Woodinville Montessori School
Volunteerism
WMS thrives because of our exceptional and caring community. Families before us have carried on the tradition and modeled for our children the importance of volunteering and community engagement and we appreciate the continued work of our families to support the school.
Every volunteer hour put in helps our school create community, allows parent and teacher connection, and ensures all students receive the best Montessori education in a supportive and engaging environment.
We ask that each family provide 20 hours of volunteer service per year. Many will give beyond that, further strengthening the school and family partnership, and those who reach or provides more than the 20 hours per year will be invited to an annual appreciation event.
Volunteer Requirements
To work directly with students and in classrooms, all volunteers need to complete Volunteer Training (view it here). This course is offered online and can be accessed at each family member’s convenience via the link.
Directly following the online training, you will be prompted to complete the Volunteer Verification and Agreement and submit additional documents (WATCH background check and immunization proof, if applicable) before you are cleared to volunteer with students.
Volunteer with Family Alliance
The WMS Family Alliance (FA) is the organized link among parents, classrooms and school administration. The Family Alliance serves to support the school by helping to welcome new families, promoting volunteerism, and planning social activities. Every WMS family is automatically a member of the Family Alliance and is encouraged to be an active participant.
How can you get involved? We welcome all parents/guardians to join us at meetings and participate in our conversations about how to help build community and extend the mission of WMS. There are many big and small ways to contribute to our parent-driven activities and events and we invite you to share your time, talents and energy in a way that works for your family. A schedule of FA meetings will be posted on the school calendar and communicated in advance via newsletters and email.
Attending FA events is a great way to meet other parents, learn what’s happening at WMS, and contribute to the growth and development of the WMS community. You will hear about FA events throughout the year; look at the school calendar and read the Grapevine, weekly bulletin, and room parent emails to stay informed.
If you have any questions, please contact the FA Leadership team at fa@woodinvillemontessori.org.
Log Volunteer Hours
To submit your volunteer hours, simply follow the steps below:
- Sign into Family Portal.
- In your account, find Family on the left sidebar, expand the arrow and click on Family Home.
- On the Family Home screen, the service hours module will be the center top panel on your screen.
- You may see a dropdown above the module to select your name or your partner’s name, if you wish to specifically credit the service hours.
- Click “Add+” on the upper right of the module.
- Choose a description of your service from the dropdown. (If you are unsure, choose "Other.")
- Add a brief note to add detail (if desired).
- “Verified by” can be the person in charge of the task (teacher/staff) or leave it blank.
- Save the entry.
In addition, if your employer offers monetary donations to match your volunteer hours, we would be grateful if you would request those donations on behalf of WMS. Details can be found by consulting your company’s HR specialist. Thank you!
Contact Director of Development Laureen Ng with any issues or questions about recording your volunteer hours.
Volunteer Hours Matching
Some corporate employers offer monetary donations to match your volunteer hours served and we are grateful to all who request those donations on behalf of WMS. Details can be found by consulting your company’s human resources office. Some local companies with matching programs include Adobe, Boeing, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Expedia, Google, Microsoft, and Starbucks.