Serve and Inspire with Somerville Public Schools!
Welcome to Somerville Public Schools and thank you for your interest in volunteering! Why Volunteer? Volunteers in schools leads to greater student achievement and self-confidence, better attendance, improved conversation skills and social relationships, and stronger community connections. As a volunteer with Somerville Public Schools, you will work with students, educators, parents and guardians, and community volunteers to enrich and expand student learning. Whether you have an hour a week or an hour a month, we'll work to match you with a rewarding volunteer experience.
Getting Started
NEW TO SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS? If interested in serving regularly please take a moment to self-register as an SPS Volunteer here. Volunteer Orientations are scheduled for volunteers interesting in being matched for regular (at least one hour per week) volunteering (see details here).
RETURNING VOLUNTEERS: Thank you for sharing your time and talents in our schools! All volunteers should submit a CORI for the current school year and provide proof of full vaccination for COVID-19. To submit your CORI, download this fillable CORI Form and "enable editing" to use. Email or bring CORI with a copy of your photo ID to jcapuano@k12.somerville.ma.us. Evening hours available by appointment for CORI drop off. CORIs may also be submitted through your school's main office once schools are opened. For information about MA CORI regulation and your CORI rights visit https://www.mass.gov/doc/cori-booklet/download.
Volunteers serving regularly should be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and follow district's safety and health protocols. Acceptable proof of vaccination include: CDC vaccination card, photo of CDC vaccination card, or state vaccination record or digital vaccine passport (this varies by state). Community health measures continue to be closely monitored for evaluating screening, masking and social distancing protocols in schools. Please review the COVID-19 Daily Healthy Checklist before serving.
Thank you for reviewing this Guide for procedures and best practices for serving with Somerville Public Schools.
SERVE, ENGAGE, INSPIRE
Come learn with us! SPS actively works to empower and engage volunteers to connect with a school community in meaningful, rewarding ways. Reach out to SPS Volunteer Coordinator JCapuano@k12.somerville.ma.us to be matched with an educator, program, classroom, student or to learn more. Check back here for more opportunities to serve during the school year!
Multilingual Multicultural Learning Work with multilingual learners in a classroom or for 1:1 or small group conversation, activities, literacy or academic tutoring. Grades Pre-K through Grade 12. Spanish, Portuguese or Haitian Creole fluency or proficiency and multicultural competency and experience preferred.
Somerville High School
Volunteers serve in person or remotely offering tutoring in Mathematics, Sciences, Writing, Computer Sciences, or mentoring in College Preparation, STEM Career Speaking engagements, Robotics, Basic Needs Resourcing and more.
Volunteer serve in person for one hour or more guiding and supporting students in mathematics, biology, chemistry or other subject areas. Somerville High School: 8:30am-10:30am and 10:40am-12:40pm.
Enroot partners with Somerville High School offering mentoring, college and career planning and English language practice and activities for immigrant students. Enroot is currently accepting mentor applications for Fall 2022. As a volunteer mentor you will work with Enroot staff to assist students develop goals and build meaningful connections with their community. Commitment is one hour a week, October 2022 through June 2023 (Tues or Thurs evenings). Volunteer mentors who speak one (or more!) of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Bengali or Amharic are especially welcomed. For more information contact Vania Loredo, Enroot Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement: vloredo@enrooteducation.org or see application here.
Engineers, Computer Programmers, We Want You! Somerville High School Robotics Team seeks mentors to assist with team-building activities and participate in FIRST Robotics, an international robotics competition. Volunteers with mechanical or electrical engineering, computer programming (JavaScript), business or project management experience welcomed. Time commitment is one or two afternoons/week Sept-January, with larger need during competition season January-March 2023. Contact SHS Robotics parent volunteer mentor Maren Chiu: maren.chiu@gmail.com for more information.
Therapy Dogs (and their Human Handlers) Wanted Since 2012 Somerville Public Schools has welcomed trained, certified therapy dog teams into classrooms and for individual counseling sessions. Interacting with therapy dog teams has shown to reduce anxiety, improve confidence and provide emotional benefits for students. Trained teams serve once weekly or bi-monthly with the same classroom or student(s) and are provided safe, quiet spaces to meet.
More Opportunities Coming, Stay Tuned!
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COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING
The Welcome Project The Welcome Project is a local nonprofit working to strengthen the collective power of immigrant youth, adults and families to shape community process, programs and decision-making around schools, programs, government and institutions. Remote, flexible scheduling as your time allows. For more information contact: Winki Chan (She/Her/Hers) winki@welcomeproject.org or call 617-623-6633.
Somerville Homeless Coalition Volunteer at Project SOUP, volunteer to cook a meal, attend or host an event, shop at Amazon Smile and select Somerville Homeless Coalition.
Food For Free distributes free, nutritious, locally sourced food to vulnerable families in Greater Boston. You can help nourish local families by signing up here.
Groundwork Somerville Help grow and maintain hands-on outdoor learning opportunities in schools. Volunteers are paired with SPS school garden sites May - September, minimum 1 hour/week, with flexible timing and ability to take on as many additional hours as you'd like. Email jules@groundworksomerville.org for more info.
MAMAS (Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville) is an entirely volunteer-led resource connecting community needs with community resources. Join a working group, help distribute resources or work toward redistributing resources.
Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) was founded in 1972 with a mission to protect and restore the Mystic River, its tributaries and watershed lands. MyRWA works to protect water quality, restore important habitat, build climate resilience, transform parks and paths, and inspire youth and community to protect and restore. Summer volunteer opportunities: Canoe for a Cause: Join one or more summer field days on land or water to help remove invasive water chestnuts from the Mystic River. Teen Volunteer Week begins July 11: join teens from around the watershed to help care for the river and local parks.
Volunteer Spotlights
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