Committees/Volunteer Opportunities
Please note, committees marked with an asterisk (*) require more volunteers to function and to help lessen the load for the committee chair. The more people, the lighter the work load for all....and most don’t require a lot of time. Please consider volunteering!
Banking
Volunteers collect deposits from students for their Dean Bank accounts, tally the deposits and drop off money at Dean Bank. Volunteers work shifts, approximately one hour every other week.(More information on student banking will be sent home in the first month of school.) Contact Kathy Petriello or Ellen Walker to volunteer or for more information.
Book Fair*
Volunteers work with Scholastic Book Fairs to coordinate two annual book fairs, fall and spring. Classes visit the book fair during their regular library period during book fair week and students are allowed to purchase books and accessories. Volunteers work the library periods to handle student purchases. The book fair also is held one evening during the book fair week; volunteers are needed to staff this evening event, usually coordinated with a pizza night, ice cream social or some other food-oriented function. Contact Laura Juszczyszyn, Denise Flynn-Wright or Kelley O’Connor to volunteer or for more information.
Bottle & Can Drives*
The chairperson selects one Saturday in the fall and in the spring to collect returnable, recyclable bottles & cans in the front of the school. The chair coordinates the date with a collection company, and additional volunteers are needed to collect and sort the bottles and cans before they are picked up on the day of the drive. This year, the chairperson is working with a company to accept old computers and other appliances and equipment at the school in conjunction with the bottle drive. Contact Lisa Lipson to volunteer or for more information.
BoxTops for Education
Kennedy families are encouraged to clip General Mills’ Boxtops from products and drop them off in the collection box in the school lobby. Volunteers are needed to clip and sort boxtops into bags of 50 (qty) for mailing to General Mills for reimbursement. There are two deadlines for boxtops packages: October and February. However, it is important to collect and clip boxtops throughout the school year. Contact Renata Gilarova to volunteer or for more information.
Donate-A-Book
Kennedy families can purchase a book in a child’s name for the school library. The child for whom the dedication was made will be the first to “check out” the book at the school library, and a special sticker will be put in the book to note the child’s name. Also, a committee member will take a picture of the child with the book to post on a special bulletin board in the school library. Volunteers in this program collect book requests forms and purchase the books as needed. Contact Peg Bullars or Marcia Blanchard to volunteer or for more information.
DVD Production*
Each year, Kennedy students put on several stage shows to demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum: the kindergartner’s “Penguin Show”; 1st grade’s “Young Author Day”; 3rd grade’s “Massachusetts on Parade”; 4th grade’s “North America Show” and 5th grade “Proud to be an American” show, and concerts. Volunteers are needed (no experience necessary!) to use the PCC video camera to tape these shows, copy and distribute them to families who order the DVD’s. Order forms need to be distributed and money collected and given to the Treasurer. This is a profitable fund-raiser for the PCC and more volunteers make less work for everyone! Contact Gwyn Dieterle to volunteer or for more information.
Enrichment Coordination
The enrichment programs -- guest speakers, visitors from historical sites (i.e., Plimoth Plantation), and special shows -- are a vital component to the students’ education, and much anticipated by all the children. Enrichment Committee volunteers talk with the teachers to determine the best guests/speakers, and work with head teacher Mrs. Y to develop appropriate enrichment programs. Once the schedule is set, the chair coordinates payment to the performers/speakers with the Treasurer. Contact Kerri Zwicker, Jane Kay or Patty Hartnett to volunteer or for more information.
Fall Fundraiser
One of our biggest fundraisers of the year, the committee works with a vendor (this year, Meadow Farms) to schedule the three-week event....catalogs are distributed to students and order forms and money collected on a specified date. The Chair works with the vendor contact to obtain and distributed materials and transfer orders. One month later, volunteers are needed to distribute the merchandise after school to participating students. The current chair also needs to select a new, or retain the old, vendor in the spring for the following year’s fundraiser. Contact Karen Kerns to volunteer or for more information.
Hospitality*
The committee coordinates several special events throughout the year, including a “welcome back” breakfast the day before school starts, Teacher Appreciation Week activities, Nurse’s Day and Administrative Assistants Day. They also are responsible for purchasing greeting cards, and small gift cards or gifts to recognize staff members’ special events (birth of a child, marriage, etc.). Contact Carin Kuehl to volunteer or for more information.
Ink Cartridges
Kennedy families are encouraged to drop off used ink cartridges in the box located in the school lobby. A PCC coordinator boxes the cartridges and sends them to a vendor for reimbursement. (Old cellphones, DVDs, CDs, PDAs and laptops can be recycled with this program as well.) Contact Michele Roberts to volunteer or for more information.
Kennedy Wear
One of the most popular Open House features is the ability to purchase clothing items specially designed with the Kennedy School name....sweatshirts, tee shirts, shorts and more. The coordinator selects the items for purchase, coordinates items with the vendor (Pisini Designs) and distributes them to students once delivered. Contact Marianne Boynton, Missy Dowley or Julie Redwine to volunteer or for more information.
Open House*
The second of our large fundraisers, Open House relies on more volunteers than any other PCC event. Open House, held in October, allows families to visit the school at night and see their children’s classrooms, specially decorated for the event and showcasing the students’ work. In conjunction with the tours, there is a bake sale, raffle, silent auction and more. Volunteers are needed to secure raffle and auction items through individuals and local businesses. The committee also needs to secure volunteers to work in the evening and develop a staffing schedule. Contact Daniela Masters, Teresa Fernald or Poo Chaudhury to volunteer or for more information.
Pennies for Kennedy*
Held for three weeks in February, the penny drive allows classrooms to compete against each other to see who can bring in the most pennies each week....with extra recess and pizza parties on the line!! Volunteers are needed for just an hour or so on Fridays during the drive to collect pennies from each classroom, weigh them in the nurse’s office and tally results. Pennies then need to brought to Rockland Trust Bank each week for official counting. (The committee does NOT have to count all the pennies!) Contact Kerry McCaffrey, Sue Lewis or Kelli Woelfel to volunteer or for more information.
PCC Website
The coordinator posts all PCC news, meeting minutes and announcements on the Kennedy School website, working in conjunction with the school website committee (Jill Bisbee), the PCC Chair and Secretary. Contact Yumi Jones or Regina Armstrong to volunteer or for more information.
School Beautification
The committee selects two dates for general school exterior clean-up (in the past these days have been the day of the Bottle & Can Drives, but it is not necessary). Volunteers are needed on the day of clean-up to pick up around the school and add plantings as necessary (students welcome!). This committee also provides flowers for the lobby for Open House, and certain special events as needed. (A budget is provided for all purchases.) Contact Amy Moore, Jim or Marcia Blanchard to volunteer or for more information.
School Council
Each elementary school in Franklin has a School Council, consisting of the principal, teacher reps, the PCC Chair, parent reps and one community rep. The Council meets monthly to develop and fine-tune an annual “School Improvement Plan,” as required by the District. Meetings are one-hour, held in the morning. Contact Principal Joan Toye if interested.
Sports Day*
One of the most anticipated days of the year, Sports Day (held in June) includes games, races and events for students in grades K - 4, as well as a picnic lunch in the field behind the school. The committee plans the 10 or more activity stations (i.e,, tricycle races, water ball toss, etc), obtains the proper supplies, and sets up the field the day of the event. (There is a complete Sports Day manual written, and most supplies have already been purchased.) Additional volunteers are always needed to man the refreshment table and work each of the activity stations throughout the day. Contact Alycia Leofanti or Teresa Fernald to volunteer or for more information.
Spring Fundraiser
For the past few years, the spring fundraiser has been the “Live Ladybug Auction,” a live auction of specially created, themed baskets from each classroom at the school. The auction is an adults-only, dinner event held off school grounds. One of the biggest fundraisers of the year, the auction relies on room parents and volunteers to develop the baskets (with donations from Kennedy families) and plan the event. Contact Marianne Boynton or Gwyn Dieterle to volunteer or for more information.
Yearbook*
Our volunteers, under the instruction of the chair, assemble the award-winning Kennedy school yearbook....developing page themes (classroom/staff/misc), assembling/scrapbooking the page with student photos to guided specifications, and/or working together to photograph school events. Volunteers are welcome to work individually or together as a group. This is a deadline-oriented committee with all work being completed by December of the school year. Contact Amy Mosher or Marcia Blanchard to volunteer or for more information.
The PCC Board contains four positions. For more information on any of the following, please contact the current board member.
Chair
The PCC chair works with the principal on PCC communications, events and fundraisers throughout the year, and leads all meetings as needed. The chair also attends school council meetings (currently bi-monthly) at Kennedy School, and joint PCC meetings with the other town elementary schools. The chair represents the PCC and provides general information at Kindergarten Information Night (spring) and Kindergarten Orientation (fall), and occasional other events.
Co-Chair
Supports the Chair as needed at special events and works with PCC committee chairs on fundraisers and special events. Attends meetings with principal and the rest of the board on a regular basis, and attends all bi-monthly PCC meetings.
Secretary
The secretary is responsible for PCC communications throughout the year (though NOT responsible for the flyers/handouts coming from each individual committee). Currently, the secretary produces a monthly newsletter with committee updates and general news and information, and copies and distributes it school-wide. The secretary is responsible for attending each bi-monthly PCC meeting and recording the minutes, and working with the Website committee to post the minutes (and other general information) on the website. The secretary posts reminders of meetings and upcoming events on the PCC board in the school lobby, and works with the Chair to send out school-wide emails (announcements, reminders, calls for volunteers) as needed using the PTO Manager email program.
Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for developing and maintaining the budget, and handling all monetary transactions throughout the year. This position works with all Committee chairs to handle allocation of budgeted funds, as well as the receipts from all fundraisers. The PCC is also a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and the Treasurer must file the required IRS return.
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