Committees

At Mistral, “Every Family Helps” in a way that fits their schedule and budget. One way to help is to join one of our PTA parent-led committees. Parent participation is important for enabling quality programs and events for our students and families.  It’s also a fun way to meet other parents and contribute in a meaningful way.  Committees are organized through Konstella.

Here are just a few examples of how you can participate:

For family members with time during the school day:

  • Helping the teacher in the classroom. The teacher may ask you to make copies, organize homework bags, clean tables, or help support kids with specific tasks
  • Becoming a room parent for your child’s classroom. Room parents support the teacher and help communicate with other parents about classroom activities
  • Reading in your child’s classroom once a month for Project Cornerstone

For working parents who can take time off work here and there to be in the classroom:

  • Assisting the teacher during science experiments or math or reading tables
  • Participating in the Hour of Code event
  • Chaperone on a classroom field trip

For family members who have time outside of school hours:

  • Helping out with after school events like Math Night, the Ice Skating Party, or potlucks
  • Joining a parent-led committee like the Website or STEM committees where meetings are at night and work is mainly over email
  • Researching and applying for potential grants for Mistral school and PTA programs

Great, so you’re ready to pitch in…  Let us know if any of these volunteer opportunities interest you.  Don’t see anything that fits?  Tell us how you’d like to contribute!

Afterschool Enrichment
Commitment: Year round
Mistral has one of the most comprehensive after-school enrichment programs in Mountain View, running multiple sessions of enriching after-school activities for kids such as yoga, cartoon drawing, chess and Lego engineering. Many kids from all backgrounds participate in these programs. Help dream up, organize and coordinate classes.

  • Registration manager – coordinate registration for classes
  • Finance manager – manage donations and payments for classes
  • Class coordinators – help coordinate logistics for one or more classes

Class Posting
Commitment: June-August
Mistral’s Class Posting event, typically held on the Thursday before school starts in August, is one of our most important fundraisers. Families come to see which classroom their child will be in and make critical donations to the school. Help make this operation smooth and enjoyable for families.

Communications
Commitment: Year round
So much goes on at school that it takes the work of many to ensure parents and families are well informed.  Do you like to write and edit? Help with the weekly newsletter, “Qué”. Are you a design guru? We need your help with designing posters and communication materials!

  • Konstella administrator – Manage and maintain our communication platform
  • Konstella community advocate –help on-board parents to our new tool
  • PTA general meeting coordinator – line up guest speakers
  • Webmaster – Manage the PTA site
  • Social Media Lead – manage our Facebook site and Twitter account

Community Events
Commitment: By event
We are a community that loves to come together to support our kids, especially when learning and fun are involved. If you love planning events then this is your committee. Help plan and organize fun school events.

  • Día de los Muertos – Plan our Day of the Dead celebration
  • Ice Skating Party – Help schedule, plan, and throw the winter Ice Skating Party
  • Share Fair – members of our community bring gently used and no-longer-needed items to “share” with each other. You gather and bring what you’d like to donate and take anything you would like or need. No money is exchanged during this event.
  • Beginning of Year Potlucks – Organize the grade level potlucks
  • Staff and Teacher Appreciation – Organize staff appreciation events
  • Talent Show – Coordinate tryouts and logistics for the talent show
  • Spanish Movie Nights – Coordinate logistics

Field Trips
Commitment: May – September
The PTA funds and plans at least 3 field trips a year for every student (1 performing arts, 1 science and 1 social studies trip). Many children experience their first play or museum on a Mistral field trip. Help extend this important learning opportunity to our kids by coordinating field trips for a grade level.

Fundraising and Grant Writing
Commitment: Year round or as needed
Mistral is one of the top fundraising schools in the district thanks to the ingenuity and dedication of parents and school staff. Help us implement and improve our fundraising efforts!

  • Box Tops and Labels for Education Coordinator – collect labels from parents throughout the year
  • Amazon Smile Coordinator – On-board Amazon shoppers to Amazon Smile, the program where 0.5% of purchases go toward the Mistral PTA
  • Retail Fundraising Coordinator – coordinate participation in other retail fundraising programs such as Benefit Mobile and local stores and restaurants.
  • Corporate Employer Match Coordinator – Follow up with parents who work for an employer with an employee match program.
  • Grant researcher and writer – Coordinate with the Principal and PTA to research and write grants for school and PTA programs

Hospitality
Commitment: Low, year round
We are passionate about food and love to roll out the red carpet for visitors, especially at our new family recruiting nights. Help spice up our monthly PTA board and general meetings with some yummy fare and show the community what an awesome multicultural melting pot we have at our recruiting nights. Perfect for foodies.

New Family Recruiting
Remember what it was like when you were scouting elementary schools? Now that you’re on the other side of the fence, join the cause and help spread the word about our choice school.

  • Parent Coffees – host coffee meet-ups for prospective parents (Dec.-Jan.)
  • Kinder Info Night – help coordinate logistics for the big event (Nov.-Dec.)
  • Incoming Kinder Potluck Coordinator (May)
  • Incoming Kinder Summer Newsletter Editor – keep new families informed! (May-June)

Outdoor Learning and Garden
Commitment: One-time or year-round
Bring the garden to the classroom by volunteering on this hands-on committee. Mistral has two beautiful gardens where children learn about plants and where our food production. Join in on one of our garden clean-up days or help plan and coordinate outdoor learning.

Project Cornerstone
Commitment: Year round
Project Cornerstone focuses on the whole child by teaching students about communication, conflict resolution and self esteem.  Parent involvement is critical for its success. Learn more about Project Cornerstone at www.projectcornerstone.org.

  • Monthly Classroom Reader and Guide – Read Project Cornerstone books to your child’s classroom and lead discussions on a monthly basis

Room Parent Program
Commitment: Year round
Every class at Mistral has 1-2 room parents who support the teacher and help communicate with parents. If you are a dedicated room parent and want to pass your knowledge and experience onto other room parents, please join this committee.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)
Commitment: Year round
Calling all Silicon Valley engineers and scientists! We know you are out there. Join the STEM Committee in narrowing the digital divide and extending a love of STEM to ALL kids and families at Mistral through fun events

  • Math Night – Coordinate an evening of fun math games!
  • Hour of Code – Share your love of coding during Mistral’s Hour of Code week
  • Science Fair – Help plan and pull off the Science Fair in March

Walkathon and Silent Auction 

Commitment: May – October
The Walkathon and Silent Auction, otherwise known as WATSA, is the fundraising event of the year for Mistral and the PTA.  We count on every family to help with this event, either by serving on a WATSA committee or helping out on the day of the event.

  1. Registration: distribute the required WATSA information out to each student and family and track who has and has not turned in their permission slip.
  2. Silent Auction: organize and run the Silent Auction.
  3. Finance Team: collect, track, account and report on the income and expenses of the WATSA, including ticket sales and check out.
  4. Publicity: educate parents about the WATSA purpose, procedures and processes, market and advertise the WATSA, and get the kids excited about the WATSA and to order T-shirts, including assemblies and skits.
  5. Lap Prizes: define lap prize levels and lap prizes, purchase and organize lap prizes, plan the distribution of lap prizes, and the process that we determine the number of laps a student walked.
  6. Food: gather as many donations of food as possible, purchase all food and supplies need to make super delicious food, prepare all food, sell food, and clean up food prep area at the end.
  7. Bake Sale: encourage Mistral families to donate baked good for the bake sale, coordinate donations, stage and staff bake sale tables.
  8. Logistics: plan out the layout of the event including the course and where all the various activities will take place, order necessary equipment
  9. Volunteer Organizing: organize the people who volunteer.