PTO Committee descriptions are listed below. If you would like to get involved or know more about a committee, please contact our Committee chairs whose contact information is listed on the PTO/Committee Leadership page of our website.
Book Fair - Book Fairs are held in the fall and winter, during the two parent-teacher conference weeks. Hours are held during the day as well as the three evenings of conferences. Volunteers are needed to work shifts throughout the day and evening to help Knapp Forest families. Chairpersons are responsible for advertising, scheduling volunteers, planning, viewing times for classes, setting up the displays, and packing the unsold books for return.
Box Tops - see No Brainer Fundraisers!!
Children's Garden - The Children's Garden committee establishes and maintains the Knapp Forest Children's Garden. This committee is for those that love to get their "hands dirty"!!! Volunteers assist in all maintenance necessary to grow a beautiful garden, and enjoy meeting in the summer to keep it blooming. The work in this committee is greatly appreciated by the staff and students at Knapp Forest.
Class Pictures - The class pictures chairperson will coordinate volunteers to assist on Picture Day. Volunteers will escort children to the photographer and assist with last-minute preparation for their pictures.
Cultural Arts - Individuals that are interested in building a variety of cultural arts experiences for our children. The committee chair attends a monthly district - wide cultural arts meetings with representatives from other Forest Hills schools. The committee gathers teacher suggestions, plans and schedules the year's assemblies by grade level. This committee is expanding with the plan to have parent representation from each grade level. Contact Emily at mailto:[email protected]if you would like to be part of this growing committee.
Directory - The directory chairperson is responsible for the preparation and distribution of the Knapp Forest School Directory. Information sheets are distributed and collected from all families interested in being listed in the school directory. Information includes students' names, parents' names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. This information sheet also includes an order form for the completed directory. The school calendar, district phone numbers, PTO officers and class lists are also included in the directory. This is a great resource for our Knapp Forest Community. We are looking for a chair person for this committee for Fall 2013. If you like to work from home, are detailed and savy on the computer, this may be a great fit for you. E-mail Kristen at [email protected] if you are interested in taking this on for Fall 2013.
Hawk Walk - The Hawk Walk committee is in charge of organizing Knapp Forest's largest fundraiser. Volunteering on this committee is a great way to plug in at the beginning of the school year. The Hawk Walk is held in the fall and involves a walk through the woods in the County Park adjacent to Knapp Forest. All students participate in the Hawk Walk, which is themed to emphasize exercise, the outdoors, native plants and animals. The committee organizes the walkers by classroom, recruits volunteers to assist on the trail and provides refreshments. Students collect pledges for the Hawk Walk. The committee also organizes the pledge process and requests donation items to be used as incentive prizes.
Hospitality - This is a fun committee for creative parents who like planning parties. This committee will be responsible for providing dinner for the Knapp Forest Staff on one to two evenings during each Parent-Teacher Conferences in the fall and winter. They coordinate parent volunteers to bring delicious food for the evening's theme meal. They also assist with the Staff Appreciation breakfast in May. This committee is known for their expertise in coordinating and serving tasty delights for our well deserved staff!
Junior Great Books - This is a children's "book club". Over a six week period, these kiddos meet during their lunch and recess to discuss stories and discussion questions they have reviewed at home. The program is available for children in grades 1-5, and each small group is comprised of between 8 to 10 children. An adult parent, having been trained in the Junior Great Books program, works with each group. The committee chair oversees the procurement of materials, organization of small groups, training and assignment of facilitators.
Project Charlie - A substance abuse prevention program for elementary school children. CHARLIE stands for Chemical Abuse Resolution Lies in Education. In the Forest Hills school district, the program is taught at fourth and fifth grade level. All lessons have been approved and integrated into the Forest Hills guidance program. This program requires dedicated volunteers to be successful. Project Rehab, in Grand Rapids, provides two days of in-depth training. Volunteers are encouraged to attend one in-service each year. Training manuals are provided for each grade level, with very specific step-by-step plans for each lesson. There are two volunteers assigned to each class. This great program is a great start to educating our kiddos on drug awareness!
Room Parent - The room parent chairperson makes sure each classroom has a room parent. Each room parent is in charge of coordinating three class parties with the teacher and getting help and/or donations for the parties or event. Teachers currently plan the parties and the room parent helps to get volunteers to pitch in! Knapp Forest has many active parents that help to assist the room parents! To sign up to be a rom parent go to the following website. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4BADA928A13-kfroom1
Scrip - See No Brainer Fundraisers tab for more detailed information!!
Sister School/Charitable Giving - Knapp Forest has a relationship with Lincoln School, whereby the children from both schools interact in school-coordinated activities, including field trips and pen pal programs. The committee may also coordinate various donation activities, as suggested by our sister school. The committee chair is responsible for developing and coordinating these activities.
Charitable Giving - Their purpose is two-fold: to help the less fortunate in our community, and to give our children the opportunity to participate in charitable giving activities. Project are planned in the fall and spring, not just at the holidays. The chairperson is responsible for choosing the projects, coordinating the related activities and recruiting volunteers to help.
Charitable Giving - Their purpose is two-fold: to help the less fortunate in our community, and to give our children the opportunity to participate in charitable giving activities. Project are planned in the fall and spring, not just at the holidays. The chairperson is responsible for choosing the projects, coordinating the related activities and recruiting volunteers to help.
Ski Club - The Ski Club committee chair distributes information to interested students on the ski opportunities at Cannonsburg.
Spirit Committee - The purpose of the Spirit Committee is to organize outings to promote social interaction between Knapp Forest families. Outings have included Grand Rapids Griffins hockey games, or any other activity that could be enjoyed by Knapp Forest families.
Staff Appreciation - The purpose of the staff appreciation committee is to recognize the Knapp Forest staff for all they do for our children. Staff Appreciation takes place a full week in May. There are daily surprises planned and of course, food in the form of a staff breakfast!! The emphasis is on showing the entire Knapp Forest staff - not just teachers, how much they are appreciated!
Talent Show - The purpose of the Talent Show committee is to showcase the many talents of Knapp Forest students!! The committee is responsible for the "talent search", reviewing acts, scheduling rehearsals and organizing the show. All types of talents are showcased which makes it fun for all! This is an event we all look forward to!!
Time on Task - The purpose of the Time on Task committee is to assist teachers and staff with day-to-day projects, such as laminating, cutting, stapling and preparing materials for classroom use. The chairperson is responsible for coordinating parent volunteers. This committee is committed to helping our dedicated teachers by doing their "busy work" so they can focus on teaching our kids!