December 2013

FLOW Logo 
FLOW Mentoring Newsletter
St. Mary's County Public Schools 

 

 The mission of the Future Leaders of the World (FLOW) Mentoring Program is to foster positive mentoring relationships between students in St. Mary's County Public Schools and members of the community and to provide supported, safe, and inspiring environments in which these matches can cultivate the potential of each youth.
 
In This Issue
Celebrating with FLOW
Looking Ahead
FLOW In the News
Mentoring Research
Become a Mentor
Quick Links

 

Our Partners
 
 
St. Mary's College of Maryland Logo
Join Our Mailing List

Visit Our Sponsor
Join Our Mailing List
  
Happy Holidays 
from FLOW!

   

We want to thank everyone for helping to make this holiday season special for our mentees in FLOW!  

 
Wishing you all the best in the New Year! 
 

    

 

 
Celebrating with FLOW


Hoping to spread the holiday cheer, mentors and mentees at George Washington Carver Elementary made Christmas cards to send to troops in Afghanistan.

   

 

************

At Lexington Park Elementary, everyone filled jars with handmade yellow objects and happy notes to send to veterans to make them smile.

   


**********

 

Many FLOW programs are currently fundraising to help purchase livestock for countries in need in Africa!  Students helped organize the flyers about donating to the cause.

 

         

 

**********

Mentors helped their mentees work through their homework at Town Creek Elementary. 

**********

Mentees at Chopticon High School went on a field trip to see a Georgetown basketball game in DC.

  

 

*********

 

At Lexington Park Elementary, mentees 
shared a special object or moment with the group.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*********  

  

At Town Creek Elementary, mentors and mentees took part in a recycling service project at the school.

 

 

 

*********   

 

Mentors and mentees ended one FLOW session with fun activities at Lexington Park Elementary. 

    

 

 *********    

 

 

 And a few more of our favorite shots of celebrating with FLOW...



Looking Ahead, Planning Ahead:

January is National Mentoring Month 
2014 Theme is "Mentoring Works!"

Visit http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/ for more about mentoring events in January!


THANK YOUR MENTOR DAY
January 16, 2014
 
Thank your mentor on January 16, during "Thank Your Mentor Day!" Think about the mentors in your life, send them a thank you card and tell them thank you on social media using #SomeoneWhoMatters. 
 
 


FLOW Mentoring 
in the News 

From November:

In November, The County Times ran a wonderful feature titled "FLOW Mentoring Continues Making a Difference in St. Mary's County Schools."  With the recent publicity, we hope to attract even more support and interest within the community than ever before.

Click here to read the article

Photographer Reid Silverman from The Enterprise
visited our Hollywood Elementary program as they sorted canned goods for the food pantry at the Church of the Ascension. This is the fifth year students have collected and delivered donated food items for those in need. 

  

Click here to see the pics!

 

From October:

 

In DCMilitary.com, "Mentoring Program Seeks to Find the Potential in Each Student." 
 

  

In Southern Maryland News online, "St. Mary's Future Leaders of the World Mentoring Program Seeks Volunteers."
 
 
 
Mentoring Research News

 

 

A Systematic Evaluation of Youth Mentoring Programs

A meta-analysis of youth mentoring research by the Institute for Health Research and Policy by the University of Illinois at Chicago looked at over 73 published studies form 1999-2010.  Researchers concluded that mentoring programs in general are an effective interventional tool for young people.

 

 

BECOME A MENTOR   
We need you. 
They need you. 



Some FAQs about FLOW Mentoring.


Why mentoring?
Because it works! Educational research has shown that mentoring is extremely effective in increasing academic performance and positive social interactions among young people. And you asked for it! Seven years ago, the most common request to the Department of Academic Support was for a quality mentoring program. We worked hard to develop and implement a school based mentoring program that meets the needs of our students here in St. Mary's County Public School-and we're proud to say we've been at it for five years!   
 

Who are the Mentors? 

How are they selected?

Our dedicated roster of Mentors come from all over Southern Maryland with hugely diverse backgrounds.  Many are business professionals or retired professionals.  Others are staff members, military personnel, secondary students, college students, and other caring and responsible community members.   They have all submitted applications, been screened, and have gone through Mentor Training before they begin to work with their student mentee.   

 

When and where does 
the mentoring take place?  

Mentoring takes place after school once a week for an hour and a half at the student's home school. This ensures that students do not miss any part of their academic day.

 

How are the student mentees selected?

At each school, the Site Leader consults with teachers, counselors, administrators, the nurse, and other staff to develop a list of students that are most likely to benefit from the program.


How can I apply? 
To apply to become a Mentor with FLOW Mentoring, we require that you complete a FLOW Mentoring Mentor Application and an SMCPS Volunteer Application (this is required of all volunteers in our school system).

Please click on the links below to view printable versions of each application.

When you have completed both applications, please mail, fax, or email the applications to:
 
Sarah R. Tyson, FLOW Mentoring IRT 
FLOW Office Location:
Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center 
24005 Point Lookout Road 
Leonardtown, MD  20650 
Phone: 301-475-0242 ext. 28128
Fax: 301-475-0245 
srtyson@smcps.org 
 

If you need further persuasion, click on the article link below to read more about the importance of mentoring.

 

MILLIONS OF CHILDREN NEED MENTORS 

 
FLOW Logo 
Make a Difference-Become a Mentor!


If you would like to learn more about FLOW Mentoring, or are interested in becoming a mentor for the 2013-14 school year, please visit our website at:
www.smcps.org/mentor
or contact Sarah Tyson at the address below.

In gratitude,
Your FLOW Mentoring team    

FLOW Mentoring
St. Mary's County Public Schools
Department of College and Career Readiness
24005 Point Lookout Road
Leonardtown, MD  20650 
Phone: 301-475-0242 x.28128
Fax: 301-475-0245