We are thankful for our generous BTGCP volunteer community! Y'all are awesome.
Happy Thanksgiving Volunteers! As we approach the holiday, we want to take a time out from the chaos and focus on the good things. Together, we are making a difference in Marin City and for that all of us at Bridge the Gap College Prep are immensely grateful! This year has brought new rules, lots of uncertainty and a roller coaster of emotions. Our students need support, community and connection and your efforts to work alongside us to provide that have been amazing. We appreciate your time, flexibility, patience and compassion during this exceedingly challenging time in education and life. Thank you. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for trying to find common ground. Thank you for showing empathy to students who seek to be seen and understood. You are doing a GREAT job and we look forward to getting through all of this together. Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday. A few updates and helpful resources are below, thanks for reading! In gratitude, Pam and the BTGCP Team
Thanksgiving Break
November 23-27 (No Program)
Winter Holiday Break
December 21-January 1 (No Program)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 18 (No Program)
Mid-Winter Break
February 15-19 (No Program)
Program Updates Our community schools are operating under a number of models: Bayside MLK is teaching students on campus (some have chosen to stay remote), Willow Creek Academy is primarily online, with 20-25% of students on site in small cohorts, and Tam High School has full remote learning with support from in person "learning hubs" in Marin City. Most of the private schools have a hybrid model with rotating on site and online learning. Everyone is adapting to the constant changes and continuously learning more along the way.
Bridge the Gap College Prep is working hard to connect with students with the goal of helping them succeed in a ridiculously challenging year. Academic, and notably social and emotional, support has proven to be invaluable. In spite of the difficulties, we have teachers and volunteer tutors plugged in across all grade levels and are making progress and seeing success in many forms!
Little Scholars
Our program for 1st - 3rd graders has been so fun! Led by the always incredible Miss Hope, we currently have 32 student/volunteer pairs working, learning and playing over Zoom each week. Thanks for being there for our "littles", they love their tutors!
Scholars
The BTGCP teachers are tireless in their efforts to reach and creatively support (Zoom cooking lessons, anyone?) our students in the upper elementary grade levels. Not an easy task, as Zoom fatigue is real! In addition to sessions with teachers, 30 students across the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grade classes are meeting with their tutors over Zoom. The weekly "volunteer hour" has been awesome, and we're grateful to those of you who make it happen. For our Scholars volunteers who have not yet been placed this year, we miss you! We'll let you know when an opportunity to connect presents itself, and that's a promise : )
High School
There is a lot of effort and love going into the support for our high school students. Tam teachers, tutors, Learning Hub staff and Class Deans all wrap around these young people to make sure they have the support they need to succeed. It's working! The Hub was featured recently on KTVU, check out the segment here. We have an amazing team of helpers at BTGCP; thanks to all of you in the high school crew!
Volunteer Opportunities: If any of you would like to discuss your current placement or learn about opportunities in our Scholars and Little Scholars programs, please reach out and let's talk!
Skylar came by the center for our Little Scholars Pumpkin Pick Up "party"!
Belinda making salsa over Zoom with her teachers and 6th grade classmates!
Willow Creek Academy Volunteering We are thrilled to be partnering with Willow Creek Academy by providing volunteer support in the classroom! The WCA staff is so grateful for much needed help working with the kids. Thanks to all of you who have stepped up to support, whether on Zoom or on campus (with strict safety protocols). You're awesome!
More volunteers needed! If any adult volunteers are interested in learning more about this program, please let me know! Tutors are needed in grades 1-5, and we have shifts online and in person between the hours of 8:45am and 2pm Monday through Friday. Reach out for more details. Thank you!
Community and Connection Building relationships is the "secret sauce" at Bridge the Gap College Prep. It's at the heart of what we do. It is important to remember that making a connection with your student is key to having a fulfilling and productive volunteer experience. Instead of focusing solely on the work to be done, take the time to get to know each other and build trust. We all need connection now more than ever! Some key tips:
Spend time each session with a "check in" and ask how things are going
Learn about and their interests; encourage them!
Ask questions and invite theirs
Be honest; share your struggles
If they'll talk, listen
Offer choice for younger students (should we start with reading or spelling?)
Make your session fun whenever possible!
Check out these online educational activity sites to use while Zooming!
Let's Keep Learning These are not easy times to navigate, for anyone. We can all agree that there is so much to learn, especially now with all of the turmoil in the wake of the pandemic, the political climate and the heap of racial and social justice issues right here in our midst. Here are a couple of tidbits you may find helpful as we strive to be better and understand the community we serve more fully.
Tam District Wellness Center Oh my goodness, this resource a good one! The Virtual Counseling and Wellness Center offers an AMAZING array of information and community resources relating to distance learning and education, the pandemic, mental health and overall wellness. Yes, it's technically for high school students and their families, but I wanted to share the site since it's really incredible. Check it out!
