West Woodland Elementary

West Woodland
Elementary
Get Involved

Volunteer

Volunteer at West Woodland!

There are volunteering opportunities to fit whatever type of volunteer you want to be. Many things can be done at home in the evenings or weekends. Some opportunities are just one-time commitments, or take just a few minutes per week….others allow you to lead projects or plan events. We can work around your schedule and interests. 

If you are interested in a classroom-related volunteer position, please contact your child’s teacher. For all other volunteer opportunities, contact our Volunteer Coordinators at volunteer@westwoodlandpta.org.

Interested in volunteering in your child’s classroom?
Please contact your classroom teacher directly.

Annual Appeal Team
Join the Annual Appeal team and help the PTA raise money to support our school programs.

Arts Coordinator
Help organize our Arts program.

Bike Rodeo
West Woodland’s Bike Rodeo occurs on the 1st Sunday in May of each year and is a perfect way to kick off Bike to School Month. Volunteers are needed to run stations for the event. 

Blast
Celebrate the beginning and the end of the school year at BLAST – an all-school event for families to celebrate our West Woodland community. Volunteers are needed to help coordinate the event, set up, monitor, lead activities and clean up.

Board Game Night
Spread the fun of board games during this evening event at school. Volunteers are needed to plan, set up, run, and clean the event. 

Book Fair
The Library turns into a small book shop with books for sale for a week usually in the fall and spring. Volunteers are needed to help the librarian set up, cashier, and clean up the book fair. 

Cafeteria/Playground Support
Help out in the lunchroom and/or on the playground.

Choir
Support our Choir Director with running the before-school choir program. 

Classroom Support
Talk to your student’s teacher! Find out what help they need in the classroom (reading, math, writing, etc.)
Assist teachers and staff with their copying needs. 

After School Enrichment Volunteer
Help students find their appropriate afterschool enrichment classroom, serve as a point of contact for any issues that come up during enrichment time. 

Aiming for Equity Committee 

Family Movie Nights
Watch a movie in the cafeteria on the big screen with your friends. We need a lead volunteer to plan, coordinate and advertise movie nights. 

Field Day
Field Day is a June afternoon of outdoor games and activities for all students at West Woodland. This event is organized by the PE teacher. Volunteers are needed to run stations at the event. 

Spring Fundraising Event Team  
The spring fundraiser is a celebration event sponsored by the West Woodland PTA. Volunteers help with event planning, community communication, set up and clean up.

Spring Online Auction Team  
Volunteers help with soliciting donations from businesses and the West Woodland community, listing items on the online auction platform, and following up with winners. 

Spring Auction Art Team  
Volunteers assist teachers with creating a classroom art project for the spring auction. 

5th Grade Tiles (Classroom)
Facilitate 5th graders in leaving their mark on the school with a special tile that will decorate the walls of West Woodland in April/May of each year.

5th Grade Tiles (Firing/Mounting)
Help glaze, fire and mount the tiles each year.

5th Grade Graduation Events 
Are you be a 5th grade parent? Join the 5th Grade Celebration team to help organize the events surrounding our awesome 5th grade graduation.

Graphic Designer
Help with graphic design projects such as the Annual Appeal and the Spring Fundraiser. 

Grant Writing
Research funding opportunities available for elementary school education and present promising funding mechanisms to the West Woodland PTA. Work with PTA members to write and submit applications to funding agencies, including budgeting details, obtaining letters of support, and ensuring adherence to regulations and application guidelines. Follow-up with agencies when grants are not funded to learn how applications might be improved. Lead volunteer is needed for this role. 

Instructional Support Volunteer
Help students with math, handwriting, reading, etc.

Kindergarten Welcome Event
Future fall kindergarteners visit West Woodland to meet the kindergarten teachers and their future classmates! Volunteers are needed to help invite incoming families, set up, assist during event and clean up.

Kindergarten Coffee
Help welcome new families to West Woodland! This event happens on the first day of kindergarten. Responsibilities range from emailing a sign-up sheet to parents to bring in baked goods; bring in baked goods; make coffee and set up tables; clean up after the event.

Library Support
Help our librarian shelve books, etc.

Spirit Wear 
Order and sell spirit wear at key events (TCB Day, BLAST, etc.)

Mariners Family Night
A lead volunteer is needed to organize a family day for West Woodland families to spend an evening at the ballpark together. 

New Family Welcome Team
Help with various new family events (tours, spring welcome events), monitor new family emails and respond to inquiries from new families. 

PTA Board
A variety of positions available to help enrich the educational experience for all students. Help increase engagement among students, parents, teachers, staff and administrators of West Woodland Elementary School.

Room Representative / Room Representative Coordinator
Assist teachers with organizing and recruiting other classroom parents for special events, class prep, parties, field trips, staff appreciation, and science kits. Forward important communications from school and PTA along to your class. Act as an important communication link between other parents in the classroom. Much of it can be done from home. Speak with your child’s teacher if you are interested.

School Photos
School photos are taken in the fall. Volunteers are needed to assist. 

School Tours
Families interested in West Woodland are invited to an open house/school tour where they can learn about West Woodland’s programs and facilities. Typically, this one tour is in the evening in January. We are looking for tour guides for this event.  

Shop for West Woodland
Manage our passive fundraising. This includes collecting, tallying, and submitting Box-Tops from WW families and depositing rewards in our PTA bank account. Also includes making sure we are utilizing other programs (Fred Meyer Rewards, Amazon Smile, etc.)

Staff Appreciation Lunches
Organize monthly lunches for the staff. Each month, a different grade hosts a lunch (potluck style)

Staff Appreciation Week
Teacher & staff appreciation week takes place the first week of May each year and is an opportunity for families and students to do something special for West Woodland staff to thank them for all they do. Suggested activities are organized by the staff appreciation coordinator.

Talent Show
The talent show has been one of the highlights of the school year. This is an evening where you can come see our students share their talents, including a stage show and virtual Art Gallery. It typically includes a wonderful staff performance! Help with our talent show efforts by organizing participants, coordinating rehearsals, leading the MCs, set up, concessions and much more!

TCB Day Committee
Help welcome families back to school with TCB Day! Help set up, greet families, organize paperwork, or clean up on the day of the event. 

Walk and Roll Month
October is Walk and Roll to School month, where we encourage our students to walk, bus, bike or scooter to school, to promote healthy / green ways of getting to and from school.

Wildcat Giving
Help West Woodland and our community families in need by helping to organize the donation and collection of gifts and donations.

Yearbook
Help produce the annual yearbook (layout, photography, journalism, advertising sales, printing coordinator, etc.). The yearbook is a reflection of culture and spirit of the school year, and a keepsake for students and their families to treasure for years to come. We need a team of people to make this happen!

How to Apply to Volunteer with Seattle Public Schools

Why Volunteer in Your Child’s School?

  • Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
  • Better attendance
  • Increased motivation & self-esteem

Checklist for New Volunteers

Visit our volunteer website to:

  • Review volunteer handbook
  • Complete online training
  • Apply securely online
  • Background check required

Questions? Contact your school office or visit the SPS Volunteer page to learn more.


Additional Steps for Certain Volunteer Roles

The following volunteer roles require a national background check, regardless of how long the volunteer has resided in Washington:

  1. Unsupervised volunteers who work with children regularly (including remote/virtual volunteers).
  2. Volunteers chaperoning overnight field trips longer than three days.
  3. Volunteers involved in any sports or gym activities coordinated by the school (for Athletics see *).

If situations 2 or 3 apply to you, visit the volunteer website to learn more.

* Important: Athletic coaches must apply via SPS Athletics Department.

Sports Safety

All gym and sports volunteers must be current on CPR, First Aid, Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Concussion Courses.

Field Trips

Field trip volunteers supervise students. Once approved to volunteer, request additional forms from the field trip organizer to review and acknowledge your important responsibilities.


Keeping Students Safe

Child Abuse Prevention

Nationally, one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18. Volunteers help to protect children by learning to recognize and report potential abuse.

At SPS, each volunteer completes an online Sexual Misconduct Prevention training before start of their service.

Criminal Background Check

  • If you have lived in Washington State for the past three (3) years, SPS will complete your state background check at no cost to you.
  • If you came to Washington from another state in the past three years, you will need to purchase a one-time national background check.

New or newly returned to the U.S.?

Visit the SPS Volunteer page for more information.

Why is there a fee for out-of-state background checks?

Unlike our state, the federal government does not provide schools with free screening tools. SPS selected a vendor to offer secure, affordable background checks for the volunteers who need them ($21 in most cases).


Frequently Asked Questions

I completed an online application last year. Do I have to reapply this year?

Your online application is on file so please do not create a new application. On your second volunteer anniversary, you will receive an email with login instructions to renew your application.

Can I use my smart phone to apply?
Our online volunteer application is smart-phone friendly.

Thank you for helping create safe schools, and for your generous donation of time and talent!