Many congratulations to our graduating seniors and excitement for the rest of the students embarking on new journey as rising seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen. Our program would like to extend appreciation to all the dedicated and hard working teachers who taught students beyond just the curriculum, but also as cared for them as humans first. And to the school staff who helped make schools function as well as our educators and staff who work outside of the schools to provide indirect support. Our mentor program have grown and evolved in this period of time, learning new things and finding ways to be creative when supporting our teachers and students. We've had several college and career readiness activities embedded in the classrooms, led by mentors. More mentors also found themselves supporting their teachers in lesson planning and providing feedback to impact content to further enrich the experiences for students. From out team (photo above), we hope you all enjoy your summer break and Happy Pride!

Warmly,

Jennie & GEAR UP Team

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The quote for this week to leave folks inspired is a quote from the spring Near Peer Mentor Reflection around what this mentoring experience meant to them as they partnered with their teacher, “EYE-OPENING! I feel so aware, connected to the experiences of students and teachers from this experience.”"

At Grant, mentor Sam has been planning a workshop for their juniors around a topic that all students know all too well which is the idea that having an A+ means you're learning. However, they explored that this rhetoric might actually harm students because it sets up the expectations that grades determine the level of knowledge one gains. Sam also prompted dialogue with students around student agency and where they hold power in terms of this concept.

During the workshop, Sam shared two areas that hold importance to them; Black Awareness & Queer Awareness and then Neurodiversity & Mental Health and how the lack of exposure and representation in these areas impacted their high school journey and ways they sought it out.

We were successfully able to continue the school year with strong mentor and teacher partnerships. Several workshops and activities were able to take place inside of the classroom embedding them with college and career exposure and readiness. Below is a recap of the near-peer mentor program from the December-June timeline in terms of number of teachers, students served with hours and the specific services.

Note: for this time period, Ida B. Wells did not have mentors or partner teachers.

In trying to understand the experiences of the Partner Teachers and Near Peer Mentors, the spring survey we've sent out asks them to reflect on the learning environment, their engagement with each other and to provide insights on how they will continue to work with each other in the future. Below are some direct quotes from the surveys.

PARTNER TEACHER

• Successes with Support from Near Peer Mentor
• “I think the fact that [they are] an alum of our school brings another level of authenticity to it."
• “NPM was a thought partner for lesson planning.”
• “[Mentors] are so good at working with students and can connect with students that don't easily connect with me and so more students get served when they're in class.”
• Impact of Near Peer Mentor on the Learning Environment
• “[Mentor] improved the overall vibe of the classroom. [They have] helped students to reengage in the materials.”
• “My NPM served as a partner in conversation practice and an encourager for struggling students.”
• "Decentered me in the planning and in front of students, shows value of collab to students, awesome to have young, trusted mentors working with students”
• Final Comments
• “I love this program and think it's one of the best uses of money. I would love to see it grow every year. I also think the way the near peer mentors are selected and trained is very successfully done.”
• “I 100% recommend it for other teachers and am happy to preach.”

NEAR PEER MENTOR

• Successes in the Classroom
• “I think I have really grown into the position and learned a lot about myself and how to interact with students.”
• “Have started giving input on class curriculum to [Teacher]”
• “I have been able to reconnect with my partner teachers and sit in on planning sessions to be able to support them in the structure of curriculum but also have been able to support them by picking up work they are too busy for or when they are out filling in for them.”
• Challenges during the year
• “Too many partner teacher relationships to build.”
• “It has been challenging to have a deep connection with my partner teacher and consistently work together with them.”
• Final Comments
• “There were negatives and positives. As a mentor, it was empowering to grow alongside the students. On the other hand, there were times I did not feel heard by others...”
• “I've found my work experience to be very enriching getting to see the students grow throughout the year and achieve their goals.”

• We are still hiring for Near Peer Mentors. The application has been extended to July 21st. If you know if any current college student who are near peer in age to our high school students and is interested in working in schools with teachers and students, then share the information to your network. Search up PPS Careers for job ID# 26096! Any potential applicants can be directed to Maria Felix-Pedro at mafelixpedro@pps.net or Jennie Cha jcha@pps.net.

Friday, June 9th - Sam Workshop Identity & Education @ Grant

Wednesday, June 14th - Last day of school 2022-23

Wednesday, June 21th - Leap Training @ Grant

June 26th-July 14th & July 17th-Aug 4th - Leap Programming

Wednesday, August 16th - New Hire Orientation

Thurs-Fri., August 17th & 18th and Mon.,-Tues., 21st & 22nd - Community of Practice Fellowship @ Taborspace

Tuesday, August 29th - Near Peer Mentor Kick-Off & First Day of School

Tuesday, September 5th - Near Peer Mentor start in classes

All Mentors

NPM Public Folder 2022-23

NPM Policy & Procedure Manual

***General Resources***

• Classroom Close UP FAQ
• Near Peer Mentor Recruitment Slides
• Near Peer Mentor Flyer
• GEAR UP Near Peer Mentor Program Evaluation 2021-22 Report
• The Literature: Expectation of Self
• Essential Understanding of Native Americans in Oregon

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Picture Credits:

1. GU Staff Photo (Kiss Coffee Staff)
2. Marine Biologist @ JHS (JC)
   
3. Mentor Litzy facilitating workshop (MFP)
4. Bubble sheet (SC)
5. Graphics of NPM program data reports (JC)
6. Feedback & Your Voice Matters graphic (online, free stock)
7. NPM Recruitment Flyer (JC)
8. Graduates Banner (JC) & NPM Graduates (AF, JT, JC,)