acquire as many gift cards as possible with as few asks to avoid donor burnout.
Liaises with Cedar Crossing for community building, finding opportunities to engage and cross-resource.
Requirements:
- Proactive outreach to school Admins for their awareness/recommendations on gift card drives
- Proactive outreach to Cedar Crossing to offer ideas for how we might collaborate, gauge their interests and needs
- Written comms for newsletter and emails promoting events and resources/support, and respond to any questions or needs from the school community along these lines
Supported by: SJE Chair
Special Education Liaison & Advocate
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-4 on average, could be more or less depending on your level of engagement
Description:
- Actively promotes and facilitates awareness and use of Seattle Special Education PTSA information and resources, including their new multi-language Special Education Guide
- Review SSE PTSA website and calendar for relevant information and events, and share via newsletters and emails
- Outreach to Team A teachers and Room Parents to learn about the needs and interests within our community; make recommendations to the Board for activities and resources that will support
Requirements:
- Proactive outreach and responses to comms via email
- Active listening and engagement with Team A
- Light research to bring information and resources to our school from SSE PTSA
- Written comms for newsletter and emails promoting events and resources/support, and respond to any questions or needs from the school community along these lines
- Optional: represent our school to the SSE PSTA and SPS to advocate for Special Education needs and interests
- Optional: continue our engagement with Rep. Jerry Pollett who expressed interest in visiting our school
Supported by: SJE Chair
Teacher Support Committee roles
Priority: Room Parents
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-5 hrs/month
Description:
This is one of our most valuable and critical volunteer positions at the school, and it’s a great way to get engaged with your student’s class. Every teacher needs and deserves the support of a team of 2 who work together every week throughout the year to:
- Proactively reach out to the teacher to learn about their needs and interests. Work with the teacher to prioritize PTA support activities, both from Room Parents themselves and from their students’ families.
Different teachers need and want different things: room parties, class events including 1-3 weekend grade-level play dates at area parks, volunteering for student folder management,
classroom de-cluttering, etc. - Weekly distribution of email communication from Room Parent Coordinator to the families of students
Requirements:
- Email correspondence, volunteer recruitment for classroom-specific events, and discretionary volunteering for events and activities yourself. Team up with a friend so you can share the work and cover each other.
- Register with SPS so you can be present in the classroom and volunteer with students.
Supported by: Supported by: Room Parent Coordinator and Teacher Support Committee Chair, Stacey Nakagawa roomparents@greenlakedragons.org
Library Book Repair Coordinator
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-8hrs/month depending on Ms. Pickle’s schedule and needs
Description:
EVERYONE wants to spend more time with the amazing Ms. Pickle in our wonderful school library: so here is your opportunity! She needs lots of help from volunteer “Book Doctors” who will cover and repair library materials.
- Proactively reach out to Ms. Pickle to learn about her needs and make a schedule and a plan for regular book repair activities throughout the year. Might be individuals, might be group work parties
- If needed, request PTA budget for discretionary projects outside Ms. Pickle’s existing budget
- Plan and promote volunteer book repair activities via SignUpGenius and email newsletters sent by the Board
Requirements: No prior experience required, Ms. Pickle will train you. All book repairs take place in the Green Lake Library.
- Book repair work schedule & party planning in collaboration with Ms. Pickle.
- Repair books yourself, when time allows.
- Register with SPS so you can be present in the library.
Supported by: Supported by: Room Parent Coordinator and Teacher Support Committee Chair, Stacey Nakagawa roomparents@greenlakedragons.org
Teacher & Admin Appreciation Events Coordinator
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 6-8 hours/month, only in months when there are Appreciation events. ~3-4 Appreciation Events per year.
Description:
Help our wonderful teachers and staff take a break and feel some love. At select times throughout the year, we visit the school to bring them a delicious meal and throw them an informal little party.
- Proactively reach out to the Teacher Support Chair to plan Appreciation events for the year
- Recruit volunteers using SignupGenius and promote via comms you submit to the Board for inclusion in newsletters. Promote via social media.
Requirements:
- Collaboration with Teacher Support Committee Chair and school admins
- Event planning and volunteer recruitment – the PTA Board will have ideas and resources for you
- Register with SPS so you can be present in the library.
Supported by: Room Parent Coordinator and Teacher Support Committee Chair, Stacey Nakagawa roomparents@greenlakedragons.org
Community Connections roles
New Families Liaison
Timeframe: Year-round (12mos)
Average #hours/month: 2, but Jan, May, July it spikes to about 10 for the events
Description:
This role has been lovingly owned by Jen Koch for the past few years, and now that her kids are older she’s ready to pass the torch to someone who is newer to our community.
The New Families Liaison is an additional point of contact for families enrolling after the start of the school year (courtesy of Amy Carroll - Year round and variable), School tours (Jan), New Family Ice Cream social (June), Organizer of Jump Start (Aug if available), maintenance of ‘New Family’ pages on website.
Requirements:
Working onsite at GLES, email correspondence, event planning & volunteer recruitment, some coordination with Admin (dates, building rental), Staff. Register with SPS so you can be present in the school.
Supported by: Community Connections Chair: Jen Koch
Summer Play Dates & Family Fun Nights Coordinator
Timeframe: Year-round, as you are available.
Average #hours/month: 2-3 hours/month
Description:
Summer play dates: Set-up and promote play dates at different park locations in our school geozone. (3-4 for the summer - Maple Leaf, Meridian, Green Lake, Wallingford). Includes volunteer recruitment so there are representatives onsite - you don’t have to be at every play date.
Family Fun Nights: During the year, aim to create ~1 event every quarter that will get families together and have fun! (2-3). Previously we’ve had Kraken Ice Skating, Square dancing, Pot-lucks, etc. They can be at the school (coordinate with Amy Carroll), or offsite. School-wide with an eye to equity/access.
Requirements:
Email correspondence, event planning & volunteer recruitment (note: volunteer need should be light. Most of these will be ‘set it up and have people show up and mingle’, but it can be as simple or involved as you like.). Register with SPS so you can be present in the school.
Supported by: Community Connections Chair: Jen Koch
Student Enrichment Committee roles
Dragon Tutors program liaison
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 2-10 hours depending on the month; needs will vary based on the time of year.
Description:
We are trying to re-imagine our Dragon Tutors program. Moving forward we are teaming up with UW teaching students to provide 1:1 tutoring opportunities during the school day. This will increase access and equity, and will also help every Dragon grow and succeed.
Requirements:
- At the beginning of each quarter, reach out to our contact at UW and make sure they have everything they need in order to promote and fill tutor positions. This may include emails/surveys with teachers to determine how many tutors are needed per class.
- Be a family point of contact with Bev in the office. She is in charge of them in the building, but could occasionally ask for assistance.
- Discretion. No personal information about students needing services will be shared. If you do come across any information, the expectation is to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of our students.
Supported by: Student Enrichment Committee Chair
Yearbook support
Timeframe: School Year (Sep-Jun)
Average #hours/month: 1-2 hours depending on the month
Description:
Proactively driving collection and organization of Yearbook content monthly throughout the year, so that our Yearbook Committee has all the content they need when they are ready to produce the book in Spring quarter.
Requirements:
- Create a shared folder for families to upload their photos OR utilize our current yearbook creation tool to collect submissions.
- Follow up after events to encourage uploads
- Try to ensure all grades/classes are equally represented.
Supported by: Student Enrichment Committee Chair
5th Grade Legacy Project and Promotion Week coordinator
Timeframe: Winter and Spring quarter
Average #hours/month: 1-2 hours on average for planning and recruiting, then 8+hrs when the project takes place.
Description:
Support 5th grade Room Parents and teachers in helping students identify, plan, and execute their legacy project. Legacy projects are typically a semi-permanent art installation or a service project/improvement at the school; teachers will offer guidance and recommendations.
Requirements:
- Gather interested 5th grade guardians to join the Promotion Week planning committee
- Coordinate with teachers to get ideas from students
- Note: The budget for 5th Grade Promotion includes all Promotion week activity costs, including the legacy project. The committee will need to figure out how much will be going to the legacy project, swag, decorations, treats, etc.
- Select top options and present to students for a vote.
Supported by: Student Enrichment Committee Chair
Thank you so much. We’re looking forward to another awesome year at Green Lake Elementary!
Contact the PTA Board with questions anytime at PTABoard@greenlakedragons.org.
