Volunteers key to student success at Windham Primary School

By Masha Yurkevich

School volunteering is a very behind-the-scenes role and is perhaps one of the biggest sacrifices that can be made for improving the learning of our children and helping our teachers. Volunteerism is often overlooked, but its impacts are priceless.

Windham Primary School has many
opportunities for members of the public
to help make it a better place for
students through volunteering.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

“Volunteerism helps bring our community into our schools,” says Michelle Jordan, Windham Primary School’s Volunteer Coordinator. “It is a great way for students to meet and work with other adults. We have parents, grandparents, high school and college students that volunteer in our building. Volunteering allows our school to extend what we offer our students.”

Having additional help in the school allows for more hands-on projects, helps support students with areas they are struggling with, challenges students who are ready for the next level, and helps build a sense of community.

“Volunteers have a very positive impact on the students that they work with. Students form relationships with volunteers and look forward to working with them,” Jordan says. “It helps a student learn to work with other adults in the community and teaches them that the whole community is supporting them in their learning. For teachers, it allows them to enhance the student experiences by either providing additional one on one or small group instruction or by helping to prepare materials for more hands on and enhanced learning experiences.”

As the volunteer coordinator, Jordan helps coordinate volunteers for school-wide activities. These include picture days, backpack program, the library and other special events.

“I also work with classroom teachers to help find volunteers when they are looking for volunteers to support academic centers in their classroom or special projects,” says Jordan. “Over the years we have had volunteers organize and label books for classrooms, sew felt teddy bears, help build bird houses, lead yoga classes and more. I also help answer questions volunteers have about their role and to present volunteer orientation with new volunteers each year.”

Being a school volunteer can look like whatever works for the volunteer. Some volunteers help once a year on a field trip, some help once a week for a set period of time in a classroom, while others help every once in a while.

The volunteers contribute in many different ways.

“In the classroom, volunteers help provide additional support to students and add to the personalized instruction that we can provide,” says Jordan. They also help our school offer additional events, programs and activities such as our Fall Festival, Book Sales, and Color Dash.”

Volunteering is a collaboration between the school and volunteers. There is no minimum amount of time that needs to be volunteered, and all volunteers look different in their roles.

“We will work with the volunteer to determine what the best arrangement is for the time they have to give and what they are interested in,” says Jordan. “Every minute of volunteer time is appreciated and valued. If someone is interested in volunteering, they can reach out to me at wpsvolunteer@gmail.com or your classroom teacher if you have a student in the building.”

All volunteers must complete a Volunteer Application that includes an annual background check. Volunteer applications do have to be completed each year. First-time volunteers are asked to attend the Volunteer Orientation in late September. If they start volunteering after that, they are then sent materials to review.

There are also volunteer opportunities that can work from home. A lot of what goes on at an elementary school often involves making and preparing things, such as cutting out shapes, starting a project that the children will need to finish, or other things.

“Volunteers help make our school a better place for learning,” says Dr. Kyle Rhoads, the principal of Windham Primary School. “Our teachers have a very hard job, and we have learners that can benefit from their learning being supported or extended because of the actions of volunteers. It takes a team for all of our learners to have success.”

There is so much more that teachers want to do with their students to provide them with the best education possible, but it is more than they can do alone. Volunteers often do things that free the teacher and allows them to do other parts of their job that may be more directly related to supporting the students, Rhoads said.

Anyone can be a volunteer as long as you have the time, the passion, and the desire. Whether you want to read aloud to children, or help with a hands-on activity, your time will make a difference to the children and teachers.

“If you like working with young children, we have opportunities for you to help make our school a better place through volunteering,” says Rhoads. <