Thursday Connection: Volunteer Schedule

Paid Substitute List

Volunteer Schedules

A Note from our Volunteer Coordinator

Please, please read your job descriptions as they may have changed for the new semester!!

I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday! I will have student volunteer letters on my table on Thursday as well, come by & pick those up!

Things to remember:

arrive about 10 minutes early for your shift, margin is good!
initial on the sign-in sheet at the volunteer table so I know you are here.
pick up a job description from the gray file box
show the teacher you are working with respect
please by all means enjoy yourself & maybe even learn something ;-)
return your job description at the end of the day.

If you have a need to contact me about a shift please call me at 865-384-1141. I will get a message on my voicemail, unless you don't leave me one. Then I can not know what you needed to tell me. It is ALWAYS better to talk to a person!!

If you have a change or need a sub, the master list is available on Thursdays and the paid substitute list can be found here. Remember, it is your responsibility to find a replacement. Please communicate any changes with Shannon as soon as possible. Have a great week,

Shannon Wilson
TC Volunteer Coordinator
It's all about Jesus

Student Volunteers

Let me take a moment to say thank you to all the families of and the students who will be volunteering at Thursday Connection this year. Ingenuity is a marker for a home school family. When we have a challenge, we rise to the occasion.

Please remind your student to look for their name at the volunteer table (Shannon Wilson) and sign in. This is how we keep up with the hours they are working and that they are where they are supposed to be.

You rock teens!!

Thanks so much.

Reminder About Substitute Volunteers

If you hire a substitute, you are responsible to pay them.

We have a couple of folks who have agreed to work someone else’s shift, but have not been paid by the person requesting the swap.

Update on Volunteer Rules

1. If you are volunteering, your children must abide by coop rules if they are not in a class.

No children should ever be allowed to go to the playground alone. Even if the parent says okay and is working. That is a dangerous situation with the parking lot so close. A couple incidents have been brought to our attention and we will be monitoring the playground closely.

Please remember that if all are not following the rules, that just means that we have to have more volunteers and people to cover more area. It could mean a need for extra shifts by all. You can help by passing along any rules to newcomers or people who may just not know.

Students Must Stay In Lunch Room Until 5 Minutes Before Class

Another issue…some of the children are eating quickly and then going to their next class…sometimes up to 20 minutes early. For many of our teachers, that is the only ½ hour they have for regrouping and sanity. Please instruct your children that they are to stay in the lunch area until 5 minutes before the class. Our volunteers will tell them when to leave.

Hall Monitor Positions

On the same line, our hall monitors are not doing their jobs because these kids shouldn’t be getting past them. Hall monitors need to stop children going up/ down the stairwell at times other than class times. Please, please read your job descriptions and follow them closely. Thank you.

General Volunteer Information

We are starting to find and iron out the kinks with the volunteer schedule. Here is some general information we all need to read and remember when it is your week to serve.

1) Our Co-op would not run without you!!
2) Please be early.
3) Volunteer sign-in will be upstairs in the main hallway. Please sign-in and out this year.
4) Please READ your job description and FOLLOW it unless Shannon Wilson asks you to do something different. We had great volunteers last week, but 4 or 5 of them were not where they were supposed to be, not on purpose, but because of the nature of the first day of co-op confusion.
5) If you notice that your job description can be improved, write it on the paper and give to Connie Lilly so changes can be made. We need the input from the person who actually is doing the job because you know where the trouble spots are.
6) Please be KIND to the children and and other adults. Watch what you say and how you say it, especially with young children. We are workers in a ministry to the children in this co-op. I had horrible reports of volunteers being rude. This type of behavior will not be tolerated. You are here to serve. If this is hard for you, then you have the option of buying out your volunteer shifts.

Please check the volunteer schedules for your name to see if you are working a shift this week..

Volunteer Information

Volunteer Requirements

Each family is required to volunteer 16 hours each semester. We have dates available for each parent to choose, and we try to be flexible in allowing this freedom to choose dates and jobs. Shifts are 4 hours for 4 days to fulfill the 16 hour requirement. When you sign up for a shift, we expect that you will fulfill your obligation. Please mark your volunteer shifts on your calendar. Thursday Connection will send a reminder email with a list of volunteers for the week. Please check your emails.

Volunteer Check-In

Please be 10 minutes early for your shift to allow time to check-in and settle your children in their respective classes. At the check-in area, you will initial that you are present and pick-up a job description from the blue accordion file for your shift. Please read and follow that description unless you are asked by the volunteer coordinator to serve somewhere else. At the end of your shift, please replace the job description and initial out. Thursday Connection reserves the right to place you in any job as our needs dictate.

Changes/Absences

If you have a schedule change, you are required to make the change with Shannon Wilson the week before your scheduled shift. The master list will be available during co-op hours through Shannon to obtain names and numbers of other workers with which to switch your dates. You may also access the list through Shannon via telephone or email during the week. It is your responsibility to find a replacement for yourself. When you have made a switch or found a replacement, please notify Shannon as soon as possible.

If you choose, you may buy out your volunteer time at the rate of $35 per 4 hour shift for a total of $140. (Some volunteers may need to buy out shifts and serve volunteer time in various combinations. Please speak to Shannon about these options.)

If you have a medical emergency or last minute change during the week you are scheduled to volunteer, it is your responsibility to find a replacement or hire a substitute. Then, you should make Shannon aware of the change via telephone. The substitute list will be available online and the first few weeks at co-op. If you have a medical emergency the morning you are scheduled to work, you must call Shannon and each emergency will be handled on a case by case basis.

'No shows'

If you chose to be negligent in serving your volunteer time as scheduled, you will be fined $60 (this includes a $35 substitute fee and a $25 fine) per 4 hour shift. If you are a "no show" for 2 shifts, action may be taken by the board regarding the lack of commitment by the family in question. Please be diligent in service and worthy of trust by full cooperation and participation in our program.

Tardiness

If you are late, it makes it hard on everyone. Please be 10 minutes early for your scheduled shift to allow time for your own children to be settled into their respective classes and for you to sign in at the volunteer station. You will be assessed a $5 penalty for every 15 minutes you are late for your shift. If you are 1 hour late, you will be considered a 'no show', and be assessed the $60 fine. Occasionally, we all have circumstances that we cannot control, and Thursday Connection will try to take these things into consideration. By planning to be early, most of these circumstances will not affect your arrival.

Volunteer Coordinators' Contact Information

Shannon Wilson Email: sew211@gmail.com Do not use email for medical emergencies.

Paid Substitutes

Are you willing to work Extra Shifts? If you would like to be added to the "Willing to work extra shifts for pay" list, please email Shannon at sew211@gmail.com.

Answers to a few Frequently Asked Questions About Volunteer Hours

1. When people "buy" their shifts, what do you use the money for?

The funds brought in by folks “buying” their shifts are used to hire consistent workers in the childcare and break rooms, so that we have folks in there who can get to know the kids. We feel this provides a safer environment. We also use this money to hire folks to fill in the holes left after everyone signs up.

We do allow shift buyouts as a courtesy to our families. We are the only program in the city to offer this option (that we are aware of). We feel that the time of those who spend their days at the building is worth a lot more than we charge. The administration does not “take the money”.

We post weekly openings to see if anyone wants to volunteer. This is a cost cutting effort. We have to hire a lot of folks to run the program. We have consistent break room monitors, nursery supervisors, weekly workers that must be hired, and administrative help-Claire and the Administrator get a small salary for their work-doesn’t even begin to cover our hours. We use the shift payments to cover these weekly workers rather than add cost into everyone’s registration fee.

Weekly workers still have to give volunteer hours. No one is getting rich off of these shift payments. If you have questions about this, or wish to see our budget, you may talk to Claire at any time. We will be as honest with you as possible.

2. Why do you require so many volunteers to work per day?

Last year, we found ourselves short-handed almost every week. In our evaluation of the situation, we decided to add one shift, brining us up to four shifts. This requires everyone to work once per month, which is still in line with what other co-ops require. Other co-ops don’t offer the option of buying shifts, but we still thought that we’d like to do that in order to allow working moms, and even those who really needed “mom time” the ability to still participate in Thursday Connection.

Because it was hard to get workers for 6.25 per hour, we did want everyone to think twice about buying those shifts. By raising the amount to $8.00/hour, it became easier to hire workers.

We realize that we sometimes have folks sitting around talking. But experience has taught us that it is better to be overstaffed than understaffed. We are working hard to minimize the amount of time where our volunteers are idle. It is a constant process and Connie has solved many of these problems. Again, the safety of our children is very important. Sometimes, there are emergencies and sometimes people have sick children at the last minute-we must have folks ready to help in emergencies.

Can't find what you're looking for? Check the Site Map!

Volunteer Schedule