Volunteers make a difference in Council Rock

S.A.G.E. volunteers help in many ways, whether it's a one time (episodic) or weekly session in the classroom, the intergenerational learning benefits are immense.  Recently, Sandy Kopel, an educator in the Council Rock school district, had a need for some extra hands in the classroom and S.A.G.E didn't disappoint.

Ms. Kopel hosted volunteers Bernie Cullen, Joe Casarella, Debbie Glinski, Karen Arner, and Bob Schwenzer for 2 days to work one-on-one with her 6^th grade students.  S.A.G.E. volunteers helped the students read, paraphrase, and write a 2 page research paper with a Works Consulted (commonly referred to as a bibliography) and everyone enjoyed the experience. Bernie, Joe, Debbie, Karen and Bob also helped each student put together a Power Point presentation students presented to 2 other educators at a later date. 

Sandy says, "The volunteers listened to the students' presentations and gave them feedback in order for the child to receive a score of Proficient or better. "  All of Sandy's volunteers wrote her back and said they would do it again whenever she needs assistance in the classroom.  

Sandy continues, "I really enjoyed having the extra set of hands, as there’s NO WAY my colleagues and I could’ve given all these students the individualized help they needed without these volunteers.  I truly can’t thank you enough for giving me their names! I am having the students write each of them a “thank-you” note today as part of their writing lesson. Thanks again S.A.G.E.!" 

Another success story we're happy to share with you.  Keep up the good work volunteers! 

S.A.G.E. Volunteer participates in mock interview

Men and women over 55, are a wealth of knowledge and role models for today’s youth.  Yet, they don’t always have an outlet to share those experiences with others.  Taking note of this dilemma, Beryl Katz, a former high school educator, parent and active community member, saw an opportunity to unite seniors with youth in order to enrich educational experiences in the classroom.  In 1998, Beryl’s vision, Senior Adults for Greater Education became a reality in the Council Rock community.  As more neighboring school districts inquired about the intergenerational program, S.A.G.E. incorporated into a not for profit organization in 2003.

Over the years, S.A.G.E. has been fortunate to work with some amazing volunteers who enjoy helping future generation learn while staying active and giving back to the community.  For example, husband and wife duo, Matt & Nancy Korecki have volunteered in the Council Rock district for years.  After hearing about S.A.G.E. through neighbors, they decided to give it a try.  Giving history lessons and speaking about the importance of Veteran’s Day are just a few of the ways Matt and Nancy make a difference for students at Maureen Welch Elementary.  The Korecki’s say it’s very important to emphasize teamwork and discipline through their interaction with students.  These core values help shape students’ self-esteem and attitude towards others.     

 

From time to time Matt has the opportunity to visit and work with other students within the Council Rock school district as well.  Matt's most recent experience came in the form of a Mock Interview with 8th grade students at Newtown Middle School. The goal of the interview was to prepare students for seeking summer employment.  Students were asked specific questions and graded on their conduct during interviews and answers to questions.  Some example of questions were: tell me about yourself, why you want the job and what are your long term/short term goals. In addition, Matt also helped students learn about the emphasis dress, posture and eye contact play in the interview process.


Matt says, "The students were well prepared with their goals in focus. The interview was a gratifying experience and I hoped I helped a student prepare for the future."  

Another successful intergenerational activity where a volunteer's past experiences will give students a "leg up" in today's competitive world.  Thank you Matt!

To learn more about S.A.G.E. and how you can get involved, contact Beryl Katz at beasage03@aol.com
 

Over the years, S.A.G.E. has been fortunate to work with some amazing volunteers who enjoy helping future generation learn while staying active and giving back to the community.  For example, husband and wife duo, Matt & Nancy Korecki have also volunteered in the Council Rock district for years.  After hearing about S.A.G.E. through neighbors, they decided to give it a try.  Matt, a retired veteran of the Air Force loves working with 1^st graders because they are funny and show the utmost respect to adults.  Giving history lessons and speaking about the importance of Veteran’s Day are just a few of the ways Matt and Nancy make a difference for the great students at Maureen Welch Elementary.  The Korecki’s say it’s very important to emphasize teamwork and discipline through their interaction with students.  These core values help shape students’ self-esteem and attitude towards others.     

 

March 24, I participated in a Mock Interview with 8th grade students at Newtown Middle School. The goal is to prepare students who will seek summer employment

              and how to conduct themselves during the interview. Students were asked specific questions and graded on their answers. Example of questions: tell me about

              yourself, why you want the job, long term/short term goals. Also graded were dress, posture, eye contact, filler words  etc. The students were well prepared with their goals

              in focus. The interview was a gratifying experience and I hoped I helped a student prepare for the future.

              Matt Korecki, (13 year SAGE Volunteer)

              Richboro,

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you know that blue was the color originally associated with St. Patrick’s Day? Over the years that’s changed to green, and these days celebrations on or around March 17th are a cornucopia of four-leaf clovers — along with leprechauns, rainbows, and pots o’ gold!

In the classroom, laughing with limericks is a fun activity to celebrate this festive holiday.

Limericks are a type of nonsense poetry that are meant to be silly and funny.  Legend has it they originate from  Ireland which is why we often hear them around St. Patrick’s Day.  The name is often taken as a reference to the City or County of Limerick in Ireland.

Limericks have only 5 lines and the poem depends on the rhythm and the rhyme.

Lines one, two, and five rhyme with each other. Lines three and four rhyme as well.

Have the students think of it this way…A-A-B-B-A.

Students can have fun using one of the following templates to help them get started  creating their own silly limericks…

       There once was  ___________ from  _____________.

       Who always wanted to ___________.

       But whenever s/he ___________,

       The ___________

       That silly __________ from _______________.

 

   Or

 

      Introduce a person or a place (think of a name/word that is easy to rhyme)

      Describe a unique or funny feature of the person/place.

      Describe an activity or silly problem on this third line

      Continue describing the activity on the fourth line

      Wrap it up with a funny punch line!

 

Have fun and Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!

 

 

 

      

 

February is around the Corner…Time to Salute our Presidents

Presidents’ Day is coming and with it comes a great time for many fun activities and learning about our nations’ Leaders of the past.   Here are some ideas for the classroom that students will enjoy….

-          Engage students in a discussion about what they know about the job of being the President of the United States.  What do they think is most important?

-          Hold a mock classroom debate on the topic of Presidential term limits. Are they a good idea? Why or why not?

-          President for a Day- Students imagine they are President for a day!  What would they do? What would their day be like?

-          Creating a timeline about all the Presidents of the United States

-          Creating a new monument for a past President

-          Presidential Powers- Students discuss the powers of the President  and then write down an idea for a new power for the President of the United States.

-          Presidents picture book- Students can create a picture book of their favorite Presidents with illustrations and explain the reasons for the choice of favorites.

-          Presidents’ name  Word Search / Word Scramble

-          Follow the Leader- Have the students split into teams and  try to arrange photos of the Presidents in chronological order

-          Presidents’ Day Crafts- Students can create cotton ball wigs, flags, Washington’s cherry tree,  Lincoln’s hat??

  These are just a few ideas….Have fun celebrating and learning about the Leaders of our great country.

 

 

A Volunteer's Viewpoint

Marge Lotter, who sits on the board of Hatboro Horsham is also a new volunteer with S.A.G.E.  She was kind enough to share her experiences assisting children in a kindergarten class. 

Being a S.A G. E. volunteer at Hallowell School in the AM Kindergarten class with Miss Caldwell is rewarding and fun.  Miss Caldwell is a treat to observe in action.  She is a natural as a Kindergarten teacher and the children respond in kind.

My hour is spent interacting with the children in various activities related to building their reading skills.  My favorite time with them is when I read stories on the ‘reading rug’.

When I visited in December, I explained to the children why my face was contorted (I came down with Bell’s Palsy).  They responded with kindness and curiosity.  When I visited in January I was greeted with warm hello’s and questions by some of the students as to how I was feeling.  I was strongly affected by their concern.

This time, instead of reading to the children, we invented our own story based on magical powers of the ‘reading rug’.  Our imaginations flew us out of the room (we had to duck to get out the window) and into the sky.  We saw familiar places and came back safely, by leaning back to slow down.   

Next time I’d like to ‘visit’ the zoo, but according to the children’s feedback, we may be going to Disney World.  My imaginary bags are already packed.

It is wonderful to hear about such a warm and friendly experience.  Thanks for sharing Marge!  We always love sharing stories with our readers.  If you have a story you'd like to share, email beasage08comcast.net. 

Student Resolutions…a fun way to start the New Year!

As classes have now resumed for the New Year, helping students develop a New Year’s resolution for themselves can be a fun and fresh activity.  Working on resolutions together can be a great group activity to inspire students to do something special. 

A few ideas…

-          Ask the students who has heard of New Year’s resolutions.  Some may have…many more may have not.  Explain the practice & purpose of making resolutions  and the effort involved to accomplish them.  

-          Tell the students that resolutions are like promises you make to yourself.

-          Discuss how important it is to make a resolution creative and challenging, but also realistic.

-          Share some examples of past resolutions you have made. How did you do?  Where some easier to keep than others? How great did it feel when you accomplished your goal?

-          Discuss ideas for some resolutions as a group then allow students time to work on their own resolutions.  Provide some realistic examples for them to visualize.

-          Perhaps provide an  example: When I am at_________, I promise to________ because _______.

-          Allow for some time for the students to share their resolutions with the class and discuss the importance of supporting one another to help achieve their goals.

-          Have the students illustrate their resolutions and then display in the classroom to provide encouragement and a visual reminder of the goals they have chosen for themselves.

Attached is a helpful link with a creative template that students could use…

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Year-Resolutions-1047138

Have fun & Happy New Year!

How to Successfully Return to School After Break!

Returning to school after an extended break can be tough on students AND teachers.  After a few weeks of relaxing and eating lots of holiday goodies, the prospect of diving back into the routine of studying can be hard to take. Here are some pointers to help students ease back into the school routine...

 

1. It is important to show care and concern for what students accomplished with their friends and family over the break.  It builds child/adult connection and gives you feedback on activities and topics that interest the students in the classroom.  Use this information to connect curricular material to the students' and/or your own experiences.  By connecting students' interests and experiences to what is being taught inside of the classroom, students are motivated to learn and an exciting ambiance is created in the learning environment!

 

2. Teachers usually spend the first few days getting back to speed with whatever students were looking at before Christmas, and giving feedback on any work submitted prior to the break.  During this time, students should set short term goals when learning new material throughout the first month of the new year.  These goals can focus on accomplishing a new task or be a challenge to beat a record for a well-known task.  As a SAGE volunteer, you could assist classroom teachers in gearing their students for accomplishment of these short term goals to start 2014 on a successful path!  Then you can be a part of celebrating their short-term goals with some small rewards!

 

3. Last but not least, be sure to establish a schedule and keep with this schedule so that students can ease back into a routine.  When families are home over the holidays, their schedules usually vary from non-holiday months.  Sleep patterns change and meals are eaten at different times during the holidays, so in order to succeed within school after the holidays, a schedule must be established to set normality for students and families.

 

These are just three ways to help students go back to school after the holiday break!  Happy 2014!  :)