ISM benefits from a very involved volunteer community that includes parents, guardians, extended family, friends, and neighbors.  We ask families to contribute three hours of service per month for the first student enrolled and one additional hour for each additional student; all hours are entirely voluntary, and we do not require mandatory hours for admission or continued enrollment. 

Our Office Manager serves as our Volunteer Liaison.  She manages the overall volunteer process, including verifying all volunteer information and documentation.  You can find volunteer opportunities by speaking with her, your child’s teachers, and by responding to ParentSquare postings and emails.  For any questions regarding volunteering at ISM, contact the Office Manager via email or in person in the school office. 

HelpCounter, a hosted software solution, allows volunteers to log their hours by signing in and out on a front-office computer or manually entering hours after completion.  The front-office is also where you will get name badges, as all authorized campus visitors are badged for student safety.

First, you need to become eligible to volunteer if you want to contribute hours where you will come into contact with students (e.g., chaperoning field trips or helping in the classroom). For all such volunteers, we require background checks, a completed  Adult Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Assessment Questionnaire, a completed Volunteer Emergency Information Form, and an electronically signed copy of this Confidentiality Agreement Form. If you can not complete any of the above requirements, don't worry! You can contribute your talent and time to the school by helping teachers from home, joining the Community Connection, or being a part of any other ISM parent groups. Since you will NOT be working directly with students, we ask that you complete all sections above that you can, but no one section is required.

Volunteer Driver Application & Pledge Form
As a field trip driver, you will provide a highly valued service to ISM students.  The availability of volunteer drivers allows ISM to plan exciting off-campus learning opportunities that greatly enrich the student experience.  However, that enrichment cannot come at the cost of student safety.  Ensuring the safety of students and all participants on every trip is paramount.  Toward that end, we require that all volunteer drivers submit an online application and pledge form.

Please understand that this form must be completed, submitted, and approved by the administration for you to participate as a driver.

Online Defensive Driving Course
At the request of our insurance provider, we require that you complete a short defensive online driving course every three years on the SafeSchools website.  You can start the process by speaking to our Office Manager for access to the course.

After speaking to the Office Manager, all parent volunteers will be assigned the mandatory Defensive Driving (CA Full Course) to complete and will be "greeted" with this course upon entering the site.  Then, once you have completed all sections of the course, it will record your completion for verification purposes.  You can do this anytime, anywhere, using any computer and web browser.  The entire process will take you 20-25 minutes to complete.

Documents in Hand
State law requires that you have your license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance with you whenever you drive; we have the teacher in charge of each trip check to ensure that you have these documents in your possession at the time of each field trip.  Because your license, registration, and insurance status might change at any time, we do not keep these required documents on file.

During the 2019-2020 school year, 463 ISM individuals volunteered their time and talent in multiple roles throughout the academic year, logging 15,421 volunteer hours total.

Volunteer roles included the following categories with 50 or more hours, plus many more below 50:

• Distance Learning Support ~ 6,192

• Classroom Support ~ 4,040

• Fieldtrip Chaperone ~ 967

• Saturday Work Day ~ 363

• Library ~ 331

• Family Connection Member ~ 158

• Surveys, focus groups, coffees, and townhalls ~ 153

• Room Parent ~ 140

• ISM Board of Trustees ~ 112

• SEM (Schoolwide Enrichment Model) ~ 108

• Fundraising Projects (e.g. boxtops, Big Sur aid station) ~ 125

• Special Events (e.g. Grandparents & Great Friends Day, Halloween) ~ 120

• ISM Foundation ~ 90

• Front office, lunchroom, and recess coverage ~ 79

• Science Fair, History Day, Tech Challenge, Exhibition, Community Project ~ 67

• Yearbook ~ 63

• Book Fair ~ 57