There are many ways to support students as they work to stay on-track or get back on-track in their courses. Here are some creative after-school programs taking place around the network.
“After the Bell”
Westhill High School offers an “After the Bell” program that gives Grade 9 students a quiet place to do homework, receive tutoring support from freshman teachers, and complete make-up work. The program takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 2:15 – 3:20 pm and is typically staffed by six teachers (Science, Math, Social Studies, English, and English/Special Education). A Google classroom was created to increase communication between students and teachers. Since the start of February, Westhill has held 23 After the Bell sessions with an average of 14 students per session. In total, 123 ninth-graders have taken advantage of this opportunity. To further incentivize participation, Westhill recently implemented an attendance contest, which awards the winning student with an UberEats gift card. Water and snacks are provided at each session, and pizza is served on occasion.
“Get it Done”
At Brien McMahon High School, intentional parent outreach for On-Track Coach caseload students helped to encourage attendance in their “Get it Done” after-school program. Parents responded well to messaging about their students’ Quarter 3 progress and earned credits – and incentives helped students participate consistently in the program. Since late February, a total of 48 students have attended at least two sessions.
“After School Team Support”
After sharing one Grade 9 team’s success with a group after-school support session during the first semester, Manchester High School created after-school support for both teams of ninth grade students (Teams “Red” and “Yellow”) at the end of Quarter 3. All students were provided with the opportunity to participate in work completion and help sessions based on their team, which helped to build a sense of community between teachers and their students. The support sessions were quickly and heavily promoted over three days using Google Classroom, posters, and word-of-mouth. Pizza and a raffle were provided as incentives. As a result, approximately 90 students participated across both team sessions.