If you have a question, comment or would like to volunteer for or chair a committee please click on the link and send an email to the Vice President!

Accelerated Reader—Accelerated Reader is an ongoing program throughout the school year, whereby students read books and take reading comprehension tests to earn points toward awards.  Students can earn ribbons, t-shirts, plaques, and class rewards at various point levels, along with having their picture displayed on a school bulletin board.  Volunteers are needed to produce monthly ribbons, keep the bulletin boards updated, coordinate school-wide communications and help with class parties.  Typically, committee members spend 2-3 hours per month at various activities.  This committee is chaired by one or two people.

Big G Box Tops—This is a corporate program in which Northwood has long participated.  Students bring in box tops from General Mills products, and Northwood’s PTA submits them to the sponsor and receives money in return.  The Chair is responsible for ensuring that students and parents are aware of the program, for collecting box tops each month, counting the box tops, and submitting them.  The Chair also administers the class party for the class that submits the most box tops each month.  Volunteers who can help count the box tops (an activity that occurs throughout most of the school year) are welcome.

Bingo Night—Northwood Elementary holds one or two Bingo Nights per school year.  This is a wonderful, fun-filled family event:  besides bingo, there is also a great raffle with prizes for parents to enjoy (e.g., nights at local hotels or dinner at local restaurants).  The committee relies on many parent volunteers for this event to sell bingo cards, check families in at the door, man the food line, sell popcorn and candy, call Bingo numbers, and help clean up after the event.  Typically, two people co-Chair this committee.  

Book Fair—Northwood Elementary School sponsors one Book Fair each year.  Usually it runs in the fall for about two weeks.  The profits generated during the Book Fair go directly to the Media Center, but the PTA staffs the Book Fair with volunteers.  Typically two people co-Chair this committee, and during Book Fair many parent volunteers are needed:  2-20 people working two-hour "shifts" each day for Sneak Preview and Buying Days plus, typically, a couple of evening events.

Caring & Sharing—The Caring & Sharing Committee manages Northwood’s commitment to outside charities as well as the needs within the Northwood family.  One or two people Chair this committee, and they manage most activities on their own.  Key events traditionally include:  a can drive in the fall, a coin collection for The Northwood Counselor’s Fund in November, and the sock tree for North Fulton County Charities in December.  At the end of these activities, the Chair/s rely on volunteers to help collect/transport collected items to outside charities.  In addition to these activities, Caring & Sharing recognizes key events in Northwood families’ lives—staff as well as student families’—with cards and notes.

Carnival—Northwood PTA holds a Carnival once a year—sometimes in the fall, sometimes spring.  The Chair works with a small committee to secure vendors for “rides,” concessions, and other small sales booths as well as setting up meals for sale during the Carnival.  During the Carnival itself (three hours on a Friday evening or six hours on a Saturday), 40-60 parent volunteers are needed to help serve food, sell/deliver tickets, oversee rides, etc.

Directory—The Directory Chair responsibilities include selecting a printer, getting sponsors for the directory, and working with the school Data Clerk to verify student and family information.  Knowledge of Excel and Word are necessary.  It is also helpful to have skills (or know a volunteer who is knowledgeable) with Mail Merge or Macro functions as well as formatting for effective sponsor copy layout.  Typically, the search for a new printer should start in early August.  Request for sponsors and compiling their copy can begin in the summer and should be completed by mid-September.  Once student information is available from the Data Clerk, editing can begin and corrections/verifications may take up to two weeks.  Mid-August and September are very busy with collecting sponsor information, reviewing school data, and editing.

Field Day—Northwood holds its Field Days in May.  Kindergarten-2nd grade is one day; 3rd-5th is the next.  PE teachers lead this effort, but PTA volunteers staff Field Days.  Two people co-Chair this activity and work with the PE teachers to organize the event.  At least 40 parent volunteers are needed each day to run the activities.

Fifth Grade Graduation—This committee is comprised of fifth-grade parents who manage the graduation ceremonies and surrounding activities held in May each year. The Chair of this committee is guided by input from Northwood's fifth grade teachers.

Gift Wrap—Gift wrap is Northwood PTA’s primary fundraiser.  Students usually start selling in the beginning of the school year, and the sale lasts for about three weeks.  Gift wrap delivery is usually in the middle of October.  Two to three people co-Chair this committee, but they rely on many volunteers at various stages of the process:  sometimes to help stuff information packets and/or deliver these packets or other information to students; most importantly during the delivery process when volunteers are needed to man “pick up” stations.  

Hands on Atlanta—Northwood PTA contracts with a landscaping firm to maintain the school’s grounds (in conjunction with Fulton County).  The Landscaping Committee Chair is responsible for helping to oversee this contract as well as supplementing these services with volunteer landscaping activities.  The most formal activity is “Hands-on-Atlanta Day”—typically the first Saturday morning in October.  This activity can support as many volunteers as it gets—the Chair can add projects as volunteers accrue.  Volunteers are needed to work outside (e.g., to weed, plant, trim, as well as paint new stars on the sidewalks) as well as to bring food to those working that day.  There are also ad hoc landscaping activities in the spring, and the Chair serves as a liaison to volunteer groups (e.g., girl and boy scout troops) that are interested in doing a landscaping-related service project for Northwood.  

Hearing & Vision—Northwood Elementary conducts hearing and vision screening once a year in the fall.  The first grade classes are tested for hearing, the third grade classes for hearing and vision, and the fifth grade classes for vision.  The Assistant Principal, Ms. Giron, heads this screening with the help of the speech teachers.  The PTA is responsible for getting volunteers to assist with the screening.  Screening usually takes a couple of hours over the course of three days.  

Hospitality—Every other month the PTA hosts a teachers breakfast.  It’s a way to say, “thank you” to all the hard-working Northwood staff members.   Volunteers are needed to bake breakfast items:  muffins, breads, casseroles, etc.  It’s an easy, yummy way to show appreciation for a job well done.  The committee Chair organizes the event.  Volunteers only have to provide an item either the day before or drop it by the school the morning of the breakfast.  If you enjoy cooking, this committee is perfect for you.  

Media Center—Northwood’s Media Center is staffed by a Media Specialist and Para-Professional, but it operates much more smoothly with the help of a dedicated cadre of volunteers.  The Media Center Chair is charged with organizing these volunteers who check out books, restock shelves, help students visiting the Media Center, etc.  The Chair hosts a introductory coffee at the beginning of the school year, and volunteers sign up for specific time periods of service so Media Center staff know when help will be available.  

Membership—There is typically one Membership Committee Chair and there are not many duties for additional volunteers.  Chair duties include staffing the membership table at Sneak Preview, gathering membership forms, preparing and maintaining a spreadsheet to record members, tracking members needed to reach Northwood’s 100% membership goal each year, completing membership forms for GA PTA, and sending letters to families of students who have not yet joined.  The bulk of the effort for this committee is completed by the end of November.

Movie Night—Northwood PTA hosts two Movie Nights per year—one in the fall and one in winter.  This event is for Kindergarten through 3rd graders only and is held on a Friday evening for about three hours.  Admission is $7 for pre-registrants and $10 for walk-ins (this includes a slice of pizza and a drink; additional pizza/drinks, popcorn, and candy are available for sale as well.)  Two people usually co-Chair this committee and handle movie selection, flyer distribution, and pre-registration.  During Movie Night, about 20 volunteers are needed.  Volunteer opportunities include:  check-in workers, concessions and popcorn workers, hall monitors, pizza/drink servers, and workers to check students out and clean up.   

Music Night—Northwood PTA hosts two Music Nights per year—one in the fall and one in winter.  The event is for 4th and 5th graders only and is held on a Friday evening for about three hours.  Admission is typically $7 for pre-registrants and $10 for walk-ins (this includes a slice of pizza and a drink; additional pizza/drinks, popcorn, and candy are available for sale as well.)  One person usually Chairs this committee.  Prior to the event, a disc jockey is contracted (and music selections must be approved), and the Chair manages flyer distribution and pre-registration.  During Music Night, about 20 volunteers are needed.  Volunteer opportunities include:  check-in workers, concessions and popcorn workers, hall monitors, pizza/drink servers, and workers to help with checkout and clean up.    

Publicity—Northwood Elementary and the PTA do many things that are notable.  The Publicity Chair seeks recognition in the press for these activities.  The Publicity Chair works with PTA Board and Committee Members as well as Northwood’s Principal to gather information about events that can be shared with press agencies.  Anyone with contacts within these agencies who can help raise Northwood’s visibility is welcome to work with this committee. 

Reflections—Reflections is a National Arts Recognition program. Each year a different theme is chosen, and Northwood Elementary students get a chance to interpret the theme through their own creation of literature, visual arts, photography or musical media. The program is usually started in the fall and completed at the school level by the end of the 1st quarter.  The Reflections Chair typically hosts a one-day workshop early in the school year, allowing students an opportunity to work on their projects.  The Chair also hosts a breakfast honoring entrants in late fall.  Once the entries are submitted, the Chair arranges for judging of the entries to send to the council level. The Chair is responsible for communication of the program at the school level.    

Northwood Elementary School
10200 Wooten Road
Roswell, Georgia 30076
(770) 552-6390
www.NorthwoodElementary.com 

This page was last updated on 09/10/2007     Copyright 2004 Northwood Elementary School PTA