Parent Volunteers 

 

   

Room Parent Information/Class Celebrations

 

There are generally three parties celebrated in the classroom which are organized and run by the room parents and parent volunteers:  Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and an End of the Year Party.  Each teacher and grade level has their own way of celebrating these traditions.  Room parents are asked to meet with the teachers to discuss party expectations, including party timing, food preferences, decoration needs, activities, parent participation, etc.  Funds collected for parties should not exceed $15 per student.  Staff members request that decorations are kept to a minimum and that parties include some kind of craft and/or  game and food treats.  Halloween and Valentine parties should be typically held at the end of the day for approximately 60 minutes.  End of Year Parties are to be held for approximately 60-90 minutes.  Room parents should arrange for volunteers for each party and communicate teacher expectations.  

 

Allergy Policy:  All food for parties/celebrations must be store-bought, including original label.  In addition, all foods for classroom celebrations (where applicable) must be “peanut-free” (“peanut-oil free”) and approved by the classroom teacher prior to the celebration.  It can be very difficult to determine such ingredients in foods.  Please be sure treats and snacks for class parties are pre-approved by the classroom teacher, who has direct knowledge of the severity of health issues in his/her classroom. 

 

 

**Important Note About Birthday Celebrations:  We love to celebrate shark birthdays at Stonegate by announcing your child's name on the morning announcements and giving your child a special birthday pencil.  DUE TO ALLERGY CONCERNS we will no longer allow food items to be brought in for birthday celebrations to be shared with the class.  However, classes will still celebrate with singing.  You may decide to bring in a special trinket for your child to give to each of his/her classmates.  Some examples of trinkets include stickers or pencils.  A class book could also be donated in the birthday student's name for the classroom library.  

 

 

 

 

 Volunteer Training on Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse 

 

 MCPS values the volunteers who work in our schools to enrich our students’ experiences.  As a community, we all are mindful of our shared responsibility to create safe, nurturing environments for our students. The Montgomery County Board of Education has revised its child abuse policy, and MCPS has engaged in a comprehensive effort to implement practices and protocols to ensure all of our students have a safe learning environment. 

 

As part of this ongoing effort for the 2016–2017 school year, MCPS has developed training for all volunteers in the district to learn about recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect.  This online training takes about 30 minutes to complete and can be accessed through the MCPS website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/childabuseandneglect/.

 

While we encourage all community members to engage in this important, informative training, currently we only require individuals who regularly support schools to complete the child abuse and neglect training.

The online training will be available in Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese by the end of September 2016.  Parents/guardians will not be barred from participation in their schools due to the need for training accommodations.

 

Answers to frequently asked questions are posted on the MCPS Child Abuse and Neglect webpage.  MCPS is grateful for your commitment and partnership to ensure the safety of students.

 

Volunteer Information

 

 All visitors must check in at the office upon arrival and wear a visitor's badge, even if you're just running into the school for a few minutes.  

 Volunteers are considered agents of the local Board of Education for the limited purpose of comprehensive liability insurance and workmen's compensation coverage while on school property. 

 Please work directly with your child’s teacher to arrange classroom volunteering, or contact the office to help in with tasks in the office.  If you are interested in volunteering with the PTA, please contact the PTA directly. (stonegateptapres@gmail.com

 Please keep track of hours spent at home.  Keep a log at home, and submit it to the PTA at the end of the year. (Click  Volunteer Sign-In Log  to get a printable form.) Hours spent volunteering are provided to the School Superintendent's office. Our school can be recognized by the State of Maryland for outstanding volunteerism if we track our hours accurately.  

 
Notification of Absence: If you are scheduled to volunteer for an activity and can't make it, please email the teacher directly or call at least 24 hours in advance. Please leave a message with the school secretary with the name of the teacher you were scheduled to help and the time you were expected. 

 

Copier Protocol

 

If you spend any time in the workroom, you'll quickly notice that the copier is in high demand! Stonegate staff members have priority over PTA members for copier usage. If you're copying for a teacher for immediate use, then you are treated with the same priority as if you are the teacher. If you use up all the paper in the copier, please replace it. If you use up the toner, be sure to tell the front office staff. If you're unlucky enough to have a paper jam, be sure to ask for help in clearing the machine if you're unable to clear it by yourself. And, finally, if you're doing copying after school and you run into any of these problems, please write a note for the front office staff so they are aware when they come in the next day. No codes are required for using the copy machine.

 

PTA Flyers

 

 All flyers must be submitted to either the PTA or the school for approval before dissemination.  The flyers can be sent via email to stonegateptapres@gmail.com or linda_m_jones@mcpsmd.org.

 

 You can distribute PTA flyers into the staff boxes on any day of the week, but they are usually sent home by the teachers in the Friday folders. (Some teachers choose to send them home sooner, however.) If each Stonegate family needs only one copy (as opposed to each Stonegate student needing a copy), ask Mrs. Tegethoff for a count that considers "Youngest in Family." Always make 25 extra copies of your notice to be kept in the rack outside the front office.