Windsor Elementary

Volunteer Handbook

Windsor Elementary

Windsor C-1 School District

6208 Hwy 61-67

Imperial, MO 63052

636.464.4408

For more information, go to the school website.

School Volunteer Handbook

Table of Contents

Welcome

Welcome from the School Principal ………………………….3

What Does It Take to Volunteer?...... 4

Opportunities for School Volunteers

Instructional Volunteers …………………………………………….5

Watch DOGS Program ……………………………….…………..6

Super MOMS Program …………………………………………….8

Windsor C-1 Policies/Guidelines

Building Information .……………………………………………..9

Safety and Security ………………………………………………….11

Confidentiality ………………………………………………………..12

Reliability …………………………………………………………….…13

Let’s Get Started!

Building Family-School Partnerships …………………….…..14

Top Five Tips for School Volunteers …………………….....16

Training for Volunteers ………………………………………..….17

Every child succeeds.

Whatever it takes.

No excuses.

Dear School Volunteer:

The staff at Windsor Elementary understands that parent and community involvement is a significant factor in the quality of our schools and the success of our students. Volunteers’ contributions help not only the students and staff, but help create a sense of community within our building. These opportunities help to enhance our students’ learning experiences.

Volunteering at Windsor Elementary is a great way to give back to your community. School volunteers are important role models because they exhibit care, model the best in citizenship, and create a climate that fosters learning and the love of education. Many opportunities exist for you to volunteer and donate your time in a variety of ways.

Please join our school community and volunteer your time to support our students' academic progress. With your support, we can help students grow, learn, and become responsible citizens of character.

Sincerely,

Denise Funston, Principal

What Does It Take

to be a School Volunteer?

Volunteers help Windsor Elementary deliver services to students that go above what can be provided through the building and district resources.

Have you considered volunteering in your child’s classroom?

  • Would you like to work directly with students?
  • What kinds of volunteer opportunities would you enjoy?
  • What days and time will work for you?
  • Do you feel prepared to become a volunteer?
  • What are you hoping to gain from your volunteer experience?

What do you need to be a volunteer?

  • A genuine interest in helping children
  • A commitment to volunteering
  • A positive attitude
  • School volunteer training
  • Regular attendance
  • An FBI background check (paid for by the Windsor C-1 School District)

What do school volunteers do?

  • Reinforce skills taught by teachers
  • Give students individual attention
  • Provide enrichment to the curriculum
  • Assist teachers with classroom duties
  • Provide services that support schools and programs

Who assists school volunteers?

  • Teachers can organize tutoring/mentoring opportunities in the classroom.
  • The school can help volunteers find opportunities within programs or in the library.
  • The Windsor-Freer Parents Association (WFPA) needs volunteers for special events, parent leadership roles, and committee involvement.

Instructional Volunteering

Research indicates that if a child’s parents are involved in the school program and supportive of their child’s education, the child will make a better adjustment to school and tend to acquire academic skills more readily. There are many ways you can be a part of Windsor Elementary. Parent conferences and open houses are one way to participate, as well as helping with WFPA projects. You are also encouraged to volunteer to work with the instructional program.

Here are some suggestions:

  1. Assist in the classroom or library.
  2. Assist students with individual help.
  3. Assist teachers in creating lessons and/or materials.
  4. Listen to children read.
  5. Clerical assistance for teachers—book orders, etc.
  6. Preparing tapes of reading stories aloud.
  7. Assist with music and special programs.
  8. Assist the interventionists and para-professionals.

All activities are planned through the teacher. The teacher can provide any needed instructions or guidance. You will be rewarded with the personal satisfaction which results from sharing with children, knowing that you child’s needs are being met, and receiving the sincere gratitude of our entire school.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR VOLUNTEERS

  1. Sign in at the office upon arrival to get a volunteer badge.
  2. Praise students who are being safe, respectful, and responsible.
  3. If you don’t understand something, please ask for clarification.
  4. Leave what happens with students here at school. Please do not talk about students outside of the school setting.
  5. Realize that volunteers must be positive if mutual trust between staff and parents is to be maintained.


Background
WATCH D.O.G.S. ® (DadsOf GreatStudents)is an innovative father involvement, educational initiative of theNational Center For Fathering. It began in 1998 in a single school in Springdale, Arkansas and has since grown into a nationally recognized program that has brought hundreds of thousands of fathers and father figures into our nation’s classrooms and hallways.WATCH D.O.G.S. ®hascreated millions of “in school” volunteer hours and continues to have a tremendously positive impact on the educational process. Today more than2,811 schools in 46 states plus DCparticipate inWATCH D.O.G.S.®
Program Goals
1) To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important.
2) To provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.
How WATCH D.O.G.S.®Works
WATCH D.O.G.S.®, a K-12 program, invites fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or other father figures to volunteer at least one day all day at their child’s/student's school during the school year. Individuals sign up at a kick-off event such as a “Dads and Kids Pizza Night” or “Donuts with Dad” or in the office at any time throughout the school year. The program is overseen by a “Top Dog” volunteer who partners with the school administrator to coordinate scheduling and identify opportunities for WatchDOGS to provide assistance at the school.WatchDOG volunteersperform a variety of tasks during their volunteer day including monitoring the school entrance, assisting with unloading and loading of buses and cars, monitoring the lunch room, or helping in the classroom with a teacher's guidance by working with small groups of students on homework, flashcards, or spelling.

Program Effectiveness

  • During 2003,WATCH D.O.G.S.®conducted a survey of 50 participating schools nationwide. Key findings:
  • 89% agree thatWATCH D.O.G.S.®is a valuable component of the school's efforts to promote a safe and positive learning environment for students.
  • 79% agree that since implementing theWATCH D.O.G.S.®program, the school has experienced an increase in father involvement in areas other thanWATCH D.O.G.S.®(parent-teacher conferences, volunteerism in the classroom or after school, PTA involvement).

Program Recognition

In its relatively short history,WATCH D.O.G.S.®has proven to be influential and effective in a number of venues:
  • Involved in the U.S. Department of Education Father Involvement In Education Project beginning in 2005.
  • Invited by the National PTA to be a founding member of theMORE Alliance(Men Organized to Raise Engagement).
  • Recognized on the floor of Congress as a program that "can be a great tool in our efforts to prevent school violence and to improve student performance because it can increase parental initiative and involvement in their children’s education." Congressional Record, Feb. 7, 2000, page S-392.
  • Involved in the U.S. Department of Education’s P.F.I.E. (Partnership For Family Involvement In Education).
  • In 1999, invited by the United States Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to participate in a nationwide teleconference called “Fathers Matter.”
  • Recognized as a “best practice” by Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., Director of Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University.

ALL ABOUT SUPERM.O.M.S.

SUPERM.O.M.S (Moms Of Marvelous Students) is a mother involvement program designed to bring positive female role models into the school.

There are two goals of the SUPERM.O.M.S. program:

  1. To provide positive female role models for the students, and
  2. To provide an extra set of eyes and ears to enhance The Windsor Way.

Program Benefits

  • Students gain positive female role models.
  • Schools gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of a mother or mother figure will provide additional opportunities for students to show The Windsor Way.
  • Due to budget shortfalls and cutbacks, often teachers are presented with larger classrooms each year. The SuperMOMS volunteers provide real and important help for the teachers and the students.

Who are SuperMOMS (Moms of Marvelous Students)?

SuperMOMS are mother, grandmothers, aunts, and other mother figures who volunteer for at least one day each year at their students’ school. During the day, the SuperMOMS volunteer will play at recess, eat lunch with students, as well as look for students who are showing The Windsor Way. These volunteers will hand out HOOTS to those students who are being respectful, responsible, and safe.

Windsor Elementary

Building Information

Building Entrance

Please use one of the main entrances to be buzzed into the building.

Visitor Passes

Get a visitor pass at the office when you sign in. This must be the first thing you do when you enter the building.

Parking

You may use either of our parking lots

Emergency Drills

Fire: The emergency sirens will go off. Everyone evacuates the building in a timely and orderly fashion.

Earthquake: There will be two bells. Everyone finds a desk or table to use as cover. Get under the desk and hold onto the legs to keep it from moving.

Tornado: There are four short bells. Everyone files into the hallway, gets down onto their knees, and covers the head with the hands.

Intruder: Find the nearest classroom and stay there until the all clear is given.

Building Map

Attached to this you will find a map of the building. Please ask for assistance and/or directions.

Student, Staff, and Visitor Expectations

Attached to this you will find the matrix of student and staff expectations. Please abide by these expectations when you are at Windsor Elementary.

Restrooms

Please use only adult bathrooms. These are located in and around the office. Ask if you are unsure of which facilities to use.

Cell Phone Usage

Please turn off your cell phone when working with students.

Teacher’s Lounge/Workrooms

This is where the copy machine, die cutter, laminator, and paper supplies are located. Sometimes there is a lot of demand for the copy machine, and priority is given to teachers, then to paraprofessionals, then to volunteers. If you are using a machine and a teacher needs it, please make it available to him/her. Be sure to leave the workroom clean after you use it. Any and all conversations that you may overhear in the teacher’s lounge are confidential, and should not be repeated in any setting.

Safety and Security

Important information for School Volunteers

Windsor Elementary parents and patrons are encouraged to visit our school. However, all visitors who come to the school during a regular school day must follow established safety procedures.

All visitors must be admitted through the front entrance. Admittance is granted by pressing the buzzer to notify the office of your arrival.

School volunteers can then proceed to the designated office.

  • All school volunteers must sign in and sign out at the school office each time they come to the school.
  • Volunteers will be required to wear a name tag/badge identifying them while they are on a school campus.
  • All volunteer activities will take place under the supervision of school personnel.
  • Volunteers will participate in safety drills while at school.

Confidentiality

Important information for School Volunteers

Volunteers who work with students need to remember that some information is considered confidential. Please feel free to share school volunteer experiences with others, but it is very important not to use full names of students outside of school. Any information a student shares within the classroom is considered confidential, and must remain between you, the student, and the teacher/staff member.

Read more about confidentiality on the following Board of Education regulations:

Student Information

Policy JO

All information contained in a student’s educational record, except information designated as directory information by the District, shall be confidential. In addition, parents/guardians and students have a right to expect that student health information will be kept confidential. Student educational records shall be directly accessible only to school officials who demonstrate a legitimate educational interest in the student’s records and to parents/guardians or eligible students. Read more about directoryinformation related to students on the Web site:

Discipline

Policy JG-R3

Building principals are responsible for the development of rules and regulations regarding student conduct needed to maintain proper behavior in schools under their supervision. Teachers have the authority to make and enforce necessary rules for the internal governance in the classroom, subject to review by the building principal. School volunteers will remember that it is the principal’s, teacher’s, and/or staff member’s responsibility to discipline students. Read more about discipline on the Web site:

Communication and Internet Usage

Policy EHB-C

The principal shall oversee the maintenance of communication and information technologies for Windsor Elementary and may establish limits and guidelines on their use. Students and staff are authorized to use communication and information technologies in accordance with user obligations and responsibilities as found on the district Web site:

Reliability

Important information for School Volunteers

  • Teachers and staff plan for school volunteers. If you will be absent, call the school as soon as possible so arrangements can be made. It is important that we do not disappoint or disrupt our students’ learning.
  • Follow school guidelines for student dress code. Dress comfortable, but remember that you are a role model for our students.
  • Parent or patron visits to the classroom must be approved in advance by the sponsor, teacher, and/or principal.
  • Volunteers will work within the guidelines established by the school administration and will work under the direction and supervision of teachers and staff members.
  • Visitation by preschool children and children who are not registered in the school is discouraged. All children who are visiting the school must report to the principal and receive approval prior to attending classes.
  • Volunteers may not be given a Windsor staff member’s and/or teacher’s personal accounts and passwords in order to access a school Web site.
  • Smoking, alcohol, drug use, and firearms are prohibited on school district premises, including all buildings, grounds, and property of the District.
  • The Board of Education and administration will not tolerate any one who disturbs classes or school activities or hinders the instructional process. If such persons will not leave the school premises upon request, the building principal/designee may refer charges to the proper legal authorities.

Building Family-School Partnerships

When schools and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits!

Students do better in school and in life.

Parents become empowered.

Teacher morale improves.

Schools get better.

Communities grow stronger.

Parents of high-achieving students set higher standards for their children’s educational activities. They are active participants in schools and education.

WHO: Most students at all levels want their families to take active roles in between home and school. When parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view in the child’s mind that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family’s life.

WHEN: The earlier in a child’s educational process parent involvement beings, the more powerful the effects. The most effective forms of involvement engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities at home.

WHY: Decades of research show that when parents are involved, students have the following:

  • Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
  • Better school attendance and self-esteem
  • Increased motivation
  • Lower rates of suspension
  • Decreased use of drugs and alcohol

Family participation in education was twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status. The more parents participate in schooling, in a sustained way, at every level—in advocacy, decision-making and oversight roles, as fund-raisers and boosters, as volunteers, and as home teachers—the better for student achievement. (continued)

HOW: Windsor Elementary supports the framework provided by the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, which includes six types of parent involvement:

  1. PARENTING: Families need to establish home environments that support children as students. With guidance and support, parents may become increasingly involved in home learning activities and find themselves with opportunities to teach, to be models for and to guide their children.
  2. COMMUNICATING: Families become active participants in communication from a school-to-home and home-to-school perspective. Parents understand how to contact their children’s teachers and principals, as well as access their school’s Web site, newsletter, and the parent-teacher organization. They know how to use SIS, Windsor’s Student Information System, to learn about their child’s progress.
  3. VOLUNTEERING: Families can volunteer as tutors and classroom aides, as well as assist with field trips and in other support opportunities. Parents can organize school events, and assist with their children’s extracurricular activities and athletics. Schools have many exciting volunteer opportunities for the community.
  4. LEARNING AT HOME: Families can help their children develop good study habits, supervise their homework, monitor TV viewing, and supervise regular bedtimes and school attendance. Parents who read to their children and provide stimulating experiences contribute to student achievement.
  5. DECISION MAKING: Families can join the WFPA or long-range planning committees so they can advocate for good schools. They can help develop school improvement plans and provide parent representation and support. These groups can take the lead in assessing school needs, developing goals, and monitoring for continuous improvement.
  6. COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Families and schools help students by forming collaborative relationships with many public and private agencies that provide family support services. These partnerships crease shared responsibility for the well being of children, families, and schools by all members of the community.

From the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education; Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D. of the Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships at John Hopkins University; National PTA.