Menlo-Atherton PTA - Volunteer!

Volunteer Opportunities

Current Volunteer Ops at M-A!
Click on an item for more detailed info.

Arena Check-In Volunteers and Schedule Distribution	Nominating Committee is recruiting for 2008-2009 Board and Committee Members
ESL Tutoring Weekly timeslots available	Writing Workshop Mentors
Freshman Challenge Day Volunteer

Volunteering at M-A is a terrific way to learn about the school while offering much-needed help. Opportunities at M-A are plentiful, ranging from:

PTA board and committee chair positions
Helping committee chairs for an hour or a few hours on the day of an event, or working on a sub-committee to plan an event
Committing to a year-long tutoring program to help ESL students
Being a parent representative on the SDMSC - Shared Decision-Making Site Council
Supporting the M-A administration on short-term projects, such as proctoring an AP exam or coordinating paperwork for the Star Tests

In other words, there's something for everyone no matter how much time you can commit! To learn more about how you can help, contact the following PTA representatives or see the current volunteer ops below:

PTA Parliamentarian for PTA board and committee chair positions
Chair of the committee you'd like to work on.
Administrative Support Chairs for short-term help for the school administration
ESL Tutoring Chair

Writing Workshop Mentors: Current Sophomore and Freshman A.S. English teacher Ms. Kristin Broussard is developing a writer's workshop that will start next fall. Students often fear taking the essay portion of the CAHSEE, which is required during their sophomore year. Support from strong workshop mentors should strengthen their writing skills and reduce "writer's nerves".

Ms. Broussard is looking for at least 5 to 8 parent or college student volunteers with good writing skills. They will work one-on-one with the students four times a semester to help with essay writing, first with their rough drafts and later with their final drafts. Ideally for the students, a volunteer's time commitment would be from 3 to 5 hours during one day (or split between two days) four times per semester, but those who can volunteer fewer hours can also be used. Ms. Broussard will train the volunteers at the beginning of the school year.

Ms. Broussard needs volunteers now to ensure the program will be ready in the fall. Volunteers will need to complete the district approval process for working with students during the summer, including being fingerprinted.
You may contact Ms. Broussard directly at kbroussa@seq.org to get further information and to volunteer for the program.

Even though we are busy winding up our school year, planning for the fall of 2008 has begun! Before you leave for the summer, please check your schedule to see if you can help to register the 2,000 students enrolled at M-A. Not to worry, they don't all come at once! This is an easy way to get involved, peer into M-A student life and meet other parents. This event takes place on campus, and training is provided on-the-spot, so no experience is necessary.

All volunteers will receive follow-up emails in August which will share details about where to park and where to report for each of these events.

If you’re willing to help with any of the four shifts for Arena Check-In or with the Schedule Distribution on the first morning of classes, please send an email to Kristin Smith at adminsupport@mabearspta.org.

ESL Tutoring: Volunteers work with students who have limited English language skills, some of whom are very new to the US. Knowledge of a second language is not necessary. The goal is to encourage conversation and help with reading, comprehension and vocabulary as supplied by the teacher. This is a very rewarding job and an opportunity to work directly with our students, build relationships and make a difference in their struggles to navigate high school in a foreign language.

2008-2009 Board and Committee Members: The slate for the 2008-09 board and committee members was presented at the April 2nd PTA General Meeting. A few positions remain unfilled:

If you or someone you know is interested in a position, or you would like more information on how you can best help M-A, please contact the 2008-09 PTA Co-Presidents Denise Bullwinkel and Janet Perez. We hope to hear from you!

Freshman Challenge Day Volunteer: Adult volunteers are crucial to the success of the 3-day Challenge Day program that is attended by the entire freshman class. 135 volunteers are needed - 45 on each day - with a time commitment on either Monday Nov.3rd, Tuesday Nov. 4th, or Friday Nov. 7th. Positions to be filled include:

As you are making your volunteer plans for the school year, please consider making a real difference in the lives of M-A teens in this awesome way!

To volunteer, please email the 2008-2009 Challenge Day chairs Barb Windham and Peggy Propp.