Berkeley School Volunteers (BSV) offers a variety of opportunities at all 16 public schools, from preschool through high school. Volunteers are placed in programs that suit their time availability, skills, and interests.
Berkeley School Volunteers
Michelle Khazai
Director
510-644-8833 or 644-8663
| bsv@berkeley.k12.ca.us |
| Click
here for map & directions to BSV |
At this point in the school year, we can only place volunteers interested in the summer term. Please contact our office to initiate your new placement.
Summer Term 2009 Volunteer Needs:
Below are the BUSD proposed programs for summer 2009.
Preschool: June 17 – August 28; 7:30 am-6:00 pm
Work with our youngest students, ages 3-5, to build their pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills. Have fun on the playground and encourage creativity! At Hopkins, Franklin, and King district preschools.
Elementary School (K-5th grades):
BEARS: June 22 – July 31; 7:30 am-5:30 pm
Work with elementary school students on literacy, math, science and special topics in this fun summer program at Malcolm X and Washington elementary schools.
Special Education: June 17 – July 14; 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Assist our special education students with academics and life skills. At the preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels. (Dates and times vary slightly depending on grade level.)
Middle and High School (6th-12th grades):
Willard and King Middle Schools; June 17 – July 14; 8:30 am-12:30 pm
No placements available at Longfellow this summer.
Berkeley High School; June 17-July 24; 8:00 am-1:00 pm
Assist secondary students with English and math skills (middle schools) and a variety of course offerings at the high school.
Volunteers must attend an orientation if they have not done so before, and commit to two hours per week of volunteering.
Please plan to attend the orientation for new summer volunteers. No reservation is required.
All Orientations are held at our office:
1835 Allston Way, Berkeley, 94703 (Cross street: MLK Jr. Way)
How You Can Help
* Programs marked with an asterisk require attendance at a ninety-minute New Volunteer Orientation before placement in a program. Parents of current BUSD students and previous BSV volunteers do not need to attend an orientation. We usually hold orientations once week from August through April and several in June to accomodate the summer term. See Volunteer Training.
Volunteer Opportunities
Classroom Volunteers*
Volunteers are needed in pre-school through high school in all subjects. Classroom volunteers must commit to a regular schedule, working at least two hours per week. Volunteers are assigned to one classroom under the supervision of a credentialed teacher. Duties include one-on-one tutoring, small group assistance, and special projects.
WriterCoach Connection*
Volunteers are trained as writing coaches, offering personal writing coaching to middle and high school students within each student's English class. WriterCoach Connection has its own training requirements in addition to attending Berkeley School Volunteers' New Volunteer Orientation. BSV's Orientation is the first step in the training requirement. Attend a BSV Orientation and indicate WriterCoach Connection on your registration form and contact WCC directly to get started.
After-School Programs*
Volunteers help students after school, assisting in completion of homework assignments and providing extra help in reading or math. Volunteers also provide supervision to after-school recreational activities in elementary schools. Help is needed between 1:30 and 6:00 p.m., one or more days a week.
Literacy Pals
If you can't make it to school, you can help in this "pen pal" program. Volunteers and middle school students exchange monthly letters about books in this classroom-based program that encourages reading, develops letter writing skills, and links students with caring adults. Program starts in mid-Fall and continues through late Spring. Availability is imited to the number of students in the program.
Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day
On Friday, March 6, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., over 150 volunteers will drop what they are doing and read to children in Berkeley elementary classrooms for half an hour. This is a fun, one-time opportunity to share your favorite stories and your own love of reading with classes guaranteed to be packed with avid listeners. Contact the BSV office for more information and a registration form.
Special Education*
Volunteers can provide valuable help to students facing a variety of
challenges ranging from physical impairments to learning disabilities.
Volunteers work in both traditional and designated classrooms, assisting
students with academics, socializing, and specially tailored activities.
Libraries*
Volunteers assist library staff with overall library operation and maintenance as well as providing assistance to students using the library.
School Gardens*
The Edible School Yard garden, nutrition, cooking program @ King Middle school always has a wait list. Although we can place you on the list, only the E.S.Y. staff have control over how many volunteers they wish to take and when. We will notify you if/when your name comes up on the list. Until then, we strongly recommend that you volunteer in another Berkeley school garden/nutrition/cooking program while you wait. Ask us about the opportunities!
Gardens are thriving at nearly all Berkeley schools, and many hands are needed! Volunteers work alongside students to help maintain the gardens, sometimes in the kitchen cooking, and can also help teachers turn the experience into valuable lessons in science, nutrition and environmental education.
Summer School*
Volunteers can help as tutors and program assistants in programs during summer sessions. The summer session operates on a very short schedule and we often do not receive teacher or school site leadership information until after the summer session begins. With that said, we traditionally have volunteer requests for many academic classroom teachers and afterschool programs that offer various other activity-based and tutoring opportunities. Please ask for summer information when you attend an orientation. If we do not have it at that time, we will contact you as soon as it becomes avaiable.
Clerical/General Support*
Volunteers can help school staff by answering telephones, filing, collating, entering data--the possibilities are endless!
Business Partners
Business Partners develop personalized relationships with a particular school or program. Partners engage in a variety of activities, determined in consultation with the school, which can include tutoring, sponsoring school clubs or contests, technology projects-it's up to you! BSV will help coordinate all of the arrangements.
UC Berkeley Students
Cal students are warmly welcomed to participate as volunteers in our schools--for academic credit or not. Your choice! Cal students can volunteer year-round as classroom tutors, in after-school programs, in gardens, with English language learners and special education students, as writing coaches and in all grades and subjects. Volunteer's placement and schedule is dependent on volunteer's availability and interests. Cal volunteers choose between serving as a Regular Volunteer or in Ed. 97/197 for units. Please read below for details and links.
Regular Volunteer *
To serve as a regular volunteer--not for units--first attend the New Volunteer Orientation (see Volunteer Training section), after which you will be assigned to a school. This Orientation is not for volunteers earning units (see Ed. 97/197 section).
Ed. 97/197
UC students can earn units doing field service in Berkeley schools by
enrolling in a BSV section (2-8) of Education 97/197. First register
at the beginning of fall or spring semesters at Tolman Hall (see below.) A one-semester commitment requires: attendance at one Ed 97/197
workshop; three hours a week in a classroom; a daily journal;
and a short final paper. Click requirements
to learn more about the Ed. 97/197 program.
Ed. 97/197 Registration Schedule
Register in person at Tolman Hall (2nd floor Lobby near Library)
UC Berkeley Education 97/197 Orientations:
Monday, February 9 from 4-5 pm
Thursday, February 19 from 6:30-7:30 pm
UC Berkeley, Tolman Hall Registration Dates:
Thursday, January 22 from 12-2:00 pm
Tuesday, January 29 from 12-2:00 pm
Thursday, February 3 11am-1:00 pm
Register as early as possible to ensure your site/subject
preference and to avoid makeup hours.
All programs marked with * require volunteers to attend a New Volunteer Orientation prior to beginning the volunteer assignment.
Plan to attend Orientation on one of the dates listed. No reservations are required.
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All new volunteers must attend a Volunteer Orientation session prior to requesting a volunteer assignment and/or joining a wait list for a specific volunteer program, such as the Edible School Yard.
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Plan to attend a 1 hour orientation on one of the dates listed.
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Personal questions and placement requests must wait until the Q&A session at the end of the orientation. Please plan ahead, if necessary.
WHAT TO EXPECT: At the orientation, we will present an overview of Berkeley schools, programs and options you have as a volunteer, explain the request and selection process, and help you complete a Volunteer Registration Form. We will also review volunteer etiquette and tips from your own copy of our Volunteer Handbook.
LOCATION: Orientations are located in our conference room @1835 Allston Way in Berkeley (nearest cross street is Martin Luther King, Jr. Way; limited 2 hour street parking only is available; two city blocks from the Downtown Berkeley BART station and bus lines.) LINK to interactive MAP here.
Orientation Schedule Summer 2009
New Volunteer Orientations
Thursday, June 4th 2:00—3:00 PM
Tuesday, June 9th 12:00 noon –1:00 PM
Friday, June 19th 10:00—11:00 AM
(You may attend any orientation and defer placement until you are ready.)
Click here for map & directions to BSV