Questions
1)  What are some common examples of ways to volunteer?
2)  What are some opportunities at the elementary level?
3)  What are some volunteer opportunities at the secondary level?
 
Answers
1)  Q What are some common examples of ways to volunteer?
A

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

These are a few ways that volunteers may assist our schools. The hours worked by every volunteer should be accumulated and reported to the communications Department by the 5th of the following month. 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 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 ajudge for special competitions
  • Participate in DARE activities

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
2)  Q What are some opportunities at the elementary level?
A

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

3)  Q What are some volunteer opportunities at the secondary level?
A

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 careers
and 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 school
achievements 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.