 How we did this year The need is there Recognized success but still learning We are already back to school for OUSD’s Summer HAcK. A thank you to our 2022-23 school year mentors! Donate now to ensure a great Fall’23 start. Welcome Jennifer Pantoja! Please forward this newsletter. School is out! And then…it’s back in! How we did this year What an amazing school year we’ve had at Oakland Serves. Despite “red tape” that slowed our start to the year, our mentors helped individuals and groups in 168 class sessions in three schools! Oakland Serves classroom sessions 2022-23 school year  Some examples of who we worked with and what we did:
The need is there A meaningful education is as critical to students as a high school diploma. A high school diploma opens up doors to employment opportunities not available to those lacking a diploma. But a piece of paper alone does not help a young adult read an instruction manual or manage their finances. Overall high school graduation rate and academic proficiency  a Oaklandside pub.Feb 6, 2023, reported for 2022 school year https://oaklandside.org/2023/02/06/oakland-schools-career-academic-pathways-parcel-tax/ b 2020 - 21 last school year available https://www.publicschoolreview.com/california/oakland-unified-school-district/628050-school-district Oakland, the Bay Area and California need these students to be successful. Oakland Serves believes that placing adult volunteer mentors in high school classrooms to supplement support is the frontline of helping students succeed in school. We come to them where they need it most. These are students that may not know how and who to ask for help and may lack confidence in their ability to succeed. They may work after school or otherwise not be in control of their non-school time to focus on academics. Often they are Newcomers that have trouble connecting with support systems. Recognized success but still learning With Oakland Serves expanding into more schools and classrooms, we have solicited feedback from school personnel and mentors alike on how we did this year. David White of Dewey Academy gave this accolade “Laura is an amazing mentor. She takes initiative and can read the room and see where she would help best...I appreciate her help and would recommend her to any teacher needing a hand (myself included).” Manny Medina, who taught math as part of the CAR initiative, said “I deeply appreciate all of my mentors! My class was created for high-needs students and would not have been successful without the OS Mentors. There were up to 4 subjects being taught at any given moment. OS mentors were highly skilled and knowledgeable and were able to serve the diverse needs of our student population! ” That being said, we continue to learn how best to place mentors to provide meaningful benefit to students. Great teachers are key to the students’ success and to our ability to make a real contribution. We are already back to school for OUSD’s Summer HAcK. This spring, we successfully signed our first contract to provide volunteer mentors to OUSD’s Central Academic Recovery (CAR) team for the spring and summer 2023. CAR is running a unique academic recovery program called HAcK (Healing and Academics 4 Kids) this summer. About 160 rising 11th graders are coming together for 5 weeks this summer to complete academic credit in various subjects as well as work on integrated projects run by Oakland-based organizations. Over 15 Oakland Serves mentors are giving up part of their summer to work in English, History, Algebra and Geometry classes and participate in the integrated activities. While we are proud to be able to support HAcK with the current mentors, we would have liked to double our support in this critical learning program for students who have gotten caught behind. We are looking forward to the culmination of the program in student presentations at The Crucible in July. A thank you to our 2022-23 school year mentors! We could not end the school year without recognizing the 2022-23 (fall and spring) volunteers who make our mission possible. All our mentors volunteer because they want to give something back to their community. They are retirees, university students, Oakland parents, and working people that all find time in their schedule to spend a few hours one day a week working in high school classrooms. Some of this year’s mentors were:  Donate now to ensure a great Fall’23 start. The school year starts again August 7! We are starting our fall planning now but we cannot succeed without your support. Please think about donating now for our Fall’23 program so that we can provide continuity throughout the school year. Your money is needed for recruiting and training our mentors as well as working with the schools that want our support. Ways to give: credit card, Paypal and checks are always welcome, but consider doubling your donation through your employer! DONATE HERE. Have a Donor Advised Fund? Consider a meaningful donation to Oakland Serves in Q2/3’2023. Welcome Jennifer Pantoja! Jennifer joined Oakland Serves as a part-time program coordinator in May. She has worked in programs for youth, seniors, and for those with mental health issues. Currently, she is a graduate student in UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Jennifer’s long term goal is in promoting health equity such as to break the school-to-prison pipeline in California schools. We welcome her to our staff! Please forward this newsletter. We do not buy mailing lists. Our newsletter is our major means of communicating with people interested in Oakland Serves and we need the support of our readers to pass it on. Even if you cannot donate your time or money to us, please forward this newsletter to someone else who might be interested in the Oakland community, its students and their education.
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