Wood Acres PTA Volunteer Committees

Activities Night

This committee organizes an evening event in early September showcasing PTA and community activities. Volunteers can sign up to participate in and help with selected activities at this event.

Anthology

This committee organizes the publication of Our Compositions, a literary magazine showcasing the literary and artistic talents of our 4th and 5th graders.  Volunteers work in different capacities - we need editors, typists, fundraisers, and graphic designers working on the committee.

Art Original Works

This committee works closely with the Art Teacher in the spring to have students create artwork to transfer to a mug, apron, shirt, etc. Two volunteers from each grade are needed.

Art Festival

This committee is responsible for the organization of the annual Spring Art Festival. Volunteers are needed to collect and display art, and to set up and clean up on the evening of the event.

Bingo Night

This group organizes and runs a night of bingo fun for the whole family for the lower grades.  Volunteers are needed to help with food booths, call bingo numbers, obtain prizes, and general set up and clean up.

Book Fair

This committee organizes the annual book fair held at Barnes and Noble in Bethesda. This event is a major fund-raising activity for the PTA and a fun book-buying opportunity for all.  Volunteers are needed to advertise, to obtain teacher wish-lists, schedule teachers, staff and/or authors to read at the event, and to be present to assist during the book fair.

Cafeteria/Recess

This committee is responsible for scheduling volunteers to assist in the lunchroom and at recess. This committee needs many volunteers throughout the year.  This committee is also responsible for addressing questions and issues relating to lunch and recess that arise during the school year.

Chess Club

This committee organizes this extracurricular activity and charges a fee for student participation.

Chinese

This committee registers and manages students interested in the Mandarin Chinese FLES program. This is an extracurricular, tuition-based class that meets once a week before or after school.

Classified Ads

The editor of the Woodnet Classifieds receives (at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) classified ads or other material of interest to the Wood Acres community, but not within the scope of Woodnet itself. Approximately weekly during the school year, the editor generates a single email containing the classified ads accumulated since the last posting.

Community Service

This committee works with Montgomery County to identify and implement projects for participation by Wood Acres students and the PTA.  In the past, students and families have made sandwiches for Martha's Table and provided clothing, food, book and toy donations to our sister elementary schools and other sites. Volunteers are needed to organize and deliver donations and to help students participate in these activities.

Computers

This committee provides volunteer support for the computer lab program and Kindergarten classroom computer centers. Tasks include recruiting and training volunteer parents to learn selected software programs. For more information go to the Computer Volunteers page on this website.

Corporate Matching Programs

This committee coordinates the supermarket and product fundraising programs sponsored by Giant, Safeway, Campbell's Soup and General Mill's Box Tops for Education.

Cultural Arts

This committee selects, schedules, and coordinates the arrangements for cultural arts presentations to students. Additional duties include introducing the performers, arranging payment to the performers and securing microphones and equipment for the shows.

Curriculum and Testing

As part of the Educational Issues branch, this group monitors issues related to curriculum and testing at the county (MCPS) and state (MSDE) levels.  It monitors the work of the MCCPTA Curriculum Advisory committee through list-serves and meetings, as needed. The group reports activity and recommends actions to the Educational Issues group and entire PTA, as appropriate.

Directory

This committee produces the school directory each fall. Volunteers are needed to secure advertising, collect and input information, work with the printing company, and help with the distribution of directories.

Educational Issues

This group works with the PTA Executive Board and MCCPTA representatives to monitor educational issues affecting Wood Acres at the county, state, and federal levels. It reports activity and recommends actions to the Board and entire PTA. Volunteers coordinate parent communication.

Faculty Support

This committee provides for the faculty a copying, laminating and bookbinding service. Volunteers can sign up to help with any of the above services of their choice for as few as two hours per month. Training is provided for all these services for interested parents. We can use numerous volunteers for this committee.

Fifth Grade Farewell

This committee is comprised of primarily fifth grade parents who plan and execute the 5th grade farewell activities (the pool party, memory book, slide show, etc.) and support the school staff who plan the evening promotion ceremony.  A group of fourth grade parents traditionally plan and host the reception after the evening event.

French

This committee of one organizes the extracurricular French classes for which tuition is charged.

Gifted and Talented

As part of the Educational Issues branch, this group monitors issues related to gifted education at the MCPS and MSDE levels.  It monitors GT issues through MCCPTA and Gifted and Talented Association (GTA) list-serves and meetings, as needed.  The volunteers report activity and recommend actions to the Educational Issues group and entire PTA, as appropriate.

Grading and Reporting

As part of the Educational Issues branch, this group monitors issues related to implementation of the new MCPS grading and reporting policy.  The volunteers monitor the work of the MCCPTA Grading and Reporting Implementation Team (GRIT) through list-serves and meetings, as needed. The group reports activity and recommends actions to the Educational Issues group and entire PTA, as appropriate.

Group Piano

This after-school program offers piano lessons for children in grades 2-5 on a tuition basis. Students meet once weekly and participate in a year-end recital.

Guidance Advisory

This committee works closely with the principal and the school guidance counselor to ensure a safe and nurturing environment at school. Volunteers help the counselor with activities related to the WAVE (Wood Acres Values for Everyone) program.

Health/Safety/Patrols

This committee meets with the principal and school staff regarding health and safety concerns, which may include such issues as nutrition and traffic. Volunteers serve as a liaison between teachers and parents on fifth grade patrol issues.  The committee also needs volunteers for vision/hearing screening and to help replace spare clothing in the health room as needed. 

ICB Coordinator

This committee of one person works closely with the school secretary and the MCPS rep of the ICB (Interagency Coordinating Agency) to coordinate and submit requests for building space usage for PTA events.  This person must go to a one-time training session.

Ice Skating

This group arranges for a winter family evening of ice-skating fun at Cabin John Ice Rink.  Volunteers are needed to advertise and sell tickets for the event.

Italian

This committee of one organizes the extracurricular, tuition-based Italian classes, which are offered by the National Italian American Foundation.

JogFest

This committee organizes a community Spring JogFest, which offers a 5-K run, and fun runs and walks for all ages.  Many volunteers are needed to obtain sponsors, order t-shirts and medals, secure food donations, distribute race packets and to marshal the course on the morning of the event.

Kindergarten Orientation

This committee assists with two events – a winter coffee for parents of incoming kindergarteners and a spring orientation for students and parents.  Volunteers help by greeting parents and children, providing refreshments, and publicizing the events.

Landscaping

Our beautiful flowers and plants in front of the school are just one example of this committee's efforts. This group monitors the condition and appearance of the school's exterior and organizes volunteers to work at two major landscaping events – before school opens and mid-spring clean-up.

Library Volunteers

This committee consists of volunteers who are scheduled (generally for two hours every other week) to staff the checkout desk, re-shelve books, assist students with finding books and perform other responsibilities in the Media Center as requested by the Media Specialist.

Mad Science

This committee organizes and supervises the Mad Science program, an after-school, tuition-based program.

Membership

This committee conducts a PTA membership drive at the Open House in August. Volunteers are needed to collect membership forms and dues, and to distribute directories through the fall.

Newcomers

This group organizes and hosts newcomer evenings for families new to the school. Throughout the year, they continue to welcome new families by providing an information packet, informing others families of their arrival and being available to answer questions about the school and its policies and practices.

Open House

This committee supports the administration in hosting an hour long open house the Friday before school opens for the new school year.  A few days before the Open House is held, this committee provides volunteers to cover the “public” bulletin boards w/ paper and to help teachers set up their bulletin boards, and to a lesser extent, set up their classrooms.

Planetarium

This group oversees the Planetarium program by recruiting parent volunteers and scheduling classes throughout the year.  Planetarium volunteers are required to be trained on the planetarium equipment and in various topics of astronomy. The training program for new volunteers is offered in the evening over a period of six weeks in October and November.  In addition, DVDs and video tapes are available for home viewing. Most new volunteers attend several sessions to learn the equipment and absorb the experience of our very capable trainers.

Room Parent Coordinator

This volunteer is responsible for recruiting coordinators to organize the room parents for each grade level (three or four room parents are needed per class). This committee is responsible for organizing phone trees and email lists for each class, and for designating a separate coordinator for each grade level, who also compiles a grade-specific email list.  This committee is also responsible for working closely with the PE teacher to coordinate Field Day activities (a year-end event) and recruits volunteers to help at this outdoor event.

Sally Foster Gift Wrap

The Sally Foster Gift Wrap sale is one of the major fundraising activities of the Wood Acres PTA. This group coordinates the sale of gift wrap and other gift items in the fall. Many volunteers are needed to distribute the orders.

School Sign

A volunteer(s) updates the school sign periodically at the request of the VP of Communications.

Sock Hop

This committee plans and organizes a "sock hop" for old-fashioned fun for the whole family in the upper grades.  Volunteers are needed to communicate with the deejay, advertise and sell tickets, and to chaperone and help with food sales on the night of the event. 

Space Night

Every two years this committee organizes a fun-filled evening of games, contests, experiments, and activities celebrating space, astronomy, and our very own Planetarium.  Many volunteers are needed to make this evening a success.

Spanish FLES

This committee registers and manages students in the Spanish FLES program. Spanish is an extracurricular, tuition-based class that meets once a week before or after school.

Special Education

The committee provides targeted information and support to families of special education students. It hosts Special Needs Parent Network meetings and serves as advocate and liaison on issues regarding programs for special education students.

Staples Cartridge Recycling

This ongoing fundraiser is an easy, environmentally-friendly way to dispose of used ink and toner cartridges.  Staples pays us $3 for eligible products that can be refilled and reused and recycles ineligible cartridges for plastic and metal content.  Volunteers can help spread the word to the school community, businesses, churches, etc. and periodically mail our collection boxes to Staples.

Teacher/Staff Appreciation

This committee acknowledges holidays, staff changes, birthdays and other special events for the teachers and school staff.  It also organizes an end-of-year luncheon for faculty and staff.

Visiting Artists

This committee coordinates programs for established artists (poets, authors, opera singers, visual artists, etc.) to come into the classroom to teach workshops related to their field of expertise.  Committee volunteers work with teachers and school administrators to determine what kind of workshops are desired and then to find and book the artist or artists that will fulfill our needs. During the course of the workshops, committee members provide administrative support to the teachers and the artists. Each year, one committee member applies for a Maryland State Arts Council Grant to support one residency.

Website

This individual or group of individuals is responsible for updating and maintaining our school's website. This volunteer will post new files received from other PTA members and teachers and work in conjunction with the communications VP to improve the website.

Wednesday Packet

This group needs volunteers on Tuesdays to copy and collate PTA notices for the weekly school-wide distribution of the Wednesday Packet of school-related information.  One volunteer produces the cover page and calendar each week.

Wizard of Oz

This group oversees an extracurricular, fee-based event for 4th grade students in the spring.

Wood Chips

Wood Chips is the PTA newsletter sent home nine times a year. Volunteers are needed to conduct interviews, write articles, compile information and publish the newsletter. At the discretion of the committee, students may write an issue or a column. Experience with graphic arts, editing, or writing is especially helpful.

Woodnet

The purpose of this email network is to exchange information relating to PTA business, school affairs and educational topics of interest to the Wood Acres ES population. The coordinator verifies membership, manages the list, monitors the site for proper usage of Woodnet policy and intervenes when necessary. The coordinator works with the editor of the Woodnet Classifieds to keep traffic on Woodnet at a reasonable level.