Match Spotlight Ms. Shira Andron, LSP with Student Support Services, and Ann, 8th grader at Hoover Middle

School, have been matched for nearly a year. Ann is a track athlete and has had

opportunities to travel with her track team to places like Stockton, Tulare, Berkeley, and

New Orleans. Shira enjoys traveling to different places and sharing her experiences with

Ann. When Shira recently went to New Zealand Ann joked about going along in her suitcase.

We recently interviewed them about their mentoring experience at Hoover.

How did you meet and get involved with mentoring?

Ann: Not sure—Mr P. invited me. Shira: I wanted to mentor because I’ve heard a lot about the program. It’s a nice way to support a young person. I look forward to being in the halls and seeing kids since I work in an office.

How did you feel before starting?

Ann: I don’t know- like me meeting with a lady. She was just another lady – now she’s Shira. It was during lunch.

Shira: I thought that since I’m not at the school very often it might be a while before we felt comfortable together. She didn’t always come at first but then we moved our meetings from her lunch and she came every time. I thought it might be harder than it has been.

Mentoring is a structured,

consistent and purposeful

relationship between a

young person and a caring

adult who provides

acceptance, support,

encouragement, guidance

and concrete assistance to

promote healthy child/

youth development and

student success.

MENTORING FOR SUCCESS

415-242-2615

www.healthiersf.org/mentoring for success

Fall 2011 Newsletter

Match Spotlight 1

Project Arrive 2

Mentoring Tips 2

Activities 3

Supporters 4

Training Calendar 5

SF Mentor Coalition 5

Appreciating Curtiss 6

Martial Arts Fund 7

Mentor Thanks! 8

Inside this issue:

Page 1

Project Arrive has Arrived!

We are thrilled to report a successful launch of

Project Arrive, our new group mentoring

program for 9th graders who have a history of

attendance and academic challenges. Since last

Spring, we’ve been working hard to cement

strong partnerships with three SFUSD high

schools: John O’Connell, Thurgood Marshall and

Mission High. Kudos to our dedicated site

leaders (Vanessa Marrero, Community School

Coordinator at O’Connell; Wendy Snider,

Wellness Coordinator at Thurgood Marshall; and

Laura Parker, Assistant Principal at Mission).

They have done a remarkable job of recruiting

talented and diverse staff to become group

mentors. In all, we have 20 group mentors on

board with us!

During the month of September, site teams

conducted individual outreach to eligible 9th

grade students, and successfully enrolled about

70 mentees into Project Arrive. Project Arrive

group mentors have already started working

together in pairs to mentor a small group of

about 6-8 mentees per group. While each

group is encouraged to create its own special

“flavor”, the common focus across groups is on

helping mentees make a successful transition

into high school, and connecting them with the

resources they need to stay on track toward

graduation.

Continued on page 3

Mentoring Tips A mentor can be considered a number

of things, but one of the most

important things to remember is that a

mentor is a friend. A positive

relationship begins right away. As the

mentor it is important to be persistent

and dependable, take responsibility for

keeping the relationship alive, and

expect to be “tested”. Below are some

helpful ideas to assist mentors.

Ice breakers

An ice breaker for your first meeting is

an excellent way to get to know each

other while reducing the awkwardness

that mentors and students may feel. A

couple of activity ideas include the

games, “2 Truths and 1 Lie” and “The

Toilet Paper Game” (participants tear

off some squares of toilet paper; the

number of squares they tear off are the

number of things to share about

themselves). For more activity ideas

see the activities on page 3 or go to:

http://www.healthiersf.org/

mentoringforsuccess/Mentor/

ActivityIdeas/school-beg.cfm

Be attentive

Attend flexibly and creatively to verbal

or nonverbal signs from youth as to

preferences, concerns and feelings.

Consider the child’s perspective and

adjust your actions accordingly (Keller, T

& Price, J, 2007). Sometimes the best

thing to do is to be quiet, or play a

game. Continued on page 3

w w w . h e a l t h i e r s f . o r g / m e n t o r i n g f o r s u c c e s s Page 2

Project Arrive (continued from p. 2)

On September 21st, our first “Boot Camp for

Group Mentors” focused on giving group

mentors an opportunity to practice core skills

to build a successful mentoring group. Many

thanks to our colleagues Ben Kauffman,

SFUSD’s Restorative Justice Trainer; Elizabeth

Hubbard, Peer Resources Director; and Wendy

Snider, Wellness Coordinator for stepping in as

our training team for the day. We had an

excellent turnout, and a lot of fun! We were all

so impressed with the level of enthusiasm,

experience and creativity that our group

mentors bring to this effort. They are truly

amazing people, and we are honored to be able

to support them in this bold venture this year.

For more information contact Vida Sanford .

Mentoring Tips (Cont. from p. 2 )

W.A.I.T.

A useful reminder for all mentors (and

mentees) is the acronym, W.A.I.T. which

stands for “Why am/aren’t I talking?” This

closely coincides with attentiveness to your

mentee, who might be a frequent talker or

a steady listener. As the mentor, it’s

important to exemplify a balance of being

both the talker and the listener. (BAYAC/

OCASA AmeriCorps) BAYAC/OCASA AmeriCorps. Keller, T & Price, J, 2007.

Mentoring Roles and Tasks: Courtesy of Mass Mentoring

Partnership, Mentoring 101 Train the Trainer Curriculum.

Activity Ideas Day of the Dead November 2nd. Anytime from 12:30-7:00pm Join us at Garfield Park (Harrison X 26th). Bring photos, flowers, or mementos for our altar. We will have a sugar skull decorating station on site. Questions? Contact Erin, 415-242-2615, farrelle@sfusd.edu

Check out YOWhoo! You and your Middle School mentee can enter a contest to win an iPod shuffle! Contests on this website were developed by district Youth Outreach Workers to help educate youth about bullying and smoking prevention. Go to www.YOWhoo.org

Building an Ideal Mentor To help in the process of learning the unique needs and interests of your mentee, try discuss-ing the traits and characteristics of an “ideal” mentor with your student. Use the figure above as a creative way to learn more about each other. Invite your mentee to draw on the figure to represent qualities of an ideal mentor (or friend) and where they would be located on the mentor. For instance, a mentor should be a good listener, so they would draw large ears. Is an ideal mentor well travelled? If so, then they’d draw worn shoes, or a passport. Think outside the box! Identifying the needs and values of your student may be that much easier. Page 3

Partners!

Mentoring For Success wouldn’t be quite the

same —nor nearly as fun—without our partners!

You know the old saying, “It takes a village…” . To

help build protective factors in youth and to

acknowledge and build upon their multiple

intelligences, we rely on a diversity of activities,

personalities, institutions, and businesses to

provide new opportunities and perspectives for

mentees and their adult mentors. Partners

provide a network of support that we truly

appreciate because it helps schools create a

community to which

students feel

connected. Some

partners such as San

Francisco Education

Fund, SF Promise, and

Captain Lum from

Taraval Station help us

build our capacity by recruiting new volunteer

mentors. Other partners such as the Community

Access Ticket Service provide matches the

chance to get out into the community to see

baseball games, Disney on Ice and other fun

activities, while other partners such as the Bay

Area Youth Consortium/Americorps and Artist-in

-Residence Kate Sweeny enable us to improve

the quality of our programming by enhancing the

monthly activities with art and service projects.

Still others, such as Bi-Rite Market and Rainbow

Grocery Cooperative, have provided mentors and

students with the delicious and nourishing food

to keep us connecting. Thanks to all of you!!!

If you would like to partner with Mentoring For

Success please contact Erin Farrell at 242-2615.

Please complete your

web-based mentor log weekly!

This simple tool demonstrates the fantastic work you do with your student.

Log on to the Online Activity Log at www.healthiersf.org/mentoringforsuccess

If you are having any problems logging on or using the log, please contact Erin

Farrell at 242-2615 ext. 3078 or farrelle@sfusd.edu

Your cooperation in making this happen is greatly appreciated!

Donors Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention

Anonymous Martial Arts Donor

Marigold Project

Rainbow Grocery Cooperative

In-Kind Donors

Aquarium of the Bay

Arizmendi

Bakery

Bi-Rite Market

Donna Saffioti

Johnson

The

Exploratorium

Little A’s / Oakland Athletics

Kate Sweeney, Artist

Mike Rivera, San Francisco Police

Wilderness Program

San Francisco Giants

SCRAP Page 4

Training Calendar Strategies to Sustain your Match October 25, 2011 4-6pm Buena Vista-Horace Mann, 3351 23rd Join Stacy Daraio for a training on selected topics aimed at improving your match Stipend available for SFUSD employees Register at: http://sustain.eventbrite.com

Mentor 101 November 8, 2011 8:30-3:30 Student Support Services, 1515 Quintara St Covers comprehensive skills to help with setting boundaries, communication and understanding factors students need to thrive. Substitutes available for eligible employees Register at: http://mentorioi.eventbrite.com

Supporting Foster Youth Through the Holidays December 1, 2011 4-6pm Location TBA Leslie Brown and Claudia Mendez present the impact the foster system has on youth, provide mentors with tools to help students to strategically tell their story. Emphasis will be on ways to connect during the holidays. Stipend available for SFUSD employees Register at: http://holidayfosteryouth.eventbrite.com

Strategies to Sustain your Match January 11, 2011 4-6pm Location TBA Registration link will be emailed to mentors.

SF Mentor Coalition At the beginning of 2011, during National Mentoring Month, Mentoring For Success, The San Francisco Education Fund, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area put out a call to local mentoring organizations to launch cross-agency discussions with the myriad of mentoring programs across San Francisco. The overarching goal was to strengthen mentoring efforts throughout the city. We are pleased to share that the SF Mentor Coalition has over 15 active programs involved. As a coalition, leaders of the agencies plan to meet triennially to collaborate around recruitment and training, and to share strategies on best practices. We are currently compiling a list of active mentoring programs to share with the greater public so we may efficiently disseminate information for prospective families and recruit more mentors. Although our target population is San Francisco youth, the level of intensity and the specialization offered by each program differs. Defining program differences enables coalition members to ensure that:

1) we are not serving the same youth and

2) mentors are referred to a program that matches their skills, schedules, and interests.

Through ongoing efforts we expect cross-referrals of adults and youth will ensure that more youth are offered a unique opportunity to build a relationship with a caring adult. We are currently planning to offer joint trainings and free activities. Please check out our website and Facebook page to stay informed about our new ventures. Like us today!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Mentoring-for-Success/145363278851054

Page 5

Mentor Spotlight (continued from page 1)

How have you spent your time together?

Ann: Card games

Shira: Games here at school, but other things as

well. Some of the games like Mancala and Speed I

haven’t played in a long time—she’s been a good

teacher to refresh my memory.

Ann: We met a lawyer.

Shira: Angie Miller, from the District. That was

cool because Ann wants to be a lawyer.

Ann: It was fun—she gave me a book about being

a lawyer.

Shira: Angie gave us a civics lesson on the judicial

system. We prepared questions for her and Ann

wants to go back. She shared a speech she has to

memorize for class. I was impressed that Ann

read it—it takes guts to read a speech to people

you don’t know. She read “Ain’t I A Woman?” by

Sojourner Truth.

Ann: Behind every man is a strong woman.

Michelle Obama tutored Barack.

Shira: We also went hiking on Mt. Tam.

Ann: We switched places. We were the mentors

and they were the

mentees ‘cause we were

faster than them climbing

the mountain.

(Continued on p. 7)

Appreciating Curtiss Sarikey It is with heartfelt appreciation that we

say goodbye to our colleague and

founder of Mentoring For Success,

Curtiss Sarikey. Thanks to Curtiss’

leadership and expertise in the field of

mentoring , the program has grown

from a few small elementary school

programs serving 40 students to a

thriving program that serves over 500

students per year in 35 schools.

Curtiss’ firm belief in the power of a

caring adult at school has helped to

bring vibrancy to many student-adult

relationships, while helping to improve

academic performance and reduce

truancy among youth. Although Curtiss

will be missed, his legacy of mentoring

students and colleagues will carry on!

We wish Curtiss the best in his new

endeavors with Oakland Unified School

District.

Contact Us Questions? Feedback about Mentoring For Success? We’d love to hear from you! We can be reached at 415-242-2615. Mentoring For Success Erin Farrell: FarrellE@sfusd.edu Laurie Vargas: VargasL2@sfusd.edu Mentoring For Success/Project Arrive Vida Sanford: SanfordV@sfusd.edu

“...I was impressed that

Laura read it—it takes

guts to read a speech to

people you don’t know.”

Page 6

Mentor Spotlight (continued from page 6)

Hiking was beautiful. Here in the city we were

in the fog and then we drove up over the fog –

and got ice cream afterwards.

Now that you have been involved for a while how do you feel about mentoring?

Shira: I’ve enjoyed it. I talk about it all the time.

Ann: Now Ms. Wax is not here. Go talk to Mr. P

about Shira not going to the zoo. I look forward

to the meetings. When I went to see Angie we

weren’t gonna meet at Hoover but I wanted

Shira to come anyway.

What are you looking

forward to doing together

in the future?

Ann: Not sure.

Shira: Her graduation, and

more outings, and

I like monthly activities. I

wanna help her develop good study skills and

tips for high school. Ann’s looking forward to it.

Ann: I just like to play games.

Shira: I have to meet her halfway. Sounds like

she wants to come back to my office

Ann: I’ll come re-decorate your cubicle.

What advice would you give to mentors or mentees beginning their relationships?

Ann: I like playing games.

Shira: It takes time to build a relationship. I’d

say take the time to build a good foundation-- if

you’re consistent it will develop.

Ann: I like Shira, I think I’ll keep her. I think my

mom likes her too.

Martial Arts Scholarship

A small number of scholarships will be

offered to students in Mentoring For

Success to take martial arts classes with

their mentors or with the support of their

mentors. The match will choose their own

martial arts school and Mentoring For

Success will foot the bill for a year’s worth

of classes plus a uniform. This may be

another way of strengthening the

mentoring relationship.

Who is eligible?

Youth who are matched

with an adult in Mentoring

For Success and who have

an interest in martial arts.

Do the scholarships pay for the mentor’s classes as well?

Unfortunately the scholarships are only for

the students' classes. We hope that many

of the mentors will also take martial arts

classes, but this is not a stipulation.

Mentors, however, should be able to

accompany their mentees to the classes.

How do you apply?

The mentor and student must write a

paragraph or two about the mentee and

where they would like to take classes.

Please include input from the student and

about what interests you both about this

opportunity. Email the paragraph to

farrelle@sfusd.edu or send through

interdistrict mail to:

Erin Farrell, Student Support Services,

1515 Quintara St.

Page 7

Aptos Amira Aweti Olga Camacho Any Casteneda Amelia Garahan Jimena Holden Sharon Kennings Audrey Moilanen Aleta Oryall Victoria Patch Larry Peterson Kelly Roja Benjamin Rombro Erika Rubinstein Bessie Carmichael Ramon Brown Robin Corpus Eric Fructuoso Gary Hong Nicole Massey Adele Medel Christine Oneto Mike Scagliotti Bret Harte Michael Bachicha Kevin Batiste Amber Cooper Elisa Fireman Alexandra Galvan Theresa Gundran Roxanne Huie Jeanine Kennard Brianna Malone Allison Shoule Kristen Vogel Carver Harman Allison Sarah Buchanan White Crystal Debra Johnson Mary Jue Jarrod Lowe Elizabeth McNab Afflick Stacy Nick Tracy Kimm Waller- Ware Asija Wuorenmaa Denman Esteban Aramburo Amy Barrios David Bates Anthony Boland Caroline Chadwick A. S. Cobb Bobbi Cooper Ginny Daws Jessica Ekstrom Natalie Gomez Jessica Helmers Joe Lisha Alison Moy Kevin Odle Lauren Rounkle

Stephanie Starling Camille Steneck Vincent Toan Joseph Tokes Mitzy Valdes El Dorado Maria Acosta Scott Brown Jennifer Caldwell Megan Caluza Lori Fetzer Chris Helm Ariel Nikzad Tai Schoeman Arthur St. Germain Desiree St. Louis Eric Subido Methinee Thongma Emi Vega Katherine Walsh Everett Alex Algones Theresa Alvarez Katherine Ambrose Harini Aravamadhan Anna Arevalo Tony Ballard Jan Bautista Tracy Brown Deborah Bueti Britne Chanel Luis Chavez Larry Cohbra Rashaida Coleman Richard Curci Holly Delaney Ariana Diaz Cristina Diaz Patricio Duk Bridget Early Kendrick Fong Max Gardner Monica Giudici Meghan Graber Keith Gushiken Dylan Kehoe Ferguson Kristin Dan Kyle Brett Lazzareschi Ramos Maria Caitlin Nichols Gina Orange Nancy Padilla Christina Perry Mary Ramos Matt Robinson Brody Romsey Denise Rueda Jordan Santoni Aurora Sekine Lorena Soto Jamie Stewart Matt Swaim

Anjalie Trice Valerie Tulier Ruben Urbina Lena Vanharen Leilani Vo Kathy Ward Marcus Wong Fairmount Laura Andersen Kim Anderson Keli Baker Monica Einaudi Evelyn Hernandez Jeremy Hilinski Marie Lukehart Ilana Nankin Kristin Nelson Katy Newman Fitzpatrick Ryan Pazmino Silvana Liz Torres Lisa Vasquez Oscar Zarate Francisco Simon Alemazkoor Lisa Barrie Magda Barron Amelia Bjorklund Cynthia Cen Danika Choe James Collins Kaitlin Donovan Liz Fierst Jamila Hubbard Katrina James Barone Julie Kricher Jennifer Lau Ken Lee Jennifer Lim Akyya Mayberry Kellie Mullin Gabriel Peixoto Katie Sommer Meredith Wheeler Robin White Giannini Ilsa Bertolini Kathryn Burns Rymo Cortado Ben Ellsworth Christian Johnsen Adam Johnson Terry Lai Raymond Lie Rosalia Lopez Kingston Louie Annie Ma Betty Momjian Marissa Mornick Ariane Peixoto Fina Pengosro Robert Rope Leslie Trook

Hilltop Jackie Delgado Elaine Ellis Elena Griego Stephanie Scarpulla Hoover Shira Andron Renee Ashbaugh Thad Austin Miguel Barrera Kent Chow Jessica Frazier Sarah Gadye Brian Gomes Thomas Graven Mihyun Joo

Emilie Kim Rosalia Lopez Jeffery McMahan Janet Miller Mika Moore Nick Przybyla Leonard Raznick Kevin Sherald Jennifer Smith Joanna Wardell Buena Vista-Horace Mann Brenda Arias Valerie Barth Todd Burkes Gail Eigl Valerie Gonzalez Christiana Hart David Johnson Anna Rosa Maldonado Megan McMahon Jay Miranda Dyalma Morales Priscilla Owren Dino Papgni Amanda Petersen Dinorah Salazar Daniel Sanchez Jeff Steeno Gabriel Tovar Ruben Uribe Marisa Varalli Susan Watson

International Studies Academy Dana Altshuler Dana Beatty Francesca Cosentino Jack Doyle Jeffrey Dvorak Matthew Imperato Hillary Lopez Judy Rosa Briana Visser Kim Walker Leslie Wax James Lick Arianne Babcock Chloe Badger-Harp Alex Bargas Edward Burns

Arika Castenada Anthony Cavazos Helena Corda Juan Jose Cortez Greg D'Amico Gladys Dalmau Michael Goularte Li Ping Kenny Marilyn Koral Lina La Adan Luevano Harini Madhavan Gia Martino Angelina Molina Heidi Smith Jake Stookey Cesar Tapia Cedric Tatum Albert Tobias Karina Vela Dawn Woehl Marina Laurie Vargas Danielle Pizzi Thurgood Marshall Rogelio Alvarado Lance Cheng Zaia Ellerhorst Nicole Hsu Razan Jabaji Mimi Kasner Ann Lyon

Jennifer Najarro Farah Razak Jose Soberanis Williams Van Cedric Timothy Won Mission Jen Bowman Janet Frost Rebecca Fulop Steven Hankle Miriam Hillard Linda Jordan Jose Leos Cindy Mathison Chandra Sivakumaran Martin Luther King Ashley Brown Lenda Butcher- Myers Lawrence Festin E'Leva Gibson Tasia James Jacynta Jordan Patricia Koka Shirelle Lawrence Christopher Scerri Michelle Villegas Gesean Woods Paul Revere Chester Banks Deborah Bellotti Kari Bohlen Augustine Bonney Kristen De Andreis Rafael Directo Kathleen Ferdon Adam Fisher Ora Green Rocio Guzman Patricia Harmon Patty Harmon Jessica Huang Lionel Hunter Anabel Ibanez Aurora King Karla Leon Guerrero Carol Lopez Juan Lopez Teresa Maxwell Cecilia Mena Chris Nelson Malin Palsson Shannon Pearsley Nas Romero David Russitano Carolyn Samoa Megan Williams Presidio Rachel Eckberg Rooftop Katie Clark Vanessa

Contreras Tara Hayes Darren Kawaii Tiffany Kendall Cyndy Sugawara Kristen Vernace Aaron Weis Roosevelt Julie Auslander Stuart Briggs Jean Conley Maureen Hayes Ellen Kerr Alexa Ousley Frantz Rena Maureen Santori Kristin Tatum Micah Weger Rosa Parks Khaykin Alla Jessica Black Cynthia Dimon Karoukian Helen Rachel Hinson Esther Honda Cecily Ina Paul Jacobsen Andrew Kelder Arunan Kono-Soosaipillai Jamie Kronenberger Francesca Lane Loretta MacPherson Casey Martling Tanya Mills Remi Nakamoto Yukari Noguchi Phyllis Phan Leigh Rossi Elizabeth Traver Lisa Tsukamoto Tim Warner Sheridan Phillip Cooffin Alvin Dizon Dina Edwards Casallas Edwin Saeeda Hafiz Barbra Headman Sarah Hudson David Scott Jing Wen Grace Yoshitsugu Marseille Pope

Visitacion Valley Elizabeth Abrahams Donna Amador Tyrone Anderson Jose Ascencio Zac Baroni Michael Bennett Kelly Bowman Norma Clark Cassandra Curiel Rama Hall Valerie Kuki Katie Leasau Dolores Lee Rose Ludwig Mickey Manuel Antoinette Marracq Corey Monroe Justin Ocreto Mary Price Robert Saybolt Noah Schechtman Vidya Schechtman Lauren Schwartz Aluk Shawn Joy Joy Small Jenny Trac Chuck Waters Michael Whooley Brittany Wrightson

Project Arrive Mission Jennifer Colker Brian Fox Eric Guthertz Taffany Jones-Davis Laura Parker Linda Parker Jay Pugao Lisa Jovick Chandra Sivakumaran Jennifer Soliz Ray Sotto John O’Connell Armando Florez Danae Carvacho Vanessa Marrero Patricia Newsome Thurgood Marshall Chatree Touch Jane Kolling Zaia Ellerhorst Vida Sanford

“I like having someone to talk to without any distractions.” ~Student mentee

“I’m going to college. Before [I had a mentor], I didn’t really want to go, but then seeing how she’s doing really well in college and try-ing to start her career now...I want to follow in her footsteps and go to college.” -student mentee

Thanks for mentoring!!!