San Jose Betsuin Japanese Language School


2008-2009 Volunteer Deposit Program

The 2008-2009 volunteer deposit has been set at $40 per family, paid separately from the registration fee. The purpose of this deposit is to encourage parents and adult students to volunteer at the Japanese Language School. The deposit will be refunded at the end of the year when at least one of the following has been completed:

• Worked 3 yard duty days
• Worked 3 days in a classroom
• Worked a shift at Nikkei Matsuri
• Worked a shift at Obon Festival
• Worked full session at Mochitsuki / New Year event
• Worked four hours in other school related activities, e.g. Spirit of Japan, Nengajo (New Year Greeting Card)

After you volunteered, please send an email to Parent Association Volunteer Coordinator to let her know the volunteer job you did and the date you worked.

We realize that some of you may not have the time to volunteer. In this case, the $40 deposit will be treated as a donation to the school in lieu of volunteering. Please note that only the $40 volunteer deposit is refundable. The remaining $35 of the registration fee is non-refundable.

Details of the Volunteering Opportunities

Yard Duty
Three to four people are needed each Saturday to help with the snack sale and/or yard monitoring

During the first 15-minute break at 10:00AM, two or three yard duty volunteers will help with the snack sales. The snack sales volunteers will help set up the tables with snacks, sell snacks to the students ($0.50 each), and return snacks and tables to storage room after the break.

During both the 10:00AM and the 11:00AM 15-minute breaks, one yard duty monitor is needed to supervise the children while they play in the parking lot. This volunteer will put up the yellow chains to block the entrance and exit of the parking lot. The volunteer will ensure that cars are not to enter or leave the parking lot during the breaks and that students remain "on-campus".

Classroom Helper
The tasks of the classroom helper are at the discretion of the teachers.

Nikkei Matsuri
Nikkei Matsuri will be held on Sunday, April 26, 2009. This is the Japanese Language School's primary fundraiser. We will have a booth selling ice cream. The Nikkei Matsuri volunteer will help with the preparation and selling of the food (no cooking) and older students are allowed to help with this. Each shift is typically 3 hours. There are also shifts the day before and the day after to help with booth set-up and tear-down.

Obon Festival
Obon Festival will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2009 and Sunday, July 12, 2009. The Japanese Language School is obligated to run the gyoza booth every year in return for the use of the church buildings during the school year. The positions available are cashier, cook, helper, and supervisor. Only adults are allowed to fill the cooking position. Each shift is typically 3 hours. There are also shifts days before and the day after to help with booth set-up and tear-down.