Volunteering at W.O. Mitchell School

Why Should You Volunteer?

Research strongly indicates that the single most powerful factor in

developing productive school experiences is the close

relationship between home and school, parents and teachers. Students Achieve More When

Parents Are Involved !

Volunteer Policy of CBEAll volunteer positions must have a specified purpose and mustbe sponsored by the teacher, principal or the CBE

The principal must approve all volunteer positions in a school

Volunteers provide support to schools and students either as resource persons or in supportive services.

Volunteers who act as resource persons are individuals: - who have a relevant area of experience and expertise;- who are involved in an activity on a short-term basis to

enhance the education program; and- whose visits are planned, supervised and evaluated by a

certified teacher

• Volunteers who provide support services assist teachers or groups of teachers directly or indirectly in achieving educational objectives by providing non-instructional services.

• A volunteer may not be assigned to assist a teacher without the teacher's consent.

• Volunteers must comply with Calgary Board of Education policies, regulations and any school rules.

• Volunteers are insured under the Calgary Board of Education's liability insurance regulation only while they are acting within the scope of their duties as assigned by the principal, teacher or the CBE

• Volunteers are not insured under any Calgary Board of Education medical or accident insurance regulation for bodily injuries which theymay sustain while volunteering at the Calgary Board of Education.

Processes

• All applicants for a volunteer position must complete the Volunteer Registration Form and any other school forms.

• All applicants for a volunteer driver position must also complete theApplication for Automobile Driver Authorization form.

Criminal record declarationAll applicants for volunteer positions with the CBE mustdeclare a criminal record.

Conditions of volunteer positionA volunteer position with the Calgary Board of Education is conditional on satisfactory receipt and evaluation of theirsecurity clearance, even if the volunteer position has startedbefore the security clearance is completed.

Undeclared criminal recordIf an applicant is being considered for a volunteer position and a security clearance discloses a criminal record whichthe applicant has not previously declared, the applicant mustbe offered the opportunity to explain the discrepancy.

Suitability for Volunteer Positions

If an applicant for a volunteer position discloses a

criminal record, that applicant may not begin their

duties until the principal of the school reviews the

Security clearance information in consultation with

Either the Area Director or the Corporate Security

Advisor, to determine the suitability of the applicant

for the position.

If an applicant has a criminal record, the principalwill review the applicant’s suitability for the volunteer position based on the followingfactors:

• the type of charge or offence;• the age of the charge or offence;• the type of volunteer work the applicant is being

considered for;• whether the criminal record impacts on the

applicant’s ability to perform those volunteer duties;

• whether the behavior associated with the offence(s) if repeated,

• will pose a threat of physical or sexual abuse to children or others;

• and any other factor(s) which the principal determines to be relevant.

If the principal determines that the applicant is deemed unsuitable for that volunteerposition, the applicant will not be offered that particular volunteer position.

Notification of Criminal Charges

Volunteers must notify the principal of all criminal chargesat the time the charge is issued, except for minor trafficviolations.

Volunteers charged with an offence under the CriminalCode of Canada may be suspended from their volunteerpositions depending on the nature of the offence and itsrelationship to their duties.

Conviction of any criminal offence may result in terminationof a volunteer position with the CBE.

Volunteer driversVolunteer drivers must report all criminalcharges and traffic violations at the time the charge isissued and must comply with the terms and conditions ofthe Application for Automobile Driver Authorization form.

Confidential informationAll information regarding security clearances is strictlyconfidential and may only be used or disclosed inaccordance with this regulation and the Freedom ofInformation and Protection of Privacy Act.

Volunteer Ethics

The volunteer is necessarily discreet. It is

essential that volunteers never discuss

publicly the children, the teachers or other

parents. It is important that the volunteer

treat all professional knowledge about

children as confidential information.

The volunteer should respect the

professional role and judgment of the

teacher.

Volunteers should become familiar with the

school’s policies and procedures and apply

them when dealing with a student.

(See Handbook Section in Student Agenda)

• The volunteer should refer any discipline problems to the teacher in charge.

• Volunteers are participating in the classroom to assist all children. Sometimes it is tempting for a volunteer to engage in discussion with the teacher about the progress of their own child, however after class would be a more appropriate time to do this.

• If the volunteer has committed to working in the classroom on a regular basis, every effort should be made to be prompt and reliable. If the volunteer has to cancel, it would be appreciated if they inform the teacher ahead of time.

• If a volunteer finds themselves in a position of not understanding what is expected of them, they are encouraged to discuss this with the teacher and ask for clarification. A volunteer’s time is valuable and they must feel useful.

• The volunteer works in the school at the invitation of the teacher and under the guidance of the teacher or other staff.

• Feel free to discuss any concerns or questions that arise with the teacher or the principal.

Some additional information . . .

Sign In: Please sign-in at the office. It is important that we know who is in the school at all times. We would appreciate you wearing a name-tag as this identifies you to new staff and other parents.

Coats and Purses: There is a coat rack available in the staff room or you can find a spot in the classroom to put your coat. Please let the teacher know if you would like to lock your purse in a file cabinet in the classroom so that it is not left unattended.

• Coffee: Volunteers are always welcome to join the staff in the staff room for coffee at recess. Coffee is on all the time and you are always invited to help yourself.

• Smoking: Smoking is prohibited anywhere on the school grounds and in school buildings.

• Volunteer Survey: Please complete a volunteer survey identifying the type of work you would like to do at W.O. Mitchell School and your availability. Our volunteer coordinator will compile that information.

Children and Parents Reading Together

Why is reading important?

• “In early grades, success in schools is virtually synonymous with success in reading.

In fact, research has shown that a child’s reading level at the end of the third grade is a more accurate predictor of school success

than any other variable – including family income, educational attainment of parents,

ethnic or cultural identity, or home language background.”

• Carter, R.L. The Sustaining Effects. Study• of Compensatory and Elementary Education, “Educational Researcher, 13 (7), 4-13•

ALL ABOUT READING

• Making sense of print is what reading is all about

• Successful reading is finding a happy balance between PHONICS and EXPERIENCE. Bringing experience to print is more important than a knowledge of phonics.

• “SOUNDING OUT” is difficult for beginning and discouraged readers. To illustrate this read the following words:

•vury sctraugh

• mould sought• whoamb phyue• dauss ceokn• whir pneocques•

• “I am working vury hard,” said the robin. “I am looking for sctraugh to build my nest. I shall use some mould, too. I shall line it with sought grass. This will make a nice whoamb for my baby birds.” So she made the nest in the old apple tree. In a phyue dauss there were three little eggs in the nest. Ceokn there whir three baby robins. They stretched their little pneocques and cried, “Peep, peep, feed us!”

Strategies

• When a word is presented by itself with no context, it could have a number of different possibilities eg. Is sc pronounced as “sk” or “s”?, is wh pronounced “w” or “h”?

• Your understanding of a subject makes it easier to decode unfamiliar words

• Learning all the sounds and their combination can be difficult. Too much focus on phonics makes reading more difficult.

In order to understand words we must understand

the world in which the words are being used. This is fundamental to reading. For example:

The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. One pile

may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at one time than too many. In the short run, this may

not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At

first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another fact of

life. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into different groups

again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places.

CONSONANTS AND VOWELS

• Consonants are more consistent than vowels

• Children have more difficulty isolating vowel sounds than consonants

• Vowels are often irregular and cause most trouble when figuring out words

•GOOD NEWS – children can learn to read before they have learned all of the vowel rules and sounds

•Look at the following 2 passages taken from the Rainbow Goblins:

The Rainbow Goblins

The_ g_bl_ns c_ _ld h_rdly c_nt_ _n th_ _r _xc_t_m_nt.

“S_ _n _ll th_ c_l_ _rs _f th_ R_ _nb_w w_ll b_ _ _rs,” Y_ll_w gl_ _t_d.

W_’ll sn_tch _t _s _t r_s_s,” s_ _d Gr_ _n, “wh_n th_ c_l_ _rs _r_ st_ll fr_sh _nd cr_ _my.”

Not too hard? Now try this one:

_e _o_ _i_ _ _ou_ _ _a_ _ _ _ _o_ _ai_ _ _ei_ e_ _i_e_e_ _. “_oo_ _ll _ _e

_o_o_ _ _ _f _ _e _ai_ _o_ _i_ _ _e ou_ _,” _e_ _o_ _ _oa_e_.

The beginning of words contain the most important phonetic

clues. Many times you do not have to look at the whole word because the initial

sound triggers a word. Check for meaning, then carry on.

• YES, reading does involve blending sounds together and sounding-out, but the goal is to identify words using as few letters as possible!

• EFFECTIVE READERS are readers who DEPEND VERY LITTLE ON ANALYZING ALL PARTS OF A WORD, INSTEAD USE

CONSONANTS TO MAKE SENSIBLE PREDICTIONS!

MAKING SENSE IS WHAT READING IS ALL ABOUT!

READERS ARE NEVER DESCRIBED AS BEING GOOD or POOR. It is more constructive to describe

readers in terms of his/her stage of development (ie. emergent,

beginning, intermediate, advanced)

Sounding out is difficult for beginning and discouraged readers.

Successful reading is finding a happy balance between PHONICS AND

EXPERIENCE. Bringing experience to print is more important than a

knowledge of phonics.

Some Strategies for Figuring Out Words:

• Look at the beginning letter/s. What sound do you hear?

• Look at the pictures. Do they help?

• Look for spelling patterns you recognize. Can you use

what you know to get the word? Word Families?

• Skip the word, read on to the end of the sentence, and then come back to the word. How does what you’ve read help you with the word?

• Look through the word to the end. What sound do you hear at the beginning? In the middle? At the end?

Some Strategies for Understanding Text:

• Stop to think about what you’re reading. What do you think is going to happen? Why do you think this?

• Think about what you already know about the topic.

• Reread the paragraph, chapter, or book.

Giving Students Feedback

• Focus on making sense and not on getting it just right!• Spend time reading out loud together, in chorus

(sometimes just whispering the beginning sound softly is the only cue necessary)

• In the beginning, take turns reading pages, paragraphs or sentences.

• Sometimes it is helpful to read aloud the entire book, page or paragraph before the child reads it.

• When an error is made, it is wise to wait until the end of the sentence before drawing attention to it. You might say “Did you understand that?”

• If a child is struggling with a word you know he has heard before, tell him to leave it out and finish the sentence. Re-read the sentence aloud leaving out the word.

• To really build confidence say: “I will read a paragraph and I want you to tell me what it means. Then we’ll read it together and figure out all the words you don’t know. With a few practices, you will probably be able to read it by yourself even though it is pretty hard!”

The MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER:

Make the experience of reading enjoyable !