Happy Fall Everyone!
It has been a while since my last post, meaning it will be a longer post as well…
Evaluation season is here and that takes a lot of principal’s time now. It does allow for good conversations with the teachers and to see all the wonderful things happening in our classrooms. So there is a silver lining in everything.
Since I joined the Zuni community, I’ve had several inquiries about what volunteer opportunities are available at Zuni.
My usual first answer is to say our teachers can always use support in the classroom, including the library, PE, Art and Open Lab, as they have much to cover instructionally in a very short period of time. A school year goes by very quickly as I’m sure you’ve experienced. Helping your child’s teacher can be accomplished in the classroom or at home.
When I was in the classroom, I used to send home things to cut out things for activities, put together student books, or help organize the classroom Thanksgiving Celebration. The families who had working hours that didn’t allow time to come to school were eager to help in any way they could at home.
There are also many ways you can help the Zuni community. Some are daily, such as helping during lunchtimes, others are occasionally, such as counting the number of volunteer hours each month as the Central Office requests these numbers.
What I’ve begun to do is create events in Sign-up Genius (the same website teachers are using to schedule conferences). As they are created, I’ll begin providing the links to you via SchoolMessenger, Twitter, Facebook and the Zuni webpage. Some will be opportunities during the school day, others I hope can be done at your home so everyone might be able to help as they can.
The caveat is that anyone who volunteers on campus must have a background check. APS has made it much simpler, I believe, to obtain a background check. You may apply online and it doesn’t require fingerprinting. When you apply online, you may also specify any school for which you’d like to volunteer, all at the same time. The cost is $12.00. If you have any questions or need assistance in applying, please let me know.
Please watch for those Sign-up Genius notices. I hope you can join us soon by volunteering in a way that fits your schedule.
P.S.—If you’ve not done so yet, please take this short survey to help us review/revise the Zuni Behavior Plan.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 