VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

These are a few ways volunteers may assist our schools. The hours worked by every volunteer should be recorded in the VIPS HourTracker system. Volunteer hours are counted as the actual time spent on an activity including travel time to and from the activity. Donation of purchased items (cookies, office supplies, etc.) should be recorded and reported along with volunteer hours.

Work at Home

• Telephone parents concerning school or PTA activities
• Secure speakers for special school activities
• Prepare class displays
• Make bulletin board materials
• Design communication fliers
• Make costumes for plays; build sets
• Bake or purchase items sent to school for special occasions
• Cut out materials to be laminated
• Baby sit children so their parents may volunteer

Work Directly with Students

• Tutor or mentor individuals
• Mentor a group of students through TEAMS at LD Bell High School or Trojan Talk at Trinity High School
• Read aloud to students or listen to them practice reading
• Present cultural programs
• Represent colleges on career day
• Share slide presentations from educational vacations
• Help in computer lab
• Present information on vocational/professional roles in community
• Be a school crossing guard

Do Clerical Work

• Check homework with objective answers
• Translate materials for parents/students
• Type materials for the classroom
• Collate, laminate and duplicate materials
• Do Special Events or Projects

Help with carnivals or other events

• Help with school improvement projects
• Work in the school book fair
• Help with special art projects for cultural arts
• Chaperone a field trip or fundraising activity
• Serve as a judge for special competitions

Work in the Library

• Reshelf returned books
• Assist students in locating books and resources
• Give book reviews to classes

Work in the School Office

• Assist school secretary

Work with PTA

• Committee member
• Help with fundraiser
• Write articles for newsletter
• Attend PTA training
• Attending PTA meetings
• Attend school board meetings
• Assist with District Clothes Closet and/or School Supply Closet

WAYS VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP - THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL 

• Answer phones in the office
• Tell stories to children
• Listen to children read
• Conduct flash card drills
• Provide individual help
• Assist in learning centers
• Help contact parents
• Reproduce materials
• Work in clinic or library
• Check out audio-visual equipment
• Practice vocabulary with non-English speaking students
• Make instructional games
• Play instructional games
• Play games at recess
• Assist with visual tests
• Prepare visual materials
• Check papers against answer key
• Prepare bulletin boards
• Help with book fairs
• Make props for plays
• Set up or run bookstore or book exchange
• Gather resource materials
• Help children learn to type or use computers
• Teach children to sew or knot
• Check out books from public library
• Setup experiments
• Take attendance
• Collect lunch money
• Escort children to bathroom, library or cafeteria
• Work on perceptual activities
• Do clerical work
• Make lists of library resources
• Work with a child who is handicapped
• Prepare teaching materials
• Record grades
• Supervise groups taking tests
• Discuss careers or hobbies
• Show filmstrip to a group
• Help young children with walking on a balance beam, jumping rope or skipping
• Reinforce learning of alphabet
• Reinforce recognition of numerals
• Drill recognition of color words
• Talk to children...be a friend
• Help children learn a foreign language
• Play a musical instrument
• Help students who play instruments
• Make puppets
• Dramatize a story
• Help with handwriting practice
• Set up a "grocery store" to practice math skills
• Drill spelling words
• Make ready carrels from boxes
• Tell stories with puppets or with a flannel board
• Assist with sing-a-longs
• Show slides about a particular topic
• Discuss care and training of pets
• Demonstrate different artistic abilities
• Discuss the importance of understanding others
• Discuss attitudes, feelings or emotions
• Share ethnic backgrounds and experiences
• Discuss farm life and farm animals
• Demonstrate gardening
• Help prepare assemblies or programs
• Discuss holidays or special occasions
• Discuss aspects of safety
• Share information about local history
• Discuss different handicaps
• Demonstrate pioneer crafts such as weaving, candle making or soap making
• Assist in preparing mini-courses in photography, creative dramatics, knitting or square-dancing

WAYS VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP - THE SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL

• Volunteers can help answer phones or perform clerical duties (copying papers)
• Volunteers who are native speakers from other countries, and people who speak foreign languages fluently can give language students extra practice in conversation.
• Volunteers can be available in guidance offices to help students find answers to questions about careers, training opportunities and college selection.
• Volunteers can contribute to social studies units. Resource people from the community can speak or be interviewed on topics in which they have experience or expertise. A senior citizen can supply details on local history, others may describe their personal participation in events such as the bombing in London during World War II, the Nazi holocaust, the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, political campaigns or other current events. A city planner might discuss urban renewal or current zoning problems.
• Volunteers can help students use library sources and assist with research projects.
• Volunteers can assist teachers in gathering resources for units of study.
• Volunteer nurses may extend the work of the school nurse. For example, they might help teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to health classes.
• Volunteers can prepare tactile materials for visually impaired students, using large print typewriters, Brailing machines, etc.
• Volunteers can tape record textbooks so that students who have reading problems may listen a cassettes as they read their assignments.
• Volunteers can assist in science and math laboratories.
• Volunteers can help organize college fairs or a career exploration day.
• Volunteers can help in vocational classrooms and laboratories, such as printing, auto mechanics, commercial food and sewing, industrial arts or construction trades. Volunteers can accompany the school chorus and help build sets for the school play.
• Volunteer artists and performers, including musicians and dancers, can assist and encourage students who aspire to careersand fine arts.
• Volunteers can arrange meaningful field trips into the community to augment class learning.
• Volunteers can share collections, discuss careers, travels, hobbies and other areas of special knowledge.
• Volunteers can sponsor school clubs and interest groups.
• Volunteers can assist with setting up audio-visual equipment.
• Volunteers can assist the staffs of student publications such as yearbooks, literary magazines and newspapers.
• Volunteers can work with PTA officers to produce a parent-teacher newsletter to inform parents of student and schoolachievements and activities.
• Volunteers can assist teachers in academic subject matter areas.
• Volunteers can assist special education teachers, giving students extra drills and reinforcement of concepts.
• Volunteers can assist English teachers in many ways, such as helping students identify possible essay topics or outline ideas for writing compositions.
• Volunteers can share slides or artifacts from other cultures and countries or from different sections of the U.S.
• Volunteers can demonstrate a variety of artistic abilities such as drawing, painting, calligraphy or illustrating.
• Volunteers from different ethnic backgrounds can share their differing life experiences.