VOLUNTEERS

Students feel a sense of pride when they see their parents and others helping in the school. Parent volunteers are eagerly sought at Pointer Ridge. We can use you in any capacity in which you feel comfortable. We need volunteers, not only working with students, but perhaps even more importantly, assisting with typing and working on projects at home. Whatever your talents or skills are, we can use your assistance. Please let us know if you can help, and please be advised that when visiting the school to observe your child, to put money on a lunch account, or to volunteer in any way, a picture ID must be presented at the Main Office, each and every time you wish to enter the building.  In addition, all visitors are asked to sign in and out in the Visitor log.

Volunteer Requirements

Parents have been notified that Board of Education Policy 0106 became strictly enforced effective January 1, 2007. This policy requires that certain volunteers undergo a background check and fingerprinting to ensure safety for students, staff, and fellow volunteers at school sites. In most instances, the volunteer will have to absorb the costs of the check. The fee is currently $10.00 for a commercial background check.

VOLUNTEERS, CHAPERONES, AND MENTORS:

1.    Volunteers and mentors working in a capacity where uncontrolled access is anticipated, such as those working with students in an unsupervised capacity on school grounds, off of school property, or after school are required to be fingerprinted and complete a full Fingerprint Background Check and form.

2.  Volunteers working in a capacity where no uncontrolled access is anticipated on a one time basis only, or on a sporadic basis, do not need to be fingerprinted, i.e. parents volunteering for career day, book fairs, school dances, or other one time events.

3.  Parents and volunteers who volunteer in a classroom on a regular basis in a supervised setting must obtain a Commercial Background Check through PGCPS on an annual basis.

4.  Chaperones who will participate in a day field trip or an overnight school trip are considered to be volunteers and must undergo a Commercial Background Check initiated by PGCPS through the Fingerprinting Office before performing duties.

All field trip chaperones and volunteers who work in the classroom on a regular basis MUST undergo a background check and be fingerprinted or will be turned away. Please call the Fingerprinting Office at 301-952-6775 for additional information.

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)

The PTA is an organization devoted to assist parents and school administrators to provide a quality educational environment for all students. This goal is accomplished by fostering communication between parents and teachers, and by providing additional enrichment for students through volunteer service and materials. Parents can help to administer special programs sponsored by the PTA, or serve as volunteer members of the many committees available. We look forward to a fun and exciting year and hope that you will become involved in the school in as many ways possible. Your support is critical to make the organization work. Current annual dues are $8.00 per family; checks should be made payable to Pointer Ridge PTA. For specific questions regarding membership, contact the PTA Secretary. 

To receive timely information concerning school policies and student activities directly from the PTA to your email inbox, please join the pointerridgepta@yahoogroups.com group on Yahoo Groups. Note that this is an invitation-only group. To join, simply send an email to pointerridgepta-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, include your name, child's name or other details about your affiliation with Pointer Ridge Elementary School in the email, and wait for approval by a PTA moderator for your account to become active.   

If you choose to access information via the Pointerridgepta Yahoo Groups website (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pointerridgepta/), which will include all posted messages and attachments, you must have a Yahoo user account to access or login. You may sign up for a Yahoo user account at that location by clicking the link located in the upper right corner: New User? Sign Up.

The PTA Mission

The mission of the PTA is threefold:

• To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, before governmental bodies and other organizations which make decisions affecting children
• To assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children
• To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation
  

The Pointer Ridge PTA invites you to join with us this year to make a difference in education.  We recognize that there are profound benefits for students, parents, educators and overall school quality, when schools have well structured, consistent parent involvement programs. The PTA provides very meaningful opportunities for your talents and time to help make Pointer Ridge a better school.  We encourage every parent, grandparent, caregiver and teacher to take advantage to the endless volunteer opportunities to help build a strong parent/school relationship.

All PTA meetings are open to members and held on Tuesday evenings--check your calendar and/or the school bulletin for exact dates and times. It is our goal to make meetings informative and productive. Plan to join us and find out what the PTA plans for the year and what volunteer opportunities are available on our committees.

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Please send your comments and feedback about this web site to
pridgeem@pgcps.org