Jobs and Participation

In 2006, Linscott's Site Management Team voted to significantly change our parent participation requirements. The new requirements are detailed below.

What are some of the benefits of parent participation?

• Collaboration between parents and teachers creates a democratic and responsive school environment.
• Cooperative parent participation provides support and enrichment for students and allows for individualized instruction.
• With parent participation we are able to control costs and ensure that funding is used in the classrooms to benefit students.
• The partnership of parents, staff and students produces a community atmosphere that provides a supportive network of families.

Participation Requirements

• Each family commits to one of five participation options (one option per child up to 2 children) arranged in a manner that considers the parent's schedule, talents and skills as well as the needs of the school and classroom. Parents working in the classroom receive training in seminars and parent meetings to assist them in becoming effective aides.

• Parents attend four school-wide meetings each year. Linscott will annually provide the following: Orientation Night prior to the opening of school; town hall community meeting to address issues of community interest or importance; two parent education meetings with professional speakers. Classroom teacher and parents decide when or if to hold classroom parent meetings. All meetings are scheduled for Tuesday evenings.
• All families agree to participate in our special events (performance, Olympic Day, etc.). These are parent driven events with sign-ups taking place at the beginning of each year--any event without sufficient interest will be cancelled for that school year.
• Families apply for leave if need arises. Decisions regarding leaves are decided by the Site Management Team.
• All volunteers are responsible for recording their hours in the appropriate binder with the exception of classroom aides. Classroom work is recorded on an attendance sheet by the teacher. Each participation option has a responsible staff member who monitors task completion and works with parents when changes are needed.
• A participation contract is completed each year. If a parent or family has difficulty fulfilling their contract there will be opportunities to problem solve and make adjustments. Failure to fulfill the contract due to lack of commitment may result in a loss of priority for the following school year.

Additional Comments

• Support for the classrooms will be our primary concern and parents will be encouraged to participate at some level in classrooms and field trips. See classroom support jobs below.
• The decision to employ classroom aides depends on classroom needs and the budget. Any money received in lieu of participation will be used to pay for either classroom aides or yard supervision.
• It is our goal as a community to make people feel welcomed, useful, and valued. We will make every effort to welcome new families at the beginning of each year and orient them to the school. Each classroom will designate a "Room Parent" who will be the point person for all who need to interact with the classroom population or for new families in need of information.

Classroom Support Jobs

Classroom support jobs are assigned by each teacher starting in June of the previous schoolyear.

Each classroom has a Class Representative to the SMT who attends the school SMT meetings and reports on the SMT's activities to the parents. In addition, the Class Representative is asked to "represent" the class's needs and wishes to the SMT and to communicate the parent's ideas to the SMT.

Each classroom has a Fieldtrip Coordinator who assists the teacher in securing dates for the fieldtrips that support the curriculum and coordinating drivers or other transportation for the field trip.

Classrooms may also have a Fundraiser/Parent Donation Drive coordinator, an Independent Study Coordinator, a Photographer, and a Classroom Cleaner/Organizer. Beyond that, the jobs vary by classroom need and parent interest. Some classes have a "Pets and Plants" person, a "Homework Helper," "Science Support," "Music Support," Spanish Teacher," "Class Librarian," "Special Events" coordinator; "Bulletin Boards/Room Designer/Art" Coordinator, "Gardener," "Treasurer," "Million Words" Coordinator, etc. Some parents hold support jobs doing after school tutoring or "Homework Club." An effort is made to help parents choose a support job that both contributes significantly to the school and enables the parent to participate in a manner which compliments their skills and interests.

Schoolwide Support Jobs

Schoolwide support jobs are divided into several main groupings, each with its own "Chair." They are: Governance, Administration, Facilities, Fundraising/Events, Gifts and Grants, Programs, and Schoolwide Events/Hospitality.

Governance is the SMT and the Parent Participation Coordinator and the Support Job Coordinator.

Administration includes the Classroom Schedulers and the Classroom Representatives, and yard duty coordination.

Facilities includes maintenance, construction, landscaping, clean-up day Coordinators, kitchen cleaner.

The Fundraising/Events Chair oversees the Auction, Apple Blossom Run, Book Fair, Parent Donation Drive and other fundraising events.

The Gifts and Grants committee works on fundraising separate from the events fundraising, such as grant writing and soliciting gifts to the school.

The Programs Coordinator oversees the Scholastic Books, Yearbook, Library, Music and Web Site, as well as various contest coordinators such as the Challenge Program which includes the Math Contest Coordinator, County Science Contest Coordinator, and Arts Contests.

Schoolwide Events/Hospitality includes Olympic Day, the Schoolwide Performance, Author's Fair, Kindergarten round-up, and Hospitality.

Linscott Charter School 220 Elm Street Watsonville, California 95076 (831) 728-6301