Free online system can cut down on time and confusion when planning events
After experiencing the “little things” that can complicate volunteering with kids, a mom took the lessons she learned as a Girl Scout leader and PTA board member to create a website that helps organize, plan and schedule volunteer events: VolunteerSpot.com.
Using this free site, a member can create volunteer events and notify potential volunteers through e-mail. Volunteers can then select times they could help on a schedule or even sign up to provide an item, like snacks.
Scheduling The ease of this tool can take a lot of time and error out of scheduling volunteers. Say a teacher wants to mobilize a group of parents for a particular class activity. The teacher can create the event and specify different duties, schedules and item needs.
Using an e-mail list, an invitation to sign up for the event can be quickly sent to all parents and the teacher can monitor how the schedule is filling up.
VolunteerSpot automatically sends a reminder to volunteers two days before their event, and if a volunteer changes their scheduling on the site or pulls out, the organizer is notified immediately.
eBooks
Another great resource provided by VolunteerSpot are the free eBooks. The creators of the site have compiled information on numerous volunteer and kid-related activities, with titles including: “Carnival Games and More for School, Church and Community Carnivals”, “Room Mom Survival Guide & School Party Ideas”, and “Back to School Sign Up Sheets & Free Parent Scheduler”.
A paid premium membership on the site allows for more recordkeeping capabilities and other features, but the free membership is sure to cut down on time and confusion when scheduling volunteers.
Visit www.volunteerspot.com to sign up!
April 13, 2011
FRC Spotlight: Math, literacy take the stage at Russell
New specialist focuses on curriculum enrichment for students
After longtime FRC specialist Martha Robertson left, there were some big shoes to fill at Russell Elementary. Now, Jeanine Fillinger has stepped into those shoes and adapted well to her new surroundings.
Fillinger, who is a certified teacher, has focused a lot of her FRC efforts on literacy and math enrichment, helping students and teachers at the school.
Among some new programs in the FRC is Fillinger’s Homework Club, where nine students come to the FRC - in an annex behind the school - Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:15 to complete their homework in a structured, supervised atmosphere. Reports go home at the end of the week from teachers to the students’ parents about their homework completion.
The program has helped get some students back on track with completing and turning in assignments, and is helping instill good homework habits at a young age.
Fillinger also conducts daily fluency groups with students, on top of maintaining standard FRC programs.
The center has held fewer Family Fun Nights this year, but the Food Backpack Program and clothing closet are still in full swing and available to students and families in need.
After longtime FRC specialist Martha Robertson left, there were some big shoes to fill at Russell Elementary. Now, Jeanine Fillinger has stepped into those shoes and adapted well to her new surroundings.
Fillinger, who is a certified teacher, has focused a lot of her FRC efforts on literacy and math enrichment, helping students and teachers at the school.
Among some new programs in the FRC is Fillinger’s Homework Club, where nine students come to the FRC - in an annex behind the school - Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:15 to complete their homework in a structured, supervised atmosphere. Reports go home at the end of the week from teachers to the students’ parents about their homework completion.
The program has helped get some students back on track with completing and turning in assignments, and is helping instill good homework habits at a young age.
Fillinger also conducts daily fluency groups with students, on top of maintaining standard FRC programs.
The center has held fewer Family Fun Nights this year, but the Food Backpack Program and clothing closet are still in full swing and available to students and families in need.
December 29, 2010
Nip volunteer problems in the bud
Training provides confidence, prevents unnecessary conflict
Volunteers are like employees in many ways. They offer skills to an organization to help complete a goal, they are expected to fulfill commitments like showing up to work on time and dressed appropriately, and they volunteer for many different reasons.
Volunteers are also like employees in the sense that proper training and orientation are necessary for them to feel comfortable and work effectively.
According to a June 2010 Graduation Matters Missoula survey of MCPS teachers, the No. 1 reason K-12 teachers in our district didn’t utilize volunteers in their classroom last year was “I don’t have enough time to prepare and train volunteers.”
Teachers are busy people. They balance in-school hours of instruction with at-home efforts of grading and preparing materials. It’s easy to see how budgeting extra time to train volunteers can fall by the wayside.
However, by compiling training and orientation materials ahead of time, preparing and training a classroom volunteer can be as simple as offering a packet of information about school policies on dress, drugs and confidentiality, curriculum material, anonymous examples of student work related to their volunteer position, and a form with contact information for their direct supervisor and school administration.
Take an afternoon to compile whatever materials you think a volunteer would need to hit the ground running in your classroom as an aide, presenter, tutor or at-home assistant and make a volunteer orientation packet.
Keep a few hard copies on hand for an impromptu offer to help out in the class and make a digital folder of the material that can be easily attached to an e-mail.
The time a good volunteer can free up for a teacher will be well worth the initial effort of creating an orientation packet. However, don’t forget to have one-on-one interaction with your volunteer. On their first day, remember to tell them where to park, what restrooms they can use in the building, and how much their time commitment means to you and the school.
Volunteers are like employees in many ways. They offer skills to an organization to help complete a goal, they are expected to fulfill commitments like showing up to work on time and dressed appropriately, and they volunteer for many different reasons.
Volunteers are also like employees in the sense that proper training and orientation are necessary for them to feel comfortable and work effectively.
According to a June 2010 Graduation Matters Missoula survey of MCPS teachers, the No. 1 reason K-12 teachers in our district didn’t utilize volunteers in their classroom last year was “I don’t have enough time to prepare and train volunteers.”
Teachers are busy people. They balance in-school hours of instruction with at-home efforts of grading and preparing materials. It’s easy to see how budgeting extra time to train volunteers can fall by the wayside.
However, by compiling training and orientation materials ahead of time, preparing and training a classroom volunteer can be as simple as offering a packet of information about school policies on dress, drugs and confidentiality, curriculum material, anonymous examples of student work related to their volunteer position, and a form with contact information for their direct supervisor and school administration.
Take an afternoon to compile whatever materials you think a volunteer would need to hit the ground running in your classroom as an aide, presenter, tutor or at-home assistant and make a volunteer orientation packet.
Keep a few hard copies on hand for an impromptu offer to help out in the class and make a digital folder of the material that can be easily attached to an e-mail.
The time a good volunteer can free up for a teacher will be well worth the initial effort of creating an orientation packet. However, don’t forget to have one-on-one interaction with your volunteer. On their first day, remember to tell them where to park, what restrooms they can use in the building, and how much their time commitment means to you and the school.
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