VOLUNTEER 

HANDBOOK 

St. Gregory the Great School 

13925 Telegraph Road, Whittier , CA 90604 

w​ww.sggknights.org 

www.virtus.org 

 Revised July 2024

Volunteer Opportunities  

CAMPUS ANGELS-​ Must be available Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM-8:00AM. This is to prepare lunch areas and playgrounds.

Classroom Helpers​ (as needed & approved  by the teacher) for special projects 

Athletic Coaches/Assistant Athletic Director 

Must have consistent availability for the sport you would like to coach. Must be certified coach (Play Like A Champion, Fingerprinted, Virtus). 

Academic Coaches- Decathlon Robotics Club 

Volunteers for Committee/Activity Support 

Golf Tournament 

Fish Fry 

Various School Activities (clothing drives, community events) 

Family Community Building Activities 

Parish Activities and Ministries 

Parents Liasons PTO sub committee - assists in communication with parents, works with teacher

Drivers to activities/field trips 

Must be over 25 years old, Virtus trained, fingerprinted, have valid driver license and insurance. 

Donations​- goods/monetary 

Become a Volunteer 

Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School encourages active involvement by the parents in the educational process of their child(ren). Parents are urged to volunteer for an array of small jobs on campus. Some jobs include: room moms and dads, stewardship group(TLCC), assisting in the classrooms, morning yard supervisors (Campus Angels), drivers for sports and field trips,academic coaches, sports coaches, various school functions and hot lunch helpers. Parents are not permitted to aide in their child’s classroom except as directed or approved by the principal and classroom teacher. The need for teacher aides and appropriate assignments is at the discretion of the principal. 

The primary responsibility of a volunteer is the care of the students assigned to them. Volunteers may not bring siblings as it takes their focus away from their main responsibility. Additionally siblings are not covered by our Diocesan insurance policy. 

Background Clearance / Safe Environment / Mandated Reporter 

All parents or guardians who wish to volunteer at the school must do the following: 

• Attend training in person or online for Mandated Reporter / Safe Environment / Code of Pastoral Conduct (Virtus Training). 

• Be fingerprinted before participating in any volunteer projects. 

• Sign in at the school office 

What Teachers  

Say About  

Volunteers   

“As our volunteers get acquainted 

with our school policies and 

goals, they give us more 

support and cooperation. Each 

school volunteer becomes an 

ambassador to the community. 

They talk about their work and 

the satisfaction they get from 

volunteering at school–so they 

become our best recruiters of 

more school volunteers.” 

“The child’s school work 

improves when parents are involved at school. Parents who help at school become more realistic in their expectations for their children.” 

“We could not do all of the special projects, etc., without our volunteers! They are an invaluable help during this stressful time.” 

General Guidelines 

1.  Sign in at the school office and get a volunteer name tag.

2.  Notify the school office if you must be absent so the teacher can be informed ASAP. 

3.  Know the school rules and regulations. It is important that you abide by them to set a good example. 

4.  Never give information about students to anyone except the teacher of the class. 

5.  Follow the proper channels within the school. No one appreciates side stepping or going over heads, even unintentionally. All letters/communication must be approved by the Principal or Vice Principal. 

6.  There may be personality differences, so please do not criticize the school or teachers in or out of school. If there is a misunderstanding, please try to resolve it by communicating with the concerned parties. 

7.  Please be brief and to the point with your communication with the school staff. 

8.  Do not give first-aid or any medications to a student. Send them to the school office. 

9.  Do not use the school to collect money for gifts for staff, sell goods, or campaign for any cause, no matter how worthy. 

10. The faculty lounge is exclusively for faculty use. Volunteers are asked to refrain from using this area. 

11. Because of safety and organizational concerns, toddlers may not accompany parents to school. 

Goals of the Volunteer Program 

1. To increase student motivation and achievement by demonstrating adult interest, involvement, and respect for education. 

2.  To assist the school staff in providing more individual attention to the students. 

3.  To relieve the staff of routine tasks so more of their time can be spent on the education of children. 

4.  To enrich and augment the school program by bringing in special skills, talents, and experiences from the community. 

5.  To help parents learn more about child development and discover ways of helping their children at home. 

6.  To provide a contemporary Catholic example of service to our children and one another. 

Responsibilities of School Volunteers 

1. Be dependable. Come promptly at the specified time. If you can’t volunteer on a scheduled day, please notify the appropriate person as early as possible. 

2.  Do not discuss a child’s progress with others. Volunteers who discuss confidential information with friends, neighbors, or parents will be asked to leave the program. It is very important that anything you see or hear regarding a student stays at school. It is a violation of a student’s right to confidentiality to relay any information regarding a student to anyone. You may be asked to assist a student who is having difficulty with a particular skill and it would be unfair to the child to have that repeated to anyone. 

3.  Do not criticize the school or the staff in or out of school. Speak constructively of all the professional staff, parents and volunteers. If a problem arises, please do not hesitate to take your questions to the staff member involved or the volunteer coordinator for the particular committee or activity. 

Time Fulfillment 

● 40 Hours /family 

● Any hours not completed will be assessed $20 /hour 

  Volunteer/Teacher Relationships 

The following suggestions will help in establishing a good, firm, working relationship with the school staff. 

1. Discuss the level of that class or special help needed for students, the time at which the teacher needs assistance most, and areas and goals that the teacher is pursuing. 

2. Come to the classes at the time and day prearranged with the teacher. The teacher will have changed his/her work schedule to include you. 

3. Be warm, friendly and courteous at all times. 

4. Never disagree with the teacher in front of the students or let the students play you against each other. 

5. Keep channels of communications honest and open. If there is a problem, speak about it to the teacher or volunteer coordinator. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

6. If you have discovered a serious problem or handicap that may affect the students’ work let the teacher know so that he/she can address the problem. 

7. Be willing to receive direction and supervision from the teacher or other members of the school staff. 

8. Identify appropriate classroom behavior that the teacher wishes to reinforce and work with the teacher to this end. 

9. Do not interrupt the teacher while a lesson is being taught. 

Suggestions for Working with Children 

You may be working with individual students or possibly small groups of students on different activities. No matter what the activity, we would like to provide you with some helpful tips which will make your volunteer experience more enjoyable and beneficial. 

• Learn the names of the students as soon as possible. Everyone likes personal recognition. 

• Leave preconceived ideas of the children at the door. You may be working with your children’s friends or children from your neighborhoods. Remember—we are all different in different environments. Allow the student to be who he/she is in the classroom. 

• Listen to the children when they speak and be aware of nonverbal signs and responses such as facial expression, posture, and movements which indicate

 interest, confusion, boredom, doubt, anger, displeasure, joy, or assurance. 

• Give encouragement whenever possible. Compliment the children for work well done and praise their effort and improvement. Avoid criticism. 

• Cultivate a sense of “fair play” by being impartial and making sure students share, take turns, and follow the rules. 

• Encourage some informal conversation to get acquainted. However do keep it short. You have a task to perform and should guide the children back to it. 

• The teacher must be aware of the volunteer’s activity at all times and must be able to control or modify it. At no time may the volunteer initiate instruction or be assigned a class not supervised by a certified teacher. 

• When helping children with their work, give only as much as the child needs to accomplish the task. Many times children only need a little assistance and adults, anxious to help, practically do the assignment. We are grateful to volunteers who share their time and talents with our students through participation in academics, sports and field trips. (see school parent handbook for additional requirements and information )  

V​ery reliable 

Outstanding 

 Loyal 

Understanding 

Nice 

Tireless  

Excellent 

E​nergetic 

Resourceful 

Super 

We are delighted to have YOU As a volunteer at St.Gregory the Great School! We appreciate the time and effort YOU devote to our students, our staff and our school! 

Service Hour Accountability ​​

When you attend a meeting or perform a service, the chairperson of the event sign in a designated place.Make sure your writing is legible so that it will be credited to the correct family. It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to sign in and out of every function to ensure that you are credited for those hours you work. The GRADELINK ​system will be used for every parent to input service hours. Upon approval verification and , the hours will be credited to the family accounts.It is the parent(s) responsibility to contact the chairperson of the event if you do not receive your service hours for any events/activities. Hours will not be credited after May15 for service hours unless approved by the principal. 

Sign Up Genius is used for volunteer time and donations. Links will be sent before an activity/event.

https://handbook.la-archdiocese.org/chapter-5/section-5-6/topic-5-6-3

Revised 7/20/26