Volunteer
Empowering Student Success Through Family and Community Engagement
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Kennewick School District. Parent and community involvement are key to student success and we appreciate your contributions of time and support of our schools.
All volunteers must complete a Kennewick School District volunteer application each year and be approved before they volunteer. The district conducts a Washington State Patrol electronic background check as part of the application process. Volunteer applications typically take 2-3 business days to process and you will be notified when it is complete.
Volunteer Opportunities
- Action Team for Partnerships (ATP)
- ELEMENTARY READING TUTOR (TEAM READ)
- COMMUNITY GROUP PROJECTS
- PTO (PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION)
Action Team for Partnerships (ATP)
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ELEMENTARY READING TUTOR (TEAM READ)
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.
COMMUNITY GROUP PROJECTS
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.
PTO (PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION)
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 | |
---|---|---|
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.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Roles & Expectations
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
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 & Video of Students
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
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