Homeroom Parents
Welcome, and THANK YOU Homeroom Parents!
This page provides an overview of some of the responsibilities of the Homeroom Parents. If you find yourself doing things not listed, please let me know so that I can add those things to the overview for next year’s volunteers.
Both the school and HSA have asked that there be no more than one Head Class Assistant, and no more than four Class Assistants total for each classroom. But that does NOT mean that those four people do everything!
The Head is the coordinator of the efforts and should use not only the other Class Assistants, but also other volunteer parents and guardians in the classroom. The Head is simply the one/main contact person for the class.
All Heads should contact the teacher early in the year to discuss what the teacher’s expectations and needs will be. Then reach out to the other Assistants to form a plan for dividing responsibilities. As the year progresses, enlist the help of other parents and guardians in the class on an ongoing basis.
Duties of Class Assistants:
These are possible duties of Class Assistants, as well as some suggestions for how to accomplish them. The particular duties will vary by grade and by teacher.
1. Coordinate Help
Contact the class parents/guardians to help with classroom needs. Contact them also with any last minute event information or other important information that needs to be spread to Merion families quickly.
2. Parties
Plan parties or help with parties that the teacher plans. (Lower grades tend to have more.)
Take your lead from the teacher with respect to both the when (Halloween, Winter Holiday, 100th Day, Valentine’s Day, etc) and the what (activities, crafts, types of food, reading, etc.) of parties. Once you have an idea of what the teacher is looking for, make sure, as the year progresses, that you are contacting the teacher in advance of a party to start getting or giving ideas.
Ensure that the room is CLEANED UP completely after parties!
Please try to involve all parents/guardians that want to be involved. Ways to be involved include sending or bringing items for the party (food, drinks, plates, crafts), attending the party where applicable, or making a monetary contribution so that Assistants can buy what is needed.
3. Food and Money
Please be sensitive to food allergies, number of sweets, and that kids are sometimes better behaved during a party if there are structured activities. Also, be sensitive about asking for monetary donations. Please make it clear that donations are optional, and that there are many non-monetary ways a family can contribute. Make it clear that you are opening the door for them to become involved in whatever way works best for their family.
4. Parent Engagement/Outreach
5. HSA Link
6. Special Classroom Projects or Activities
Help with special classroom projects or activities, such as
Help your teacher with projects that they may not have enough time to do (for example, picture CDs/DVDs of the kids at the end of the year)
8. Suggestions for Communications
Remember to include the class for which you are e-mailing (e.g., “Dream Flag Project, 5M”) in the subject line to cut down on confusion for families with multiple Merion kids. And remember to cc: the teacher on e-mails so that they are in the loop.
The HSA recommends using one of the many available, free online tools to coordinate contributions to classroom events/parties. Some popular ones include Sign-up Genius, Perfect Potluck and Volunteer Spot. Using this tools will make your job easier. Equally important, they help prevent an avalanche of “Reply to All” e-mails landing in everyone’s inboxes, wherein every family receives notification of who’s bringing the napkins, etc. E-mail overload can cause families to start to tune out classroom communications, so it is strongly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the online tools and use them. Reach out the Classroom Assistant Coordinator if you need help selecting or using these services
This page provides an overview of some of the responsibilities of the Homeroom Parents. If you find yourself doing things not listed, please let me know so that I can add those things to the overview for next year’s volunteers.
Both the school and HSA have asked that there be no more than one Head Class Assistant, and no more than four Class Assistants total for each classroom. But that does NOT mean that those four people do everything!
The Head is the coordinator of the efforts and should use not only the other Class Assistants, but also other volunteer parents and guardians in the classroom. The Head is simply the one/main contact person for the class.
All Heads should contact the teacher early in the year to discuss what the teacher’s expectations and needs will be. Then reach out to the other Assistants to form a plan for dividing responsibilities. As the year progresses, enlist the help of other parents and guardians in the class on an ongoing basis.
Duties of Class Assistants:
These are possible duties of Class Assistants, as well as some suggestions for how to accomplish them. The particular duties will vary by grade and by teacher.
1. Coordinate Help
Contact the class parents/guardians to help with classroom needs. Contact them also with any last minute event information or other important information that needs to be spread to Merion families quickly.
2. Parties
Plan parties or help with parties that the teacher plans. (Lower grades tend to have more.)
Take your lead from the teacher with respect to both the when (Halloween, Winter Holiday, 100th Day, Valentine’s Day, etc) and the what (activities, crafts, types of food, reading, etc.) of parties. Once you have an idea of what the teacher is looking for, make sure, as the year progresses, that you are contacting the teacher in advance of a party to start getting or giving ideas.
Ensure that the room is CLEANED UP completely after parties!
Please try to involve all parents/guardians that want to be involved. Ways to be involved include sending or bringing items for the party (food, drinks, plates, crafts), attending the party where applicable, or making a monetary contribution so that Assistants can buy what is needed.
3. Food and Money
Please be sensitive to food allergies, number of sweets, and that kids are sometimes better behaved during a party if there are structured activities. Also, be sensitive about asking for monetary donations. Please make it clear that donations are optional, and that there are many non-monetary ways a family can contribute. Make it clear that you are opening the door for them to become involved in whatever way works best for their family.
4. Parent Engagement/Outreach
- As part of the District’s emphasis on cultural proficiency, we would like to reach out to all families at Merion, and especially families who are new to the school, the area, the state or the country. To help families connect with the Merion community, periodic phone calls can be made checking in with new families or extending personal invitations to attend events. We hope that families will feel welcomed and more a part of the Merion community if they hear from a fellow class family and receive encouragement to participate in events.
- If you are as Assistant for one of the younger grades – K or 1st – consider hosting a “get to know you” playdate at a local playground early in the year.
5. HSA Link
- All parents and guardians are welcome at HSA meetings. Each class should have a minimum of one parent or guardian at each meeting. It does not have to be the same person. Please find a volunteer to represent the class at each scheduled HSA meeting. See the HSA Meeting Schedule for a list of dates and times.
- When requested by HSA President, forward HSA-related e-mail to the distribution list for your class in a timely manner.
6. Special Classroom Projects or Activities
Help with special classroom projects or activities, such as
- Parent Social Silent Auction Raffle Basket (all grades) - teacher usually handles
- Spring Raffle Basket (all grades) - parents arrange (end of April)
- Dream Flag Project (all grades)
- Tie dying field trip shirts (4th grade)
- International Pi Day (4th grade)
- Portfolio Sharing (kindergarten and 4th grade)
- Chinese New Year (2nd grade)
- 4th Grade Community Projects (Doran)
- Thanksgiving events (KG and 2nd grade)
- Sharing of other special talents (all grades)
- Earth Day in April (all grades)
Help your teacher with projects that they may not have enough time to do (for example, picture CDs/DVDs of the kids at the end of the year)
8. Suggestions for Communications
Remember to include the class for which you are e-mailing (e.g., “Dream Flag Project, 5M”) in the subject line to cut down on confusion for families with multiple Merion kids. And remember to cc: the teacher on e-mails so that they are in the loop.
The HSA recommends using one of the many available, free online tools to coordinate contributions to classroom events/parties. Some popular ones include Sign-up Genius, Perfect Potluck and Volunteer Spot. Using this tools will make your job easier. Equally important, they help prevent an avalanche of “Reply to All” e-mails landing in everyone’s inboxes, wherein every family receives notification of who’s bringing the napkins, etc. E-mail overload can cause families to start to tune out classroom communications, so it is strongly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the online tools and use them. Reach out the Classroom Assistant Coordinator if you need help selecting or using these services
