2/26/2026
Volunteer sign-in kiosk update
In an effort to increase safety and security, the district has changed the kiosk that you use to sign-in and out when volunteering or visiting the school.
You will still need your state issued ID to sign-in, but now you will scan both the front and the back of your ID. The tablet that is used for signing in defaults to using the back camera, but you can flip it to the front camera if it's easier for you to scan your ID that way. You will continue to scan your name tag to sign-out at the end of your visit or volunteer shift, but again, will be using the tablet instead of the separate scanner that you've become accustomed to.
The big change is that you now have the option to download an app (Raptor Safe) to your phone to use for signing in and out instead of using your ID. You are still scanning your ID, but you're using the app to do this before you arrive at school. The app will then verify your identity using your phone's camera to compare your face to the one on your ID and it will create a QR code that you can scan on the tablet here at the school. We're told this way is a bit quicker than scanning your ID, but you can decide which method is more convenient for you.
Attached is an infographic that briefly explains what I've outlined for you here, but please feel free to reach out to myself or the main office if you have further questions about this change.
10/2/2025
Thank you for making Color Run a success!
Dear Color Run volunteers,
On behalf of Weaver Lake PTO, and from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you for volunteering your time, resources and talents to make the 2025-2026 Color Run the best Fun Run this school has ever seen. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication and passion from our volunteers to make our families, teachers, and of course our students, feel like there are people watching out for them. You all have helped make our world a better place through community building and through raising funds to provide invaluable enrichment. Each and everyone of you had a major hand in this event. I saw the love and support you each put into the details and how you worked tirelessly to make sure everything was perfect…and it was!
$56,921…and the goal was $55,000. Beautifully decorated classroom doors and flags, vibrant tie-dye tees in the right tee size, 3,400 prizes delivered on time, group prize celebrations with smiles, cheers, in school donations being processed accordingly, volunteers guiding other volunteers, water and food coloring at the finish line…you all are superheroes!
Now for a selfish plug: My youngest is in 4th grade, so next year will be my last year at Weaver...I would love to connect with anyone that would be interested in learning more about how this event is run. It truly is a committee effort (not a sink or swim!) and there are people already committed to different aspects for the next few years. Not to mention a lot of documentation, and knowledgeable people that are great for support. You can come in with new ideas, or rinse and repeat tried and true! I'm looking to pass the torch on:
Race Day Manager: plan fun things to have at the race and be the go to for parents, students and volunteers
Prize Selection: come up with fun group prizes to award each day and individual incentive prizes
Prize Distribution: very behind the scenes interaction with our fundraising website and report pulling
Chair: connect with planning committee to budget plan and communication, procure materials, identify volunteer needs, work with school on obtaining their resources, daily communication to school on event performance, summer teacher training lunch, inbox management
But I want to end with appreciation and gratitude. Congratulations on your success and THANK YOU! This event would not have been possible without you!
Sincerely,
Mona Parmar
Color Run Chair
PTO Fundraising Coordinator
9/3/2025
Welcome to Volunteering 2025-2026
What to expect as a volunteer:
All of my volunteer requests will come via email. Typically, there will be a link to Sign-Up Genius in my email requests and that is how you will sign up for an event. Though it is not required, I encourage you to create an account for Sign-up Genius. This will allow you to edit or delete a sign-up, rather than having to reach out to me to do it for you. For smaller tasks (cutting, popcorn, etc.), I may just ask for a response to the email and then I usually select on a first come, first served basis. That said, I like to spread the wealth! I will always try to reach out to those who haven’t had the chance to help out yet!
If you ever have a question, you can reach me by email or on my office phone. I am out of my office for 3rd grade lunch and recess from 12:10-1:10pm each day, so please keep that in mind. My contact info is at the bottom of this email.
If you ever lose the link to a sign-up, you can always check the Volunteer Website! I try to keep the site very up-to-date and there is a ton of good information on there. You can also visit the FAQ section if you have a general question about volunteering.
Each time you come to volunteer at the school (even if it's before or after school hours), you'll need to stop in the front office and check-in on the computer there. If it's your first time volunteering, you may need to have someone at the front desk assist you with signing in. You will need your state issued ID each time you come in; that is what you'll use to check yourself in as a volunteer. Your printed ID badge (sticker) will need to be worn and visible the entire time you're in the school.
I may request a background check from you for a variety of reasons, especially field trips. I will alert you if I am going to do this and your background check, once cleared, will be valid for 3 years. Your volunteer application DOES NOT include a background check. I do keep track of background check expiration dates as well, so if I do request one from you, it is necessary. **There are a lot of background checks expiring this year, so be prepared to complete this step again!
Field Trips:
Each grade level takes 1-2 field trips per school year, with many of those coming in the spring. Field trip requests come out about one month prior to the date of the trip and will be emailed out with a Sign-Up Genius link like most other requests. The main difference in these requests vs. most others is that you’re really just stating your interest and throwing your name into a hat. Field trips often have a limit on the number of chaperones needed, and with so many people with interest in helping, the fairest way to choose seems to be to select chaperones by random lottery two weeks before the field trip. All volunteers who sign up to chaperone will be notified of the results of the lottery once it’s completed, so if you ever do not receive information from me, please reach out.
Field trips are an extension of the school day; the students are there to learn, but it’s just in a fun way! Your job as a chaperone is to help keep all of the students in your group safe and to be sure they’re getting the most out of the experience. Before signing up to chaperone for any field trips, please take a few minutes to fill out the Field Trip Guidelines form (link below). By reading and filling out this form once per school year, you’re committing to providing a safe and educational experience for all of the students!
https://forms.gle/rmiJuzTKCGL6is6r7
Additional Tasks:
There is always something to do here at Weaver! If you have a flexible schedule and can help with tasks on short notice, please email me and I will add you to my list of helpers! Tasks can vary, but will likely include cutting/stapling projects, helping prep teach materials, etc.
PTO meetings and events:
The PTO holds several events throughout our school year that I will be requesting volunteer help with. Most of these events already have a chairperson in place to manage the events, but they may be looking to build a committee to help with planning or for someone to take over a chair position. If you have an interest in helping with the planning or execution of any of these events, come to a meeting! You’ll be able to hear firsthand about the events, meet the people already involved in the planning of them so you can ask your questions face-to-face, or just learn about all of the things the PTO does to support Weaver Lake and the STEM program!
Email: officers@weaverlakepto.org
Other General Volunteer Guidelines:
RESTROOMS: Please use staff restrooms or restrooms labeled “Men” (located across the hall from the Library) or “Women” (located next to the cafeteria). Volunteers should not use the same restrooms as students (student restrooms are labeled “Boys” or “Girls”).
DO NOT DISTURB: Please do not enter your child’s or any classroom unless required by the volunteer activity. It is very disruptive to your child, the teacher and the entire class if you enter the room uninvited and without making prior arrangements with the teacher. Deliveries for your child should be brought to the front office.
PRESCHOOLER POLICY: As much as we need and appreciate our volunteers, we ask preschool siblings not to be brought to Weaver Lake when volunteering due to safety and logistic reasons. There are sometimes exceptions to this rule, and we invite you to reach out to the Volunteer Coordinator if you have a question about this. There are often take-home projects or events outside of school hours that you can help with instead.
Please be DEPENDABLE, IMPARTIAL, CONFIDENTIAL. By accepting the role of VOLUNTEER, you are required to uphold the right to privacy of students and staff.
Receiving this email indicates you are approved for in-building volunteering this full school year. District policy requires a new application every year prior to volunteering in any capacity. We’re glad to have you in the volunteer pool!
For more volunteer information, please check the FAQ section of the Volunteer Website.
Thank you so much for volunteering this year! If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to seeing you!
6/4/2025
End-of-Year Newsletter
Thank you to everyone who has helped during any of the MANY end-of-year events! May can be a busy time for families, so your commitment to helping Weaver Lake out does not go unnoticed. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! You are truly a valuable part of our school and we could not offer the opportunities we do to our students without your dedication!
The Weaver Lake Family BBQ and Super Kids Day were a huge success thanks to you! Not only did we have a great response from volunteers on the sign-ups for the events, but we had a ton of people who came for one event jump in to help with the other! This was beyond helpful and we are all so grateful for your “team spirit”! The idea of combining the two events on the same day mildly terrified the staff, but after seeing it all happen, we may try to repeat it in the future! For those of you who helped out, but did not sign-up prior to the day of the event, I did NOT record any hours for you in our system. If you are someone who tracks their volunteer hours and would like me to add hours from May 23, please reach out to me and let me know how many hours to add.
This year, the volunteers at Weaver Lake gave over 2600 hours of their time. Thank you all for being responsive to all of those requests that come through your inbox, for being flexible when plans got changed at the last minute and for always coming with a smile on your face and a willingness to help.
As we do each year, we are losing some amazing volunteers at the end of this year as their children move on from Weaver Lake to their next adventure. I hope you each know how much you will be missed by our students, staff and school community! Thank you for all the time you’ve given to Weaver Lake over the years.
Losing volunteers means there are volunteer job openings! We are always in need of weekly help around the school. Please take a few minutes to fill out the Volunteer Interest Form and let me know what you’re interested in learning more about. As we get rolling again in the fall, I will reach out to you first to discuss the tasks we need help with and find out your availability. Please know that I understand how much life can change over the summer, so I am not looking at this as a commitment to help. It just gives me a starting point as we hit the ground running in September!
https://forms.gle/W66iwLwhJJJVhPuc9
Don’t forget to register!
If you are coming back next year, just a reminder that your registration for volunteering at Weaver Lake expires this summer. You will get an email reminder from Raptor Systems when it’s time to renew. The renewal process is quick and easy, but it does need to be done before the start of each school year. If you want to be included in the volunteer opportunities that will happen the first week of school, don’t wait to renew!
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that I will be out of the office for the summer. I will only check my email account sporadically, so you’re welcome to reach out, just know that I may not respond to messages left after June 6 until the beginning of next school year.
Thank you for another wonderful year and for making my job fun. See you in the fall!
10/8/2024
Welcome to a new school year!
What to expect as a volunteer:
All of my volunteer requests will come via email. Unfortunately, I do not have the capability to text requests out at this time. Typically, there will be a link to Sign-Up Genius in my email requests and that is how you will sign up for an event. Though it is not required, I encourage you to create an account for Sign-up Genius. This will allow you to edit or delete a sign-up, rather than having to reach out to me to do it for you. For smaller tasks (cutting, popcorn, etc.), I may just ask for a response to the email and then I usually go first come, first served. That said, I like to spread the wealth! I will always try to reach out to those who haven’t had the chance to help out yet! If you ever have a question, you can reach me by email or on my office phone. I am out of my office for 4th grade lunch and recess from 1:05-2:05pm each day, so please keep that in mind. My contact info is at the bottom of this email.
Each time you come to volunteer at the school (even if it's before or after school hours), you'll need to stop in the front office and check-in on the computer there. If it's your first time volunteering, you may need to have someone at the front desk assist you with signing in. You will need your state issued ID each time you come in; that is what you'll use to check yourself in as a volunteer. Your printed ID badge (sticker) will need to be worn and visible the entire time you're in the school.
I may request a background check from you for a variety of reasons, especially field trips. I will alert you if I am going to do this and your background check, once cleared, will be valid for 3 years. Your volunteer application DOES NOT include a background check. I do keep track of background check expiration dates as well, so if I do request one from you, it is necessary.
Field Trips:
Each grade level takes 1-2 field trips per school year, with many of those coming in the spring. Field trip requests come out about one month prior to the date of the trip and will be emailed out with a Sign-Up Genius link like most other requests. The main difference in these requests vs. most others is that you’re really just stating your interest and throwing your name into a hat. Field trips often have a limit on the number of chaperones needed, and with so many people with interest in helping, the fairest way to choose seems to be to select chaperones by random lottery two weeks before the field trip. All volunteers who sign up to chaperone will be notified of the results of the lottery once it’s completed, so if you ever do not receive information from me, please reach out.
Field trips are an extension of the school day; the students are there to learn, but it’s just in a fun way! Your job as a chaperone is to help keep all of the students in your group safe and to be sure they’re getting the most out of the experience. Before signing up to chaperone for any field trips, please take a few minutes to fill out the Field Trip Guidelines form (link below). By reading and filling out this form once per school year, you’re committing to providing a safe and educational experience for all of the students!
6/3/24
End of the year wrap-up!
This year, the volunteers at Weaver Lake gave over 3600 hours in volunteer time. I wish I could thank each of you in person every time you come in. Seeing you all give your time to this school truly makes me smile. Please know that even if you don’t always hear a “thank you”, that your help is appreciated every single time and that you’re making a difference here at Weaver Lake! To show you just how much you are appreciated, the students and staff have put together a little thank you video for you. You can view it online at https://bit.ly/3X6UeRu
With the end of another school year comes the end of some of our volunteer’s time with Weaver Lake. Thank you for every minute that you gave as a volunteer during your child’s time at Weaver! Please know that you are always welcome back!
We have 3 final Volunteer Appreciation gifts to send out this year. For those who don’t know (or remember, if you’re like me!), for Volunteer Appreciation this year we are drawing for winners of a $25 Target gift card. Anyone who volunteered during our 3rd Trimester is eligible to win regardless of the amount of time that you gave or how you volunteered (in school vs. at home, etc.). The winners of the 3rd Trimester gifts are:
Angi F.
Cynthia K.
Susan C.
Congratulations to you all! I will plan to send those home with your oldest Weaver Lake child, so be sure to check backpacks tomorrow!
Volunteer Survey
I would love it if each one of you could take a few minutes of your time to fill out a survey for me. This survey tells me what you thought about the volunteer experience this year. While there are changes I can’t make due to certain restrictions set forth by the district, etc., I love to hear your ideas on how I can make the Weaver Lake Volunteer Program even better. Your opinion does matter to me! https://forms.gle/7qThiZqUQvihdjN48
Interest for next school year
As people move on from our school, it leaves behind empty spots to be filled! There are tasks to be completed weekly that we can always use help with. If you think you might be interested in helping out next school year with one of these tasks, please click the link and let us know which jobs you have an interest in helping with or learning more about. Please note that the sign-up is not a commitment, rather a starting point for me at the beginning of next school year. I will reach out to those who have signed up here first to discuss options before reaching out to the rest of the volunteer pool.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-49841686-20242025
Don’t forget to register!
As a reminder, your registration for volunteering at Weaver Lake expires this summer. You will get an email reminder from Raptor Systems when it’s time to renew. The renewal process is quick and easy, but it does need to be done before the start of each school year. If you want to be included in the volunteer opportunities that will happen the first week of school, don’t wait to renew!
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that I will be out of the office for the summer. I will only check my email account sporadically, so you’re welcome to reach out, just know that I may not respond to messages left after June 6 until the beginning of next school year.
Thank you for another wonderful year and for making my job fun. See you in the fall!
3/11/24
End of Trimester Update
What a trimester it has been! There have been so many wonderful opportunities, and as always, so wonderful to see all of you that have come out to help this winter. You have given over 1000 hours this trimester alone. You put in over 250 hours more this year over the same time period last year! We're in the home stretch now, but there are a ton of upcoming opportunities still to come. Watch your inbox for requests for help for:
Engineering Night
Field Trips
Carnival
Super Kids Day
Family Picnic
End-of-Year assistance
and more!
I want to send a special shout-out to all of the volunteers who helped with our Spring Book Fair that just wrapped up last week. It was a new vendor for all of us, and we saw a great turn-out not only in sales, but in our volunteers! Over 80% of our volunteer shifts were covered, which made this event run even smoother than expected. THANK YOU!!! If you helped out at this Book Fair, would you please take a few minutes to fill out the post-Book Fair survey to let us know your thoughts? Your response to this survey not only helps me manage future volunteer opportunities, but helps the PTO know what, if anything, they need to adjust for the future. Please click the link below to answer this quick survey:
https://forms.gle/82VtRDV9NpioPmUF8
Because we ended our second trimester, it's time to show our appreciation for all that you do by having another drawing! Each trimester I will randomly select three people who gave their time to win a $25 Target gift card. It doesn't matter how much time you gave, or how you gave your time. If you volunteered in any capacity during the second trimester, you were entered in the drawing! There were 161 one of you who showed up in the last few months and the winners for our second trimester are:
Martha N.
Michael G.
Alissa J.
Congratulations! I will reach out to you individually to find out the best way to get your gift card to you. Please note: I am not interested in forcing a gift on someone who is uncomfortable receiving that gift. If you are not comfortable receiving a gift card, please let me know and I will pass it along to another volunteer. Or you could always consider spending it on your favorite teacher and giving back to the school! The PTO has compiled information from many of our great teachers, so you know where to begin. The teachers' "Favorite Things" lists can be found on the PTO website at https://www.weaverlakepto.org/my-teachers-favorite-things.
Thank you again, everyone, for all that you do to help our school!
11/20/23
End of Trimester update
Our first trimester is coming to an end, and it has been a busy one! From cafeteria help starting the first day, to the Color Run, to Bookfair, to classroom and in-school requests and even field trips, you all have received A LOT of emails from me already! You have always responded quickly and eagerly, and I cannot express my gratitude enough. You are such an important part of this school community!!! For those of you that checked out my email last week, you know that I was struggling with the best way to appreciate everything you do for us. Well, you answered and by a narrow margin, it looks like people enjoy getting a little something so they can treat themselves (Target gift card), so I will continue that for this year!
Each trimester, I will put the names of everyone who has volunteered during that time period into a random drawing and pull 3 people to receive a $25 Target gift card as a token of our appreciation. Because some people are capable of giving a lot of time, and others struggle to find the time, the amount of time you've given will not affect your chances of winning. It also means if you weren't able to volunteer in-school, but were able to take a project home, you're in the running! 121 of you have already helped this year and have given over 986 hours!!! The winners of the random drawing for Trimester 1 are:
Janet S.
Kevin A.
Julie M.
Congratulations and THANK YOU! I will reach out to you individually to find out the best way to get your gift card to you. Please note: I am not interested in forcing a gift on someone who is uncomfortable receiving that gift. If you are not comfortable receiving a gift card, please let me know and I will pass it along to another volunteer. Or you could always consider spending it on your favorite teacher and giving back to the school! The PTO has compiled information from many of our great teachers so you know where to begin. The teachers' "Favorite Things" lists can be found on the PTO website at https://www.weaverlakepto.org/my-teachers-favorite-things.
11/21/23
Volunteer Appreciation
How would you like to see Volunteer Appreciation celebrated this year? Please click the link below to vote in the poll. You can select all that apply and the idea with the most votes will be what we move forward with this year!
10/10/23
Color Run Wrap-Up
We made it! Friday was a crazy, wet, windy, fun, amazing day made possible by each and every one of you. This event is only possible because people like you are willing to help hand out prizes, count out flyers, and stand in the rain so that our kids can have a memorable day. The PTO raised over $52,000 during the two weeks that this event ran! The money that came in from this event ensures that they'll be able to continue to fund field trips for all grade levels, provide the COMPAS art program, keep our teachers fed during conferences and much, much more. Your hard work and dedication as volunteers did not go unnoticed by the rest of the school community, so I know I am not alone when I shout from the rooftops a huge THANK YOU to all of you!
If you have any questions or feedback you'd like to provide about this event, feel free to respond to this email. If you had fun and want to know how you can help with this or other PTO events in the future, please reach out to the Color Run Chairperson (the woman who organized every bit of this with your help!), Mona at funrun@weaverlakepto.org.
THANK YOU!!!
9/13/23
Let's get ready for the Color Run!
The Color Run is right around the corner (October 6) and we're ready to kick it into high gear with setting up volunteers! There are several jobs to choose from leading up to the day of the Color Run as well as the day-of itself. This event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for our PTO and it won't happen without your help. If you enjoy seeing joy on people's faces, this event has you covered. Click the link for the sign-up below to let us know when we'll be seeing you. If you're on the fence and need some more info, please read on for more information about the different jobs. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or the PTO at funrun@weaverlakepto.org
SIGN-UP: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-2023#/
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Flyer Distribution
Flyers need to be collated, stapled and counted in order to be distributed to classrooms. Class lists/counts are provided to volunteers to aid in this job. This job takes place in the Volunteer Room. Time needed for this job will be dependent on the number of volunteers able to help.
Decorate
We need to get the students excited about the Color Run, so swag and posters need to be hung throughout the school to get everyone thinking Color Run! Supplies and decorations are all provided by the PTO. This job may require you to use a step-ladder (which are readily available throughout the school).
Prize Distribution (for individuals)
As students raise funds for the Color Run, they will earn incentives. Volunteers will be sorting these prizes out for individuals who have earned them to be picked up between lunch and recess for all grades. Lists of students earning incentives (and which incentives) are provided to the volunteers as well as the Lunch ESPs. Tables are set up in the hall outside of the cafeteria and as students are dismissed from lunch, they will stop by to pick up their prizes. They will then drop these prizes off in their lockers before heading out to recess with the rest of their grade. To make this job easier, several prize distribution days are set up on 9/26, 9/28, 10/2,10/4, with the final one being on 10/9 after the run. The more people we have signed up for each distribution date, the easier this job is! Times are as listed on the sign-up.
Prize Distribution (group)
In addition to earning prizes as individuals, entire classrooms or grades also have the chance to earn incentives! The incentives and dates are as follows:
9/26: Tootsie Pops. The team color that has the most students registered online for the Color Run will win this prize. There are four team colors total that repeat in each grade, so Tootsie Pops will need to be distributed to one classroom per grade. This job will be prepped in the Volunteer Room.
9/27: Bubble Party. The grade that has raised the most funds at this point will earn a bubble party during their recess. Volunteers will be needed to set up and run the bubble machine during recess and take it down at the end. The time of this event will be dependent on which grade wins the prize, but it will be about 45 minutes total (recess is 30 minutes).
9/28: Bouncy Ball. Any classroom that has 90% or more of their students registered online for the Color Run will earn this prize. Volunteers are needed to count out the bouncy balls and deliver them to the winning classrooms. This prize could potentially be going to every classroom in the school (25) with 25-30 students per class, however, it is very likely to be less than this. The amount of time this job will take is dependent on how many students are registered. This job will be prepped in the Volunteer Room.
9/29: Erasers. The classroom with the highest fundraising total will earn this prize. Volunteers are needed to count out and deliver the erasers to the winning classroom. This job will likely take less than 30 minutes. This job will be prepped in the Volunteer Room.
10/2: Cupcakes. The top fundraiser for each grade will earn a prize bag and cupcake to be delivered by the principal. Volunteers are needed to organize the prize bags to ready them for distribution. This job should take approximately 1 hour. This job will be prepped in the front office or the Volunteer Room.
10/4: Popcorn Party. The top fundraising student of the school earns a popcorn party for their class. Volunteers are needed to pop the popcorn, deliver it to the winning class and clean the machine after. This job should take approximately 1 hour and training will be provided on using/cleaning the machine (don't worry, it's easy!). This job will be completed in the staff lounge.
Money Counter
There will be some donations that are not done online, but are delivered by students in the form of cash and checks. Volunteers are needed to count these donations, record them to be ready for deposit and record them so that the individual student gets credit for those funds that were raised. The PTO takes this job seriously, so 2 people are needed each time this job is done; one volunteer and one PTO board member. There are several days that this is set up and you just need to indicate what time you'll be in when signing up so someone can meet you. The dates are: 9/26, 9/27, 9/28, 9/29, 10/2, 10/3, 10/4, 10/5, and 10/6. It is important that the cash and checks get counted often so that money can be secured in the safe asap. This job will take place in the Volunteer Room and the time needed will vary but will be approximately 30 minutes.
Second Flyer Distribution
Getting the word out about this fundraiser is important! This job is a repeat of the previous flyer distribution day of collating, stapling, etc. Please note that this job may just end up being an email flyer rather than paper flyers. However, if you think you can help with this, please sign up. I will inform you if the job is cancelled. This job will take place in the Volunteer Room.
Tie Dye Day
This job looks different than it has in the past in order to create a smoother flow and hopefully a more colorful result! Volunteers are needed to mix the dyes in buckets, collect shirts from the classrooms (they will already be rubber banded and labeled with student's names), soak the shirts in the classroom's team color dye, return them to the classrooms and clean up when everything is said and done. Please note that students will NOT be dying their own shirts. Each shift of this job is two hours. If you are able to stay for more than one shift, please feel free to sign up for multiple shifts. Please be aware that you will be working with dyes that can also dye your clothing, so dress appropriately with this in mind. The location of this job will be outdoors, weather permitting.
Color Run Day
Individual Prize Distribution
Students who have reached their $75 fundraising goal will be awarded with a bead necklace. These will need to be counted and distributed.
Students who have reached their Superstar fundraising goal of $350 will win a medal. These will need to be counted and distributed.
These jobs will take place before the school day begins, so you will need to check with the front office to find an open area in the school to perform it.
Color Run Set-up
This job involves prepping the field by putting up flags, setting up color spray bottles, bubbles, etc. before the run begins.
Water Station
This job includes setting up the station by putting up the tent, table, water jugs and cups so students can grab and go post-run. You will also need to refill the water jugs as needed through the day.
Stretch Leader
As each grade arrives on the field for their run, the stretch leader will need to get them ready to run by having them do some simple muscle-loosening exercises. The volunteer for this job should bring some energy and fun with them to get the kids pumped up as well!
Field Director
After the students stretch, the Field Director should lead them onto the field to get them in place for their run. This volunteer should be ready to watch the clock to make sure each grade is beginning and ending on time so that we can keep things flowing. They should also bring some energy and fun as the kids start running!
Bubble Manager
This volunteer will be needed to make sure the bubble machine and bubble guns are loaded and ready to go for each grade level. Help the other volunteers cheer the students on as they complete their laps!
Race Cheerleader
Volunteers are needed to blow bubbles as the students run by, squirt colored water on students who want it and just provide them with motivation as they complete their laps. Please note that if you are using the colored water, it can get messy! Even if you are stationed next to someone using the sprayers, some of the color can get on you. Although these colors are non-toxic and washable, it's a good idea to wear clothing that you don't mind getting a little messy for this job. The times for each grade level are listed if you want to be sure you're there to cheer your own kid(s) on!
6/7/23
End-of-Year Wrap-up
This year, the volunteers at Weaver Lake gave over 3600 hours in volunteer time. Compared to last year’s 2200 total hours, that is amazing!!! I wish I could thank each of you in person every time you come in. You are such an important part of the Weaver Lake community and every minute that you give makes a difference.
To show how thankful we are to have you, we held TWO final gift card drawings for the end of the year. The first gift card drawing was held for all volunteers who gave time during Trimester 3 (there were 226 of you!) and is for $50 at Target. And the winner is…Amanda J.! The second gift card is worth $100 and anyone who volunteered at any time during the year was eligible. Because we think each volunteer is as important as the next, the amount of time you gave or the number of times you volunteered did not affect your odds of winning. The winner of the year-end drawing is…Brianna Z.! Congratulations Amanda and Brianna!
I would love it if each one of you could take a few minutes of your time to fill out two surveys for me. The first is a survey to tell me what you thought about the volunteer experience this year. While there are changes I can’t make due to certain restrictions set forth by the district, etc., I love to hear your ideas on how I can make the Weaver Lake Volunteer Program even better. Your opinion does matter to me! https://forms.gle/uYwT6iohh6FMwE37A
The second survey is about volunteering next year. If you/your children are not returning to Weaver Lake next year, you can skip this survey. I know a lot can change over three months, so please know that you are not committing to anything by showing interest on this survey. It just means I’ll reach out to you about an opportunity before I reach out to others! https://forms.gle/tfUvbUScL48pG2sPA
For those of you who are leaving us, I want to take a moment to recognize the hours that you’ve put in while your kids have been at Weaver. Please know that every minute that you gave as a volunteer was appreciated and needed and that you will be missed! Thank you!
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with the various PTO events this year. And thank you to the PTO for all of the wonderful events you put on! Without their hard work, we wouldn’t have things like the Star Lab, Compass Art Program, additional STEM items, fun family events like Carnival and so much more. They are looking for a few good people to help out in various roles next year. These roles include PTO Secretary, PTO Fundraising Coordinator, Read-a-Thon Co-Chair, Nominations Chair and a variety of committee positions (Color Run, Carnival, etc.). If you have an interest in being a part of our wonderful group of dedicated parents and teachers, check out the open positions on their website and reach out to officers@weaverlakePTO.org with any questions! https://www.weaverlakepto.org/meet-the-board
I want to remind everyone that your registration for volunteering at Weaver Lake expires this summer. You will get an email reminder from Raptor Systems when it’s time to renew. The renewal process is quick and easy, but it does need to be done before the start of each school year. If you want to be included in the volunteer opportunities that will happen the first week of school, don’t wait to renew!
Background checks are a separate step that is completed only on an as-needed basis. Background checks are valid for 3 years after they are completed, so if you had a background check run this year, it will not need to be repeated next year.
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that I will be out of the office for the summer. I will only check my email account sporadically, so you’re welcome to reach out, just know that I may not respond to messages left after June 8 until the beginning of next school year.
Thank you for another wonderful year and for making my job fun. See you in the fall!
4/13/23
BizTown Survey
Are you a 5th grade parent? I'd love to hear your feedback about the BizTown field trip (whether you volunteered for it or not). Please take a few minutes to complete my survey!
3/9/23
Volunteer Update and Trimester 2 Volunteer Appreciation
FRIDAY RECESS GROUPS
You may have heard from you kids that we have been having some different options available at recess since winter break. These recess groups are small groups of students doing an activity they have opted into instead of going out to recess with the rest of their grade. These volunteer-run groups have been a big hit among both the students and staff. This is where you come in! Due to the ever-changing schedule of our volunteers, some of our groups are unable to continue. I'm looking for a few people to carry the torch so we can continue to offer these to students through the end of this school year. Ideally, we are looking for volunteers that can help out during the recess time on Fridays (11:55-2:15pm). The current suggested group would be some sort of outdoor physical activity (leading a couple of games of 4-square, basketball, Can Jam Frisbee, etc.), but I am also open to suggestions! Another option would be leading some sort of arts & crafts (friendship bracelets, puppet making, paper crafts, etc.) We have a lot of art supplies at our disposal, we just need your artistic inspiration! Or....do you have an idea that you'd like to share and make happen? Let me know! If you're interested in learning more about this, please email me and I'll reach out to you to work out any logistics and hopefully move forward with you leading (or helping to lead) a small group.
BIG BLUE BLOCKS AT RECESS
As the weather warms up, we would also like to be able to provide the students with the opportunity to play with the big blue blocks at recess time. We currently have one volunteer who has committed to helping with this, but are looking for a partner for her. The blocks have been available to 2 grades per week (3 weeks on, 1 week off) in the past, so we'd like to continue that. This task involves wheeling the two large bins of blocks out to the blacktop area near the playgrounds and monitoring the students as they play. While the recess ESPs are present, we ask that the volunteers in charge of the blue blocks also take charge of the students who choose to play with them. This means enforcing the rules of the playground and making sure the students are using the blocks responsibly. Whether you're interested in helping just one day or several, we would love to have you to give the students the opportunity to use the blocks you helped raise funds to purchase! Please click the sign-up to let us know when you're coming. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-blue
5th GRADE BIZTOWN INTERVIEWS
While I don't normally share grade-specific events with the entire volunteer pool, BizTown provides me with a unique opportunity to do so. The 5th graders will be taking a field trip to JA BizTown in April where they will spend the day working at a job they have applied and interviewed for. That's where we need your help. BizTown interviews are being held on Monday, March 20th and we need volunteers to run those interviews. Volunteers will be given prepared questions they need to ask each student so that the 5th grade teachers can determine what students are best suited for a given position; much like the real world! Because we don't want parents to interview their own children, it opens up this volunteer opportunity to anyone that is able and willing to help. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in helping with, please sign up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f48aaa72eaafecf8-jabiztown2#/
FIELD TRIPS
I have gotten word from several grade levels about upcoming field trips! However, I do not have dates and times for most of them yet. To be sure that you don't miss your chance to chaperone, be sure you're registered as a volunteer!
ENGINEERING NIGHT
Engineering night is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11. I'm awaiting more information, but hope to have a sign-up ready for you just before spring break for this evening event.
WEAVER LAKE CARNIVAL
The Carnival will be held Friday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo!) and we will need all hands on deck to make this event a success. Volunteer shifts do allow time for you to volunteer, but still enjoy the carnival with your family. The sign-up should make its way to your inbox by mid-April, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
2nd TRIMESTER VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION
Did you think I forgot this part? I just saved the best for last! For those of you who joined our program during the 2nd Trimester or if you just need a refresher, let me take a moment to fill you in. In the past, we have thrown a party for Volunteer Appreciation at the end of the year to celebrate all the hard work you as volunteers have put into the school. Though I love a good party, it limits the number of people who actually get "rewarded" for the work they do here at Weaver Lake. So this year, I've decided to show appreciation each Trimester by drawing a name at random of someone who volunteered during that Trimester. The amount of time or number of times you have volunteered does not affect your chance of winning, and take-home projects count! Basically, if you gave some time, you're in! The winner of the drawing will win a $50 Target Gift Card.
107 of you have given a total of 772 hours this trimester (that's almost 200 more hours and double the volunteers than this time period last year!). Congratulations to...Erica O.!
Even though there's only one "winner" each Trimester, I want you all to know that it doesn't mean we don't appreciate everything you do here at Weaver! There are programs that wouldn't be available to our students without your help. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving your time to make this school community so amazing.
12/1/22
End of Trimester Volunteer Appreciation
Today marks the end of our first trimester of the 2022-2023 school year, and what a ride it's been already! This trimester, we had 119 volunteers who worked a total of 1298 hours and 40 minutes...AMAZING WORK, ALL!!!! I try my best to make sure I thank each of you every time you're here, but that just isn't possible all the time. So how else can I show my appreciation (and that of the PTO, the teachers, and other support staff)?
Last year was my first year as Volunteer Coordinator here at Weaver Lake, and I did what others had done in the past to show appreciation, which was to throw a party at the end of the year for the volunteers. The problem with that is the party happens one day at a particular time, and not everyone who volunteers can join us for the party. So this year, I'm doing things a little differently. At the end of each trimester, I will put the names of the people who volunteered that trimester into a random drawing generator. The winner of the random drawing will get a $50 gift card for Target from me to show you just a small piece of my appreciation for all the time and effort you have given this school. The number of hours you volunteer won't increase or decrease your odds of winning. As long as you show up (yes, those take-home projects count!), your name is entered! In addition to there being a drawing at the end of each trimester, I'll also have an additional drawing at the end of the year that will again include everyone who volunteered at any point through the year.
The first trimester winner of the $50 Volunteer Appreciation gift card is....Samantha H.! Congratulations!
Thank you ALL so much for the help you've given us. There's always more in store, so if there wasn't an opportunity this trimester that worked for you, there is likely something coming up that will!
10/19/22
Ongoing opportunities
If you have the time to come in weekly, or just on short notice to help with projects, let me know! There are always small jobs like cutting and collating that need to be done and I love having a small group of people to ask for help from when these things come up. There also continues to be an opening to help in the Media Center weekly on Fridays. Mrs. Skarphol needs help in the mornings from 9:30-10:30 or the afternoon from 12:30-1:30. The afternoon hours are more flexible, so if you would rather do a little later to push it closer to parent pick-up time, we can make that work! I'm just an email away if you are interested in helping with anything ongoing.
10/5/22
Color Run Wrap-up
Thanks to our volunteers, Color Run 2022 was a huge success! Thank you to the approximately 30 volunteers who helped out the day of the big event. You sprayed, bubbled and cheered those kids on during an event they'll remember for years to come. It was so great seeing all of the parents who came out just to cheer their kids on as well! It's so nice to have a school community like the one here at Weaver. If you have an interest in co-chairing the Color Run for next year, please reach out to me or the PTO. Fundraising@weaverlakepto.org
Because of donations from people like you, the PTO was able to raise over $48,000 to go toward things like STEM programming, Field Trips and the Star Lab. As a reward for all the hard work of our fundraisers, Principal Christiansen agreed to allow the students to duct tape her to the wall today. There were many smiling faces and giggles!
9/9/22
Welcome to Volunteering with Weaver Lake!
All of my volunteer requests will come via email. Unfortunately, I do not have the capability to text requests out at this time. Typically, there will be a link to sign-up genius in my email requests and that is how you will sign up for an event. For smaller tasks (cutting, popcorn, etc.), I may just ask for a response to the email and then I usually go first come, first served. If you ever have a question, you can reach me by email or on my office phone. I am out of my office for 2nd grade lunch/recess from 12-1pm each day, so please keep that in mind. My contact info can be found here.
Each time you come to volunteer at the school (even if it's before or after school hours), you'll need to stop in the front office and check-in on the computer there. If it's your first time volunteering, you may need to have someone at the front desk assist you with signing in. You will need your state issued ID each time you come in; that is what you'll use to check yourself in as a volunteer. Your printed ID badge (sticker) will need to be worn and visible the entire time you're in the school.
I may request a background check from you for a variety of reasons, especially field trips. I will alert you if I am going to do this and your background check, once cleared, will be valid for 3 years. Just an FYI, many background checks are expiring this year!
Recess pull-out groups: I'll be looking for volunteers to take small groups of students during their recess to do different activities with them (teaching chess, knitting, yoga, etc.). Do you have a skill you'd like to share? Reach out anytime about this if you are interested in helping out. Please email me if you're interested in heading up one of these small groups!
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