Volunteer Opportunities

For all Volunteers and non-MMSD Personnel, to be considered an “approved”, you must complete the following steps:

1. Application (Volunteer Tracker) https://appgarden6.app-garden.com/VolTrackWI3269.nsf (Click on the green, “New to the App-Garden? Click Here to Register” link. Enter your email address, create a password and Register. An activation email will be sent to your email address to validate your account.) PLEASE Select the appropriate activities you are participating in or are interested in volunteering. For example, if you are planning to be a field trip chaperone, be sure to select the field trip chaperone activity
2. Background Check - MMSD will process all background checks for volunteers who have selected a Level 2 activity. Please note, this takes anywhere from 1 day to 7 days for it to process.

3. Training Requirements

• Building & Student Safety Protocols - Required (15 minutes)
• Onboarding - Highly Recommended (1 hour)

Please note training is available asynchronously (recorded), takes approximately 1-1.5 hours and only needs to be completed one time. MMSD places a high value on safety and well-being; these training modules are important for the safety and well-being of students, staff, and volunteers. The objectives of the trainings are: building safety and security protocols; and grounding in MMSD anti-racist mission/vision, identity and relationships, and strategies and overview of the Volunteer Expectations. MMSD is committed to anti-racist practices, equity, inclusion, and upholding our core beliefs. These onboarding trainings are in alignment with that vision, and it's important for volunteers to have a shared understanding.

• The application takes about 15 minutes to complete.
• The Background check takes 1-5 days.
• Training takes approximately 1-1.5 hours.

To find out, log into your Volunteer Tracker account

• If the status says you are "Approved" - you are all set and you may volunteer now!
• If the status says you are "Pending" - most likely we are waiting for the background check to come back. It takes 1-7 days.
• If the status says you are “PendingRenewal” - you need to renew your background check. Remember, this must be done every 365 days.

MMSD is committed to anti-racist practices, equity, inclusion, and upholding our core beliefs. These trainings are in alignment with that vision, and it's important for volunteers to have a shared understanding. MMSD places a high value on safety and well-being; these training modules are important for the safety and well-being of students, staff, and volunteers. The objectives of the trainings are: building safety and security protocols; and grounding in MMSD anti-racist mission/vision, identity and relationships, and strategies. Please note training is available asynchronously (recorded), takes approximately 1-1.5 hours and only needs to be completed once.

Volunteer Training

Volunteer Tracker enables you to select the schools where you wish to serve and identify activities that you would like to participate as a volunteer. Also, using the Log My Time feature in Volunteer Tracker, you will be amazed at the number of hours that you contribute to schools. Register today in the MMSD/MSCR Volunteer Tracker program!

• Support school’s work in keeping students safe by providing an up to date list of volunteers and their background status
• Provide guidance on when a background check is needed based on the work a volunteer will be doing
• Provide clear, transparent communication between the schools, HR and the volunteers
• Save time in processing and managing volunteers

Features

• No more paperwork - Online Registration and background check
• Volunteers are automatically sent emails to re-register when their background check is due
• Volunteer registers ONCE, multiple sites

If a volunteer is supporting the school through special events like booster club or book fairs, etc, and they will not be alone with students, they do not need background checks. (Level 1 positions) However, if a volunteer may have unsupervised contact with students such as a tutor, field trip chaperone or classroom assistant, a background check is required. (Level 2 positions)

Social security numbers (SSN) or Visa Numbers are used for national criminal background checks. If you are
unable to provide a SSN, please contact the partnerships department (partnerships@madison.k12.wi.us) for
further instructions prior to filling out the volunteer application. A background check will still be completed, but
will take longer. Please note that U.S. citizenship is not a requirement for volunteering, and citizenship status is
not a part of a background check report.

Volunteers will need a background check every 365 days. Volunteers will receive an email when their application is due for renewal.

Volunteers are automatically emailed when their application is approved or denied. The details of the background check report are confidential.

Level 1 Volunteers may NOT work alone with students.

Level 2 Volunteers may work with students (Field Trips, Classroom work, Tutoring, etc) If you need to change your status level, please log into your Volunteer Application, edit your profile, update the Activity to a Level 2 role.

When you are filling out the Volunteer Tracker Application, you can choose as many school sites as you need. For example, maybe you plan to volunteer in Kennedy and Whitehorse. You can choose both, and those two schools will see your completed and approved application, and ONLY those two schools.
 

What if you need to change the schools so another school can see your approved application or you forgot to include a school? Easy solution: Log into Volunteer Tracker, edit your profile, update School Sites. In this example, perhaps now you plan to also volunteer at LaFollette. Log in, edit profile, select LaFollette. After you save the changes, that updated school will now be able to see your approved application.

Log in here

There are countless opportunities to volunteer in our schools beyond academic tutoring: helping in a library or the school office, assisting parents during enrollment, or chaperoning a field trip. Each school has their own unique list of ways family & community members can support their school. Whether you would like to volunteer as a classroom assistant, coach, field trip chaperone or one-time special events, you are encouraged to contact your school directly to learn about their current opportunities.

Academic Tutoring

Tutors work with school staff to increase the academic performance of students in a range of subject areas. MMSD collaborates with a number of local area non-profit agencies serving children and youth to offer academic tutoring, especially in reading and math. Opportunities to tutor exist with these partnership organizations in elementary, middle and high school.

• Elementary Schools of Hope - Literacy Tutoring in elementary schools.
• Middle Schools of Hope - Literacy and Math Tutoring in middle schools.
• Achievement Connections - Algebra and Geometry tutoring in the four comprehensive high schools.

AVID/TOPS

If you have a bachelor's degree, you can mentor a student and share some of your real-life experiences. A mentor is both a friend and a counselor, providing advice and guidance that help students meet the challenges of high school and prepare them for the college experience.

MSCR

Discover volunteer opportunities from Downhill Volunteer Ski Instructor to Youth Resource Center Assistants and everything in between.

Title VI - Indian Education

Title VI Indian Education is a federal project designed to provide eligible Indian and Alaska Native students with tutoring, cultural enrichment, and other services designed to meet the culturally related academic needs of AI/AN students. For information on programming please contact Instructional Resource Teacher, Tara Tindall.