Club Communications

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Spectrum Guardians! We’re excited to have you join this student-led mission to support elementary students with ASD and help build a kinder, more inclusive community.

 Parent Consent Form (Required)

Before we get started, please have your parent/guardian complete this consent form:
https://forms.gle/FcCgnVFpACGH5zQm9

This step is required for all high school volunteers. Once the form is completed, you’ll be officially cleared to participate.

 Program Start Dates

We’re happy to share that the program will officially begin the week of December 8th at Wilson Wims Elementary School. The principal has approved once a week with 5-6 volunteers to start, with plans to expand in the coming months.

Cedar Grove Elementary has also approved the program, we’re just waiting on the confirmed start date, and I’ll share that as soon as it’s finalized.

We’re currently in discussions with Snowden Farm, Clarksburg Elementary, and Little Bennett, and we’re awaiting their approvals. It looks like the schools want to see feedback from our first few sessions at Wilson Wims before moving forward.

So this is our moment! Let's give our absolute best in these early sessions.
Your kindness, consistency, and effort will help open doors to more schools and allow even more students to benefit from Spectrum Guardians. 

SSL Hours Update

For SSL hours, we are expected to be at the school between 2:45–3:45 PM for each session. I understand that after-school traffic can be unpredictable, so being 5–10 minutes late is okay as long as it’s occasional and you arrive as quickly and safely as possible.

Each volunteer will receive 1 SSL hour per session. If you ever expect to be late or absent, please just let me know ahead of time so we can plan accordingly.

 Training

To send you the virtual training link, I’ll need to use your MCPS school email.
Please reply with your student ID so I can send the training link to your student email id. The training is a15 minute video.

 Volunteer Scheduling 

To coordinate availability and build the volunteer schedule, we’ll have our kickoff meeting on December 7th. More details will follow soon.

 Optional: Website Photo

If you’re comfortable with having your photo featured on the Spectrum Guardians website, feel free to share one with me (school-appropriate).
It helps make our site more personal, welcoming, and truly student-led.

You can email it directly to this email id - totally optional, no pressure!

If you haven’t checked out the website yet, here it is:
https://spectrumguardians.com

Please take a look at the Volunteers page, that’s where I’d love to include your picture (only if you’re okay with it). Kindly share any feedback or suggestions you have for improving the website — I’d really appreciate it!

Interest Meeting at CHS 

We’re also planning an interest meeting on December 4th during the Freshman/Junior lunch (tentatively). Hope to see you and your friends there! 

I’ll also be presenting Spectrum Guardians at the January SGA meeting, and I would love for all of you to be there as part of the team.  

Privacy

Please note that your information will not be misused in any way. It will be used strictly for Spectrum Guardians communication and coordination only. Your privacy matters, and we’re committed to keeping all volunteer information safe and limited to this program.

Final Note

Since this is completely student-run, I apologize if I’ve made any mistakes, I’m learning as I go. Thank you for your patience, support, and for helping make this initiative better.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at 240-756-7725.

Thank you for choosing to be a part of this club! Please feel free to forward this to your friends who may be interested.
Sid Karnati

Hello everyone,

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break! Speaking of Thanksgiving, I’m truly grateful to all of you for joining this club. I hope that together we will make a real difference and inspire inclusion through Spectrum Guardians.

Quick Reminders

• Parent Consent Form (Required): Thank you to those who have already submitted their parent consent forms. I’m still waiting on a few more, so if you haven’t sent it in yet, please do so as soon as possible. https://forms.gle/FcCgnVFpACGH5zQm9

• Student ID for Training Link:  I will be sending out the training link to everyone who has shared their MCPS student ID. Please make sure you’ve submitted yours so I can send it to the correct school email.

• Volunteer Photo (Optional):
  You may share a photo if you're comfortable being listed on the Volunteers page of the website. https://www.spectrumguardians.com/home/volunteers 

Available Leadership Roles

As our team continues to grow, I also wanted to see if anyone would be interested in stepping into a leadership role, either as a Spectrum Guardians Elementary School Representative (SG–ES Rep) or as our Instagram/Social Media Representative.

SG–Elementary School Rep Roles

• Cedar Grove – SG Rep: Open

• Wilson Wims – SG Rep: Sid Seeda (Back up Rep - Open)

• Snowden Farm – SG Rep: Open

• Little Bennett – SG Rep: Open

• Gibbs – SG Rep: Open

What an SG–ES Rep does:

• Coordinate with the school’s principal, assistant principal, and ASD teacher

• Help schedule volunteer days and required volunteers

• Ensure volunteers complete training requirements

• Track attendance and help sessions run smoothly

• Serve as the main point of contact between Spectrum Guardians and the school

Interest Meetings (CHS, DHS, PHS)

We’re getting ready to host Spectrum Guardians interest meetings at multiple high schools so we can grow our volunteer team and expand to more elementary schools.

Here’s the current update:

• CHS – Tentatively scheduled for December 10, 2025 (Awaiting final approval from the Principal)

• DHS – Upcoming

• PHS – Upcoming

To move forward with the DHS and PHS meetings, I’ll need help contacting the right staff members, securing a lunch-hour slot, and spreading the word to students.

If you attend DHS or PHS, or if you know someone who can help with approvals or club outreach, please let me know, it would make a big difference.
Together, we can coordinate these interest meetings, recruit more volunteers, and help bring Spectrum Guardians to even more schools.

In addition, we’ll be having a Volunteers Meeting this Sunday (12/7/2025) at 7:00 PM to go over updates, answer questions, and plan next steps together. I’d love for as many of you as possible to join.
Here is the link: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/87643470279?pwd=80w1gMRgg2yT73377RHIkj5KBjepRr.1 (Meeting ID : 876 4347 0279)

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and support. 

– Sid Karnati

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for volunteering to serve as a Spectrum Guardians – Elementary School Representative (SG-ES Rep). Your leadership will help us expand the program to more schools and support even more ASD students across our community.

As an ES Rep, your role is to introduce the Spectrum Guardians program to elementary schools, establish a relationship with school leaders, and help coordinate trained high school volunteers for upcoming sessions.

Below is your Kick-Start Guide & Responsibilities. Please review each step carefully so you can begin outreach to your assigned elementary school. If you have any questions or need help at any point, feel free to reach out.

Thank you again for stepping up. Your efforts truly make a difference.

Best,
Sid

Kick-Start Guide & Role Responsibilities

1. Use the Provided Program Flyer

Attach or bring the official Spectrum Guardians flyer when contacting schools or meeting in person. It includes:

• Program mission

• Volunteer structure (high school mentors helping ASD students)

• Benefits for schools

• Safety & supervision model

2. Email the Elementary School Leadership (Principal / Assistant Principal / ASD Specialist)

Introduce the program, request a meeting, and include your full name and MCPS Student ID so staff can confirm you are a legitimate MCPS student.

Sample Email:

Subject: Request to Introduce Spectrum Guardians Program at [School Name]

Dear [Name],
My name is [Your Name], MCPS Student ID #[ID Number], and I serve as an Elementary School Representative for Spectrum Guardians, a student-led program where trained high school volunteers support elementary students with ASD through supervised social activities.

The program launched successfully at Wilson Wims ES, and with growing volunteer interest, we are hoping to expand to more elementary schools.

I would appreciate the opportunity to meet briefly and explain how the program works. Please let me know a convenient time for a visit.

Thank you for your time,
[Your Name]
Spectrum Guardians – ES Representative
MCPS Student ID: [ID Number]
[Email] | [Phone]

3. In-Person Meeting With the Elementary School

Meet with the principal, assistant principal, counselor, or ASD teacher and:

• Bring printed flyers

• Explain volunteers are trained MCPS high school students

• Describe program structure and safety

• Highlight benefits for ASD students (confidence, communication, social skills)

4. Ask Key Questions

Gather information such as:

• Preferred schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)

• Days/times that work best

• Number and age range of ASD students

• Number of high school volunteers needed

• Any required training or orientation

• School entry procedures (badges, Raptor, sign-in)

Document everything to share with SG team.

5. Coordinate High School Volunteers

After scheduling:

• Recruit volunteers

• Create and share a roster

• Remind volunteers of dates, expectations, and arrival instructions

• Ensure consistent attendance

• Communicate updates to the school and SG leadership

Your Impact

As an SG-ES Rep, you help expand the Spectrum Guardians mission—bringing meaningful, supervised peer interactions to ASD students across MCPS. Your outreach and leadership allow more students to access the support they deserve.