Volunteering

The VIPS program provides essential support to the staff and students at Shepardson.  They help in many different capacities.  New volunteers must sign up online using the district registration format available through the PSD website. Volunteers are asked to wear VIPS nametags to identify themselves to the staff and students. We also ask our volunteers to record their time in the sign-in book for time spent beyond the school day.  This information is recorded to validate the high level of parent involvement at Shepardson. Our VIPS Coordinator is available to help you serve Shepardson.  Below is a short listing of ways volunteers are needed at Shepardson:

These tasks range from working in the classroom during a specific curriculum area or project to helping with clerical tasks. Specialists also have needs for the music and choir programs, art shows, and physical education events.

We welcome all families to support the ELL program. Volunteers assist the ELL Teacher in a variety of ways. We are always looking for parents who can assist us with the families and students whose primary language is not English. Families can help by sharing their traditions and culture with us.

Volunteers are highly useful to assist many children in their development of literacy skills.  Some volunteers enjoy the development and management of materials that support the ELL and Literacy programs. Helping children in smaller groups is a highly effective strategy but it is highly dependent upon having interested volunteers. Training will be provided as needed or desired.

These volunteers are trained for this service to children when they use the Media Center for research or for checking out books. Volunteers assist in processing books for Accelerated Reader (AR) and reshelving library books.

These volunteers work with the computer assistant or with the classroom teacher as he/she provides instruction in the computer lab or in a mini-lab setting near the classroom.

On the Friday of newsletter weeks, around 4 volunteers spend up to 2 hours preparing the newsletter and other attachments for parents. The more parents, the faster the process goes. They copy, collate, staple and distribute these items to each classroom and to staff.

We rely on parents to serve as Webmasters, newsletter typists and layout editors, translators, digital photography and downloaders. We feel very fortunate that so many parents are willing to share their skills and talents with us.

We are anxious to train a team of volunteers who will spend some time running copies and laminating for teachers. Not only will a trained cadre of volunteers be more efficient, but it will allow our limited and highly trained paraprofessionals to spend more time serving students in the learning process.