St. Clare Volunteer Orientation Meeting

1. St. Clare Volunteer Orientation Meeting Wednesday, October 5, 2011 9:30am

2. St. Clare Volunteer Orientation AgendaWednesday, October 5, 2011 • Registration & Coffee 9:30am • Sign attendance • Reading buddy & book fair schedules • Pick up forms if required • Welcome & Opening Prayer - L.Del Fatti & D.Bialy 9:45am • Role of Volunteer - Mr. Garofalo 9:50am • YCDSB ‘Volunteers in Schools’ Policy • Policy Highlights • School specific policies • Health & Safety Issues - Mr. Garofalo 10:00am • Vulnerable Sector Screening & Volunteer Offence Declaration • Emergency response plans • Allergy Alert and Epipen use • YCDSB Health & Safety Policy Highlights • Reading Buddy Volunteer Training - Mrs.Fazari/Mrs.Genova/Mrs.Pecchia 10:20am **for reading buddy volunteers only**

3. The Greatest of all Volunteers People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them -Mother Teresa

4. ROLE OF VOLUNTEER

5. YCDSB ‘Volunteers in School’ Policy Statement*NOTE: The complete YCDSB Volunteer Policy can be downloaded from their website at http://www.ycdsb.ca/trustees/policies.htm. Select “Volunteers in Schools” from the policies drop down menu. “ The York Catholic District Board recognizes… …volunteers are valued partners in assisting staff to enrich the learning experience in a dynamic and diverse Christ-centred community …volunteers enhance the programs services and educational opportunities for students …its intent to promote a safe and secure school and working environment for students, staff and volunteers while providing an inviting educational environment …a volunteer is a person who serves without renumeration and shall not be used to perform the duties of any York Catholic District School Board employee”

6. YCDSB Volunteer Policy Highlights • Volunteers assist teachers/staff in achieving their goals and creating a safe and nurturing environment by acting in a professional and ethical manner • Volunteers must respect the confidentiality and privacy of staff and students • In no case will knowledge about student progress or behaviour be shared in the community. Care must be taken to refrain from expressing comments harmful to the reputation of students and staff members • Volunteers are not expected to discipline students. Issues should be reported to the classroom teacher for resolution

7. School Specific Policies:Signing in/out & Volunteer Tags When entering the school: • Please stop by the office first • Sign the visitor’s log • Obtain a volunteer sticker to be worn while in the school • Staff members are directed to stop and question anyone in the school without a sticker • As a volunteer, you can also stop anyone who does not have a sticker and seems out of place

8. School Specific Policies: Classroom Assignments Long term volunteer activites (ie. Reading Buddies): • Parents/guardians are not permitted to volunteer in their own child’s classroom • This can be distracting for the child and disruptive to the class • We want to promote students’ independence with their teachers while in school Special Day activities • For activities such as field trips, scientists in the school, etc., we welcome parents/guardians to participate in their own child’s classroom

9. HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES

10. Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS) • A search performed by the York Regional Police to check for any past criminal offences • Required for those volunteers who are in close and regular contact with students (ie. reading buddies, hot lunch) • Volunteers required to fill out a VSS form (YRP149) and bring it to one of the offices listed on the form with a $20 fee • Please keep your receipt and submit to the office and you will be reimbursed • We ask volunteers to only do this ONCE, if you have already submitted a VSS in prior years, you do not need to do it again

12. Volunteer Offence Declaration (VOD) • For those volunteers who have obtained a VSS in prior years • An annual declaration that there have been no further offences to report since your original screening • A YCDSB form (Policy #708) to be filled out, signed and returned to the office

14. Emergency Response Plans • There are ‘Emergency Codes and Responses’ and yellow ‘Closest Exits’ posters displayed in every classroom • All students are trained in these procedures • Make yourself aware of these codes and your closest exits while working in the school • If you are in the school at the time of an alarm, your job is to help direct students and to reassure them • In the event of a code green (school needs to be evacuated), and you are with students, proceed to the closest exit, not back to the classroom • Once outside, communicate to a staff member that you have students that are separated from their class, this will be relayed to the affected teacher • A teacher will hold up a red card if they have missing students

16. Allergy Alert & Epipen Use • All classes have red “Allergy Awareness” posters (list class specific allergies) and “Think FAST” posters (describe how to look for symptoms of anaphylaxis) • Board policy requires students with severe allergies to wear an EpiPen with them at all times, with a second EpiPen stored in the office • St.Clare also part of “No Child Without” where students with severe allergies provided with a free medic alert bracelet • Remember, ANY student can have an unexpected allergic reaction at any time, learn the signs! • We ask volunteers to refrain from wearing fragrances as there is an increase in allergies to scents

18. You can look for help in the early stages but you can act in an emergency. You cannot hurt anyone by administering adrenalin found in an EpiPen.

19. YCDSB Health & Safety Policy Highlights • Please report any incident, accident or unsafe condition to the principal even if there seems to be no injury to yourself or others, or damage to equipment, etc. • If you are working with a group of students and an accident occurs resulting in a lawsuit, the Board’s Liability insurance would cover the volunteer as well as the Board • St. Clare does not ask volunteers to drive students to off school property activities, school buses and taxicabs are hired for all student transportation • A student may show increasing trust in a volunteer and disclose a case of abuse. Although no one feels comfortable about reporting suspected abuse, you cannot “promise not to tell” since it is a legal obligation of every Ontario resident to report it. Please relay any suspicions to the principal.

20. THANK-YOU!! “Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.” Mohammed Ali “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill “Volunteers aren't paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.” Anonymous “To show great love for God and our neighbor we need not do great things. It is how much love we put in the doing that makes our offering something beautiful for God.” Mother Teresa A copy of this presentation can be found on St. Clare’s website http://sce.ycdsb.ca. From the CSC dropdown menu, click on Comm. and Volunteer.

21. STAY TUNED FOR READING BUDDY PRESENTATION… Mrs. Fazari, Mrs. Genova & Mrs. Pecchia