Harper PTO

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Community Review Committee

We are looking for one more parent volunteer to represent Harper on this important district-wide committee.The mission of the CRC is to research and advise the Board of Education on specific topics that will lead to improvements in teaching & learning. This year, the CRC will also participate in the strategic planning process for the district.  The committee meets monthly from 7:00-8:30pm. If interested, contact Emily Primosch at ptopresident@harperpto.com.

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 11:20am and ends at 12:45pm.

Click here to sign up.

If you are unable to fulfill your commitment, please seek out your replacement by asking a friend or posting on the parents Facebook page. The sign up genius must be updated to reflect the accurate names of volunteers for security purposes. Thanks in advance!

Contact cafeteria@harperpto.com with any questions.

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!

Library Volunteers

Library (also known as the Learning Commons)

Would you like to be a volunteer in the Harper Library?  Working in the library is a great way to spend time with your child’s class in a quiet, relaxed environment. 

•Help shelve library books

•Assist students with book checkout

•Read with students after book checkout

To sign up for a session for your child’s class, click on the links below!

K – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b49acae22a2fa7-kindergarten

1st – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B49ACAE22A2FA7-first1#/

2nd – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b49acae22a2fa7-second

3rd – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b49acae22a2fa7-third

4th – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b49acae22a2fa7-fourth

Don’t forget to bring your drivers license to check in!

Contact library@harperpto.com with any questions.

Harper Garden

The Harper 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! Students work in the garden planting, weeding, harvesting, and watering. Be prepared to get a little dirty while volunteering!

The Organic Gardener is ready to get started on our garden beds!!

  • We are planning to prepare the garden beds for planting this Thursday, May 4th.
  • We are planning to plant the garden on May 24th with summer growing crops that will be harvested in the fall.
  • Starting June 8th, we will maintain the garden every other Thursday afternoon.
  • When school resumes in the fall, we will welcome classes into the garden twice a month on Thursday afternoons.
We will be looking for families and volunteers to help us water the garden this summer.  Most likely the days will be Sundays and Tuesdays.  I am going to create a signup genius for this and will send it to you when it’s ready!

More information on volunteer sign ups coming soon!  Please email the Garden committee at garden@harperpto.com with any questions.