Volunteer

In the Kennewick School District, we are committed to cultivating authentic family and community partnerships through the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) program. An ATP is a committee of educators, parents, and community partners who work together to engage all families and the community in productive ways, while working towards school improvement. What to expect As an ATP volunteer, you may participate as much as you are able. Typically, an ATP meets once per month before or after school to plan school activities that are linked to the school's goals and School Improvement Plan. If you are unable to meet during the after-school time, you may choose to participate by providing your feedback or ideas via email or in other ways. ATP volunteers provide a family or community member voice on how to engage families with their school. Volunteers may also spend time planning school activities, such as reading and math nights, STEM nights, community resource fairs, etc.   School/Location Schools with ATPs who are seeking family and community volunteers: Amistad Elementary Amon Creek Elementary Canyon View Elementary Cascade Elementary Chinook Middle School Cottonwood  Elementary Eastgate Elementary Edison Elementary Fuerza Elementary Hawthorne Elementary Highlands Middle School  Horse Heaven Hills Middle School Kamiakin High School Kennewick High School Legacy/Legacy Online/Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) Lincoln Elementary Migrant/Multilingual Parent Advisory Council (Administration Center) Park Middle School Ridge View Elementary Sage Crest Elementary Southgate Elementary  Southridge High School Sunset View Elementary Vista Elementary Washington Elementary Westgate Elementary Who to contact To learn more about ATP volunteering, contact Paola Menjivar or call (509) 222-6422 or the school principal. Becoming a Volunteer All volunteers must complete a Kennewick School District volunteer application and be an approved district volunteer. After you have completed your volunteer application and have been approved to volunteer, please contact the school principal to start your involvement in ATP.   APPLY TO VOLUNTEER

Kennewick School District partners with The Children's Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, to provide the Team Read program. Team Read™ volunteers offer one-on-one reading tutoring to elementary students in kindergarten through third grade during regular school hours. Volunteers help build early and proficient reading skills, positive community connections, and increased reading interest and self-assurance.

Volunteer Details:

• Community volunteers receive fall training and ongoing support.
• Volunteers commit to twice-weekly 30-minute tutoring sessions at an assigned school.
  Sessions run from October through early June.
• Volunteers work with selected kindergarten, first, second, or third-grade students needing additional reading support.
• Students with behavior plans or specific reading interventions are not eligible.
• Volunteers must be approved district volunteers and are supervised by on-site coordinators.

Tutoring Session Highlights:

• Reading aloud between the child and tutor from provided books.
• Support with high-frequency words, decoding, comprehension, and vocabulary.
• Positive reinforcement, including books and stickers, to motivate and reward reading efforts.

Schools/Locations:

• Amistad Elementary
• Cascade Elementary
• Canyon View Elementary
• Eastgate Elementary
• Edison Elementary
• Fuerza Elementary
• Hawthorne Elementary
• Sage Crest Elementary
• Southgate Elementary
• Sunset View Elementary
• Vista Elementary

Who to Contact
To learn more, contact The Children's Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia at (509) 222-7323.

Becoming a Volunteer
All volunteers must complete a Kennewick School District volunteer application and be an approved district volunteer. On the volunteer application, indicate that you are interested in becoming a Team Read volunteer.  
 

APPLY TO VOLUNTEER

Do you have a group of community volunteers that would like to support our schools? Whether it's making our school grounds more beautiful or organizing a school supply drive for students, we are interested in hearing from you. 

Contact us at info@ksd.org with your request and to get started volunteering.

Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) volunteers support school activities and fosters communication between parents and educators. They assist in organizing events, fundraising, and implementing programs that enhance the educational environment. Their involvement helps bridge the gap between home and school, contributing to a collaborative and supportive community focused on student success.

SCHOOL	CONTACT	EMAIL
Amon Creek Elementary		amoncreekotters@yahoo.com
Cascade Elementary		canyonview.pto.ksd@gmail.com
Chinook Middle School	Danielle Gann	danielle.gann@ksd.org
Desert Hills Middle School	Janice Heitschmidt	jheitschmidt@hotmail.com
	Lori Campbell	kplc71709@gmail.com
	ShaeMarie Toponce	shaemariej@hotmail.com
Eastgate Elementary	Brittany LaFemina	blafemina1@gmail.com
	Abby Cronewett	abby192@hotmail.com
	Brindean Saltz	brindean.saltz@icloud.com
	Nikoai Soggie	nikoalsoggie@gmail.com
Fuerza Elementary	Angie May	angieraemay@gmail.com
Hawthorne Elementary	Whitney Ojeda	whitney_ojeda@yahoo.com
Highlands Middle School	Wendy Brown	wendypbrown@msn.com
Lincoln Elementary	Jessica Lohr	leapforlincoln@gmail.com
	Carlie Remmee
Mid-Columbia Partnership (MCP)	Jamie Crockett	dj@crockettfam.com
	Jayann Wright	jayann.wright@gmail.com
Ridge View Elementary	Charlene Richardson	ridgeviewcoyotespto@gmail.com
Sagecrest Elementary	Kristy Gonzalez	sagecrestpto@gmail.com
Southgate Elementary	Kendra Phillips	southgateelementaryptg@gmail.com
Sunset View Elementary	Jenn Coe	jennifer.coe@ksd.org
Washington Elementary	Courtney Ehr	ptowashington12@gmail.com
	Shay Craigo
Vista Elementary	Erin Spence	vistapto16@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact your school directly to find out if it has a PTO.

Roles & Expectations

• Work under the direction of a Kennewick School District staff member. All instructional services must be under the control and supervision of certificate staff.
• Accept direction from district staff members and, if applicable, attend specific training before assisting with any activity.
• Refer any student problem that may arise to the classroom teacher or district staff member, whether of an instructional, medical, behavioral or operational nature. 
• Abide by the building’s procedures for signing in and out of the building each day.
• Wear an identification badge (as required by the school).
• Follow all Kennewick School District Policies & Procedures.

CONFIDENTIALITY

By spending time in the schools as a volunteer/visitor, you may see and hear things about students’ work and behavior that need to remain confidential. Further, you may, under limited circumstances, have access to student education records and other student information. KSD students have the right to expect that information about them will be kept confidential by all volunteers/visitors. Additionally, the U.S. congress has addressed the privacy-related concerns of educators, parents, and students by enacting the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Volunteers/visitors must not repeat anything that happens to or about a student to anyone other than authorized school department employees, as designated by the administrators of the KSD school at which they are volunteering/visiting. Confidential information may not be discussed in any form, including any type of social media. Volunteers/visitors should not ask a student personal questions that will invade their right to privacy. Though volunteers/visitors should respect the confidentiality of any information a student may share, if a safety or at-risk issue is revealed a volunteer/visitor should share this information with the teacher or an administrator.

Photography and Video of Students

Volunteers/visitors may not take photos/video of students or post photos/video of students to social media even if staff indicates that it's okay to do so. If a community or education partner organizations wants to take photos/video for its own use, contact the Communications Department at info@ksd.org in advance to coordinate. A photo/release form will need to be provided by the agency to the school and signed by parent/guardians in advance. Please allow for enough time for the forms to be distributed and gathered by the school before the activity takes place.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The Kennewick School District provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or use of trained dog, guide or service animal by a person with a disability, and provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. 

Learn more about our non-discrimination, equity, civil rights and Title IX policies here.

If you have questions or complaints of alleged discrimination, contact:

Civil Rights & Equity: Dr. Tom Brillhart - (509) 222-5335, thomas.brillhart@ksd.org
Section 504, Title IX: BJ Wilson - (509) 222-6534, bj.wilson@ksd.org