Here is the full list of volunteer opportunities. Get in touch with the PTA if you want to be involved.

In the Classroom

Our teachers will work with their “room parent(s)” to post a schedule for volunteer opportunities in the classroom. This may include guiding a reading group or project, chaperoning field trips, coordinating class celebrations, take-home classwork prep (xeroxing, cutting, assembling, etc.), or sharing your skills. You are always welcome to discuss needs and strengths directly with your teacher. There are a million ways to contribute in the classroom! Remember to get fill out the paperwork for background check (detailes above).

In the Library

Our librarian welcomes any and all parent/guardian/grandparent assistance throughout the year sorting and shelving, helping students select and checkout books, and keeping our library beautiful and well-organized. Our library also hosts our Book Fair fundraiser. The more assistance parents provide, the more time our librarian can work directly with students.

At Recess

Our staff and students would love to see you on the playground at recess, setting up a game of kickball or adding an extra set of eyes on the playset. This is a great way to get to know lots of kids and to help out if you have energetic little ones in tow. Contact our volunteer coordinator, Tom Crane, for more information.

Art, Music and Enrichment Committee

The Art, Music and Enrichment Activities Committee is also seeking volunteers to help organize art, music and enrichment programs and activities for the school year.

If you are interested in supporting the arts at McDonald, please contact Brooke Anderson at 206.595.9116 or brooke0521@hotmail.com

Events

We have fundraising and community events all year. These events require advance organization and day-of assistance. You can be a one-time helper or on-call to help throughout the year. These events are always fun!

• Back-to-school: family welcome celebration, first day of school parent coffee
• Fall: curriculum night, move-a-thon, Halloween, family night
• Winter: school tours, parent night out
• Spring: family dance, auction, school barbeque, field day


If you'd like to help with events contact Catherine Beard.

Room parents

Each classroom needs a point-person to organize parents for classroom events and to ensure good communication among parents in the classroom. This is a great way to get to know families in your child’s class. This role may be shared with another parent. Role is for the entire school year and you’ll have set up an email group for communicating with parents. Contact Tom Crane for more information.

Fundraising helpers

We The PTA raises funds several times a year to support essential programs at school, including our Immersion Assistants and other programs. We've learned a lot from our inaugural year and are looking to make the fundraising process fun and efficient for everyone. 

Interested in helping with General Fund fudraising? Contact Catherine Beard.

Interested in helping with the Immersion Support fundraising? Contact Mark Roschy.

In the Lunchroom

The beginning of the year is a great time to help out at lunch. Many of the new or younger students could use help learning the ropes or with opening their packages. Sign up here. 

Environmental Stewardship

Joing the MIGHT! Team, the McDonald International Green Helper Team and facilitate recycling and composting in the lunchroom. Sign up and more info here.

Communications Volunteers

We welcome volunteers to help keep our community in touch and make the technology run smoothly. Possible roles include:

• Online News Volunteer Reporter Website updates, email newsletter and Facebook posts. Skills required: ability to write affectively and concisely distilling essential information from sometimes lengthy community PR requests. This is an ongoing role.
• Technology Volunteer Get on the list to support us as needed in managing communications platforms (website, email), and special projects (file sharing, surveys, Paypal) and events (audio/visual/sound system set up).

Contact Carmen Albert.

Running Club Organizer

Help the kids run around the school parking lot at recess, lunch breaks and even on weekends. Recruit volunteers and a school staff person to make this healthy activity happen. Develop the wall chart to track kids’ progress, organize the participation in the Seattle Kids’ Marathon.

Bikes and Unicycles

We are fortunate enough to have amazing PE units on bike safety and unicycle riding. Many of our children learn how to ride a bike for the first time during these units—come be a part of this milestone. When it comes time for these activities, check with [our PE teacher] for how you can help out in the gym. (We’ll also be looking for loaner bicycles, if you are willing to share yours for a few weeks.)

Facilities improvements

Are you handy? Do you want to see immediate results for your effort? Contact Tom Crane.

School Directory

Parents who are connected with each other keep our children connected and safe. The directory owner works with the school office and room parents to keep parent contact information secure and up-to-date. Design and layout skills are a plus. The school directory makes it easy for parents to get information about school activities, set up social plans outside of school, arrange carpools/walkpools, and lay the groundwork for staying in touch as our children grow more independent in middle and high school. 

Immersion Support

There is a lot of coordination and support that is required to support the immersion program at McDonald. Here are some of the areas that need volunteers:

• Host Family Coordinator - Needed for Jan - Aug 2013
• Intern Application Coordinator - short term position from Jan-April 2013
• Spanish & Japanese Resources Rep - Ongoing Need
• Intern Support Coordinator - Ongoing Need
• Language Support - Ongoing Need
• Immersion Education Advocate - Ongoing Need

New Building Grounds Beautification

The trees will come down in front of the McDonald Building, leaving a lot of space for creativity. Help plan the garden and nature appreciation areas.

To sign up or ask questions, contact info@mcdonaldpta.org

We hope you and your family will join us in creating a wonderful school for our children and the many others that will follow in the years to come!