We have volunteer opportunities for everyone who wants to get involved!
A couple quick housekeeping notes:
- Per our bylaws, committee chairs and members must be PTO members. Volunteers at our events do not need to be a member–but those in leadership & planning roles do need to be members.
- Volunteers who are in school during school hours, must have their clearance badges. This is a district policy.
The PTO is seeking leaders to step-in and step-up our programs. Chairs/Coordinators are the point person for the program! Each program has its own needs, but in general our chairs/coordinators are responsible for pulling the event off–recruit a committee, have a co-chair, or take on the bulk of planning on your own! You’ll have a board member for support and all of our resources in place to recruit the needed volunteers. Click to read our Chair Coordinator Expectations.
2020-21 Committees
Fundraisers: We need to do them to fund all the cool stuff we do. If you want to be a part of the bigger fundraising committee contact our Director of Fundraising, Ann Sokalski, fundraisingdirector@kerrpto.org
Ice Cream Social (Fall): This is a family fun event! Coordinating includes making arrangements to pick up the ice cream, purchasing the sundae toppings (keep receipts for reimbursement), overseeing the social on the day of from set up to clean up including directing the volunteers for the event. Coordinator is the PTO Board this year, but we could use a chair for this fun event.
AUDIT – As a non-profit we are required to have people review our financials throughout the year to ensure all is in check. This process happens bi-annually. You must be a PTO member to serve on this committee. Contact treasurer@KerrPTO.org if interested. WE NEED AUDIT VOLUNTEERS.
ASK (After School @Kerr): Read more about ASK here. We need a chair for this program. (read a thorough list of responsibilities here ASK Chair Responsibilities). This program has been around for a bit so we have a lot of things in place–a great online registration system, list of instructors who have taught in the past, some key volunteers who have the system down. Things that are needed: confirming instructors and signing up new ones, writing up clear instructions for volunteers, organizing the volunteer shifts, organizing snacks, getting class descriptions, making the ASK hand out, making copies and putting them in teacher mailboxes.
Party Committee – We host three school parties a year (Halloween, Winter Holiday & Valentines). Our committee this year is lead by Heather Yankura. You can reach her at hyankura@andrew.cmu.edu Also, our sign ups go out in our newsletters first and then posted on our facebook page.
Nominating Committee: committee chair Erin Berdik is looking to form a three person committee per our bylaws. The nominating committee accepts nominations for new board members and assists with the election process. You can contact Erin at erinrdh12@yahoo.com
Movie Night Coordinator: The PTO does the Spring movie night (February or March depending on movie release dates). The coordinator needs to secure the movie being shown and coordinate the popcorn and pizza orders. Make copies of flyer, collect pizza pre-order forms & money, pick up pizza, over see bake sale table, etc.
Teacher Appreciation Week Coordinator: The appreciation week happens in May. Each day of the week there’s a little something special for our teachers. We have one volunteer and we are looking for a co-coordinator. The coordinator(s) will come up with a week theme, daily gestures, list of donation items needed and volunteers, and coordination to pull the week off and make it special for the staff! 2019-20 Chairs are Windy Neff & Terri Ahern.
Summer Send Off Chair: Looking for a chair or co-chairs to oversee a team of volunteers. Recruit volunteers to be the coordinators for each activity space. Oversee that each of those spaces has a plan, supplies, and volunteer description. Develop a schedule and flow for the day and be on site during the entirety of the event to ensure it runs smoothly. Clearance badge is needed.
Box Top Coordinator Lindsay McCloskey is the Box Top Coordinator.
Dine & Donate Coordinator: Melanie Linn Gutowski is our coordinator.
5th Grade Committee – Terri Ahern & Maureen Lynch are helping create a wonderful last year at Kerr for our “senior” students. 5thgrade@kerrpto.org is the email to contact them.
Spirit Wear Sale: Looking into the possibility of partnering with another Fox Chapel elementary school to work to meet minimum sale requirements for vendors. Coordinator for our Windy
Neff & Terri Ahern
Spring Family Game Night: we are unsure of the details for Spring 2021, but it will be a fun time! Interested in helping to plan contact president@kerrpto.org.
Calendar Raffle–details to come…. We are reworking this typically month long raffle for this fall and it will be a week long raffle this year. If you just love asking for donations or own a business and want to be a sponsor. Contact Amy Cooper at president@kerrpto.org. Ann Sokalski is co-chairing this event with Amy Cooper.
Flower Sales (Fall, Winter, & Spring)— A yearly favorite! Work with Gumto’s Nursery to get a list of their offered products and assist with coming up with our sale & price list. The board creates an online order form. Chair will organize the delivery and distribution of products. Email fundraisingdirector@kerrpto.org if interested in helping.
Read-a-thon: all students get to participate. Taking place over 1 week in the spring. There will be prizes for top readers and top fundraisers. Coordinated by Stacy Graham. Contact president@kerrpto.org if interested in helping.
Square One Art–in cooperation with our art teachers at Kerr. The art is completed during class. The coordinators will distribute out the order materials for parents and then coordinate the pick up of the orders at the school Chat with Terri Ahern if interested in helping.
MATH PENTATHLON – This program runs for several weeks beginning mid-January after-school on Thursdays. Students learn math based games the end with a multi-school game day on a Saturday. Volunteers are needed to chair/run each level as well as general volunteers to assist throughout the weeks. Maureen Lynch coordinates this program for the PTO.
TAG (TRAVELING ART GALLERY) – Occurs 3 times a year. Each volunteer is assigned an artwork that they present to each class within the grade level on a rotation. A folder with information and possible activities based on the art will be supplied. Windy Neff coordinates this program for the PTO. If you would like to help or know more contact tag@kerrpto.org
USED BOOK SALE – Is held in January and books are collected, sorted and then sold for only 25 cents each. Volunteers are needed to help collect in the mornings leading up to the sale (8:30-9 am) and then setting up the sale and finally during the sale in the morning and throughout the day to allow each class to shop. Sign ups for volunteer slots will be made available on facebook and our newsletter. Stacy Graham is the coordinator.
YEARBOOK – The yearbook committee is responsible for selling, assembling and distributing the yearbook for our school. The committee also takes pictures throughout the year for to fill the yearbook. Valerie Ewing is the one to contact to get involved at yearbook@kerrpto.org