Volunteer Opportunities
Clover has a strong tradition of parent involvement. With growing numbers of students and district-wide budget cuts, we ask EACH AND EVERY PARENT TO VOLUNTEER during the school year.
There are many ways to get involved, from working in your child's classroom, to volunteering for an hour on a fundraiser, or even running one! There are opportunities available at all hours of the day. Please share your time and talents to make a contribution to your child’s education. Studies indicate that the more involved you are in your child’s education and the more you know about your school, the better your child learns and the better you feel about your child’s education. And, it’s a great opportunity to meet other like-minded parents and form valuable friendships.
If you have any questions or would like more information on volunteer opportunities at Clover, please contact Holly Cantos at (310) 478-3385 or e-mail hollycantos@earthlink.net.
The following are brief descriptions of just a few of the volunteer opportunities at Clover:
Wonder of Reading Mentor: Give just one hour a week and change the life of a Clover Avenue child.
Do you want to volunteer at Clover Avenue? Can you find just one hour a week? If so, Clover's Wonder of Reading program needs you. The Wonder of Reading program provides literacy mentors to students who are struggling with reading.
The program trains volunteers through a short, easily understood training session (see training schedule here) which is held at the school or another school nearby.Each volunteer goes through a background check. Teachers at every grade level suggest students who could benefit from the program. The school and the program then match the volunteer with the student. Each week, at a time that suits both the teacher and the volunteer, the student and volunteer meet to read, play word games and talk books.
It is an amazingly successful program and student's reading levels and comprehension improve through this concentrated, consistent once a week effort. Both students and volunteers find the program extremely rewarding. The Wonder of Reading program is great for parents who want to know strategies for teaching reading, student teachers, retired persons, indeed anyone who can spare an hour a week. Please see more about the program at www.wonderofreading.org or, fill out this form and drop it into the office or email to Clover's Wonder of Reading Co-ordinator Gail Torr on 310 429 6885 or call 310 429 6885.
"Meet the Masters" Program: For those parents who have an interest in art, this is an opportunity to present a lesson in the classroom and expose students to art from many of history's great artists. Scripted lesson plan and art supplies are provided. This program takes place in the Spring.
Garden/Beautification Committee: If you have a green thumb or just enjoy gardening, we are looking for people to help maintain and work with students in our vegetable and flower gardens. We will also help plan and organize school beautification projects.
Room Parent / Head Room Parent: Room parents communicate the teacher’s requests, usually by phone or e-mail, to other parents in the class and arrange for class parties, field trips, other class events, earthquake preparedness kits and class projects. The headroom parent works directly with his/her child’s teacher to coordinate the efforts of the other room parents (usually 3 to 4 others). A Room Parent flyer will be sent home during the first few weeks of school with more information.
Valet Drop Off: This is a great opportunity for working parents to get involved at Clover in the morning before work. We need several people to help supervise and assist students out of their cars at Clover's "Valet Drop-Off" locations. This is a program that greatly enhances the safety of our students. It is approximately a 30 min. commitment one day per week before school. For more specifics on Valet Drop Off, click here.
Cultural Community Leaders:
We are looking for parents who can help the Booster Club communicate with parents who have limited English skills. Leaders of each community answer questions in the community’s first language. They also organize meetings throughout the year to discuss issues at the school and participate in fundraisers. Our current Community Leaders are:
- Hispanic Community: Isela Sanchez at 310.558.8410 or iselaleal21@msn.com
- Japanese Community ("Clover no Tomodachi"): Haruko Takeshita
- Korean Community: Jhung-Wah Chung
- Chinese Community: Xiaolei Wu at 310.256.4337 or xlwu@ucla.edu
Please contact Holly Cantos at 310.390.5513 or Holly.Cantos@earthlink.net if you are interested in becoming a Cultural Community Leader.
Grade Level Representatives:
Each grade level has a representative who is responsible for distributing information to the head room parents in that grade level. You may also contact your Grade Level Representative with questions about volunteering. Following are the 2009 – 2010 Representatives:
- Kindergarten: Christine King
- 1st Grade: Tracy Boulanger
- 2nd Grade: Lucille Cooper
- 3rd Grade: Ammie England
- 4th Grade: Carline Jorgenson
- 5th Grade: Jennifer Thompson at 310.245.9138