North Shoreview Montessori

The Greens and Grounds committee consists of parents who manage and assist with the North Shoreview Montessori (NSM) Greens and Grounds program. The Greens portion of the program highlights classroom ecology, botany, and conservation by providing outdoor classroom activities, which includes a garden for each classroom. The Grounds portion of the program is run by parents, who maintain and improve the school grounds beyond what the San Mateo-Foster City School District provides.

We are looking for enthusiastic parent volunteers to fill the following positions on the Greens and Grounds committee. Time spent working on the committee will count toward your 30-hour job requirement. Please contact Charlie Dreschler for more information.

Outdoor Classroom Leaders

Focus is on teaching small groups of students (about six at a time, all of one class’ students within a session) about botany, biology, math, literature, ecology, entomology, and organic best practices using gardening as the learning vehicle. Binders of grade-specific lesson-plan ideas that are correlated to California educational standards are provided, as well as general gardening information. Large tools and supplies are available.

Time commitment: Actual teaching time is about one-and-a-half hours every other week, plus half-hour preparation per session, for a maximum of 15 sessions. Gardeners attend a group meeting every six to eight weeks (half an hour each) to highlight seasonal opportunities and share ideas. The schedule will be divided among two to three people.

Greens and Grounds Day Facilitators

Focus is on facilitating parents to do minor repairs, painting, cleaning and landscape maintenance during Greens and Grounds Days, of which there are four during the school year. This entails identifying tasks, locating and requisitioning all tools and supplies needed, setting up and cleaning up on the event days, and instructing parents on tasks. The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) reimburses for supplies up to the budget limit; a parent resource list for borrowing tools is also available.

Time commitment: Each event requires about four hours of preparation and six hours on the event day. The time commitment can be less if the team divides the preparation among them.

Greens and Grounds Day Participants

Focus is on doing minor repairs, painting, cleaning, and landscape maintenance around the campus and classrooms. Directions, tools, and all supplies are provided by Greens and Grounds Day facilitators.

Time commitment: Participants work about three hours on each of the four Greens and Grounds Days. You do not have to attend all the sessions.

Tree Caretaker

Focus is to provide irrigation (done with hoses) to nine new trees that are not in sprinkler zones.

Time commitment: Every three months, the caretaker visits the campus twice in one week for two hours per visit. The caretaker is required to attend one of the one-hour orientation sessions. Winter rains MAY reduce the number of visits.

Site Master Plan Team

Focus is on how to maximize and enhance use of campus with eighth grade expansion and invigorated outdoor classroom programs in mind. This team recommends and solicits bids for irrigation and fencing of the outdoor classroom areas; recommends what major repairs and improvements should be done with measure L funds; and collaborates with district staff regarding planning issues for reconfiguration, portables, and new construction.

Time commitment: Team members attend one three-hour meeting. They may spend time researching issues and soliciting bids.

Propagating Publicity Team

Focus is on preparation of advertising for Greens and Grounds Days, sale of winter gift creations and the Spring Harvest Open House via posters, website, Thursday envelope, and email announcements. The team also develops a community recruitment brochure and invites local media coverage for special events and ongoing programs.

Time commitment: Time spent varies depending on how the team decides to divide the tasks. An estimate is about eight hours per person for the whole school year.

Cultivating the Wider Community Team

Focus is on approaching community groups (such as county master gardener/composter clubs, specialty garden clubs, senior citizen centers, and fraternal organizations) to recruit volunteers, develop partnerships, explore joint publicity opportunities, and encourage financial support.

Time commitment: Team members may spend about eight hours per school year, depending on team size.

Gathering Greenbacks Team

Focus is on generating financial support through the sale of winter holiday gifts to student families and the community, the Spring Harvest Open House (an outdoor classrooms program fundraiser open to the community), grant writing for specific goals developed by other Greens and Grounds groups, and soliciting product and service-in-kind donations.

Time commitment: Team members may spend about twelve hours per year, depending on team size.

CraigsList.com Managers

Focus is on listing and managing sales on CraigsList.com of school property (example: old stage curtains) that neither NSM nor any other school in the district wants or needs.

Time commitment: Manager should expect to spend about two-and-one-half hours total per item sold. Time may be less depending on how the team divides the tasks.

Photographers

Focus is on developing a library of images that show all aspects of the Greens and Grounds groups in action. Images would be used for recruitment brochures, publicity, school website, grant proposals, and school celebrations. Digital camera and software are not provided.

Time commitment: Photographers may spend about eight hours total, divided into many short segments throughout the year.

Grand Grounds Team

Focus is on creating an attractive, appealing learning environment beyond the classrooms. Maintaining (planting and weeding) the front garden is one aspect. Installing new student art such as a tile, mosaic, or painted mural is another possibility.

Time commitment: Team members may spend about eight to ten hours per year, depending on the size of the team and the kind of projects undertaken.