This page provides information to help George Watts parents.  Is there something you’re looking for?  Something you’d like to know?   Tell us!

**** TREATING AND PREVENTING HEAD LICE ****

Head lice can spread quickly among children at school.  So parents, please check your children daily!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has a lot of detailed information on lice in both English and Spanish: http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/index.html

While harsh pesticide treatments like Nix and Rid are the only officially recommended remedies, there are many safe and often cheap home remedies that claim to treat and even prevent lice.  Note they are not proven effective, but they are something you may wish to consider.  Click here for a more information.

**** VOLUNTEERING AND PARENT INVOLVEMENT IDEAS ****

Parent involvement is a key determinant of student success.  Are you wondering what exactly “parent involvement” looks like?

Helping on the PTA is one way!  Click here for a list of George Watts PTA’s current volunteer opportunities. Your help is critical.

There are plenty of other ways, too!

*NOTE: If you would like to volunteer in the school, please fill out the Durham Public Schools Volunteer Application – click here to download it.

At Home

• Ask your children to explain what they learned in school.
• Create a homework space in your home.
• Have a weekly family reading or learning night.
• Make family outings learning experiences. When shopping, ask your children to calculate prices. Visit museums and other places and discuss what you see and learn.
• Help write/type/publish the class or school newsletter.
• Help the teacher with preparations and projects.
• Purchase healthy snacks for parties.
• Purchase items to be used in the classroom.
• Write newspaper editorials about the state of education in your area and suggestions for improvement.
• Translate letters to parents and other materials.

At School

• Read to a class.
• Participate in career day.
• Tutor students in a particular subject.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences.
• Attend school events (e.g., PTA meetings and Open School activities).
• Help with setup and cleanup for events.
• Join a PTA or Site-Based committee.
• Serve as a
  * Library assistant
  * Proctor for tests
  * Translator
  * Field trip chaperone
  * Lunch room monitor

In the Community

• Attend school board meetings.
• Ask coworkers to mentor students or volunteer for a specific purpose at the school.
• Secure donations of supplies for the school.
• Ask your employer to allow parents to go to the school during the day to help out in the classroom.
• Help create community partnerships with local businesses and organizations.

**** AFTER SCHOOL CARE OPTIONS ****

To help accommodate the schedules of working parents, Community Education provides after school care until 6:00 pm at public elementary schools in Durham, including George Watts. Before school care starting at 6:45 am is also available.

Click here for more information about school-based before and after school care.

HOWEVER, this after school program is available only to students who are in Kindergarten or older.  It is NOT available for students in pre-K.  Unlike many public schools, George Watts is privileged to accept students beginning in pre-Kindergarten or “pre-K” at age 4.  Many parents struggle to find suitable after school care arrangements for their students, especially for those in pre-K.

Here are some options that George Watts parents have used:

EXTERNAL ORGANIZED PROGRAMS

In addition to regular after school times, these programs also take kids on early release days (when, once a month, students are released from school 2 hours early) and on some other days when school is closed.

• Walltown Children’s Theatre – After School Arts Program
  1225 Berkeley St.
  4:00-6:30 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
  The after school program costs $500 for 10 weeks Sept 8-Dec 13.  Fee includes up to two classes per day, snacks, and homework help.
  Contact Cynthia Penn at 286-4545 for more information.
  Walltown Children’s Theatre also offers classes in ballet, jazz/tap, guitar, acting, etc for $155 per class.
• SEEDS garden-based after-school program called “SEEDlings”
  706 Gilbert St.
  Grades 1-5
  3:30-5:45 pm Monday – Friday
  Parents may request a school bus to drop their students at the program. Tuition for 1 semester is $180, and they have sliding scale, scholarship and payment options.  SEEDlings provides fun, engaging projects in the kitchen, garden and indoor common area.  Each day the kids receive a snack, tutoring, and homework help.  Contact SEEDlings coordinators Thad Bennett (683-1197, tbennett@seedsnc.org) or Jessamine Hyatt (683-1197, jessamine@seedsnc.org)
• YMCA
  Lakewood branch: 2119 Chapel Hill Rd.
  Downtown branch: 215 Morgan St.
  Pre-K to 5th grade
  As of the 2008-09 school year, the Lakewood branch has an afterschool program.  George Watts students may take a school bus there after school, but the YMCA would consider providing its own transportation from George Watts if enough students from the school sign up.

  The downtown branch did not have an afterschool program in 2008-09 but there is a good chance that they will have one in the 2009-2010 school year, especially if there is enough interest from George Watts families.  If interested, please contact:

  Gordon Sinclair, Director of Youth Programs, (919) 493-4502 ext. 139
  gordon.sinclair@ ymcatriangle. org

  In order for the YMCA to provide transportation, there will need to be at least 10 students from George Watts participating.

• Wonderland Enrichment Arts
  1101 W. Main St.
  Ages 3-6
  This is the after school counterpart to Indigo Montessori, a private Montessori preschool and Kindergarten.  There is a taxi van that picks up at George Watts.

PRIVATE CAREGIVERS

Many parents hire a nanny or sitter to pick up their children and care for them after school.  How to find one?

• Place an ad on Craig’s List.
• Place an ad on the Duke Trading Post web site (for Duke employees).
• Check out care.com.  You pay something like $25 for a month of searching (you can see all the profiles without paying, but you can only contact candidates if you pay).
• Contact the Education departments at local universities – North Carolina Central, Duke, UNC.  Professors in Early Childhood Education may have some students interested in this kind of work opportunity.

JOINING FORCES WITH OTHER FAMILIES

Many families also work together with one or two other families to make arrangements more affordable and easier.  Some ideas:

• Share a nanny or sitter.
• Reduce the number of days per week you need a nanny or sitter.  Each family arranges work schedules so that a parent from each family, instead of the nanny/sitter, takes the kids once a week.
• Carpool for pick up from afterschool programs.

To find another family to pair up with:

• Ask the WattsPTA listserv.
• Ask the Trinity Park or Trinity Park Parents listserv.
• Ask the Message Board of the Trinity Heights Neighborhood Association.
• Put a note on the PTA bulletin board just inside the Urban Ave. (carpool lane area) school entrance.

Do you know of any other programs or have any other ideas?  Let us know!