Our School greatly appreciates the support given to students’ learning through the Parent Helpers Program.
Parent involvement is encouraged and welcomed at St James the Apostle School. Without the support of parents, many of the programs and opportunities we offer students would not be possible.
Legal Requirements
Parents who volunteer to help must have a Working with Children Check. Applications can be made online and forms are also available from Post Offices. There is no cost involved in applying for the Working with Children check. More information about the Check is available at the Working with Children Check website. Once you receive your card, it must be presented to the School for verification and displayed any time you are working with our students.
Induction
All parent volunteers must attend Child Safety Induction as part of our Child Safety processes. These sessions are run at the beginning of each year and on a needs basis throughout the year. Once this course has been completed, parents are able to volunteer their time in learning spaces.
What Parent Helpers Do
Parent Helpers play a varied role in learning spaces. Some of the tasks Parent Helpers might be asked to do include:
- Attend to Home Reading program;
- Work with small groups of children in the Reading session;
- Read to children;
- Model good speaking and listening skills;
- Help children solve literacy and mathematical problems; and
- Support the teacher to problem solve children’s problems.