Alumni Back-to-School Project
Alumni Back-to-School Project
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The Indiana Department of Education cancelled all normal school activities toward the end of the 2020 – 2021 school year, and the Whitko School Corporation has determined 3rd party persons may not visit the schools until further notice. As a result, the Association has discontinued all activities in our Alumni Back-to-School Project until we get permission from the Corporation. As soon as we are able, we intend to back in the classrooms, helping our teachers.
In 2018 PSAA initiated the Alumni Back-to-School Project with the Pierceton Elementary School to support the faculty, staff, and students at the school. The project offers very satisfying benefits to alumni as well as students, some of whom may be your grandchildren or great-grandchildren. The Project helps us pass the legacy of the old Pierceton School to a new generation of students.
Since the inception of the Project, PSAA members have volunteered over 330 hours to a variety of activities – ranging from making copies to assisting with PTO events to working directly with students. These are all areas in which YOU can make a positive impact on the lives and education of Pierceton Elementary students.
Students love the the Alumni Back-to-School Project, because it makes them feel special to work with an adult. Teachers love it because it enhances their students’ school experience. You don’t need to be a teacher or have a background in education! In fact, you’ll just have to do pretty much what you always do as a grandparent. The students range in age from kindergarten through 6thgrade, so there are lots of ages to love.
And you don’t have to be there all day or even every day! Just one hour a week (or even every other week) enriches the students’ school experience. Of course, the school welcomes any help you can offer, so look at some of the activities below to see where you can contribute the most with your time and experience. The Alumni Back-to-School Project is designed especially for YOU! That is, YOU set the day(s) you want to help. YOU choose the activity(ies) YOU want to do. YOU choose the time(s) YOU want to be there. YOU get the immense joy of being an on-going part of the legacy and heritage of the Pierceton School.
YOU are the one, so volunteer TODAY!
Or, just scroll down and complete the form at the bottom of this page. Select the day and hours you’d like to help and what you’d like to do, and we’ll do our best to get you exactly where you’d like to be. If you have more questions, call Deb Thomas at 574-594-2210, ext. 5001 or Doug Gregory at 260-437-9935 or email piercetonalumni@comcast.net. Then get ready to for the adventure of your life!
Pick your day! Pick your time! Arrive and enjoy! This could not be any easier!
1. Student Interaction
The most fun you can have in the Alumni Back-to-School Project is working with students, and the opportunities are endless. You can read to a small class-room of kids (thankfully, teachers will remain in the room!), or you can read with a single student. If you like numbers, you can help younger students develop expertise in groupings, number signs, and many other skills. If you don’t like numbers, teaching a kindergartner to tie her shoes is always a ball!
And there’s waaay more here, too. Lunch buddies are always in demand. Stop by at lunchtime to share lunch and a short recess with students who just need a little one-on-one time with a great adult to listen to them and share their lives. Total time with each student is about 40 minutes, and lunch runs every day from 10:50am to 12:30pm. So, there are lots of sessions to choose from and lots of students who will want to talk.
2. Faculty Support
If children frighten you, you’ll be happy to know that all teachers use a Parent Help Box to identify projects like making copies, creating bulletin boards, cutting out figures, laminating, and a hundred other things that keep them from focusing on their classes. Remember when you wanted help from your teacher, but she was too busy? Don’t let that happen to these students. You can volunteer any day for any amount of time.
The Title I teachers always have a list of things they need to prepare for their students. You can help a lot by simply showing up to cut out shapes, sort through books, or prepare learning packets.
3. Other Programs
Last year, the Santa’s Workshop and the Winter Carnival were tremendous hits with students AND with the alumni who showed up to support these programs. Events like these help students and parents appreciate the school and the faculty, and they are loads of fun for alumni. This school year, Alumni have supported two special programs at the elementary school. The school has more events scheduled for the coming months, so you’ll want to be sure to participate when those events come around. We will alert you to what the school needs as those dates approach.
November 5, 2019 was GRANDPARENTS DAY and over 150 parents, grandparents, and great grandparents came by to visit their students on this special day. More than a dozen alumni were there to help serve food to adults, direct traffic, or act as surrogate grandparents…and, generally, have a good time. Principal Michele Smith expressed delight for the great response and for the show of dedication to the history and legacy of the Pierceton School.
Also in November 2019, Alumni held JA Biztown interviews at the Pierceton Elementary School. Several dozen 5th graders donned their perfect business attire, put on their best faces, gathered supreme courage, and made their cases to be selected for positions they would like at Biztown. The alumni who interviewed them were impressed by their professionalism and insights. Thanks to Pierceton Elementary for setting this up.
Why not join your fellow alumni memory-making adventures like these? There are NO long-term obligations or repeating commitments to make in the Alumni Back-to-School Project. This is a WIN-WIN for the PSAA and the school. Why not volunteer today for this exciting project. Wanna stick your foot in the water just to see what it’s all about? That’s fine, too. But you WILL like it. In fact, if you try it and don’t LOVE it, Doug Gregory will buy you lunch.
Ready to volunteer? Fill out the form below. If you’d like a little more information, contact Doug (260) 437-9935 or email piercetonalumni@comcast.net.