Volunteer

About Volunteering and Involvement

Welcome Wildcats! It’s Time to Think about Volunteering at School

The Staff and Administration at Whitman are preparing to make this the best year for everyone. We need all of you to become Wildcat Volunteers. Volunteering is one of the best ways to create a community and support your student. Many research studies have shown that when parents/guardians are involved in their child’s education, these students achieve more regardless of socio-economic status/ethnic background or even their own parent’s education level. Refer to the district page on Volunteering for more information.

Need more info or have questions? Please email WMS PTSA Volunteer Coordinator, Becky Andrews at whitmanptsavolunteer@gmail.com

Opportunities to Help Parents Build Levels of Involvement & Awareness

Middle school students begin to develop a sense of self and independence that is separate from their families, making parents and guardians unsure how much to be involved or how to be involved.

We have many opportunities to help parents build levels of involvement and awareness; here are some easy proposals.

First, join the PTSA. Your membership fees help support your school

Second, read the weekly newsletter and educate yourself about what is going on at Whitman and respond to requests for volunteers whether it is for a onetime project or on a weekly basis. Many opportunities are available for working parents or for those who are caregivers during the day. Opportunities range from baking cookies for an event to helping with gardening for a couple of hours on a Saturday.

Check out Current Volunteer Needs Page!

Also, keep the lines of communication open. Log onto The Source and check your student’s grades and email their teachers. Keep talking with your kids about issues that are important to you. Get to know other parents through attending school events and build community! As you can see, continuing or becoming active in your student’s middle school is easy and can pay big dividends in staying connected to your student and their school community!

How to become a Volunteer at Whitman

New volunteers are required to complete a video training and follow health and safety protocols. Refer to the district Volunteer Information and Application

Refer to the district Volunteering page for more information.

Note: The following items will be needed (Emergency contact and Phone, Two references, Government photo ID (uploaded), and certificate of completing the SPS Adult Sexual Misconduct (ASM) Prevention Training video).

* If you have not lived in WA State for the past (3) years you will need to complete a national background check.

If you’ve signed up to be a volunteer before, you can check your status at the SPS Volunteer Portal

All on going volunteers and chaperones must complete the online paperwork prior to volunteering directly with students. Please complete your application at least (2) weeks before you plan to volunteer. Hint: Plan to complete it now!

You can check your status at the SPS Volunteer Portal

Check our new Volunteer Opportunity page to see current needs at Whitman. We have volunteer opportunities right now!

District Updates

How to Apply to Volunteer with Seattle Public Schools

Why Volunteer in Your Child’s School?

Higher grades, test scores & graduation rates
Better attendance
Increased motivation & self-esteem

Checklist for New Volunteers

Visit our volunteer website to:

Review volunteer handbook
Complete online training
Apply securely online
Background check required

Questions? Contact your school office or visit the SPS Volunteer page to learn more.

Additional Steps for Certain Volunteer Roles

The following volunteer roles require a national background check, regardless of how long the volunteer has resided in Washington:

Unsupervised volunteers who work with children regularly (including remote/virtual volunteers).
Volunteers chaperoning overnight field trips longer than three days.
Volunteers involved in any sports or gym activities coordinated by the school (for Athletics see *).

If situations 2 or 3 apply to you, visit the volunteer website to learn more.

* Important: Athletic coaches must apply via SPS Athletics Department.

Sports Safety

All gym and sports volunteers must be current on CPR, First Aid, Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Concussion Courses.

Field Trips

Field trip volunteers supervise students. Once approved to volunteer, request additional forms from the field trip organizer to review and acknowledge your important responsibilities.

Keeping Students Safe

Child Abuse Prevention

Nationally, one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18. Volunteers help to protect children by learning to recognize and report potential abuse.

At SPS, each volunteer completes an online Sexual Misconduct Prevention training before start of their service.

Criminal Background Check

If you have lived in Washington State for the past three (3) years, SPS will complete your state background check at no cost to you.
If you came to Washington from another state in the past three years, you will need to purchase a one-time national background check.

New or newly returned to the U.S.?

Visit the SPS Volunteer page for more information.

Why is there a fee for out-of-state background checks?

Unlike our state, the federal government does not provide schools with free screening tools. SPS selected a vendor to offer secure, affordable background checks for the volunteers who need them ($21 in most cases).

Frequently Asked Questions

I completed an online application last year. Do I have to reapply this year?

Your online application is on file so please do not create a new application. On your second volunteer anniversary, you will receive an email with login instructions to renew your application.

Can I use my smart phone to apply?
Our online volunteer application is smart-phone friendly.

Thank you for helping create safe schools, and for your generous donation of time and talent!