Volunteering

PAC Volunteer Appreciation Night – Sat June 17, 7pm: Free babysitting provided!

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Ross Road PAC Volunteer Appreciation Night

  • Saturday June 17th 2017
  • 7 – 10 pm
  • 1930 Cedar Village Cres (Off Kirkstone Road and Rufus Drive, follow the Ross Road signs)
  • FREE BABYSITTING PROVIDED

Come out and enjoy a night with your fellow parent volunteers!

Whether you’ve volunteered for 1 hour or more, you are welcome to join us! The Ross Road PAC wants to acknowledge all the hours YOU spent helping build a vibrant Ross Road Community!
Refreshments, Music and Door Prizes

Please RSVP by Thursday June 15th (we need numbers to plan)
rossroadpac@gmail.com

 

PAC Volunteer Appreciation Night – Sat June 17, 7pm

/ Ross Road PAC / Leave a comment

Ross Road PAC Volunteer Appreciation Night

Saturday June 17th 2017
7 – 10 pm
1930 Cedar Village Cres
Off Kirkstone Road and Rufus Drive
(Follow the Ross Road signs)

Come out and enjoy a night with your fellow parent volunteers!
Whether you’ve volunteered for 1 hour or more,
you are welcome to join us!

The Ross Road PAC wants to acknowledge all the hours YOU spent
helping build a vibrant Ross Road Community
Refreshments, Music and Door Prizes
It’s a party, but we also have a budget, please BYOB

Please RSVP by Thursday June 15th
(we need numbers to plan)
rossroadpac@gmail.com

 

Friday Newsletter: Munch a Lunch Now Open! | Valet Volunteers needed

/ Ross Road PAC

munchlogo125x125Dear parents,

  • Food day ordering is now open for Session 1.  There will be 13 food days between October 10 and February 27 and this session includes Flying Wedge Pizza, Booster Juice Smoothies with Magic Lunch Box (MLB) Wraps, Pasta, and Mexican, Subway Sandwiches, Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt, Sushi, Magic Lunch Box homemade meals. Remember you can now choose small or large sizes for MLB meals!  If you want to take a break from making lunches, you must get your orders in by 6pm on Friday October 3.  (no exceptions)
    • Click here to go to the MunchaLunch website.
    • Or click here to find out more about the program. (including the link to register if you’re a new user
  • The Valet Service needs volunteers.  Do you benefit from this amazing service?  If so, would you please consider volunteering for just one morning a week?  The valet program is only as strong as the volunteers who show up to run it.  Currently, there are vacancies on Tuesday and Friday.  Please get in touch with Karen Johnson on 604-518-7430 to find out more.  Thank you!

 

Ross Road School Morning Valet Service

/ Ross Road PAC

The Valet Service runs from 8:30 am to 8:45 am, Monday to Friday in order to help relieve the congestion in the drop-off zone (see map below) during the morning rush and to ensure the roads in front of the school are safe for pedestrians and drivers.

To help the valet service run smoothly, here are a few important points to remember:

  • Look for the volunteers in the safety vests and follow their directions.
  • Have your children ready to go (i.e. jackets on, backpacks with them, explain to them that you will not be getting out of the car)
  • There is NO PARKING in the drop-off zone.
  • All drivers must remain in their cars.
  • If you would like to walk your children to class, please park in the designated area on Ross Road or Kilkenny Road.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:

  • This valuable service is run 100% by parent and student volunteers and so to keep it going throughout the year we need more parent volunteers to step forward.
  • The time commitment is small – it only involves volunteering for 20 minutes (from 8:25am to 8:45am), one day a week for one month.
  • If you can help out now or in the future, please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com or click here to fill out an online form. Thank you!

nancybinbc@hotmail.com

Friday Newsletter: Christmas Craft Fair | SnowPass | Young Actor’s Project | Valet Volunteers

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Christmas Craft Fair:   This year’s Fair is shaping up to be awesome, but organizers still need your help.  Please don’t forget to volunteer your time, as well as making contributions to the class raffle baskets, bake sale, Holiday Show and Wrap Market, and mystery bags.  It may sound like a lot, but the results are worth it.  It’s a wonderful community-building event and a great fundraiser that directly benefits all our kids.  Click here to find out more, and contact the coordinators at rossroadcraftfair@gmail.com, to find out how you can help.
  • SnowPass:  Did you know that if you have a child in Grades 3 or 4, you can buy a pass for $29.95 that lets your child ski or ride three times at participating resorts all over Canada.  Click here for more details.
  • Young Actors Workshop:   Have your kids been talking to you about drama activities, masks and improv lately? If so, this is thanks to the fantastic work that Mike, Jody and Robert from the Young Actors’ Project (YAP) have done with all divisions.  At the AGM in May, the PAC voted to bring the YAP to Ross Road and the program went extremely well, with students  learning hands-on about drama, masks, focus and the power of body language. A big thank you to the instructors from YAP and to the Ross Road teachers who welcomed them into their classrooms!  Click here to find out more about YAP.
  • Valet:   A volunteer is still needed for Thursdays and new volunteers are needed for next year.  If you benefit from this service, perhaps you might consider giving up 25 minutes once a week for one month to help out.  Please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com.

Have a great weekend,

Your PAC executive

Friday Newsletter: Environment Club | Card Project | Christmas Market | Safeteen

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Environment Club:  Have you seen the incredible mural on the west-facing wall near the edible garden?  With thanks to talented artist and Ross Road parent, Shula Klinger, this Environment Club initiative was paid for by proceeds from a TD Friends of the Environment grant.   Click here for more information about the Environment Club and keep your eye out for more amazing projects happening at the school.
  • Card Project:  Have you ordered yours yet?  You must order by midnight Friday to guarantee delivery in the first week of December.  (cards ordered after this time will be delivered on December 16)  Click here for more details.
  • Christmas Market:  The Market will be held on Friday, December 6 from 5pm to 8pm, and here are some important things to note;
  1. If you want to order dinner, you must do so via the MunchaLunch website by 5pm on Monday, November 18.
  2. The organizers are  in desperate need of men’s ties and glass baby food jars.  If you have any, please leave them under the ‘down’ stairs by the PAC box in the lobby.
  3. As per the notices from the class reps, the Market also needs your time!  Please consider volunteering 45 mins on the evening to help make the event a success.  See the sign-up sheets on your classroom doors or get in touch with your class rep to find out how you can help.
  4. If you have any ‘treasures’ that you can donate to the “Holiday Shop and Wrap Market” please drop them in the box under the “down” stairs in the lobby (not in the AV room as previously mentioned.) These are new items such as that gift you bought for someone and then forgot you had it, or the picture frame you loved and bought, but never found the right wall to hang it on.  There is no need to buy anything, it’s just a chance for you to pass on treasures that you have never had the chance to use.
  • 9781896095998_p0_v1_s260x420Safeteen:  This week, the Safe Teen experts came to Ross Road to hold 3-hour workshops with all the grade 6 and 7 students. The Safe Teen program introduced the students to bullying and harassment prevention strategies and non-violent conflict resolution in a powerful and engaging, gender-separate workshop format.  Many thanks to Family Services of the North Shore, who generously funded the student workshops!  Also many thanks to those parents who came out for the very exciting parent night on Tuesday!  For those of you who are interested in continuing the conversation with their 6th or 7th graders or who want to learn more, Anita Roberts has published a book about the Safe Teen philosophy (available at the Lynn Valley library).

Have a great weekend!

Your PAC Executive

Friday Newsletter: Card Project | Christmas Market | Valet | Library Update

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Card Project:  Last year, we raised over $1000 from the Card Project!  This year, the sample cards will be sent out on NOVEMBER 8, and ordering will be open for 1 week only from NOVEMBER 8 to NOVEMBER 15.  A standard gift box costs $20 and contains 12 cards and envelopes, and the PAC receives $5 from each order.  Information about ordering will be included with the sample card.  For more information, and to see samples from last year, please click here.
  • Ross Road Christmas Market:  The Christmas Market coordinators are doing an amazing job putting together this very special event.  As well as all your old favourites, this year the team has also put together a Holiday Shop and Wrap Room, a Silent Auction, an Outdoor Cafe and free cookie decorating. For more information, including links to order dinner on the night, please click here.
  • Valet:  The program desperately needs an adult volunteer on Thursday mornings in November. We have one parent on duty and with the rainy weather starting there will be more people driving to school, which means  more traffic in the drop off zone.  If you are available to help on Thursday mornings from 8:25 to 8:45 please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com.
  • Library update:  Did you know you can ‘adopt a shelf’ at the school library?  Or that there’s a student-generated list of recommended books by grade level on the bulletin board?  Or that money YOU raised through fundraising has purchased over 250 new books for the library and helped to provide the library with a digital projector and laptop.  Teacher librarian Mme. McAllister has put together a newsletter highlighting all the wonderful things that are happening at the Ross Road library.  Click here for more.

Finally, if you know of a parent that isn’t getting these emails, but would like to, please tell them that subscribing is as easy as going to the PAC website, and entering their email address on the right hand side.

Enjoy your weekend,

Your PAC

Friday Newsletter: Meetings, Class Reps, Enviro Club & Valet

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

There’s a PAC General Meeting in the library next Wednesday, October 9.  All parents are encouraged to attend.  The meeting will start at 7pm and babysitting will be provided upon request.  (email Sarah Dennis at denniss@sutton.com if you need babysitting)

The following classes still need class reps….

  • Ms. Vicki Thomas – English 5/6
  • Mrs Denise Esterer – English 3
  • Mme Danae McKay/Mme Apameh Aryanpour – French 3

If your child is in one of these classes, please consider volunteering to become the class rep.

The valet service needs a few more volunteers….particularly on Thursdays.   As the weather gets worse, this job becomes more important.  The time commitment is tiny….just 20 minutes (from 8:25am to 8:45am) one day a week.  If you’d like to know more, please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com

The Environment Club was recently awarded a $4,500 TD Friends of the Environment Grant to help achieve some amazing projects for the school.  Over the coming months, look out for a naturalized outdoor classroom, interpretive plant signs, an outdoor bulletin board and a weather station.  This year, the Environment Club (Grades 3-7) will be working on several lunchtime projects, including composting, water conservation and making crafts from recycled materials.  Many thanks to parent sponsors Gillian Gorton, Laurie Ainsworth, Layne Christensen and Jill Mackay, as well as principal Carla Orr and teachers Danae Mckay and Anne Zayonc for leading the club.

If you’d like to help out, the Club is looking for a volunteer carpenter or handyman for a one-off project, as well as a mosaic specialist, (or enthusiast) to create a mosaic with the children.  The club is always looking for lumber and gardeners, so if you’d like to help, please contact Gillian Gorton at thegortons@shaw.ca

Volunteers needed!

/ Ross Road PAC

1bf70784e1832060c275d726b423dd7fRoss Road events, initiatives and programs all require volunteers in order to run smoothly, so there are many ways to get involved in the school by volunteering your time. Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet other parents, to get to know school staff, and to enhance our school community! While all of the positions require communication with the PAC Executive, not all of them require you to attend regular meetings!

Many volunteer positions were filled at the PAC AGM that was held on May 22nd, but there are still a few positions available for next year, both big and small. While all of them require communication with the PAC Executive, not all of them require you to attend regular meetings. (We meet once a month on a weekday evening.)

For those wishing to get their feet wet:

  • Meeting Coordinator — Check with the school administration that the library is booked for meetings, help advertise General Meetings and organize some simple refreshments for those meetings. Assist when a special speaker is booked.

For those wishing something a bit bigger, we are looking for people to do the following

  • Community Outreach Coordinator — We no longer have sponsor children, but would like to continue to support meaningful charity projects that involve our students. Maybe something local? Maybe from school to school or class to class? This is something new for us and so there would be plenty of room to bring your own ideas to the table.

If you are looking for more of a challenge, how about one of these positions? All of them come with a complete instruction manual and experienced PAC members to help you!

  • Christmas Craft Fair Coordinator — Our current Treasurer has co-organized this event for the past two years and has a simple, step-by-step manual to help you. This is one of our biggest fundraisers and community events, and usually takes place the first Friday in December.
  • Spring Carnival Coordinator — Our current organizer has organized this twice now, and as for the Christmas Craft Fair, there is a step-by-step manual available. This is a favourite (and successful) fundraiser for Ross Road. It usually takes place the first Friday in June and is our second big, annual community event.
  • Advertising Coordinator — If you are handy with graphics programs, this could be the job for you! You would be involved in creating posters to help advertise PAC meetings and events, keeping the PAC noticeboard up-to-date, taking photos of events, etc.
  • School Directory Coordinator — Update the phone and address files from last year (school office to assist with new data), find advertisers, a printer, distribute directory to classes. The PAC provides this as a service to RR parents every two years.

Haven’t found your dream job on the PAC Executive yet, but would like to be involved? We’d love to have you join anyway – it’s always good to have new voices join the group even if they don’t have a special task assigned to them! If you would like to help out with any of the activities listed above as a volunteer, but not in a leading role, that can certainly also be arranged! Please contact us at rossroadpac@gmail.com if you would like to get involved or have any questions.