Volunteer orientation and training are mandatory for all new volunteers. This workshop provides you with valuable information you need to have a successful school experience.
Please register for the workshop that meets your availability. All orientation workshops are held at Richard Pfaff Alternative School 160 Percy Street Classroom 3
Wednesday, November 1, 9:30 to 11:30 AM Register here
Wednesday, November 8, 9:30 to 11:30 AM Register here
Wednesday, November 29, 9:30 to 11:30 AM Register here
Read Aloud training workshops for volunteers who will be reading to children one-on-one in JK to grade 3 classrooms.
All candidates must attend a workshop to be trained for the OttawaReads read aloud program.
Training takes about 2 hours and includes a shorter version of the volunteer orientation workshop. If you attend the OttawaReads workshop you do not need to attend Volunteer Orientation. All orientation workshops are held at Richard Pfaff Alternative School 160 Percy Street Classroom 3
Register for workshops here:
Wednesday, October 25th, 1:00-3:00 PM Register here
Wednesday, November 8, 1:00-3:00 PM Register here
Two new courses are offered for volunteers and volunteers aspiring to be educators. Send an email request to lscott@onfe-rope.ca.
As a volunteer, you can play an integral transformational role in a child's life. The information for this course is taken directly from author and educator Eric Jensen’s book, “Teaching With Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can Do About It.”
“If life experiences can change poor kids for the worse, can’t life experiences change also change them for the better?” Eric Jensen
Researcher, Eric Jensen makes three claims:
In this course, we will review some aspects of Jensen’s research that can be applied to volunteers assisting in schools. To obtain a copy of the book, google: Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching With Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can Do About It.
This online course focuses on learning strategies to help the students that you support as a volunteer become better, more independent learners. You will learn literacy and numeracy skills, personal management skills, and interpersonal and teamwork skills that you can pass onto your students to improve their learning and achievement in school, the workplace, and the community. Teaching the students learning strategies will build their confidence and may motivate them to pursue opportunities for success in secondary school and beyond. You may even learn a few new tips to improve your own productivity!
This training is meant specifically for those interested in supporting English language learners (ELLs) in Ottawa District School Board (OCDSB) schools. Most of the students you will be working with are recent newcomers to Canada, some will have gaps in their learning or not yet developed age-appropriate literacy skills in their first language but due to a variety of factors. Some will be Canadian-born students, who also learning English as an additional language. There some students from Metis, Inuit or First Nations communities who are attending school in Ottawa. Others are students living in international communities in Ottawa where English is not being spoken at home. Other ELL students include international students attending OCSDB schools.
Training Objectives: Volunteers completing this course will:
A 20-hour self-paced course for volunteers aspiring to become educators, learning strategists or assistive technology trainers. Send an email request to lscott@onfe-rope.ca.
Training Outcomes:
Length of Time: The time you take to complete the entire course is personal as those who want to work in Education take the time to fully understand the information which can take several days. The typical timeframe is approximately 20 hours.
Volunteering to help a student is one of the most fulfilling ways to be part of your community. OVIE, in collaboration with our partners, has pulled together a few resources to help you support your students.
Remember the best source of information is the school where you are volunteering. If you have questions or need additional support, speak to the Classroom Teacher or Learning Resource Teacher. They can provide you with valuable information on how to help your student and give you access to additional resources (math manipulatives, language development resources and much more!)
Please send us your “tried and true” resources to post on this site to share with others.
We’ve divided the resources into the following categories, click on the link that applies to you:
