Volunteers in Public Schools
Hamilton Elementary
Program Descriptions 2009 – 2010
Welcome to the Hamilton Elementary VIPS program. VIPS encourages volunteer community participation in the education of our children through classroom support, classroom presentations and staff support programs. We invite parents to volunteer in one or several programs available at the school. Please read through the following descriptions of the available programs and select the program(s) that most fit your talents, needs and schedule. Keep in mind that many of the programs can be flexible with your schedule.
If you have questions regarding a particular program, please contact one of our VIPS Coordinators: Cathy Melancon 281-373-4878 or Julia Meyers 281-304-9175.
Art Helper: Help Art Teacher hang and display artwork throughout the school year.
Book Fair: The library holds one book fair in the fall and possibly one in the spring. It will last 4 school days and 2 evenings. Volunteers are needed to work 1 to 2-hour shifts to assist the children in counting costs and calculating tax for their book purchases.
Clinic: No medical experience necessary, only a warm heart and a few hours a week to help care for our children. You will be helping the nurse with duties such as checking students into the clinic, taking temperatures, and helping bandage “ouchies.” We need volunteers willing to work a morning or afternoon shift (9-12:00 or 12:00-3:30) on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.
Directory: Short term commitment at the beginning of the school year which includes inputting data and directory distribution. Knowledge of Excel and Access helpful but not necessary.
5th Grade Day: Volunteers are needed to coordinate the year-end celebration for fifth graders. This is a large event that requires many volunteers. Planning begins in the fall and continues through the actual graduation date. Join in the excitement and help the 5th graders finish their year with a big roar!
5th Grade Memory Book: Volunteers are needed to take photos of all 5th grade activities and assemble pictures in a “year book” for the 5th graders. Samples of previous years’ memory books are available for use during this project. While this is a year-long project, it is a lasting memory for the children and one that will always be remembered.
5th Grade Biz Town: This is a field trip event for 5th grade students, where they experience the “work world” through writing resumes, experiencing job interviews and actually working in a mock city! Volunteers are required to attend a ½-day training session and attend the full day at the Biz Town.
Field Day: Great days of fun and games are usually held in the spring. Each grade is assigned a morning or afternoon. Volunteers are needed to work at stations and help the kids as necessary during the first hour and thirty minutes and then are free to watch the class relay races. Come share the kid’s joy as they experience the fun of Field Day!
Fund-Raising: Our fundraisers this year will be a Golf Tournament and Market Day catalog sale. Many of the opportunities that our children have enjoyed, such as the Imagination Garden, cultural arts events, new technology in the classrooms, playground equipment, and so much more have been made possible due to these fundraising events.
Homeroom Coordinator/Helpers: Each classroom will have a homeroom mom/coordinator and some helpers to plan the two class parties (Dec. and Feb.), using the guidelines set forth by the Homeroom Committee. The homeroom coordinator will also coordinate the “classroom baskets” to be raffled off during our Golf Tournament.
Please indicate on the registration form if you would like to be the homeroom coordinator or a helper.
Hospitality: The hospitality committee sponsors a back-to-school luncheon for the staff and Teacher Appreciation Week (in the spring). This committee also helps in serving Thanksgiving lunch for the children. This will also include teacher/staff recognition throughout the year.
Instructional Helper: This opportunity allows volunteers to work one-on-one or with a small group of children in the classroom (NOT in your own child’s room). You will work with an assigned teacher and instructions and materials are provided. No teaching experience is necessary.
Junior Achievement: The Junior Achievement Program is a curriculum designed to introduce the children to the business world using different themes based on grade levels. Junior Achievement is usually held in the second half of the school year for 5-7 consecutive weeks. The prepared curriculum is easy to follow and does not require any additional preparation. Classroom presentations run from 30 minutes to 1 hour, one day per week. Frequently, more than one volunteer is needed for each class and the duties can be split if there are schedule constraints. Please indicate if you would be willing to coordinate for your homeroom.
Library Helper: Volunteers are chosen for a fall or spring rotation to assist the librarian and library assistant with checking out books, re-shelving and organizing the library. Volunteers commit to a ½ day a week schedule for either fall or spring. For example, every Monday in the fall from 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (Afternoon schedule is 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.). Typically, current spring volunteers will have 1st choice for the fall rotation. New volunteers are usually assigned to spring rotations.
Math Mentor: Assist one or more children for approx. 10-15 minutes per visit to increase their math skills. Training provided.
Marquee: The marquees communicate valuable info to our families about the events occurring at Hamilton. Volunteers are needed to update the small marquee in the parking lot on a weekly basis and the tall marquee facing Grant Rd monthly.
Mentor Program: Hamilton’s mentor program promotes achievement for all students by encouraging and supporting each student to succeed. Mentors are caring, committed adults who are willing to give a minimum of 30 minutes a week to be a friend to a Hamilton student. This is not an instructional job. A mentor might play games, listen to the student’s concerns, help with social skills, or have lunch with a child, just to name a few. There is a real need for mentors. So please consider this commitment. You can make a real difference in a child’s life with this program. A ½-day training session is required at the beginning of the program.
Monday Mailers: Volunteers are needed every other Monday AM to put together and distribute the Lions Lines & other information to be sent home with each student.
PPCD Helper: Homeroom helpers are needed to plan class parties (2 times per year) and read to the class.
PTO Workroom: Working in the PTO workroom benefits all teachers. Duties may include creating bulletin boards, chalking, tearing out math/science pages, die-cutting, binding children’s pages into books, cutting, pasting, and putting together other generally easy projects. This is a volunteer area where you can sign up for a specific day and time, or come in at any time. Even a few spare minutes can help out in this room! A short training session is required to become familiar with the equipment and procedures used in the workroom. Often there are projects that can be checked out and completed at home. This enables parents with small children to assist from home.
Reading Fluency Helper: We want to help our children develop a love of reading and as a reading fluency helper, you will be assigned one or more children to work with approximately 20 minutes on a weekly basis. Training will be provided.
Reader Parent: You don’t have to be a famous storyteller to do this job. An enthusiastic voice will go a long way! The children would love to hear you read a favorite booking their classroom. You may choose to read almost any story or selection. Story time is approximately 20 minutes and the times/days vary based on each grade and teacher.
Science Enrichment Projects: This is a science program that gives 4th and 5th grade students the opportunity to do hands-on experiments. Typically in the fall, 4th grade does monthly experiments covering the concepts of length, area, volume, leverages, heat energy, electricity, minerals, oceans, weather, earth, moon and stars. Typically in the spring, 5th grade has about 3 experiments covering concepts of physical changes, atoms, molecules, electricity, energy sources, rocks/erosion, water purification, weather and telescopes. These areas may seem broad, but the experiments are basic and fun. Each experiment requires approximately 6 volunteers per class and will last about an hour. A brief training session (conducted at school) is required before each session.
Science Resource Activities: The CFISD Science Resource Center makes available to students direct experiences through special demonstrations, live animals and special events. Volunteers are required to attend special training sessions. Volunteers commit to present the program to their child’s class and possibly other classes in that grade based on volunteer participation. The SRC/Hamilton liaison will contact volunteers with more details closer to the training and event dates.
Sooper Puppy: (First Grade only) – Sooper Puppy is a month-long drug awareness program. Volunteers are needed to present lessons to the class once a week. Materials are provided and a short training session is required. Usually occurs in the spring.
Spirit Sale: Volunteers are needed to help with the sale of spirit and school items at lunchtimes once a month.
Third Grade Play: This is a short project, usually held in November. Volunteers are needed to design and set up stage scenery and props for the 3rd grade music program. The theme of the play and descriptions of props are given by the music teacher.