Revised 8/3/2009
The primary role of the VP of Programs is to serve as a support person for the chairs of the standing and ad hoc committees listed below. The VP of Programs acts as a liaison between program chairs and the Board (i.e. keeps the Board up-to-date regarding program status and chairs’ needs; communicates Board expectations to program chairs). The VP of Programs may bring to the attention of the Board input from general membership regarding enrichment programs at the school and may help to develop new programs as needed.
Other duties of this position may include the following: supporting the Issaquah Schools Foundation (ISF), supporting the legislative needs of the PTSA, providing a supportive role during levy years, and pursuing PTSA training opportunities as appropriate.
The VP of Programs oversees the following Standing and Ad Hoc committees:
The Art Docent chair will identify a parent volunteer from each classroom to provide art lessons to students approximately once per month. The chair will work with the Art Specialist to provide training at the beginning of the year, and will update and revise notebooks and resource material. The chair will also work with volunteers and the Art Specialist to plan and organize Fine Arts Night. The classroom docent will work with the teacher to schedule monthly visits, which will consist of EALR*-based lessons on art elements, presenting and discussing fine art prints and artists, and planning and implementing a hands-on art project. The docent will also participate in Fine Arts night by displaying student artwork for the event. Training and lesson plans are provided.
The Science Docent chair will identify a parent volunteer from each classroom to provide science lessons to students approximately once per month. The chair will provide training at the beginning of the year, and will update and revise notebooks and resource material. The chair will also work with volunteers to plan and organize the Science Fair, as needed. The classroom docent will work with the teacher to schedule monthly visits, which will consist of science lessons that are an extension of the classroom curriculum and include the length of time needed for the presentation and materials needed.
The objective of this program is to foster a love of reading. This is a voluntary program for the students, though the majority of students choose to participate at some level. Students earn prizes as they read outside class time and record their reading minutes on log sheets provided to them for that purpose. A parent volunteer is needed from each classroom to review the logs and award the prizes. The volunteers meet at the school for about one hour every other week beginning in January. Training will be provided.
The objective of this committee is to continue to help build our school’s library as well as foster a love for books and a sense of pride in our library. Parents are given the opportunity to purchase a book that will be donated to the library in their child’s name. Each month, notice goes home with each student who has a birthday that month. When the order is processed a book plate is inserted in the book designating the book as a gift from the student. The student is given the first opportunity to check out the book. Their name goes in the Howler.
K-Kids (a partnership with our local Kiwanis Club), is an after-school program that demonstrates to Cascade Ridge students the importance of community service. Students decide what local community initiatives they want to support. The combination of programs shows students the importance of helping people locally, nationally and globally. There are usually 3 to 5 school wide outreach events each year, such as the Chief Seattle coat and blanket drive, Thanksgiving food drive, Humane Society/pet food drive, and Operation Sack Lunch combined with the giving of used backpacks. The committee facilitates these programs with volunteer parent involvement and communication with teachers.
Destination Imagination (DI) is a national creative problem-solving program where children work in teams of their peers to solve a multi-dimensional challenge. The chairperson is responsible for promoting and organizing an information night at the beginning of school to encourage DI participation, for recruiting parents to coach or help with teams, and for working with interested students to form teams. The chairperson is also responsible for managing the paperwork to help teams register for the Regional Seattle Metro Tournament in March.
The Washington State PTA, in partnership with the National PTA, sponsors a state wide arts education contest in the fall known as the Reflections Program. Each year there is a different theme for the program, and this information is available on the WA State PTA website, www.wastatepta.org. Generally, this artwork is created at home but may be something that a teacher chooses to do in class. Works of art may be created in four areas: literature, musical composition, photography, and visual arts. The program usually kicks off in October and concludes in late November. At the elementary level, the students are divided into primary division (K-2) and intermediate division (3-5). The student art entries will be judged at the school (Cascade Ridge), council (Issaquah School District) and Washington State PTA levels. The State PTA winners are entered into the National PTA contest. Volunteers are needed to work with the chairperson to promote Reflections at Cascade Ridge, distribute information and entries to students, identify local judges, display entries and organize Reflections recognition reception at Cascade Ridge for participants. Time commitment varies.
A science fair is held each year in March and all students are invited to participate by entering a science project. Participation is a requirement for fifth graders. The chair will organize volunteers to publicize the event, record entries, and set-up tables. The chair is also responsible to organize an interactive portion to the fair. This allows participants to get hands-on science experience. Exhibits can be included from the aquarium, zoo, Pacific Science Center or demonstrations by local high school science clubs. This committee is encouraged to help students “keep it simple” in developing and presenting their science projects. They should include information on all the different sciences: earth science, biology, physics, etc. This is also a great opportunity to educate students on different scientists throughout the centuries. A commitment of several hours prior to and/or the day of the fair is needed.
Caring through Sharing is a holiday gift-giving program which provides food, clothing and gifts to needy families while demonstrating to Cascade Ridge students the importance of charitable support.
This evening involves coordinating art projects from various classrooms and students to be displayed at a specially designated time for the community to view and enjoy.
