Parent Volunteering

One of the joys of working at ICS is the close relationships we have with our parents. As we come to the end of August and the children are settling into the routines of school, we are starting to plan our volunteer program, initially to have parent help in school to help us with library books.

As I mentioned to parents at Back to School Night, reading to your child is very important. So, ICS Kindergarten sends book packs home each week. Later in September I will share more on the benefits of reading to your child. However, for now I would like to know how valuable the time and effort of parent volunteers is to us. 

We have Regular Volunteers, Special Event volunteers and Invited Volunteers

With our Regular volunteers help, we can:

• Lend out packs of books each week (6 items to R1 children, 7 items to R2 children). 

• Parent volunteers (not teachers) are the ones who check in and out the books each week.

• On Fridays – with parents’ help, the children will choose a book of their own choosing. Our parent volunteers are the ones that make sure the right book gets into the right pack.

• Teachers may have extra cutting or materials preparation, parent volunteers sometimes will help cut, glue or prepare teaching materials.

Library book check in and out training will be provided on

September 4 (Thursday) - mainly for R2 parent volunteers - refresher and new volunteers

September 25 (Thursday) – Mainly for R1 parent volunteers and any R2 parent who could not come on September 5.

Ongoing - “on the job” training will also help any new parents throughout the year 

With Special Event Volunteer help, we can:

• Arrange special events

• Arrange party food (other parents volunteer to send in food) for Christmas and End of Year parties

• Organize party activities / games

With One-Off Volunteers we can:

• Learn about different jobs – from our parent doctors, nurses, fire fighters, pilots, musicians etc.

• Go outside with Tier 2 volunteers for special activities or go to the outside playground 

• Go on mini field trips with R2 Tier 2 Volunteers to the visit our community, shopping mall or local supermarket

As a parent volunteer, please expect to be supported. Often our experienced parent volunteers (R2 parents who helped out last year or parents who have previously had a child in kindergarten) are there to guide, teach and support R1 or new R2 parents with the library book check in and out.

As a parent volunteer, please expect to make friends with other parents in your child’s class or with other parents too.

As a parent volunteer, please expect to share your ideas. The current library check in and out system and book pack labels are organized because previous parent volunteers offered ideas and implemented systems for us to follow.

As time passes, you will find the library book checking becomes easier as you become more familiar. However, if we give you a task that you feel you cannot do, please tell us - we would like to use your gifts wisely and appropriately. 

Your child will also be excited to see Mom or Dad in school and it sets a great example of how to be helpful and generous in sharing your time. We will start with R2 parent volunteers in mid-September and then R1 parents after Fall Break.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please click here to complete the Volunteer application , this is also available on the ICS website (Tier 1 for library and other in school assistance and Tier 2 for going out as a chaperone on field trips or helping at the outside playground).

Your volunteer application is valid for the time your child is in Kindergarten. Therefore, R2 parents, you do not need to reapply if you applied last year. Please only apply if you are a Tier 1 volunteer and you want to become a Tier 2 volunteer. You should have already received an email confirming your tier, if you do not wish to continue as a volunteer this school year, please email us.