ESPO Activities

Pizza Lunch | Halloween | Bake Sale | Book Fair | Art Show | Faculty & Staff Meeting Treats | Faculty & Staff Appreciation Luncheon | Field Day/Food Gatherers | Program Enrichment Program | Emerson Cares | Additional Opportunities to Serve Emerson

Pizza Lunch - The very popular Friday tradition continues this year! We count on a rotating team of parent volunteers to set up and deliver pizza lunches to the classrooms. Each Friday, two work shifts are available – this flexible scheduling helps to ensure participation from as many families as possible. Pizza Lunch is ESPO’s largest fundraiser of the year and the financial backbone of our programming. Volunteers can indicate the specific days that they are available to help on the special pizza sign-up sheet in RenWeb.

    Halloween Festivities (October 31) - The day of Halloween festivities is fun and exciting day for students, faculty, and parent volunteers. A school-wide parade is held in the morning and an ESPO sponsored carnival is held in the afternoon for the lower school. We rely on parents to run game booths, bring refreshments, and help set up and take down booths at the carnival. Volunteers are needed the week before the carnival, to decorate the school and fill goodie bags, as well as on the day of the event. Decorating typically takes place on the weekend and is a great opportunity for those parents who may have difficulty volunteering on weekdays. Please note that parents of Kindergartners should not volunteer to help at this event, as they are requested to accompany their children to the carnival.

Bake Sale (November 20) - This event is an old favorite! Parents are needed to bake, help with set-up, sell baked goods, and clean up. This is a great opportunity for students and families to purchase wonderful homemade treats, cakes, pies and cookies – just in time for Thanksgiving celebrations. Money raised at the Bake Sale has historically been given to the Technology Program to fund equipment benefiting the entire school.

Book Fair (November 11 - 13) - These annual events are held at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in November and at local retailer Nicola's Books in May. The book fairs give families a chance to shop for books, music and treats while raising funds for Emerson’s library. A percentage of the sales (excluding gift card sales) are donated to Emerson’s library. Volunteers are needed to help with promotions, teacher wish lists, teacher and student book reviews, and assisting at the stores during the events.

Art Show (Week of April 8-12) - Parents are needed to help prepare the school for Art/Music Nights, which are held by grade level in late April and early May. Parents organize and hang the art in the week preceding the first Art/Music Night. Come, join the display team, and decorate the school with each child’s precious works of art.

Emerson Cares - Emerson Cares is a pool of volunteers who may be called upon to support Emerson community members in times of need.

Meeting Refreshments (Monthly September thru May) - To enhance the fun aspect of the parent gatherings, this committee provides volunteers willing to bake or help pick-up purchased refreshments served during both the informal social gathering period before the meetings and during the meetings themselves.

EPIC (Experienced Persons in the Community) - The EPIC committee is charged with searching out presentations that add to the school’s curriculum. EPIC is interested in hearing your ideas for potential presentations. Please contact the event Chair or Co-Chair to submit your ideas.

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Lunch - Parents in the Emerson community are very appreciative of Emerson’s faculty and staff. To express our gratitude, we provide a special lunch for them and a gift to show our appreciation. Help is needed with food preparation, set-up, decoration, serving, and clean up. Additional help is needed to cover classrooms during the lunch so teachers can have a full hour to enjoy the meal with their colleagues.

Faculty & Staff Treats - This committee provides treats for faculty and staff at their monthly meetings. Staff meetings are held at the end of the school day when a little snack is truly appreciated!  This committee also ensures that food is provided for the teachers during the fall Parent-teacher conference days.

Field Day and Food Gatherers (May) - Parents have the opportunity to be a part of this favorite day by assisting with games and races.  The fifth annual collection of food for Food Gathers will also take place on this day.

Additional volunteer opportunities to serve Emerson
(not under the leadership of ESPO):

Grandfriends' Day (November 20) - The Development Office can use your help in preparing the invitation mailing for this special day and in helping our grandfriends feel welcomed to the school.

Auction (March 15 and the weeks leading up to the event) - A great evening for parents and friends and the largest Emerson fundraiser of the year, the annual auction can use many hands for small jobs, big jobs and one-time projects. Running errands, making calls, creating displays, tracking information, assisting with student projects....the list of needs goes on and on. Please consider lending your time and talents.