Lost & Found

Summary:

Organize and return labeled items from lost & found racks with a team of volunteers.

Calendar of Responsibilities:

• Beginning of the school year - Check content of L&F file and complete according to list below. Decide on two weekly workdays and distribute volunteers amongst two teams. Volunteers should commit to one shift per week (30 - 45 minutes) until at least Winter Break. Ideal time is after 8:30 and before 10am recess when no kids are around. Please remember to work quietly so as not to disturb classes.
• Semi-weekly - Check the racks. A team of three or four empties the gray bin, sorts garments and objects on the racks and in the bins (small size garments on lower rack so that the younger kids can reach them, gloves and hats in one bin, etc.), and return labeled garments to the classroom. Check the name in the directory, place the garment in a grocery bag, attach label with teacher's name and room number to the bag and deliver bag to class' door. DO NOT DISTURB THE CLASS. Garments without a name should be marked with the "purge of the month flavor" colored marker and hung on the rack. Note: The content of the lunch boxes must be emptied. (Containers should be rinsed or taken home, washed and donated depending on their worth.)
• Monthly - Place insert in Pink Section informing parents of next "purge day" (when all garments left over six weeks are donated) and reminding them to check racks and write their child's last name clearly in permanent marker.
• Purge days – These generally take place every six to eight weeks and before Winter Break, Ski Week, Spring Break and End-of-School-Year. Purging means removing items that have been left for many weeks or damaged items that no one can use. Some items are not purged: SpiritWear and Ron Patrick jerseys are left until the end of the school year when they are washed and given to Marilyn Clark who will pass them on to NC families that cannot afford them.

Helpful Tools & Tips:

HELPFUL TOOLS (all contained in handy plastic file carrier in Volunteer Office):

• School directory (use class lists before directory is available)
• Markers of various colors ("purge of the month flavors")
• Stapler and pens
• Grocery bags (w/ handles is best)
• Stack of labels with list of teachers and their room numbers: Label “LOST & FOUND ITEMS" in very large letters and a request for the bag to be returned to the Volunteer Office.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Ask Marilyn Clark to make an announcement at the beginning of school functions, concerts, before or after assemblies where parents are present asking them to check the racks.
• Use a different color marker per "purge period." It will help determine how long a garment has spent on the rack and prevent purging items left just a day or two.
• Educate the parent population about the Lost & Found System often. This is a fairly new system, many parents are unaware of it. It will take some time. Stress as often as you can the importance of marking garments in bold, block letters using last names and not initials. "We are with the PTA not the CIA," as Milena Dixon quipped once. We have seen great progress this year in the growing number of items being labeled and the resulting neatness of the L & F racks. It has imparted a much more appealing look to that area of the lunch area.

• Questions? Email us at lostandfound@nc-pta.org