Options Community Council Positions | Classroom help | Field Trips | Garden | Fundraising | Other Support
Lincoln is based on a vibrant culture of family participation and volunteering. Parents and family have a wide variety of opportunities to participate in the educational process, from direct interactions in the classroom to support with special projects and events. Parents are encouraged to volunteer four hours each month. Lincoln has developed a handbook of guidelines titled “Volunteers in the Classroom” that provides a complete outline of volunteer opportunities. A copy is available in the office. All volunteers MUST complete a Volunteer Application and be cleared before working with students (this can be done online through the district website: http://osd.wednet.edu/). This process is required annually. Here are a few highlights:
Options Community Council Positions
Dive in and volunteer for an OCC position, a spot on a committee, or a classroom representative slot. There are four main offices available, each for a two-year term: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Each classroom also has a representative on the Council. A full list of positions is included in the Lincoln Handbook. OCC meets the second and fourth Tuesday evening of every month throughout the school year. Some committees will have extra meetings during certain times of the year, particularly those tied with special events.
Classroom help
Parents can sign up to volunteer in the classroom to assist teachers with projects and instruction. Help may include simple tasks such as sharpening pencils and making copies, or more in-depth help such as working one-on-one with a student or coordinating an all-class project. There are a variety of tasks you can tackle if you’re not available during school hours, such as shopping for supplies or making phone calls to other parents to remind them of an event.
Field Trips
Teachers rely heavily on parents to assist with children during field trips. It’s a fun way to connect with your child and their classmates! Sign up to drive children to a site or walk with the class to nearby neighborhood. You may learn something about salmon or Washington State history, too!
Garden
The Lincoln garden is a cornerstone of the Lincoln community. It takes many hands to make it successful. Volunteer opportunities include weekend garden projects, helping kids plant, weed, or harvest during class time, assisting with the plant sale, or summer caretaking. The OCC Garden Committee is very active in organizing garden projects and volunteer opportunities. You can be a garden representative for your classroom, or you can request to be added to their email group so you get notifications of different opportunities.
Fundraising
Extra enrichment opportunities at Lincoln are supported entirely through special fundraising events. If you can’t spare daytime hours in the classroom, volunteering to help on the OCC fundraising committee, at the Lincoln Auction, or the Used Book and Toy Sale. It’s a great way to volunteer on your own time and get to know other parents in the community.
Other Support
At your class meeting in the beginning of the year, you will discuss the needs of your child’s teacher. There will be an opportunity to sign up for different tasks, including formal classroom roles (class representative to OCC or garden representative), regular classroom volunteering, or help with projects or special units. If you are looking to increase your volunteer commitment, simply email or call your teacher and they will be happy to plug you in where assistance is needed!
