Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Welcoming Everyone Back!

It’s SO great to be back in school, and amazingly the kids feel the same way! “Partnership!” yelled some of our students from last year as they greeted us. They were so excited to say hello and tell us about their summers. One student, as he showed off his brand new sneakers, pleaded to be back in the program again this year, “I had so much fun last year and learned a lot, but I still need help!”

We’ve got our room all set up and are ready to roll. Now it’s a matter of selecting which classrooms we’ll go into and which students we will work with in small groups. The real fun starts in early October when we officially meet our kids and start our small group and in class programs, but right now we’re busy reviewing open cases from last year, to see which students we should continue working with and meeting with the school guidance counselor and teachers to select new students. Once our lists are complete, we need to meet with parents to get their consent.

Friday we're planning to host our annual breakfast. It’s such a fun event and really gives us time to speak with everyone in the school—from the principal and teachers to even the janitors. The breakfast is a social event with an educational twist. We want to get to know the school staff and they get to know us, but more importantly, we want to let them know why we’re there and how much we can help. It’s incredibly important that we all work as a team in order to provide the best possible support for our students and the entire school. We need to work seamlessly, hand in hand, in order to succeed.