08-13-2023 Back to School - Flipbook - Page 5
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, August 13, 2023
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for various events and participating in meetings.
“We [the PA] try to have a variety of meeting
times so we are available to all parents.”
- Membership in the PTA or HSA is not mandatory to volunteer. Cucuzzella says it’s not necessary for volunteers to be official members of the
school’s parent association. Parents can speak
directly to their child’s teachers or the administrators who run the programs.
Parental Volunteers Make All The Difference
By Lisa Baldino, Contributing Writer
I
t takes a village. That’s no understatement as
children across Maryland return to school.
Not only are students packing their backpacks,
but their parents are also signing up to be in
classrooms or cafeterias or on playgrounds. The
octopus-like network of volunteers already has
its arms outstretched to gather unsuspecting parents – you’ll see the representatives for the Parent
Teacher Association (PTA) or the Home School
Association (HSA), you’ll hear about it from
teachers on meet the teacher day, and you’ll receive paperwork from school in your child’s takehome folder. No time for volunteering? Here are
six reasons why you should consider making time
for it, followed by some tips on making it easy for
yourself and your child.
Volunteering…
- Sets a good example. “Volunteering is a great
way for parents to become acclimated and illustrate leading by example,” says Heather Cucuzzella, principal at Immaculate Conception
School in Towson. It shows your commitment
to your school and your community and lays the
groundwork for students to volunteer.
- Promotes a positive message to the classroom.
Students feel special when a parent comes to the
classroom, Cucuzzella says. It also spreads positivity throughout the classroom. “Teachers are
excited about all the positive messages the volunteers bring. They are so grateful for their enthusiasm. It shows the student that home and school
do, in fact, work together,” she explains.
- Allows you to meet new people and try new
things. You can be sure that you’ll meet new people by volunteering, and you can try new tasks
that have nothing to do with your day-to-day
paying job. “I worked on events I never would
have predicted. It’s a great way to meet great people. The work you do doesn’t have to be perfect,”
says Cucuzzella.
- Offers insight into your child’s friends. When
you are on the school campus, you’ll be able to
see how students socialize and relate to one another and to the teacher. Roland Park Country
School’s incoming Parent Association President
Genevra Waldron, says, “As a parent, when kids
are young, it is important to know their friends,
their teachers, and the people they interact with.
You can see their friends in an academic environment and see how they interact in a classroom setting.”
- Gives teachers insight into your family. Waldron describes the RPCS Parents’ Association
as a broadening of the family. “The organiza-
tion is important to the school, and it becomes
an extension of our family. We want to nurture
that relationship. The PA helps to support and
strengthen the school in ways that can only come
from the unique perspective of a parent.”
- Just feels good. It’s a well-known fact that volunteering actually helps to reduce stress and makes
you feel like you’ve made a contribution. According to HelpGuide.org, people who volunteer
have a lower mortality rate, and are less likely
to develop conditions like depression and high
blood pressure.
Volunteering Made Easy
If you’re anxious about volunteering for any
reason – you work full time and aren’t available
during school hours, you can’t find the right position, you don’t want to join the PTA, here are some
ways to work around that.
- Volunteers are needed during the school day and
outside of school hours. School day volunteer
activities cover the gamut — in the classroom,
cafeteria, library, gym or playground. You’ll be
able to see the students in action in each environment. Waldron says there are also plenty of
volunteering options during non-school hours.
“There are definitely opportunities outside the
workday,” she notes. Simple and easily executed
examples are sending in supplies, contributions
- You can choose the opportunities that are right
for you. From academics in the classroom and
chaperoning field trips to leading after-school
activities or coaching a team, schools are filled
with opportunities for volunteers. “Take a chance
and try something new,” Cucuzzella challenges.
“Ask your student how he or she feels about it.”
Waldron concurs, “Jump in with both feet. Get
to know other parents and the teachers and it will
accelerate your comfort level.”
- Volunteers are needed in all grades K-12. Once
your child reaches middle school, he or she
might be uncomfortable with a parent volunteering in the school, Cucuzzella explains. “We work
with the volunteer as their child gets older; we
do things like limiting recess volunteers or putting the parents of older children on weekend
and evening events.” On the other hand, Waldron says her teenage daughters attend the Upper School at Roland Park, and they are happy to
see her when they are at school. She took more
behind-the-scenes positions like grade representative and PA liaison when the girls advanced to
the Upper School.
- You can get involved in major projects. The parent organizations are a big part of most school
communities. At Immaculate Conception
School, Cucuzzella estimates that out of the 430
parents with students in pre-K-8, she has 150200 volunteers in any given year to pull off all the
big events like Back to School Bingo, the schoolwide Halloween Trunk-or-Treat, the annual Festival of St. Nicholas, and live auction events. Find
out what big events your child’s school offers,
then find the parent in charge. It could be you.
Cucuzzella concludes, “It’s very humbling to
realize the number of hours and the special care
the volunteers put into these events. It is very rewarding to see that commitment to our school.
It’s a gift.”
Source: HelpGuide.org
Left: A basketball game at Immaculate Conception School. Middle Top: Parents at Immaculate Conception School are very involved. Middle Bottom: Roland Park Country School hosts an annual Red Hot Run and
Harvest Feast (top right).