Volunteering

Volunteering at Abbotsford Primary School is a rewarding experience for those who are willing to offer their time and expertise to help us educate the next generation of active local citizens and caring global thinkers.

 

Abbotsford Primary School endeavours to structure the volunteering experience in a way that gives to the school community and gives back to those that volunteer. In the process, volunteers have the opportunity to become part of the Abbotsford Primary School community, practise applying their skills, get to know new people and feel a sense of worth and wellbeing that comes from helping people.

 

You don’t need to be related to a student of our school, or have any previous experience with our school, to volunteer with us.

 

Every semester, we seek volunteers (who can commit on a regular basis) for three purposes:

 

Mandarin Language Immersion

As a Chinese/English bilingual school in a country where the dominant language is also the international language (English), we are very aware that that an environment of language immersion in Chinese is not possible without design. Volunteers thus serve an important function in expanding the realm of opportunities for Chinese language use, both in and outside of the classrooms. (Please see Mandarin Language Assistants.)

 

English Literacy Support

Given the diversity of our student population, many students come from a culturally and linguistically diverse background and do not necessarily enter school with age appropriate native-like English proficiency. These students benefit greatly from having  literacy support through small-group tasks and individual guided reading. Training is provided for volunteers who work with students requiring additional support.

 

Administrative Support

Being a small, community-focused school, we are also limited in our administrative capacity due to the small number of staff. Volunteers thus serve an important function in expanding the capacity of school administration, offering support across a range of functions, including the library, front desk, kitchen garden, IT and in classrooms.

 

And as general expectations, we ask that volunteers:

  • Assist teachers with the teaching and learning programs in a wide range of tasks (which may be before, during or after a class);
  • Be flexible and open-minded with the range of tasks that may be undertaken;
  • When unsure, be proactive in seeking the teachers’ instructions on what may need to be done;
  • Share with the classroom teachers learning needs that may have only been revealed through small group interactions (but leave it with the teacher to decide how those needs can best be met.)

 

 

If you have an idea regarding how you can best contribute to the school as a volunteer, we are always open to new ideas too.


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