Volunteer in a School

Barrett Elementary School is passionate about its Roving Reader program and is looking for some new faces to join it this year. If you have a love for multicultural literacy and a joy for reading to children, reach out to Arturo Ramirez at arturo.ramirez@apsva.us He would be more than happy to share additional information about this program with you. In the coming year volunteers will also read books that celebrate various other cultures and heritages. The next Roving Reader event celebrating various celebrations around the world is coming up.  Please contact Arturo Ramirez to reserve your spot.

Jefferson Middle School is seeking volunteers to come in one or two days per week from 8:00 am – 8:30 am to do read aloud exercises with students.  If you are interested in coming on board, please contact Jeremy Siegel at jeremy.siegel@apsva.us.

Kenmore is currently recruiting folks with flexible work schedules.  to help start a mentoring/tutoring program after school.  Tutors are needed in the following areas  6th, 7th, and 8th grades English Language Arts, 8th grade Pre-Algebra and Algebra, 8th grade Physical Science, and 6th and 7th grade Math. Tutors are needed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 pm.

For further information or if you have any questions, please contact Kaytleth Farino Alvarez at kaytleth.farino@apsva.us

• Gunston is seeking volunteers to help with Math and Reading during the school day.  There’s also opportunities for after-school help with various clubs. Any help would be appreciated by the teachers. Please reach out to Tamika Rector at tamika.rector@apsva.us for more information.

• Gunston Middle School is looking for volunteers to help with their new raised beds garden.  This garden will produce healthy herbs, fruits and vegetables to share with the community.  Not only that, the “Gunston Garden” will serve as a learning hub providing multidisciplinary inclusive activities.  They are working from the ground (patio) up.  So far, they’ve received 2 grants ($1,000) and have purchased 5 planters.  Also, in the works, is another grant from Whole Foods that they’ve applied for in the amount of $3,000 which would provide them with a multitude of supplies. Additionally, we’d be remiss not to mention that the Functional Life Skills students will serve as ambassadors of the Gunston Garden, which will be a tremendous accomplishment considering these are students with significant disabilities.  Think about the endless opportunities to learn about life, the environment; math and science; social impacts and more. Most exciting is the opportunity for the entire community to come together and build on their legacy of “growing greatness.” For more information contact Kelly Tucker at Kelly.Tucker@apsva.us

Arlington Community High School is currently seeking tutors with flexible work schedules to help between 8 am to 3 pm. Tutoring is 1:1 meeting on a weekly basis. We are currently seeking tutors to help our students in  English Literature, and Math.  For more information, please contact Daniel Castillo at daniel.castillo@apsva.us

Starting November 27, Spanish speaking parent volunteers are needed at Yorktown to support High School English Language Learners, according to your availability.  Volunteers will assist students to understand and complete classwork.  For more information, please contact Yorktown HS English Learner Teacher, Ms. Teresa Cordova teresa.cordova@apsva.us  To complete an online APS Volunteer Application use this link: English and Spanish versions here.  Thank you for your support.

Abingdon Elementary School is seeking Reading Buddies to be paired with first grade students.  The Reading Buddies program is held on Tuesdays and Wednesday from 3-3:45.  Once you are an approved volunteer, you will be paired with a first grade readers who you will meet with weekly. For more information, contact Nicole Jondahl at nicole.jondahl@apsva.us

The English Language Arts office is currently looking for volunteers to tutor students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 as part of the Read With Me Tutoring program. You will be assigned a teacher and day and time based on your availability.  For the lower grades, you will work with the students to learn their sounds and initial phonics and reading.  Older students will read to you and you will help them with pronunciation, fluency and comprehension.  Materials will be provided. Tutoring opportunities are available during or after school hours. Volunteers need to make a commitment to tutor at least once a week for one hour (or more) for a minimum of 8 weeks. Training will be provided. All volunteers will go through the routine APS volunteer application process outlined on the APS website: https://www.apsva.us/volunteers-partnerships/volunteer-in-a-school/For further information or if you have any questions, please contact Gaby Rivas at gabriela.rivas@apsva.us

Volunteers may include parents/guardians and other family members, as well as members of the community interested in supporting education and have any interest in investing their time and talents to support students in Arlington.

All volunteers who regularly support schools and school sponsored activities must complete an application and State-mandated Safe Schools Training for volunteers and chaperones. This training requirement also applies to volunteers who regularly help in the classroom, and those who wish to attend field trips and chaperone trips to the Outdoor Lab. The application and online training is provided in English and Spanish.

For the 2023-24 school year, everyone who wants to support our schools and students as a volunteer on a regular and one time basis must complete the process. This includes those who chaperone lunch, help in the classroom, attend field trips, volunteers in other capacity, and also includes enrichment providers.

It is essential that chaperones complete the process since they are often off-site, off school grounds with groups of students other than their own children and may be unsupervised by APS staff members during those trips at certain times.

Raptor Technologies is the online platform APS uses for the Visitor Management System as well as for volunteers, sex offender screening and the visitor, volunteer, contractor, and staff sign in/out process. Individuals wishing to volunteer with an individual school or multiple schools is able to complete their application online in English and Spanish by accessing the Raptor Technology systems links dedicated to the school division. 

The link to the online application can be found by clicking one of the links below.

• English Application
• Spanish Application

Participation is recorded and tracked by APS within the Safe Schools System. Schools will access a report listing the family and community members who have successfully completed the training. Once complete, contact the school liaison with your certificate and they will load it into the Raptor system so that you will be approved for three years.

The volunteer process usually takes about a week from start to finish but may be expedited if you coordinate with your school’s liaison.

• Fill out the volunteer application online (approx. five minutes)
• Receive the Safe Schools training link (usually within 48 hours of completing the application)
• Complete the online training (approx. 35 minutes)
• Send certificate to V&P Liaisons
• Receive approval email (within one week)
• If you have questions about the approval process, contact your school’s V&P Liaison or Dawn Smith at dawn.smith@apsva.us.

The best way to begin volunteering is to contact the school directly to find out what volunteer opportunities are available.

To best support school staff and students, volunteers are expected to follow these procedures each time they volunteer:

• Volunteers must sign-in and sign-out of the building using the Visitor Management System (VMS).
• Volunteers must wear the VMS produced volunteer identification name tag at all times while on school property.
• Volunteers may not access confidential student or personnel records and should respect the confidentiality of students.
• Volunteers working with students must be within view of other APS staff members and avoid unsupervised, one-on-one student contact.

Please contact the school you wish to volunteer directly. The list of school liaisons is available here. For concerns not addressed at the school level, contact Dawn Smith, Volunteer, Partnership and Events Manager.  She can be reached by email at dawn.smith@apsva.us or by phone at 703-228-2581.