Project Appleseed's 20th annual celebration, held on the third week in April 16-20, 2018

Project Appleseed appreciates America's dedicated parent volunteers and honors their contributions to our schools during Public School Volunteer Week. From donating time to assisting with classroom and school activities, parent volunteers play an important role in our schools. When schools and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits.

#PublicSchoolVolunteerWeek

Project Appleseed is @pledgeappleseed on

Public School Volunteer Week April 16-20, 2018, provides a yearly opportunity for schools and families to honor and highlight the powerful contributions parents and caregivers provide at school and home to support student success. However, parental involvement shouldn’t be confined to just one day – it should be emphasized all year long. Below are some ideas on how you can get involved in your student’s learning on National Parent Involvement Day, or any day of the year.

Schools are encouraged to host a new event on - or move an existing event to - Public School Volunteer Week, to honor parents. Issue a Proclamation! Ask your superintendent, school board, mayor, city council, state representative or governor to issue a proclamation celebrating Public School Volunteer Week. Highlight the value of parental involvement in your schools and let us know about your efforts! Here are some examples from our previous celebrations below.

Start Planning 2018 Now! 

1. Get Ready. Our national celebrations of family engagement in schools - calls upon parents, grandparents and caring adults to assist teachers and staff with the day-to-day activities involved in providing a balanced education and nutrition for our students. Schools should engage parents, grandparents and caring adults as an important part of a team that strives to ensure that each and every student succeed.

• 150 Days of Family Engagement!

• Thank and Recruit Families

• Parent | School Checklist

• Ideas for Proclamations and Resolutions

• Purchase Project Appleseed's Parental Involvement Toolbox 

2. Get Your Team. It's About Teamwork! Working together with employers, employees, parents, mentors, and educators are key to creating a successful day that strengthens the connection between education and home, between parents and their children.

• Parental Involvement Pledge Online

• The Parental Involvement Pledge.pdf

• The Parental Involvement Report Card.pdf

3. Get Inspired. The most important and most effective way to get the word out about your celebration is to use it in all parts of your school program. Make Project Appleseed's signature event an integral point of reference for all that you do at your school. In this way, all partners will understand how their commitments and their actions contribute to improved student learning and high achievement for all students.

Here are four ways you can make your Parental Involvement Pledge count.

• Take Pictures

• Post Your Event to Twitter

• Call the News Media

• Our On-Line Press Kit

• Follow the Day on Facebook

Project Appleseed is @pledgeappleseed on

Missouri

Rockwood Recognizes Public School Volunteer Week

​​​​Public School Volunteer Week is April 17-21.  The Rockwood school community appreciates our devoted volunteers who help assist with classroom and school activities and ensure success for our students.

Thank you to all the school volunteers! ​​We asked our school-level Teachers of the Year how volunteers make a difference in classrooms.  Here is what they had to say:​​

"Education is at its best when parents, teachers, and students are all partners in learning. Parents provide essential insight into their student and help all celebrate the gifts each learner brings to the classroom. Parents bring their own experience, expertise, and passion when working in the schools and ultimately make us stronger as a community. Whether serving as a classroom speaker about careers, dedicating time to the school store, cheering on students during extracurricular activities, or communicating during parent-teacher conferences, parents make invaluable connections with students and staff, show pride for our district, and truly make Rockwood great."

Melissa Burger
Language Arts teacher, Marquette High
High School Teacher of the Year​

"Parents are a vital part of the school community both inside and outside of the classroom. When parents contribute to the community, they are offering the gift of their time to truly inspire students and to help grow the school family that they are a part of. Without our parent volunteers, some doors for our students may have never been opened. They facilitate so many memories that our students will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Thank goodness for our volunteers!"

Katie Barsanti

Math teacher, LaSalle Springs Middle

Middle School Teacher of the Year

"Happy Public School Volunteer Week! We're excited to celebrate our committed volunteers during this very special time! In addition to the hours of cutting and copying, these dedicated parents work alongside classroom teachers, reducing the student to teacher ratio. This allows teachers to create small groups and target specific needs of students.  Our volunteers are making significant impacts socially as well. They develop role model relationships, provide children a chance to communicate with other adults, and share cultural diversity. These experiences foster a deeper, trusting connection that encourages students to take risks and deepen their growth, academically and socially."

Lisa Molengraft
Library Media Specialist, Ridge Meadows Elem.
Elementary Teacher of the Year

Missouri

Francis Howell School District Celebrates Volunteers during Public School Volunteer Week April 17-21

The Francis Howell School District (FHSD) will celebrate volunteers during National Volunteer Week April 17-21. FHSD would like to thank all of our volunteers for dedicating thousands of hours to our students and schools. Through their continued commitment, they help make our schools a great place for students to learn and grow.  

FHSD volunteers generously give their time every school year to improve the academic, cultural, and athletic environments through tutoring, mentoring, and parent involvement programs. Volunteers are called upon to provide their skills and ideas in our learning communities and day-to-day activities as chaperones, club leaders, sponsors, tutors, mentors, classroom aides, coaches, and much more.  

FHSD celebrates our school volunteers this week for offering their time and encouragement with the ultimate goal of helping all students achieve. Help us celebrate Public School Volunteer Week by thanking your school volunteers for their service. If you are a parent/guardian who would like to join the ranks of school volunteers, please contact your local school to inquire on how you can help your student and school by volunteering.

For more information, please visit FHSD's Volunteer website.

Kansas

Number of Volunteers Continues to Rise, But So Does Need
Olathe, KS - Public School Volunteer Week was the perfect time to recognize the hundreds of community volunteers and partners who participate in the district's Youth Mentors, Seniors Serving Schools, Rotary Readers, and Adopt-a-School programs. Some of those programs date back 20 years or so, while others are more recent additions, but all have one thing in common: dedicated volunteers.  

Not only is the number of volunteers going up, so is the amount of time they've devoted to helping students and staff across the district. Schoonover noted there were 18,963 volunteer hours on record from July 1, 2015 through March 31 this year. "This is up 3,582 hours from last year," she said. "If you put a value to all of our volunteer hours from the Points of Light / Independent Sector calculator that would be a donation to the district of $417,565.  More....

Texas

Changing lives: Parent volunteers her time to school district

San Benito - Rosa Gomez’s children have already grown up and left the house. But that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to volunteer within the San Benito school district. As a parent volunteer she goes to different cam-puses and helps with office duties. She also has been president of the Parent Teacher Association and heavily involved with the band boosters.

Ever since her first son, who is now 52 years old, entered school, Gomez has been an active parent volunteer in the district. “It’s been a long time,” she said. She says her passion for volunteering comes from her need to be informed about what is going on in the district. More....

Fort Worth Celebrates Volunteers During National Volunteer Week and National Public School Volunteer Week  

Fort Worth, Texas - Two very important national celebrations, National Volunteer Week (April 10-16) and National Public School Volunteer Week (April 17-23), will provide an excellent opportunity for citizens to thank all volunteers in the country.

During the next two weeks the media as well as civic, government, corporate, and non-profit organizations will celebrate and highlight the transformative power of volunteerism. Articles, stories and testimonial will emphasize how every day citizens can help break down barriers, overcome societal challenges, and positively change education and our society. More...

Florida

School Briefs: ECSD honors volunteers

Pensacola, Florida - Escambia County School District honored those who support local schools as volunteers and business partners at a lunch last month at the New World Landing.

ECSD recognized Sandy Sansing Foundation as its District Partner of the Year. Earlier this year, The Sansing family donated $100,000 for the district to use over two years for science and computer technology training and education.

ECSD named the Children’s Home Society as the School Based Partner of the Year. Children’s Home Society led the effort to establish the first “Community School” in Escambia County on the campus of C.A. Weis Elementary. More...

Oregon

Help Seattle Public Schools honor parent volunteers on National Volunteer Week!

Seattle, Oregon - From supporting kindergarteners as they learn new sight words to helping high school students prepare for AP essays, our parent volunteers devote hours to help encourage success for Seattle students and school staff. More...

It’s National School Volunteer Week!

McMinnville, Oregon - Thank you to the many volunteers who spend countless hours in our district’s schools, supporting students and teachers inside and outside the classroom to support the education of our children.

The dedication of these many volunteers stretch school district resources to provide a variety of support, encouragement and activities that might not otherwise be possible. More...

Washington

Volunteers Honored During Public School Volunteer Week

April 24, 2015, Port Angeles, Wash. – The Board of Directors honored volunteers from Port Angeles schools at its April 23 regular meeting held at Franklin Elementary.  Directors proclaimed April 20 through April 24, 2015 asPublic School Volunteer Week in the Port Angeles School District.

Countless volunteers are spending innumerable hours serving schools in the School District as chaperones, mentors, after-school tutors, club leaders, booster club members, PTA and PTO members, guest speakers, classroom helpers, athletics coaches, and in countless other ways.

“During the past decade,” the proclamation reads, “school systems throughout the country have accepted the services of dedicated volunteers to assist professional educators, and these volunteers have offered their time, encouragement, and meaningful contact with students.”

“Volunteers are called upon to assist teachers and staff with the day-to-day activities involved in providing a balanced education for our students and are an important part of a team that strives to ensure that each and every one of our students succeeds,” continued the proclamation.

Superintendent Marc Jackson, Board President Sarah Methner, and principals from each school thanked volunteers represented and honored each with certificates.

Accompanying photo shows Dry Creek volunteers, Dennis Duncan (left)and Barb Pearl (middle) as they are honored by Principal Michael Herzberg during the April 23 School Board meeting. Photo Credit:  Port Angeles School District

Celebrating Administrative Professionals and Public School Volunteers

It’s a week of celebrations as Kent School District recognizes Administrative Professionals Day on April 22 and Public School Volunteer Week April 20-24, 2015.

 
Administrative Professionals Day celebrates the work of administrative assistants, and other office professionals who work in schools and the administration center offices. In Kent School District, approximately 330 administrative professionals support the education of students, efficiently handling the day-to-day routines that keep our district running smoothly. From first impressions to answering parent questions to student attendance and data entry, these dedicated professionals are key to KSD success.

Susan Rolls volunteers in her son Ben’s kindergarten class at Park Orchard once per week.

Kent School District also recognizes that public school volunteers are a significant factor in the quality of our schools and the success of our students. Public School Volunteer Week is an opportunity to honor the many contributions of school volunteers and express appreciation for their vital work in our schools. Each year, more than 4,000 community members volunteer their time in service to the students and schools of KSD.
 
Join the entire Kent School District in celebrating and thanking our administrative professionals and school volunteers!

South Carolina

Dedicated volunteers ‘mean the world’ to Rock Hill, SC teachers, students

Almost every single day at Mount Holly Elementary School in Rock Hill, SC, Dianne Elkins sorts ice cream orders from hundreds of students into bags.

She spends the rest of her day making copies, tending to the teachers’ workroom or doing whatever other task a teacher or administrator gives her, like any good employee would.

Except Elkins isn’t a school employee. She’s a volunteer who dedicates most of her life to helping the students at Mount Holly, much to the delight of students, teachers and staff members. Most students just assume she’s a district employee.

“They see me out of school and they go, ‘Hey, you work at my school,’ ” Elkins said.

Across town, at Ebinport Elementary School, most of the students feel the same way about Wanda Sanders – “Nana,” as she’s known throughout the building.

A few years ago, Sanders started volunteering at Ebinport while her husband went to dialysis. After he died, she found comfort in the faces of the children at Ebinport.

“They’re the best,” she said.

Elkins and Sanders are two standout examples of volunteers at Rock Hill schools, where the work of all volunteers is being honored this week – National Public School Volunteer Week.

Dedicated volunteers are essential to a school, said Angela Neal, an administrative assistant at Mount Holly.  Read more here: 

Washington

Volunteers Honored During Public School Volunteer Week

April 28, 2014

Port Angeles, Wash. – The Board of Directors honored volunteers from Port Angeles schools at its April 24 regular meeting held at Franklin Elementary.  Directors proclaimed April 21 through April 25, 2014 as Public School Volunteer Week in the Port Angeles School District.

Countless volunteers are spending innumerable hours serving schools in the School District as chaperones, mentors, after-school tutors, club leaders, booster club members, PTA and PTO members, guest speakers, classroom helpers, athletics coaches, and in countless other ways.

“During the past decade,” the proclamation reads, “school systems throughout the country have accepted the services of dedicated volunteers to assist professional educators, and these volunteers have offered their time, encouragement, and meaningful contact with students.”

“Volunteers are called upon to assist teachers and staff with the day-to-day activities involved in providing a balanced education for our students and are an important part of a team that strives to ensure that each and every one of our students succeeds,” continued the proclamation.

Superintendent Jane Pryne, Board President Steven Baxter, and principals from each school thanked volunteers represented and honored each with certificates.

Accompanying photo shows Port Angeles High School volunteer, Anne Todnem (left), as she is honored by Principal Garry Cameron, left to right, Superintendent of Port Angeles Schools Jane Pryne and School Board President Steve Baxter during the April 24 School Board meeting

Missouri

St. Louis Celebrates Public School Volunteer Week

The Francis Howell School District (FHSD) values our dedicated volunteers and honors their contributions to our schools during Public School Volunteer Week, April 21-25. From donating time to assisting with classroom and school activities, volunteers play an important role in our schools.

In FHSD, we understand how valuable time is to our volunteers, which is why we are extremely appreciative of all their hard work. The Francis Howell community thanks you for the time you spend with our children each day. Thank you for enriching educational experiences for our children and offering meaningful relationships with our students, schools and the entire Francis Howell community. With your help FHSD continues to live out our mission – “preparing students today for success tomorrow”

Washington

Public School Volunteer Week

Thank you to Vancouver Public Schools’ volunteers! Whether tutoring, helping in classrooms, chaperoning field trips, being lunch buddies, or performing countless other duties, the work of the more than 6,000 volunteers is invaluable to the district’s mission.

Texas

During Public School Volunteer Week, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School honors parent volunteers and their contributions to our schools. From donating time to assisting with classroom and school activities, they play an important role in the lives of our children. When schools and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits. We profile two parent volunteers making a difference at PSJA ISD. To become a public school volunteer, please contact the Parental Engagement Program at 354.2216. Published on Apr 29, 2014

Kentucky

Daviess County Public Schools to Celebrate Public School Volunteer Week

OWENSBORO, Ky. (4/16/14) — The Daviess County Public Schools district is celebrating National Public School Volunteer Week (April 21-25) with a variety of activities to demonstrate appreciation for the important services provided by parents and members of the community.

During the 2012-2013 school year, which is the most recent year for which figures are available, volunteers recorded 59,737 hours of service in DCPS schools. Based on a pay scale of $8 per hour, this translates to nearly $477,900 worth of services. Volunteers provide a variety of services, including everything from assisting classroom teachers, answering phones, making copies, stuffing envelopes, creating bulletin boards, planning special events, helping a child learn to read, chaperoning field trips and much, much more.

At West Louisville Elementary School, for example, a volunteer collects special box tops from food items, counts and sorts them, and redeems them for funds the school has used to buy equipment and supplies for its keyboard lab, musical instruments, physical education equipment and library books.

2013 Nationwide Highlights