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HV Recess Volunteer Information

Recess & Lunch Volunteer Information

Thank you for helping make Happy Valley Elementary a place where all students feel safe, welcome, and loved! Read on for information about volunteer and student expectations, helpful resources, and frequently asked questions. 

Sign up to volunteer at https://bit.ly/RecessHelp 

or using the QR Code.

QR code for HV Recess Volunteer Signup

Volunteer Roles & Student Expectations

RECESS
Volunteer Role

 

  • Play with kids.
  • Help problem-solve social issues around rules of games, sharing, and taking turns.
Student Expectations

 

  • I enter and exit the playground safely.
  • I stay in boundaries.
  • I own my actions.
  • I have fun and include others.
  • I have a safe body.
  • I return my equipment.
  • I take turns and share.
  • I follow adult directions.
  • I solve problems. (See Kelso’s Choice Wheel below.)
LUNCH
Volunteer Role

 

  • Talk with kids.
  • Open food items.
  • Help with traffic flow.
Student Expectations

 

  • I walk in the cafeteria.
  • I stay in my assigned area.
  • I take one trip through the salad bar.
  • I have a level two voice.
  • I clean up my area.
  • I keep my food in my eating space.
  • I help others. 
  • I solve problems. (See Kelso’s Choice Wheel below.)
  • I follow adult directions.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

If volunteers see or hear about any conduct violations, injuries, or anything that feels uncomfortable, they should report that information to the recess or café supervisor. 

Resources for Volunteers

Promoting Kindness 

At Happy Valley, we want to ensure that our students are kind, anti-racist, loving individuals that work across differences and solve problems productively. Students, teachers, family members, community, and volunteers all play an important role in promoting these goals.

One important part we all must play is in interrupting dehumanizing words and behaviors whenever we see them. We exist in a society where we are all exposed to racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, and other dehumanizing ideas, and so it is not surprising that these ideas occasionally surface in our students’ language and behavior. Addressing these situations may be uncomfortable, but if we are silent, we send the message that dehumanizing behaviors and language are acceptable. In all the roles that you play, we encourage you to interrupt dehumanizing language.

At school, we try to help students understand the impact that these words can have, regardless of their intention. We help students learn to resolve conflict in ways that do not demean other people. Below are resources from BPS that inform the work we do. We encourage you to learn from these resources.

In your role as volunteer, please communicate with and seek support from the recess or cafe supervisor if situations arise.

 

​​From BPS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

For more information, visit https://bellinghamschools.org/about/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/ 

Things We See in Our Schools 

    • Playful use of racial slurs between friends and “passes” for use of dehumanizing language. 
    • Angry use of racial and identity-based slurs. 
    • Intentional misuse of pronouns and names.  
  • Harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students from protected groups.  

Interrupting Hate Speech

BPS teaches the Interrupt, Question, Educate, and Echo approach to interrupt hate speech. Each of us plays an active role in standing up to hate speech and promoting a culture of respect in our communities. 

  • Interrupt: We all can interrupt hate speech by speaking up when we hear hate speech. Everyone has different comfort levels when interrupting so it could sound like:  
    • Please don’t say that. It’s disrespectful / It’s dehumanizing. 
    • That’s not funny.   
    • That’s not okay. 
    • Not cool.  
  • Question: Let’s ask questions to challenge the hate speech and encourage critical thinking. We can ask questions like, “Why do you think it’s okay to say things like that?” or “Where do you think that word came from?” 
  • Educate: We can educate others about the harmful effects of hate speech and the importance of treating each person with respect. We can share information about the impact of hurtful words and the value of diversity and inclusivity. 
  • Echo: Let’s echo positive messages and values to counteract hate speech. We can repeat what the interrupter said to show support like, “I agree with [student name], that’s not funny,” or “We don’t say that.” We can also repeat affirming statements such as, “Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect,” or “We’re all different, and that’s what makes us special.” 

 

Problem-Solving

To support students with solving social issues around rules of games, sharing and taking turns, we use Kelso’s Choices. This model is typically used for Pre-K – grade 2, but the ideas are useful for all ages. See the chart on the right. 

More info at https://kelsoschoice.com/. 

A wheel displaying Kelso's Choices

Recess Activities

Recess volunteers are encouraged to lead games or activities with students! You can find ideas at https://www.recesslab.org/resources/#explore, ask the recess supervisor for suggestions, or try one of these favorites:

  • Four square
  • Soccer
  • Basketball
  • Wall ball
  • Creative ways of playing tag

Recess & Lunch Schedule

 

MORNING RECESS MTWF Thursday
PK & K 9:05 – 9:20 8;40 – 8:55
1st Grade  9:20 – 9:35 8:55 – 9:10
1st Grade  9:35 – 9:50 9:10 – 9:25
3rd Grade (Roselli/Moss-Owen)  9:45 – 10:00 9:25 – 9:40
2nd Grade 10:00 – 10:15  9:40 – 9:55
4th / 5th  10:20 – 10:35  8;40 – 8:55

 

RECESS / LUNCH – MTWF Recess Lunch
PK/PK/K 10:50-11:10 11:10-11:30
1st Gr. 11:00-11:20 11:20-11:40 
1st Gr. 11:10-11:30 11:30-11:50
 Kinder 11:25 – 11:45 11:45-12:05
2nd Gr.  11:40-12:00 12:00-12:20
2nd & 3rd Gr.  11:50 – 12:10 12:10-12:30
3rd Gr. 12:00-12:20 12:20-12:40
4th Gr. 12:20-12:40 12:40-1:00
4th / 5th Gr. 12:30-12:50 12:50-1:10
5th Gr. 12:40 – 1:00 1:00 – 1:20 

 

RECESS / LUNCH – Thursday Recess Lunch
PK/PK/K 10:10-10:30 10:30 – 10:50
1st Gr. 10:20 – 10:40 10:40 – 11:00
1st Gr. 10:30 – 10:50 10:50 – 11:10
Kinder 10:40 – 11:00 11:00 – 11:20
2nd Gr.  10:50 – 11:10 11:10 – 11:30
2nd & 3rd Gr.  11:00 – 11:20 11:20 – 11:40
3rd Gr. 11:10 – 11:30 11:30 – 11:50
4th Gr. 11:20 – 11:40 11:40 – 12:00
4th / 5th Gr. 11:30 – 11:50 11:50 – 12:10
5th Gr. 11:40 – 12:00 12:00 – 12:20 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What if I forgot to sign up, but have time to volunteer?
    • No problem. As long as your background check is complete, you can drop-in to volunteer at recess or lunch. Just be sure to sign in at the office and check in with the recess or lunch supervisor, so they know you are available to support.
  2. What if I signed up for a shift, but have to cancel?
  3. I want to volunteer at a time when I can see both my children, but one class is in the earlier/little kid shift and the other is in the later/big kid shift. Can I stay for a period of time that doesn’t exactly match up with what is on the sign up calendar?
    • Sure! Ideally, you would sign up for one time slot and stay that whole time, plus any additional time you want to stay for the other child. If you sign up for a time and aren’t able to stay the whole time, someone else may choose not to sign up and we will have gaps in coverage. 
  4. How do I sign up to volunteer for a PTA event or in my child’s classroom?

 

Questions? Comments? 

If you have questions or comments about this parent-led volunteer effort, please contact 

Michelle Burkhart (parent of Miles, 2nd grade) & Sara Mankse (parent of Soren, 2nd grade) at volunteercoordinator@happyvalleypta.com 

 

You can also contact the school directly:

Laura Murdzia at Laura.Murdzia@bellinghamschools.org  

Principal Kelly Gouveia at Kelly.Gouveia@bellinghamschools.org