The Harper Garden is an integral part of our children’s experience at Harper, and it depends on parent volunteers to keep it open! This year, we’re rolling out a new format to make volunteering even easier. Every Tuesday in the fall/summer, we’ll lead the kids in educational activities/projects. Every Thursday, we’ll do hands-on learning with guided garden maintenance tasks. Parents will receive specific instructions prior to their volunteer slot, and will almost always have a garden coordinator on hand to help. Best yet? Little sibs are encouraged to attend and participate! We’ll also have special events throughout the growing season that will allow students to bring their parents or caretakers into the garden with them for interactive learning and fun! Sign up now!
Library Media Center
Library Media Center (also known as the Learning Commons)
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Harper Library! Working in the library is a great way to spend time with your child’s class in a quiet, relaxed environment. Responsibilities include helping students with book selection, book check in/out, and shelving returned books.
Volunteer times are based on book check out days for each class.
The library would love your help, so please join us! Click here to register.
Cafeteria Duty
The cafeteria staff counts on parent volunteers to help serve lunch on a daily basis. Without the parents, the staff would not be able to prep, cook, serve, monitor the line and clean up. The PTO has come up with a way to help them out, by providing parent volunteers to help serve and monitor the lines. It’s a fun way to see your children in their own environment and become familiar with the new friends they have made at Harper. Volunteer slots do fill up so sign up early and often!
The cafeteria duty shift begins at 11:00am and ends at 12:00pm.
Click here to sign up, or via the SignUp Genius logo.
Contact Shefali Nathan with any questions at cafeteria@harperpto.com
For health code reasons, please remember to wear your hair in a ponytail OR a baseball hat, otherwise you may be required to wear a hairnet.
REMINDER: IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO COME ON YOUR DAY, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING A SUBSTITUTE!
Lunch Recess in the Garden
Volunteer for lunch recess in the garden! It’s a great way to get to see your child during the school day. Days are flexible. Sign up here!
Harper Garden Committee
The Harper Garden Committee is responsible for the care and maintenance of Harper’s beautiful gardens…and we need you! SIGN UP HERE TO HELP!
The garden was created in 2003 when Kathy Hofschield, then a first grade teacher, received grants from both the Chicago Botanic Garden and the District 39 Educational Foundation. Harper students, parents, and teachers worked side by side with the horticulturists of the Chicago Botanic Garden to conceptualize and build the new space. Currently, the garden features six raised beds for planting fruits and vegetables, a cozy tree stump reading nook, a relaxing bridge over a Mexican Pebble “river,” and a beautiful hand-painted rock path through a wild prairie garden. The space has stayed true to Ms. Hofschield’s original goal to provide a sanctuary that encourages children to rest, reflect, and care for the environment.
Parent volunteers are absolutely vital to the success of the garden and the quality of each child’s experience while in it! Parents supervise and lead students in garden-related activities during lunch recess each Tuesday and Thursday during the Fall and Spring. Tuesdays are garden activity days, where students create garden-themed crafts and learn about the science of nature. Thursdays are for hands-on gardening. Students work in the garden planting, weeding, harvesting, and watering. Be prepared to get a little dirty!
In order to maintain the beautiful space and maximize learning time with students, the garden committee needs at least two parent volunteers each week from 11:35am – 12:25pm. No gardening experience is necessary, and younger siblings are welcome!
If you would like to volunteer in the garden, please follow this link to the SIGN UP GENIUS. If you have any questions, email the garden committee at garden@harperpto.com. We look forward to seeing you!
Unfortunately, due to staffing issues, we are unable to offer after-school garden club this Fall.
