Volunteer Handbook 2008-2009
INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
This handbook is directed to volunteers who are parents, grandparents, retired
persons, former teachers and administrators, and persons from the business
community – anyone wishing to devote a portion of his or her time to
one of the most important systems in any community: public schools. Because
we want you to get the most from your volunteer experience, we want to
make sure you are an informed volunteer.
Dear Parent and/or Friend,
If you are taking the time to read this it is most likely you have either
agreed to or are considering partnering with the Temecula Preparatory
School as we
strive to inspire our students to become virtuous citizens, critical
thinkers, and life-long learners through our classical education and our
example
of virtue. With this in mind, let me say “Thank you” upfront
for your willingness to be a volunteer.
Your volunteer service is not only deeply appreciated, it is essential. To
try to imply that we are able to reach our goals and fulfill the vision of
this school without volunteer parents and friends is disingenuous. We need
you!
As you are probably already aware, TPS is a unique institution and is well
respected for the service it provides to students. Interestingly, this service
is quite simple in form. We provide students with a three-tiered education
consisting of: Virtus (Virtue), Disciplina (discipline or wisdom) and Docere
(knowledge). These three aspects of our education form a strong foundation
upon which our students can succeed.
In working with us to provide the three critical parts of education here at
TPS you will be helping to provide organizational structure, classical curriculum,
classical instruction, a complete trivium experience and a distinct classical
culture.
These are high and lofty goals, but should there be any other, especially when
we are talking about the future of our society?
I am sure you can imagine -- there is plenty of work to go around, from
hands-on service opportunities to administrative and leadership functions
for the volunteer committees and the School Leadership Council.
There is a good quote from Edmond Burke about getting involved, “Nobody
made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” Thank
you for believing your role, no matter how small it is in your eyes,
is still worth giving of your time, resources and energy.
One hour a week, one day a week, one day on a special project or as a chaperone
on a field trip – your efforts make a difference for students and
for our school community.
I can guarantee the role you play is much bigger than you will ever know
for one simple reason: we are in the business of changing students’ lives.
Ex Adyto Cordis,
Scott Phillips
Headmaster and Executive Director
RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Thank you for considering a volunteer opportunity with Temecula Preparatory
School (TPS). Your help is instrumental in enhancing the educational experience
of our students.
In order to help create a positive volunteer experience, please take
a few minutes to read through this handbook. This handbook contains TPS
volunteer policies and procedures. If you have any questions please contact
one of the
parent volunteer coordinators.
TPS Volunteer Procedures
Temecula Preparatory School and the Governing Board of Directors (BOD) appreciate
the valuable contribution made to the school by the volunteer assistance of
parents and other community members. The following information outlines the
procedures required to become a volunteer. Our primary concern is the safety
of all our students and staff.
All Volunteers Shall:
- Complete a volunteer application
- Disclose whether they have been convicted of any crime
- Adhere to all school rules and support the mission and goals of TPS
- Sign a confidentiality agreement and refrain from discussing confidential
performance or actions of students
On-campus Volunteers with Potential Contact with Students Must Also:
- Complete fingerprint clearance (live scan) as stated in the BOD
volunteer policy.
- Obtain Tuberculosis clearance every 3 years.
- Provide TPS with a copy of his/her Drivers License
- Submit all required volunteer paperwork
- Complete volunteer orientation
TPS Shall:
- Provide volunteer orientation
- Provide instruction as to needed volunteer assignments
- Provide a volunteer badge which must be worn while volunteering
on campus
- Provide a volunteer sign-in log located in the office
- Maintain all volunteer applications and documentation in a confidential
manner in the Business Office
- Provide supervision for each volunteer position
Lists of cleared volunteers will be provided to appropriate personnel upon
request. Upon approval by the TPS Administration /Board of Directors, a picture
ID badge will be issued to the volunteer and must be worn while performing
volunteer duties on school property.
Volunteer Responsibilities
The role of the volunteer is to augment the paid staff with various
defined duties in select areas as determined necessary by the TPS Administration
and Board of Directors. TPS volunteers are not paid employees. Volunteers
shall at all times conduct themselves as a professional and ethical member
of the
school team. All volunteers shall have a person designated as their supervisor
to keep all volunteers benefiting the mission of TPS.
Volunteers shall be subject to the policies, procedures, rules and regulations
of TPS
- No TPS volunteer may use the TPS name or initiate any fund-raising or
other activity without specific permission of the TPS administration.
- TPS volunteers shall be assigned job tasks in accordance with the
school’s
needs and desires.
- All activities of TPS volunteers and volunteer groups shall be
under the direction of a TPS representative.
- TPS volunteers shall participate in any required training or orientation
prior to being given an assignment or task.
- TPS volunteers shall not use their association with TPS for
personal gain, nor shall volunteers misrepresent their status
of affiliation with TPS.
- Termination of any TPS volunteer may be without cause, at
the discretion of the TPS Administration or Board of Directors.
WHAT DO VOLUNTEERS DO?
- School operations and social events
- Library support
- Recess and lunch duty
- Office and teacher support (outside the classroom)
- Special programs and graduations
- Parent directory
- Field trips and classroom support
- Upper and lower school field trip planning and organization
- Chaperones on field trips as required by each class/teacher
- Classroom parents-to be selected by the teachers, must be live scanned
- ASB
- Fundraising support
- Student store
- Scrip
- Other fundraisers
As TPS grows, the need for volunteers will increase. Everyone’s talents
are different and seen as a great opportunity for growth of the Parent Volunteer
Program.
For more information, please see the School Leadership Council Interest
Form under “Volunteer Corner” at www.temeculaprep.com, or please
contact slc@temeculaprep.com.
VOLUNTEER SAFETY PROCEDURES
Temecula Preparatory School and Board of Directors appreciates the valuable
contribution made to the school by the volunteer assistance of parents and
other community members. The following information outlines the procedures
required to become a volunteer. Safety is our primary concern.
To ensure the safety of all TPS students the following information is required
of all volunteers whose efforts involve on campus/direct contact with the students
of TPS.
- Completion of Volunteer Application. All volunteers must complete
this form.
- TB Clearance, defined as a negative PPD test or CXR if indicated, within
the last 12 months. TB clearance must be updated every three years.
- Finger Print Clearance (live scan).
- Copy of your valid Driver License.
- Sign a confidentiality agreement and refrain from discussion of the confidential
performance or actions of students.
All volunteer positions will be supervised by TPS staff to keep all volunteers
benefiting the mission of TPS. Volunteer policies are as follows:
- Volunteers shall be subject to the policies, procedures, rules
and regulations of TPS.
- No volunteer may use the TPS name or initiate any fund-raising or other
activity without specific permission of TPS.
-
TPS volunteers shall be assigned job tasks in accordance with TPS’s
needs and desires.
- All activities of TPS volunteers and volunteer groups shall be under the
direction of a TPS representative.
- TPS volunteers shall participate in any required training or orientation
prior to being given an assignment or task.
- TPS volunteers shall not use their association with TPS for personal gain,
nor shall volunteers misrepresent their status or affiliation with TPS.
- Termination of any TPS volunteer may be without cause, at the discretion
of TPS Administration and the Board of Directors.
All volunteer applications and subsequent documentation will be kept in a confidential
manner in the TPS business office. Lists of cleared volunteers will be provided
to appropriate personnel upon request. Upon approval by the TPS Administration
/Board of Directors a picture ID badge will be issued to the volunteer that
MUST be worn while performing volunteer duties on school property.
CAUTIONS FOR VOLUNTEERS
TPS considers its primary responsibility to be the protection and nurturing
of children. For this reason, we must do everything possible to prevent people
who would prey on children from having access to our school. Any suspicion
of improper or illegal dealing with children will be handled swiftly and seriously,
with the involvement of law enforcement as required and necessary:
- Do not use your position to promote your own religious, political,
economic, or social bias.
- Do not use student restrooms.
- Do not drive alone with a student in your vehicle.
- Do not take a child alone to the restroom, an office, a classroom, or to
any other private place on campus.
- No volunteer may hold a student in his or her lap. All school personnel
must be extremely careful not to touch a child in any way that could
be interpreted as inappropriate.
DISCLOSURE OF POSSIBLE ABUSE
In California, it is the legal obligation of all school personnel to report
any suspected case of child abuse. If a child indicates to a volunteer that
he or she has been, or is, the victim of abuse, or if a volunteer has strong
suspicions that a student may be an abuse victim, the volunteer must inform
the TPS school administration, staff, or office personnel, as the people in
these positions are mandated reporters.
One of the most difficult things to handle may be when the student who asks
the person in whom they have confided to “promise not to tell”.
A volunteer cannot make such a promise and should be clear about that to the
child. Don’t try to counsel the child. Remain merely a sympathetic “listening
ear” without being judgmental or trying to offer solutions. Assistance
and counseling should come from those professionals with the responsibility
and experience to provide it.
HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS
Drug-Free Workplace
Temecula Preparatory School is a drug-free workplace. Volunteers shall not
have consumed alcoholic beverages or taken illegal drugs when working at our
school.
Smoking
Smoking is prohibited on all school property. Therefore, volunteers are not
allowed to smoke during their time of service.
Health/Dress Code
- Please do not come to school if you are ill. This includes a cold,
sore throat, or cough.
- Students learn by example, and we ask that you act as a model by using
good health habits when you are at school.
- All school staff are expected to maintain good personal hygiene. Be certain
that you are keeping yourself well-groomed and physically approachable
by children.
-
TPS is a “uniform” school. Please make sure you model an appropriate
and modest dress code when you volunteer. (Please refer to board policy
below.)
Chaperone/Volunteer Dress Code – BP 5122
This dress code is being adopted for the same reasons that the students wear
uniforms and have a dress code. The uniform underscores the seriousness of
purpose and promotes a sense of identity, while eliminating self consciousness
and social competition. The faculty and staff are also held to a dress code
and so shall the volunteers while on campus and field trips.
Clothing should reflect the nature of the activity one is involved
in, and type of work being performed. This includes: cleanliness,
neatness and modesty
which are absolutely necessary at all times while representing TPS on field
trips or working on campus as a volunteer. While in the community acting
as a chaperone, a TPS green polo shirt would be very nice to show
that you are a part of the group, promote our school and make
it easier for the students to locate the parent volunteers. All
clothing should be clean and without rips
or holes. Remember you are representing TPS and the uniform and dress code
are an integral part of our school. Thank you for volunteering.
Safety
- Be aware of the school playground regulations.
- Supervise climbing, running, and any contact activities carefully.
- Report any dangerous conditions to a campus supervisor.
Blood
The general public has been made aware of blood-transmitted diseases.
If there is blood on a student, immediately secure a staff member.
Accidents
- If an accident occurs, immediately secure a staff member.
- Never move a child involved in an accident. A member of the school staff
will initiate proper procedures for accidents.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Perhaps one of the greatest obstacles in the path of effective use of volunteers,
especially parent volunteers, is the worry on the part of teachers and school
administration regarding the possible misuse of privileged information. Once
anyone begins to work in a school setting, he/she becomes privy to knowledge
about children’s behavior patterns, academic ability, emotional maturity,
relationships with others, etc. In some cases, information of this nature is
imparted in order that the volunteer might work more effectively with the child.
In other cases, it is simply acquired in the course of frequent contact in
the school.
In addition, volunteers are in a position to learn more about staff members
than would normally be learned from their “public image”. One also
forms personal opinions about the professional competency of the individual
teachers and the administrative staff.
There is nothing wrong with the volunteer possessing such knowledge and arriving
at personal conclusions. This knowledge or these opinions, however, should
never be shared in the community or with anyone who has no legitimate need
to know. Similarly, care must be taken not to make comments harmful to the
reputation of any child, professional, or other volunteer.
If problems develop, the line of communication regarding a situation in the
school is always first with the staff member concerned and then, if necessary,
the Lower School Principal, Upper School Principal, or the Headmaster.
A volunteer has every right to expect that his or her reputation will be treated
with the same confidentiality and respect.
