This was another fabulous week at Scott Carpenter! I continued to collect recommendations from teachers, who have suggested nearly 30 students as mentors for the program. I've really appreciated the support shown by the administrators and teachers.
I began interviewing applicants this week, as well. Of the 15 students I spoke with, 12 of them are perfect candidates and 2 are strong possibilities. Even though many of the students were nervous about being interviewed, they did a great job of answering my questions, which included:
- What does mentoring mean to you?
- Why do you want to be a mentor?
- What is the most difficult choice you've ever had to make and how did you arrive at your decision?
Some of the students are facing unenviable situations regarding divorcing parents, bullying, and immigration, but are handling those difficulties with grace and will make excellent mentors.
Next week, I'll be chatting with the students suggested by the teachers and continuing the interview process. I'm really looking forward to speaking with all these students!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
September 15th - 19th
My second week at Scott Carpenter has been a busy one!
On Monday, I tabled outside the lunchroom and distributed well over 100 mentor applications to interested students. I also introduced myself and the program to a student leadership class called WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) and hung signs around the school to remind students to complete/submit their applications.
Tuesday morning, I was able to speak with the staff as a group to explain the program and how I intend to help their students. I'm pleased to report that the staff has been extremely supportive and have suggested around 50 kids who could be stellar mentors. So far, I haven't received as many applications from students as I had anticipated, so I'm grateful for the teacher recommendations.
Because I'm planning to have the mentors start class prior to the mentees, I've been working on a series of lessons and activities to complete with them. We'll be doing a lot of team building and leadership activities, which I hope will provide a solid foundation for them as they guide their mentees. Sarah also suggested some service learning projects and, as luck would have it, I received an email this morning about Pennies for Patients, which looks like an excellent opportunity for the mentors to work together for a good cause.
Holly, Tracie, and I will be assisting with a golf outing, hosted by the District 50 Education Foundation and the Hyland Hills Foundation, on Friday to build community support for the program. It's going to be a great way to round out the week and we're very excited to connect with community members and Adams 50 alumni!
On Monday, I tabled outside the lunchroom and distributed well over 100 mentor applications to interested students. I also introduced myself and the program to a student leadership class called WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) and hung signs around the school to remind students to complete/submit their applications.
Tuesday morning, I was able to speak with the staff as a group to explain the program and how I intend to help their students. I'm pleased to report that the staff has been extremely supportive and have suggested around 50 kids who could be stellar mentors. So far, I haven't received as many applications from students as I had anticipated, so I'm grateful for the teacher recommendations.
Because I'm planning to have the mentors start class prior to the mentees, I've been working on a series of lessons and activities to complete with them. We'll be doing a lot of team building and leadership activities, which I hope will provide a solid foundation for them as they guide their mentees. Sarah also suggested some service learning projects and, as luck would have it, I received an email this morning about Pennies for Patients, which looks like an excellent opportunity for the mentors to work together for a good cause.
Holly, Tracie, and I will be assisting with a golf outing, hosted by the District 50 Education Foundation and the Hyland Hills Foundation, on Friday to build community support for the program. It's going to be a great way to round out the week and we're very excited to connect with community members and Adams 50 alumni!
Friday, September 12, 2014
September 8th - 12th
Greetings from Room 309! My name is Sara Sankovich and I am the YESS Institute program director at Scott Carpenter Middle School.
I've been taking breaks from creating lesson plans and meetings by decorating the classroom, which is really starting to come together.
I've been taking breaks from creating lesson plans and meetings by decorating the classroom, which is really starting to come together.
I've been lucky to be able to do lunch duty several times this week, which has afforded me an opportunity to get the kids excited about the program. Unfortunately, I haven't had an opporunity to do any tabling due to other obligations. Monday is the day!
Mr. Evans, the assistant principal, has been extremely supportive and has introduced me to the teacher who coordinates the WEB class, a course designed for student leaders. All these students are in 8th grade and many have overcome large hurdles in their young lives.
On Wednesday, Holly, Tracie, and I learned that Adams 50 requires any new course to be accompanied by an approved description. This seems to be a simple formality due to the course catalogue used by the district when creating students' schedules. Thankfully, The YESS Institute's curriculum is strongly aligned with the standards and learning objectives used by Adams 50, so it didn't take us long to complete the paperwork and submit it to Tony.
Yesterday and today (Friday), I met with Mr. Evans to discuss class schedules and recruitment efforts. He has been working with the guidance counselors to make sure everything is on track for mentors to start classes in mid-to-late October.
I had a great week and I'm looking forward to collecting applications in the coming days!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)