MacFarland MS

Three simple steps to getting started with MacFarland Middle School this year!

If you need any assistance, please contact us at info@dctutormentor.org or at 202-688-1261.

Program Information

Click here to watch a video message from MacFarland’s Principal Lucas Cooke!

Volunteer Program

The DCTMI Volunteer Program at MacFarland will run Mondays through Fridays between 8:45am and 5:00pm. The school needs volunteers who can spend a minimum of 1 to 3 hours at least once a week helping middle schoolers with their coursework. Volunteers could choose to help with Humanities, English Language Arts, reading, Science, Math, or Visual Arts classes. OR you could help with extracurriculars like debate, videography, art, and more!

Volunteers from all backgrounds are needed, especially bilingual Spanish-English speakers. If there are specific subject areas that interest you or hobbies you’d like to center your volunteering around, please let us know!

Subject Areas & Extracurriculars

Volunteers can support classrooms in the following ways, including afterschool programs:

6th, 7th or 8th Grade Math
6th, 7th or 8th Grade English Language Arts
7th & 8th Grade Reading Intervention
6th Grade Humanities
6th & 8th Grade Science
8th Grade Behavioral Support
6th-8th Grade Visual Arts
After-school clubs (art, videography, cultural, hockey, math, or ELA)

Dates

Volunteers who have a valid DCPS Clearance Letter can start the week of September 8th, and are accepted on a rolling basis. Your application is much anticipated! MacFarland operates according to the DC Public Schools Calendar.

Will you be away for a week or two? No worries! Volunteering is flexible – we’d love to have as many people involved including any friends or family who might be interested. Volunteers are also welcome and encouraged to join during and after school hours.

Application Process

Step 1. DCPS Background Check Process

Take 20 minutes to complete the online DCPS form.

Please complete the form on a laptop/desktop device and check your spam/junk email for email notices.

Use this contact information when asked who your DCPS or school contact is:
- MacFarland MS
- Sandra Walker-McLean
- Sandra.Walker-McLean@k12.dc.gov
- (202) 671-6033
There is no “Submit” button for your background check application – clicking “Save” will submit your form. Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from notify@quickbase.com titled “DCPS Clearance Application Submitted”.
Please note:
- You are not required to submit a drug test so please skip that option. You may be required to submit a Tuberculosis (TB) test only if you have traveled to an area where TB is common.
- If prompted for a Social Security Number (SSN) during the clearance process, you may enter all zeroes or all nines.

Step 2. Fingerprint Appointment

Schedule an appointment to get fingerprinted at a local UPS store (this appointment should last approximately 5 minutes).

After submitting the initial application form, you will receive an email with instructions for scheduling your fingerprinting appointment via another form (please make sure to check your junk/spam folders). This email will come from applicationstation@truescreen.com and will be titled “Background Investigation Forms Requested”. The code you will be asked for on the Fieldprint fingerprint appointment form will be found in this email.

Detailed fingerprinting information can be found here.
Please be aware that this link is typically active for about 24 hours. Therefore, it’s essential to activate it promptly and schedule your fingerprinting check.

Once all steps are completed, the processing time is 3-5 business days from your fingerprinting appointment being completed. You should receive your DCPS Clearance email from no-reply@k12.dc.gov titled “DCPS Employment Clearance” with a PDF of your DCPS Clearance Letter attached.

Please send your DCPS Clearance Letter to docs@dctutormentor.org, with the subject title as “MacFarland – DCPS Volunteer Clearance Letter”.

Step 3. Volunteer Preference Form

Send us your clearance letter and volunteer preferences!

Email your clearance letter to docs@dctutormentor.org and complete our Volunteer Preference form to indicate your interest and availability for the MacFarland volunteer program. We will connect you with MacFarland’s staff to get started.

Why this additional step? The MacFarland staff are extraordinarily busy managing the school and have asked DCTMI to only send volunteers who have completed their DCPS clearance process so MacFarland staff members don’t need to manage that process themselves.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions! Call 202-688-1261 or email info@dcTutorMentor.org.

In the meantime, we invite you to stay up-to-date DCTMI programming and events by following our social media pages (@dcTutorMentor on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok), signing up for our newsletter, or keeping an eye on our website! We’re excited to get you started!

Reflections on Volunteering

“[The volunteer] has been so wonderful and the kids have really enjoyed getting to work with him. Some of them ask at the beginning of class if it's their day to get to work with him 🙂 And we have several students whose behavior and focus is greatly improved by his 1-1 attention.”

“Thank you! I am really appreciating the extra support in my classes.”

“It’s been great. I love working with the kids! I have been able to go once a week so far, but it has been great. I love the teachers as well they’re so nice."

"I've thoroughly enjoyed working with a group of four young men who sit together in a cluster of tables at MacFarland. At first, it felt like one or two of them wanted to avoid interacting with me since they were having too much fun goofing off behind the teacher's back. (I confess they reminded me of myself at that age.) But after a couple of classes where I've been able to help them through some of their academic challenges, they've warmed up to me. The other day, they wanted to learn about my story -- Where was I from? How old am I? Do I get paid? Why am I volunteering? -- and I feel like the ice has completely thawed. Now they look forward to seeing me as I look forward to seeing them."

“Overall I like the experience. Some kids are boisterous & need to be reprimanded by the teachers [...] but most of the kids want to learn and we make progress.”

"...The students have been receptive to extra help and seem to pick up the lessons pretty quickly.”