Volunteer for the GeoBowl!  How can you get involved?  

Please email erikaocallaway@hotmail.com to volunteer.
 
Since there are several phases of the GeoBowl, it takes many volunteers to make this wonderful enrichment activity happen for all of our kids.  Here are some ways to get involved:
 
1) Help your child and their friends complete their GeoBowl packets.  Work with your student and think about hosting a playdate to work on the GeoBowl packet together with friends.
 
2) Help with a GeoBowl packet party before or after school.  These are held at PBES one hour before school or one hour after school on select dates to help students work on their GeoBowl packets.
 
3) Be a Packet Corrector for your child's class.  Would you like to volunteer more in your child's classroom or for the PTA, but your schedule doesn't allow it?  Here's an easy way to make a big contribution -- on your own time.  This is a PTA led enrichment activity, and we try to place the least amount of burden possible on the teachers since they already have more than full loads.  Parents/caregivers are the graders of the GeoBowl packets.  If you volunteer, you will be given a key and detailed instructions.  Normally, an average of 50-60% of students complete their packets, so it ends up being around 15 or so packets per class to correct over the 3 weeks.  You correct packets and send them back to school as you get them, so you don't have to do all of them at once. 
 
Here's more information on how being a Packet Corrector works:
1) We send you an answer key, red pen, and instructions for correcting packets.
2) The teacher sends home completed packets in a big envelope in your child's backpack as they are turned in.
3) You correct them (before work, at lunch, after your child is asleep, etc.), and send them back with your child to the teacher as soon as possible.  (You don't wait to send them all back at once.)  So, again, you won't get all of them at one time.  A few here, a few another day, and you correct and return them as soon as possible, so the students get their packets back quickly.
 
It's probably a total of 2 to 2.5 volunteer hours over the 3 week span that packets are out (Jan 3 - 29) and can be done on your own time.  Volunteering doesn't get much easier than that, and it's a huge help!
 
4) Be a Lunch Bunch Leader.  For four weeks before the GeoBowl competitions, GeoBowl teams meet with a parent/caregiver volunteer one day per week at lunch to study for the GeoBowl.  This is a wonderful opportunity to have lunch with your child once a week for four weeks and coach their team.  We give you a simple study guide for each of the 4 sessions, so you don't need to come up with any of the content.  You show up for the 35 minute lunch period and help your team study.
More information about becoming a lunch bunch leader:
Lunch Bunches are the 4 study sessions leading up to the GeoBowl competitions, so teams (of 8-10 students) can study before the competitions.  
    • You pick one day of the week during the weeks of February 17, February 24, March 2, and March 9 that you can come to PBES during the 35 minute lunch period to help the kids study. 4 sessions total.  (We prefer that you come on the same day of the week for 4 weeks for ease of scheduling, but if that can't work for you and you need to do 2 Tuesdays and 2 Wednesdays, for example, that's ok, too!)  
    • You don't have to be good at Geography!  We give you a simple study guide for the teams, so you don't need to prepare anything on your own.
    • You can be your child's lunch bunch leader (if they turn in a completed GeoBowl packet by Wed., Jan 29) and see them at lunch (or not - you could also coach another team)!  
    • It's great if you can lead at least 2 teams (or both pods of a grade) or more if your time allows, but we will take whatever time you can give.
    • You go to a designated classroom, so the only students in the room are those assigned to your lunch bunch. 
    •  In order to volunteer, you must complete the volunteer training available at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/childabuseandneglect/#Volunteer.  This training is required every 3 years, so if you took it in order to volunteer last year or the year before, you're still good.
    • This is a fun part of the GeoBowl process and gets the kids geared up for their team competition.  Please consider helping!
    • Here are the class lunch times: 
      • 10:45-11:20 3A Claxton, Giles, Granados, Hernandez
      • 11:20-11:55 3B Dunlap, Eisenberg, Gillmann, Meyer, Rawson
      • 11:55-12:30 4A Cottrell, Moran, Pendleton, Rumsey
      • 12:30-1:05 4B Plummer, Richie, Scarborough, Serra, Snyder
      • 1:05-1:40 5A Kenney, Luker, Lee, Tolson, Madsen
      • 1:40-2:15 5B Bass, Goldman, Lane, Patrick, Rook
5) Volunteer for the GeoBowl Competitions on March 16 and 17.  On Bowl days we need many parents to run the GeoBowls smoothly.  Can you help by serving as the timekeeper or a judge or question manager or scorekeeper?  All the jobs are already prepared (no advance prep on your part), and all you need to do is show up!  The Bowls are separated by grade and pod, so we actually have 6 GeoBowl competitions (2 per grade).  The days/times for each pod will soon be determined, and there will be a Sign-Up Genius link here to volunteer.
 
Thank you for your support of the Piney Branch Elementary School GeoBowl!