NEWS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTS UPCOMING EVENTS
October 2022
900 Volunteers and Growing!
The doors are open and volunteers are ready to get back into SPS!

SPS has had an overwhelming response with parents, grandparents, caregivers and the community wanting to volunteer in 2022-2023. So far this year, we’ve background screened and approved more than 900 volunteers!

Thank you for your patience as we work to screen everyone through the volunteer screening process at SPS. Those who have applied, but are not approved, might be missing one or more steps in the application process, or we are still waiting on background check results to be reviewed. 

If you’re interested in volunteering this school year and haven’t applied, do so today! The process to be screened and approved takes 3-6 weeks.
VOLUNTEER REMINDERS
  • Remember to check in and out of Hall Pass each time you are in a school building. We track volunteer hours and want to ensure we have correct data for recognition purposes. 

  • After you receive email confirmation of your approval status, reach out to your school’s volunteer site coordinator regarding volunteer opportunities!

  • If you will no longer be available to volunteer for SPS, email jbblake@spsmail.org so that your name is removed from the fingerprint system.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
More than 100 CCO Reading and Math Buddies help SPS students thrive
25 years after it began, the Reading Buddy program has grown to 84 volunteers serving kindergarten through third grade students in 24 SPS schools -- and growing, says Tina Miller, director of the Math and Reading Buddy Program at Council of Churches of the Ozarks.

“The goal is to build a student’s confidence and literacy skills through one-on-one sessions each week connecting a trained adult volunteer and a student buddy,” said Miller. “It really is powerful to see the volunteers in action and the impact they have on students.”
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteers Needed: Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 8

We need volunteers to serve as election day volunteers at various schools throughout the district where we have polling locations. These volunteers will help welcome voters and direct them to the proper polling area in the school building. Volunteers will assist building administrators by monitoring the designated voter entrance to ensure that voters only access the polling area. Sign up by clicking the link below. 
Volunteers Needed: Farm 2 School Community Gardens 

Do you like to get your hands dirty? Then the SPS Farm 2 School Community Gardens might be a perfect place to spend a few volunteer hours. Volunteers are needed to help maintain our school gardens across the district. Duties may include weeding, watering, mulching, planting, harvesting and composting in the gardens. 

Here is a list of SPS Community Gardens that currently need volunteers:
  • Elementary: Fulbright, Bowerman, Holland, McBride, Weller, Wilder
  • Middle: Hickory Hills, Pleasant View, Reed Academy
  • High: Central, Glendale, Parkview, Study Alternative Center
 
If you’re interested in volunteering at one of the SPS Community Gardens, email Kendall Slaughter, SPS Farm to School Specialist, at keslaughter@spsmail.org and he’ll connect you with the local Garden Champion at a specific site. 
Community Partnership Volunteer Opportunities
Ozark Literacy Council Volunteers
Ozark Literacy Council classroom readers model fluency, encourage imagination, and introduce students to different genres and authors. OLC volunteers read to a class on their designated day every month and send each child home with a free book.

To get involved or for more information, contact OLC at info@ozarksliteracy.org.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SPS AT THIS UPCOMING EVENT
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO SPS!
Springfield Public Schools
417-523-0000
#EveryLearnerEveryDay