Roles and Responsibilities

There are many ways to volunteer with the Claypit PTO, no matter what your expertise or interest is, we have something for you!  Serve on the PTO Board, help with fundraising efforts, organize social activities and community events, and support school initiatives.  Read on for volunteer opportunity descriptions. (For a list of current volunteers, please see the PTO Board and Committee Chair pages.) We look forward to working with you!

PTO Board

President

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Organization and the Board at which he/she may be present, After consultation with the Board, the President may create committees and appoint Committee Chairpersons to assist the Organization in achieving its purpose. The President shall be a member ex-officio of all committees. The President shall perform any additional duties and exercise additional powers as may be assigned to him/her by the Board.

Vice President

The Vice President shall act as aide to the President and shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of that officer.

Secretary

The Secretary shall keep an accurate written record of the annual meeting and all general meetings of the Organization, including the number of members in attendance when a vote is taken and minutes of meetings. He/she shall perform any additional duties as shall be directed by the Board.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall receive all moneys of the Organization. He/she shall make expenditures out of the Organization’s funds only as authorized by the Organization or the Board and only for purposes consistent with these bylaws. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate written record of receipts and expenditures. He/she shall present a statement of account of the Organization at general meetings, and shall perform any additional duties as shall be directed by the Board.

Communications

This team/person is responsible for all PTO communications with the greater school community, both online and off. This person serves as the webmaster for the Claypit Hill PTO website and social media outlets (Facebook, etc.). Also serves as the coordinator for the Claypit Connections newsletter.

Fundraising Efforts

The PTO runs a few fundraising events every year for the elementary schools. These raise the majority of funds for the PTO and are roles that last for distinct periods of time.  The funds raised go mainly to support teachers by funding supply grants and teacher wish list items.

Gift Your Child (Fall)

This team/person manages one of the two major PTO elementary fundraisers in the fall and works with teams from all elementary schools.  Teams set up tables at curriculum nights, track memberships, distribute paper directories and encourage participant. This is a great way to participate for a finite time while making a huge impact on the resources of the PTO.

Backpack Auction (Winter)

This team/person manages one of the two major PTO elementary fundraisers in the late winter (March) and works with teams from all elementary schools.  Teams collect donations for auction items, create and distribute the catalog, manage the online bidding process. A fun way to have a huge impact on the PTO!

Book Fair (Fall/Spring)

This team/person hosts the two Book Fairs at the school (fall and spring). The team coordinates with the book fair suppliers for dates and supplies, schedules classroom visits, markets the events to the Claypit community, manages the staff wish-lists and baskets, staffs and runs the registers for the 5-day book fair, and sets-up and breaks down the books. This is truly a team effort event and every member is needed! It is a great way to be part of the community and is a blast to run!

Reward Programs (Fall)

The school can earn significant rewards from local businesses like Stop and Shop and public programs such as Box Tops for Education. This team will help to sign up people for such programs every fall and help process information to earn the most FREE funding possible for our school!

School Pictures (Fall)

This team/person manages the fall school picture process with Hayward Photography. This role entails communicating with the photo company, organizing volunteers for school picture day, and publicizing make-up day.

Social Events

Welcome Committee (Fall/Winter)

This team plans the kindergarten popsicle play date before school starts, new family coffees, is willing to be a resource for new community members, and helps the new families to assimilate into our community.

Back-to-School Bash (Fall)

This team plans an outdoor back-to-school celebration for students and their families, typically with food and ice cream trucks, games and music. This is a fun opportunity to celebrate bringing the community back together when school starts.

Harvest Festival (Fall)

This team plans a fun autumn-themed evening to kick-off the fall Book Fair. The community comes together to enjoy fall crafts, activities, and STEM Projects, with autumn-themed treats like apple cider donuts! The Harvest Festival is a great way to bring families together and let families explore the Book Fair with their students.

Bingo Night (Winter)

This team/person manages a “sold-out” social event of the winter. All three elementary schools gather for Bingo in the middle school cafeteria. The team is responsible for food, tickets, raffle prizes, face-painting, and bingo prizes. Bingo Night is a fun way for the whole family to have fun and gather across the elementary schools!

STEAM Discovery Night (Winter)

This team plans an exciting two-part event to help kids and their families explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) topics. Students are invited to create and present a science projects to friends, families, and visiting scientists, then can explore interactive STEAM displays courtesy of local museums, scientists, and STEAM organizations.

Talent Show (Spring)

This team sets up an event to celebrate students, letting them share their talents in a live presentation with friends and families. The team will coordinate with students on their presentations, establish the schedule, manage A/V and stage displays, and coordinate the live event.

Reading Rocks (Spring)

This team plans an engaging evening to celebrate reading to kick-off the spring Book Fair. Typically includes special guest readers and hands-on activities.

Art Show (Spring)

This team/person organizes the community gathering event of the spring. Families come together at Claypit to enjoy the creative creations of ALL of our student body, organized and curated by our Art Department. Working closely with the Art Department Staff, volunteers work to set up displays, frame artwork for display, and act as guides on the night of the show. Roles for MANY volunteers, no creative bones necessary; all will have the chance to enjoy the amazing creative talents of each and every student at our school. It is a great way to celebrate the creativity of our children.

Ice Cream Social (Spring)

This team/person organizes the last community gathering event of the year. Families come together on Claypit’s lawn for ice cream, music, and games. It is a great way to celebrate the closing of another school year at Claypit.

Fifth Grade Activities (All Year)

This group of teams/individuals plan all the fifth grade activities in combination with Wayland’s other elementary schools. These multiple, collaborative activities are meant to introduce and familiarize the full class with one another before they arrive at the middle school as sixth graders in September.

The activities are as follows:

  • 5th Grade T-Shirt
  • 5th Grade Roller Kingdom Event
  • 5th Grade Bash
  • 5th Grade Memory Book & Slideshow
  • 5th Grade Picnic
  • 5th Grade Play
  • 5th Grade Class Gift and Fundraiser

Community Events

My Brother’s Table (All Year)

This team is in charge of My Brother’s Table food pantry donations. Every month the children can bring in one category of food item to help supply our local food pantry. The team is responsible for setting the schedule of food items with My Brother’s Table and delivering the items to the food pantry every month.

Holiday Gift Drive (Winter)

This team/person matches families in the Claypit community who would like to provide holiday gifts for foster care children with a list provided by the Department of Children & Families. The teams collects all the presents and drops them off at the end of the drive. The event usually occurs between Thanksgiving and early December.

Claypit Cares (Spring)

This team works with the school to plan a day where all classrooms pause learning to complete hands-on projects to help others. This is a great way for students to experience the joy of helping others and see our collective impact.

Building and Grounds (Fall and Spring)

This team/person coordinates the fall and spring garden clean-ups around the school grounds to keep the outside of our building looking inviting.

Garden (Spring, Summer, and Fall)

This team/person collaborates with the Claypit Hill Garden coordinator to plan, maintain and harvest the Claypit Hill Garden. This is a full community effort—partnering with the staff to involve students in the garden and engaging family volunteers to maintain the garden and enjoy the harvested vegetables and fruits over the summer and early fall!

School Events

Cultural Enrichment

This team works across the schools to bring cultural enrichment shows to our schools.  In past years the PTO provided the following cultural enrichment opportunities:

Just Like Me (Fall/Spring)

This team/person organizes the Just Like Me parent run units in the classroom. Just Like Me is a part of the Wayland Public Schools curriculum presented to third and fourth graders which increases students’ understanding of people with disabilities. The main message of “Just Like Me” is that, regardless of our differences, everyone shares the need for respect, self-esteem, family, friendship, accomplishment, and independence. A disability is only one of the many traits that contribute to making a person the individual he or she is. We learn much more about ourselves and each other from what we can do than from what we cannot do. Through videos, discussion, and hands-on activities, children learn about six particular disabilities and then get to meet and ask questions of speakers with those disabilities. There are four 4th Grade Units and two 3rd Grade Units:

4th Grade Units

    • Physical Limitations
    • Intellectual Limitations
    • Learning Disabilities
    • Autism Spectrum

3rd Grade Units

    • Deafness and Hard of Hearing
    • Blindness and Low Vision

Just Like Me also offers parents an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the third and fourth grade curriculum and work directly with children in the classroom. For each Just Like Me unit, parent volunteers are needed to help run the small group activities for a 90-minute time period. Before each unit begins, parents can attend a one-hour Activity Review Meeting to learn about the unit content and the small group activities. The team organizes volunteers, conducts training sessions, and helps continue this rich tradition in the Wayland schools.

Library (All Year)

This team/person helps the Claypit librarian run the library more effectively by organizing the parent volunteer schedule. The parent volunteers are assigned to a class time and arrive at the library to check books in and out, straighten shelves, and assist with ongoing library organizational projects.

Lost and Found (All Year)

This person coordinates donations of unclaimed Lost and Found items, as well as displays the items for recovery. Can include Facebook postings or other methods of communicating what is in the Lost and Found.

Principal Coffees (4x a year)

This team/person organizes Principal Coffees during the year to bring together our Claypit Principal and our community. The team purchases food and helps to market the event to families.

Room Parent Coordinator (All Year)

This team/person organizes the Room Parent volunteers, distributes materials on the gift giving policy, and utilizes the Room Parents network to distribute information across classes.

School Council (2 Years)

Per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C, at each public elementary, secondary and independent vocational school in the commonwealth there shall be a school council consisting of the school principal, parents of students attending the school, teachers who shall be selected by the teachers in such school, and other persons, not parents or teachers of students at the school, drawn from such groups or entities as municipal government, business and labor organizations, institutions of higher education, human services agencies or other interested groups. 50% of the council shall be non-school members.

The school council, including the school principal, shall meet regularly and shall assist in the identification of the educational needs of the students attending the school, make recommendations to the principal for the development, implementation and assessment of the curriculum accommodation plan, and shall assist in the review of the annual school budget and in the formulation of a school improvement plan.

Two Representatives from Claypit Hill serve on the Council for a two-year position, with alternating election years.

Staff Board (Fall)

This team/person is responsible for updating staff photos each fall. This means adding newly hired staff, removing retired staff, and adjusting teacher positions (ex: grade 3 to grade 2), if needed.

Staff Appreciation (All Year)

This team sets up various meals, surprises, and community-coordinated efforts to let our staff know how much we appreciate their efforts to teach and nurture our children. This is a community effort and we encourage everyone to become involved to help us show our collective thanks!

Vision and Hearing (Fall)

This team/person is responsible for working with the school nurse during the vision and hearing screening each fall. The team is responsible for gathering volunteers and organizing training. This is a very important event as it is often hard to tell if young children are having difficulties in these areas, and it can have a great impact on their abilities to learn!