The Crow Island Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a volunteer organization that oversees programs at our school. There are more than 50 committees requiring chairpersons and volunteers. It takes more than 250 volunteers to run the PTO’s programs each school year.
The PTO manages and funds a variety of programs and events each year to develop, enhance and support Crow Island students and teachers in all aspects of the school environment. Programs run throughout the year and some are big while others are small. Whatever your commitment ability may be, there’s always an opportunity to get involved. See the descriptions below for all the PTO programs.
For questions about volunteer opportunities, please contact the VP of Programs via email at crowislandprograms@gmail.com. Please consider how you can get involved and thank you in advance for your interest.
CROW ISLAND PTO COMMITTEES
Summer Meet Ups for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade (2 per grade)
Organize an hour-long park playdate in August 2024 prior to the first day of school for your incoming grade. Committee Chairs work together in mid-to-late summer to send an invite and arrange for an ice cream truck to attend. They will also attend the park play-date and provide/help with name tags and serve as a central point of contact for parents. The prep level for this program is relatively low.
3rd & 4th Grade Girls on the Run Chair (1)
Serve as the leader for the program, working as the liaison between PTO Programming, Crow Island and the committee.
3rd & 4th Grade Girls on the Run Committee (4)
As part of the National Girls on the Run Program, this program entails conducting weekly training sessions to prepare 3rd & 4th grade girls to run a 5K and to encourage the girls to develop positive self-esteem and healthy lifestyles through running. This program runs for a 10-week session and typically culminates with a 5K race through Grant Park in mid-to late Fall. This program requires avid runners who have the ability to positively motivate 3rd and 4th grade girls. The prep and involvement level for this program is moderate to high but it is truly rewarding to train and complete the 5K with all the 3rd and 4th grade program participants. Ideally we would have two coaches per grade level.
2nd Grade Bike Rodeo Chairs (2)
Led by incoming 2nd grade parents, this Committee is responsible for planning and executing the annual bike safety event that “certifies” 2nd graders to ride their bikes to school. This program requires collaboration with the other D36 elementary schools, the Winnetka Police Department and Green Bay Cycles to set a date in May 2024 and to help on the day of the event at Crow Island School. The prep and involvement level for this program are low.
Back to School Bash Chairs (3)
Plan and execute the annual Back to School Bash, which takes place at the start of school in late August/early September. This position requires planning for food / entertainment and working with Principal Livingston to promote and coordinate the event.
Book Fair Chair (1)
Serve as the leader of the Book Fair Committee. She/he will lead meetings for the committee and serve as the liaison between PTO Programming and the school. The Book Fair usually takes place in the first week of December. Meetings for this program ramp up in October and November and the program is fully wrapped after the Book Fair in December.
Book Fair Committee Member (5)
Responsible for collaborating with the Book Fair Chair to plan and execute the Book Fair in full. The Book Fair typically takes place in the first week of December. Typically responsibilities are broken out to account for a liaison with the book fair company, a financial lead, a marketing lead and a leader for volunteers. The majority of the work for this committee is leading up to the Book Fair in November. All committee members should expect to partake in an hour-long virtual cashier training session.
Buddy Families Chairs (2)
Coordinate all materials and activities to welcome new families to Crow Island School. This typically includes assigning Buddy Families (from the Buddy Family Committee), assembling and working with PTO to distribute welcome backpacks to all new students, and planning and attending a New Family Playdate before the first day of school. These Chairs will collaborate with PTO’s Spirit Wear & Swag and Back-to-School Bash Committees to ensure a warm welcome to all new families! The bulk of the work for this committee is in August with some prep in July and some wrap up in May 2024. This upcoming year, this Committee will coordinate the order for the 2024-2025 New Families to alleviate work over the summer.
Buddy Family Committee (10)
Serve as a buddy and a resource for a family new to Crow Island School. Committee members should attend the welcome activity/New Family Playdate (expected August 2024) and offer an opportunity for individual meet-ups or opportunities to answer questions as needed. The prep level is minimal as the Chairperson will provide all of your materials. The involvement is minimal to moderate, depending on how warm you want your welcome to be!
Buildings & Grounds Chair (1)
Responsible for maintaining school planters and other outside public spaces, while also overseeing the annual landscape contract for the school areas not covered by the Park District. Supported by a committee and volunteers recruited on an as-needed basis, this Chair can lead Crow Island courtyard clean up events in late Summer, early Fall, and Spring.
Buildings & Grounds Committee Member (1-2)
Work with Chair to maintain the planters and outdoor public spaces. Assist in coordinating clean up events for our courtyards at Crow Island School.
Community Outreach Chairs (3)
Plan and execute Crow Island’s activities that support the greater Winnetka and Chicagoland areas. Traditional events include a food drive (or two), a candy collection after Halloween, the Sack Supper Project (held the day before holiday break), a collection for Share Our Spare (in conjunction with the village’s trash collection each Spring) and a collection of unused school supplies in June. This is the perfect committee for parents seeking a connection with Crow Island and a means to give back to the community at-large.
Crow Island Family Picnic Chairs (4)
Plan the all-school family picnic at the Crow Island Woods at the end of the 2023-2024 school year (usually held the Sunday afternoon/evening before the last day of school). The prep begins in Feb/March and involves some advance planning to lock in key vendors for park space, food, and entertainment. Chairs work together while dividing up responsibilities. The Chairs also help with set-up, clean-up, and coordination of all activities on the day of the picnic. The prep and involvement are moderate.
Environmental Awareness Chairs (1-2)
Promote environmental awareness, support recycling initiatives and coordinate Earth Week activities (April 2024) as well as attend D36 Green Meetings once / month. Hubbard Woods has successfully rolled out programs that make them an environmental leader in the district. The ideal candidate(s) for this committee is someone who is curious about how to boost environmental awareness at Crow Island. This is a committee that will become what you make of it. The demands have historically been low.
Family Action Network (FAN) Representative (1)
Represent Crow Island at monthly Family Action Network meetings and share information with the Crow Island community by way of the weekly PTO bulletin on an as-desired basis. Familiarity with this organization is preferred but not required.
The Alliance for Early Childhood Representative (1)
Represent Crow Island at monthly Alliance for Early Childhood meetings and share information with the Crow Island community by way of the weekly PTO bulletin on an as-desired basis. Familiarity with this organization is preferred but not required.
Field Day Chair (1)
Assist KW faculty as needed, organize and purchase popsicles for students, and recruit volunteers via Sign Up Genius for Field Day to be held June 2024. The prep and involvement are historically minimal as the KW faculty play such a large role in this day coming together.
Helpers on Call
Reserve a top spot to volunteer on an as-needed basis. This is a great way to volunteer and spend some time at school without having to commit to a committee. Perfect for parents with younger children who are trying to get a sense of PTO programs and needs. You will receive an email a few weeks before a particular event and have the opportunity to sign up and help out.
Hot Lunch Program Chairs (2)
Serve as the main point of contact and school liaison for our hot lunch provider. Also responsible for recruiting lunchroom volunteers (as needed) through Sign Up Genius. This is a moderate involvement program that continues through the entire year.
Lost & Found Chair (1)
Maintain Crow Island’s Lost & Found area. Put up a display table periodically during school events, manage the designated area at school on a monthly basis and donate unclaimed items to charitable organizations at the end of the year. There are peak periods throughout the year, particularly around Thanksgiving, the winter holiday, and at the end of the school year when you must be present at Crow Island to look through and set out the lost & found items.
Math Night Chairs (2 for 1st/2nd grade; 2 for 3rd/4th grade)
Math night is a fun event for kids and their parents. It lets kids show off their math skills and introduces them to fun math topics beyond their everyday schoolwork. Help coordinate a fun math night for children and parents, using materials we have already prepared for you. The prep time involves some advance organization of the materials and being present at the math night to help with the set-up, clean up and smooth operation of the event. The event is usually 1.5 hours (6:30-8:00 PM) on a school night in early March.
Picture Day Coordinator (1)
Coordinate with Stuart Rogers and Crow Island School for class and individual photos. Coordinate parent volunteers to help at Crow Island School on picture day (by creating and managing a sign-up genius) and attend on the day of picture day to help teachers bring their classes through the auditorium for individual and class pictures. The prep time is minimal but does require attendance at Crow Island on picture day. The Picture Day Coordinator is also responsible for collaborating with a printing company to prepare class signs for class pictures.
Run-A-Thon Chair (1)
Oversee the committee who plans and executes Crow Island’s biggest and most fun fundraiser! This outdoor event engages the Crow Island community in a common goal around developing a healthy & active lifestyle while supporting the PTO and a local charity. This is an important role with highest time demands in September. This Chair will be responsible for leading committee meetings, allocating responsibilities among committee members, and serving as the liaison with VP Programs. The Chair must be available to be at school periodically the week before the event to distribute and collect donation forms as well as the day of the event (usually held on a Friday in early October).
Run a Thon Committee (3)
Work with the Run-A-Thon Chair to plan Crow Island’s biggest fundraiser! Roles are typically separated to manage Volunteers, Communications, and Donations (please note that these can change). The workload for this fun event is heaviest in September when you will manage t-shirts, handouts, volunteers, and donations in preparation for the run at school. You should plan to be available on the day of the run to check volunteers in and hand out popsicles and/or ribbons. The Run-a-Thon usually takes place on a Friday in early October. It’s so fun!
School Supplies Chair (1)
Coordinate the school supply order process with Crow Island families during the month of May and help organize school supply distribution across classrooms in late August (usually the week before school starts). This is a light to moderate program and requires someone who is highly organized to help execute, especially as supplies arrive and need to be distributed in August.
School Supplies Committee Member (6)
Assist with school supplies distribution to classrooms in August 2024. As a member of this committee, you should expect to spend one morning delivering supplies to the appropriate classrooms and applying labels on each kit. People who are organized, willing to lift boxes and carry supplies are best suited for this committee. Kids who are able to assist with these responsibilities are typically allowed to join.
Spirit Wear & Swag Chairs (3)
Pride is high among the Crow Island community so this is a very important committee! Members of this committee will work together to divide up roles and responsibilities that include but are not limited to:
- Manage two online spirit wear sales (think Crow Island tye-dye sweatshirts!) with a third-party vendor,
- Order, sell and manage Crow Island swag (such as the beloved Crow Island winter hats and magnets!),
- Attend Crow Island parent events (such as the Back-to-School Bash and Book Fair) to promote sales.
This committee calls for people who are organized, available during peak parent events, and are interested in supporting Crow Island fundraising in a big way! Members of this committee will also collaborate with other committees for ordering purposes.
STEAM Expo Chair (1)
Coordinate the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math (STEAM) Expo at Crow Island. Create the sign-up for all students and organize the set-up on the day of the event. The STEAM Expo usually spans across 2 days to get all the grades included. The advance prep is minimal and focused on collaborating with the school to pull off a successful 2-day event.
Teacher & Staff Recognition Luncheon Chairs (3)
Plan and execute a luncheon for all staff and teachers held in late May. This program is run by 3 chairs who will divide tasks, including but not limited to food/catering, drinks/snacks, and decor. Committee members will set up for the event. These positions require relatively low commitment as the event is limited to only one day and is an annual tradition. It will take place in late May/early June 2024.
Ongoing Teacher & Staff Appreciation Chair (1)
Lead the Ongoing Teacher & Staff Appreciation Committee, which is responsible for showing appreciation on an ongoing (monthly) basis by way of special lunches and snacks. Most of the “treats” are repeated each year, so there is a solid framework and guide in place for this program. Once the months are divided among the Chair and Committee, the bulk of the work is in ordering and setting up on the day of the event/meeting. The Chair will be the liaison with the VP Programs, will lead communication with the Committee and will also manage the “Partner of the Month” program.
Ongoing Teacher & Staff Appreciation Committee (3)
Help plan monthly treats for our teachers and staff to show them our appreciation for their dedication and hard work. This includes coordinating lunch or a snack twice during the school year. Committee Members will be responsible for ordering a meal or coordinating donations and for setting up for the event. This committee is recommended for someone who is interested in making a big impact (higher commitment) a few times a year while also having the opportunity to go into the school on a more regular basis.
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Chairs (2)
Plan a week of festivities and gifts for our fantastic teachers and staff! Create sign up for gifts, meals, and treats. Coordinate volunteers for the setup of these events. Event takes place for one week in late April/early May. The prep and involvement is moderate in the weeks leading up to the event. The Chairs must be available during the appreciation week to help with execution of each day’s special events.
Walk to School Week Chairs (2)
Organize daily activities for Walk to School Week in October 2023 to promote walking to school. The Chairs for this committee revamped the program in 2021 to include the solicitation of relevant donations from local businesses who were eager to support the health- and environmental-focused mission of this program. They made it really fun and, while it isn’t mandatory, we would love to carry this on into next year. This program calls for moderate to high involvement in September (with a possible early start in August).
4th Grade Book Club Chairs (2)
Our 4th grade book club is very popular! Oversee the book club which takes place over 6 weeks in Winter 2024 (usually a February start). Choose a book with input from teachers & Mr. Livingston, meet during lunch once a week during the 6-week duration and facilitate book discussions with the interested students.
4th Grade End of Year Celebration Event Chairs (2)
Plan a celebratory event for 4th grade students at the end of the school year.
4th Grade End of Year T-Shirt Chairs (1-2)
Work with an outside vendor to create a send-off t-shirt for 4th grade students. Facilitate the order and distribution process prior to the end of the school year.
4th Grade Video Chairs (1-2)
Create a 4th grade class video celebrating 4th graders’ years at Crow Island. The video is shown at the end of the school year.
Yearbook Chairs (1-2)
Coordinate and design the yearbook with the help of solicited Classroom Photographer volunteers. Classroom Photographers will be responsible for their class’ page in the yearbook while the Yearbook Chairs will pull together the final design, including a special section for 4th graders. This program calls for a higher commitment and is most suited for someone who is organized and creative. Prior experience as a Classroom Photographer would make this job easier to manage.