Volunteer Opportunities

Your involvement at Palms helps your own children and the children of other parents too.

Every parent should plan to volunteer their help in some way during the school year.

Friends of Palms/PTSA meetings offer a great chance to learn about the volunteer opportunities at Palms as you decide how and where you would like to get involved.

To volunteer you can:

• Speak up at a Friends of Palms/PTSA meeting
• Fill out the online Volunteer Form
• Send email to  volunteer@palmsmiddleschool.org

2022-23 Volunteer Coordinator: open position - please volunteer

See the Volunteer Form for descriptions of committee positions, events, and ongoing volunteer activities. To volunteer, submit the form or contact Friends of Palms.

Positions are now open for the 2022-2023 school year, including leadership, board, committee chair, and coordinator positions:

• Friends of Palms Vice President
• Friends of Palms and PTSA Auditor
• PTSA officers
• Beautification Chair
• Book Fair Chair
• Coffee with the Principal Chair
• Family Annual Donation Chair
• Grant Writing Chair
• Grocery Store and Box Tops Programs Chair
• Reflections Art Program Chair
• Translators
• Visitors Days and Elementary School Tours Chair
• Website Reporters
• Westside Saver Card Coordinator

Multiple volunteers will be needed for these events or ongoing programs, once on-campus education resumes:

• Beautification
• Book Fair
• Drop-Off Lanes
• Lunchtime Supervision
• Parents to accompany tours on Visitors Days
• Translators for flyers or for Visitors Days

The morning Drop-Off Lanes on Woodbine Street and Palms Blvd. keep the process organized and improves safety for students arriving at school.

We need parents willing to help 7:30-8:00am one morning a week. Participating parents will receive LAUSD training.

To volunteer contact Friends of Palms.

2022-2023 Drop-Off Lanes Coordinator: open position - please volunteer

Helping supervise students during lunch period gives parents a chance to enjoy the campus atmosphere and see the students during one of their daily routines. During lunch supervision you will help keep everyone safe, and demonstrate parent involvement in your child's school.

How it works:

• Parents come to campus whichever day(s) of the week they like, during lunch period.
• Parents are teamed with an administrator to supervise the central quad, cafeteria, etc.
• Supervision takes place every school day, even on rainy days.
• It's helpful if you are consistent about the days you supervise from week to week. We are still glad to have your help even if it's not every week.
• It's helpful if you keep our Supervision Chair up-to-date about your availability.

The sign-up process, which you must do each school year:

1. A Volunteer Application form is required. Submit both to Ms. Ruby Gold in the Main Office. These forms will be transferred to LAUSD for further processing, so LAUSD can issue you an annual Volunteer badge, valid for that school year.
   • Fill out a Volunteer Application, which you can get in the Main Office or from the Lunchtime Supervision Chair. The required information on the form: your name, contact information, date of birth, and emergency contact. You may disregard other parts of the form (such as employment information).
   • In some cases, a TB test may be required. If so, it's valid for up to 4 years. You may submit your valid TB clearance or see the Volunteer Application page for information about getting a free TB test.
2. Ms. Gold will schedule for you a brief orientation meeting with the Principal and you will be teamed with a counselor.
3. You may start volunteering as soon as Ms. Gold gives you the OK, but you must sign into the Visitor Log and get a yellow Visitor sticker each day that you are on campus, until you are issued a volunteer badge of your own.
4. Once LAUSD processes your application, you'll receive a Volunteer badge (by mail). Wear it when you are on campus. With the badge you no longer need the yellow Visitor sticker but you still must record your visit in the Visitor Log.

2022-2023 Supervision Chair: open position - please volunteer

On Palms Visitors Days, prospective Palms families, typically 4th or 5th grade parents, take a 75 to 90-minute tour of Palms, led by a student from Leadership and accompanied by parent volunteers. We can almost always use more parent volunteers.

It's fun and easy. You don't have to know everything about Palms. You already know the answers to the types of questions that other parents typical ask.

Examples:

• Why did your family choose Palms?
• What elementary school did your child attend?
• Has your child had an easy time with the transition, making new friends?
• What elective did your child choose?
• Is there a lot of homework? Is your child able to handle it?

We especially welcome 6th grade parents as volunteers since they made the middle school transition themselves only a year ago.

You are welcome to contact the Visitor Days chair for information about being a Visitor Day parent volunteer (read how to Contact Friends of Palms), but no registration is required. Just show up in the Auditorium at 8:30 to 8:45 on any Visitors Day to join one of the tours at 9:00am.

2022-2023 Visitors Days Chair: open position - please volunteer

Please join the FOP and PTSA Boards for an informal and informational volunteer meeting.

We'll answer any volunteer questions and you can meet current board members and other volunteers who you may be working with.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021, 6:30pm

➡ Zoom link

Palms welcomes all volunteers: parents, students, and community members. Some volunteers participate on councils. Some are members of the Friends of Palms Board. Some are chairpersons for specific programs and events. And some just help wherever they can.

To get involved, fill out the online Parent Volunteer Form.

If you will be volunteering regularly on campus, submit an LAUSD Volunteer Application. If you have questions about volunteer opportunities or an idea for a volunteer project, email volunteer@palmsmiddleschool.org.

We look forward to working with you soon!