Volunteer Responsibilities

• Assist School and Grade Captains in managing students
• Work with assigned students on curriculum supplied by the Grade Captain
• Encourage family and friends to volunteer
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Encourage and praise the students on their work

Volunteer Checklist

Before You Arrive -

• Sign up in advance on the Hands On Atlanta website to reserve your spot.
• Find driving directions to the school to ensure that you arrive on time.
• Call School Captain or your school's Discovery Program Manager with any questions or concerns.
• For volunteers 18 and under, please email discovery@HandsOnAtlanta.org or call a Discovery Program Manager.

At Discovery -

• Arrive by 9:45 AM.
• Sign in and put on a name tag.  (Please be careful to write as legibly as possible -- this is how we track volunteer hours.)
• If you have not attended a Hands On Atlanta volunteer orientation, please fill out a volunteer form and hand it in to the School Captain.  You may make a volunteer account and complete the online orientation at www.handsonatlanta.org.
• Forms can be found at <handsondiscovery.handsonatlanta.org/volunteers> at the bottom of the page.
• Meet with School & Grade Captains to find out the agenda and structure for the day.
• Choose the grade you will be working with and either sign in or sit at that table, depending on the school.
• Introduce yourself to the students and work with your group the entire session.
• Stay the entire session; leaving early is disruptive to the students.
• Engage students until announcements at 10 AM.
• Lead students through Grade Captain's lesson plans.
• Escort students to and from classroom when they need to visit the restroom.
• Be firm and consistent with students -- enforce your expectations and standards of behavior.
• Ensure that the classroom is kept clean and tidy, assist in cleaning up and encourage students to help.
• Remind students and other volunteers about attending the next sessions.
• Have fun!

Things to Remember -

• Do not take students off school property except for approved field trips.
• Do not bring special gifts or treats for your students.
• Always enforce School and Grade Captains' rules.
• Immediately report any accidents/emergencies to a Grade or School Captain.
• If you suspect a child is sick or may be the victim of abuse, provide details confidentially to a Grade or School Captain who will follow up with Hands On Atlanta.  HOA will discuss it with the appropriate officials.
• Do not make promises that you cannot keep with the children; if you cannot attend a session, be truthful to your students.

Afterwards -

• Please provide feedback to School and Grade Captains on any challenges, comments, success stories, or suggestions for the program; your feedback is crucial to the improvement of this program.
• Publicize Discovery to others and invite them to attend the next session!