Volunteering at Northrop

Special Events: Events like Field Day take a lot of adults to make the magic happen. We hope you'll join in these fun once a year events!

Classroom volunteering: Many teachers appreciate adults who can come in on a regular basis to help work with small groups or individual students. Others can use a hand with occasional projects or special events. Most classroom volunteer needs are coordinated by individual teachers. Please contact your child's teacher for details about their classroom needs. 

Media Center helpers: Ms. Laura can always use help reshelving books. After a quick tutorial, a (relatively) quiet hour spent putting book away is a big help!

Lunchroom helpers: During lunch, it can be helpful to have adults who can open containers and help kids get their trash where it goes.

Recess game leaders: Want to lead a playground game once a week? We'd love to have you!

Bike Unit: When the bike unit comes to Northrop, we need a number of adults to get 3rd, 4th and 5th graders as much riding time as possible. No bike needed. Volunteers helps us get kids on their bike quickly by helping them adjust helmets and bike seats. Depending on the grade, they can also help kids learn to ride or accompany class bike rides in the neighborhood.

Event Volunteers: The PTA needs many volunteers to help support evening events like Rally Around Northrop and Northrop Night Out.

Lost and Found Organizers: Perfect for caregivers who pick up from Minneapolis Kids, we need folks to keep the Lost and Found tidy and then to wash and donate items quarterly.

Volunteers help keep our gardens healthy, beautiful and watered all summer. There are also occasional spring/fall projects to help nurture the grounds around the school.

Reading Partners is a program that trains volunteers to support students needing extra support in literacy. Each Reading Partner gets paired with a student who they meet with weekly.

More information is available on the Reading Partners website.

Art Adventure brings the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s collection into K-6 classrooms to inspire creativity, critical thinking, and global awareness. Volunteers, known as Picture People, facilitate these interactions by presenting and discussing artworks. You do NOT need to have classroom experience, know about art/history, or know how to make art. This is really about being with children in your community, letting them make connections and getting excited about the art they'll see at the MIA. The training provides all the information you'll need about the art. It’s really a unique volunteering experience.

Volunteer Roles and Commitments:

• Training:
  • Required training for the theme of the year, with options available in both the evening and daytime
  • Optional in-person tour at the MIA
• Classroom Visits (Late February or Early March):
  • Facilitate one or two sessions in your child’s classroom.
  • Each session involves engaging students in discussion about three artworks.
• March Field Trip: Optional to join your child’s class for a tour of the MIA to see the artworks in person.

For more information, contact Luisa Fose, a Northrop parent who coordinates Northrop's Art Adventure volunteers.