Want to volunteer for an event? Click here to sign-up!
Volunteering
Participation at our school is strongly encouraged but 100% voluntary. We welcome everyone to pitch in however they're able. If you'd like to find out more about volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule and skills, please email us at volunteer@henryfordpta.org.
Benefits in Volunteering
-
Flexibility for you to help your child's school. There are many ways to help whether it's on campus or at home, during the day, evening or weekend. One hour makes a difference.
-
Network with other parents by working and having fun alongside them. You just might meet your new best friend, a carpool partner, or the lead on a new job. Join us!
-
Make a difference fundraising, helping in the classroom, and engaging the community. Parents like you make these programs possible.
- Your kids love it! Our children are at a wonderful age where they want to see their parents helping at school. And the other children love it too. You'll become a friendly, familiar face in the hallway and the hi's will warm your heart.
Become a PTA member
As a PTA member you have voting rights to approve budgets and decide board leadership. Membership dues also help pay for our insurance and other filing fees to remain a non-profit organization. Annual membership is only $10 ($15 for a family). Please consider signing-up for or renewing your PTA Membership. Being a PTA member is not required to volunteer but it does help when every dollar counts.
In-Class Volunteer Opportunities
(This year lessons are virtual and still taught by parent volunteers)
Coordinator: Federica Belli
Needs: Parent Volunteers (training and materials provided)
Sign-up: Email aia@henryfordpta.org
Website: https://teach.artinaction.org/
Art in Action is our school's art program, dependent on parent volunteers to provide art instruction in the classrooms. Students learn art appreciation, history and techniques through discussion and hands-on monthly lessons. Typically taught by classroom parent volunteers (and in some cases teachers) Art in Action curriculum is fun to learn and easy to teach, even for non-artists. Curriculum books provide detailed, step-by-step directions for guiding successful discussions and projects, while still allowing the flexibility to ensure that the program will complement any classroom environment. Parent volunteers are provided training and materials to lead successful monthly lessons.
In some of our 2020 online lessons, Kinder and 1st grade students learned about Byzantine Mosaics and applied the technique to simple shapes. 4th graders studied Faith Ringgold and created their own quilt art.
(This year lessons are virtual and still taught by parent volunteers)
Coordinator: Lisa Maurer, Christine Yoshimoto
Needs: Parent Volunteers (training and materials provided)
Sign-up: Email pc@henryfordpta.org
In Project Cornerstone’s Asset Building Champions (ABC) program, parent volunteers read specially selected stories and lead classroom activities & discussions about building appropriate social skills. The lessons focus on values like honesty, responsibility, and peaceful conflict resolution. Special attention is given to issues like student-to-student, dealing with bully behaviors, and social conflicts. Each month a school-wide book is read in every classroom. The book and discussion teach life skills and tools; ABC gives students a safe and caring place to talk about their feelings, experiences and concerns. The goal of the ABC program is to teach our children skills that they can use today and throughout their lives to help them deal with peer pressure, building and keeping friendships, making healthy decisions, and solving problems. By sharing these concepts in class, ABC gives our entire school community, from principal to student, a shared vocabulary and collective strategies for dealing with difficult situations both in school and out. We are so fortunate at Henry Ford to have this program available to our children; however, we could not do it without the support of you, the parents. Volunteers are provided training and materials to lead successful monthly lessons.
Makerspace
(Postponed)
Coordinator: Becky Foutch
Needs: Parent Volunteers (no experience necessary)
Sign-up: To volunteer or donate materials, email steam@henryfordpta.org
The Makerspace is an expansion of the STEAM (Science/Technology/
- The Makerspace Lunch Club is a parent-supervised lunchtime period for upper-grade students to engage in creative independent and collaborative projects. The Lunch Club is a very popular program and is one of the most gratifying volunteer opportunities at Henry Ford. Students have the following to say: "I can't believe we get to come here!" "I'm so happy when I'm here." "I want to come every day." "Thank you so much for the Makerspace!" "I'm so excited, I don't know what to make!" "I don't want to leave."
- Free after-school CS First and Scratch Coding Clubs are available to every grade when parent volunteers are available.
- Teachers are invited to use the space and materials for classroom activities.
- CURIOUS
They explore. They pursue projects they find interesting. - PLAYFUL
They work on projects that show whimsy and playfulness. - WILLING TO TAKE ON RISK
They aren’t afraid to try new things. - WILLING TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITIES
They enjoy projects that can help others. - PERSISTENT
They don’t give up easily. - RESOURCEFUL
They look for materials and ideas in unlikely places. - WILLING TO SHARE
Share knowledge, tools and support for others. - OPTIMISTIC
They believe they can make a difference in the world!
Reading
(Postponed)
Work with students on site words and reading fluency to build their confidence with reading. Talk to your child's teacher about helping in the classroom.
Field Trip Chaperones
(Postponed)
Go on learning adventures with our students. Your child's teacher will provide parents with chaperone opportunities.
Event Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are needed for PTA events throughout the year. Click here for current sign-ups! We also love new voices and ideas! If you have an idea for an event, please email us at volunteer@henryfordpta.org.
(Postponed)
Coordinator: Open position, email volunteer@henryfordpta.org to find out more
Needs: Set-up, Clean-up, Game Helpers, Bake Sale and Popcorn Helpers, Bake Sale donations
Sign-up: This event is postponed but take a look if there is another event in need of volunteers
October 19 - November 6, 2020
Coordinator: Kelley McCarthy, Jamie Brown
Needs: Sort and deliver purchases to classrooms
Sign-up: No volunteers needed this time but take a look if there is another event in need of volunteers
October 30, 2020
Coordinator: Keri King, Jeanette Camacho, Jamie Brown
Needs: Set-up, Clean-up
Sign-up: Stay tuned until next year!
(Postponed)
Coordinator: Open position, email volunteer@henryfordpta.org to find out more
New Parent Q&A Sessions
Various January Dates and Times
Coordinator: Keri King
Needs: Share your experience as a Henry Ford parent, answer questions of new and interested parents, spare an hour of your time at a virtual zoom session partnered with another Henry Ford parent.
Sign-up: Stay tuned until next year!
(Postponed)
Coordinator: Jeanette Camacho
Needs: Set-up, Clean-up
Sign-up: This event is postponed but take a look if there is another event in need of volunteers
March 8 - 12, 2021
Coordinator: Janet Lawson
Needs: Set-up, Breakdown, Cashiers, Door Checkers
Sign-up: No volunteers needed this time but take a look if there is another event in need of volunteers
(Postponed)
Coordinator: Ellie Artale
Needs: Baked goods donations
Sign-up: This event is postponed but take a look if there is another event in need of volunteers
May 2021
Coordinator: Keri King
Needs: Committee Helpers - No fundraising experience necessary, bring your willingness to work with a fun group of parents!
Sign-up: Email auction@henryfordpta.org
Pasta Dinner, Carnival, Auction
(Postponed)
Dinner Coordinator: Open position, email volunteer@henryfordpta.org to find out more
Carnival Coordinator: Open position, email volunteer@henryfordpta.org to find out more
Auction Coordinator: Open position, email volunteer@henryfordpta.org to find out more
Needs: Auction Committee Helpers, Set-up, Clean-up, Game Helpers
Sign-up: This event is postponed but take a look if there is another event in need of volunteers