Natomas Unified School District
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HOSTS Learning
[Help One Student To Succeed]
NATOMAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
“Connecting students to their future”
1901 Arena Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95834
Contact: Public Information Officer Heidi Yanez, 561.5253
A Message from Dr. Farrar
September 2, 2008
Good Morning,
After 35 years of transforming the lives of millions, one student at a time, one mentor at a time, the HOSTS Learning Corporation has fallen victim to our nation’s current harsh economic times and is closing its doors as of August 27. But while the HOSTS Corporation is closing its doors, Natomas Unified is keeping its HOSTS doors open to our students and our mentors. We will continue to use the HOSTS Link individualized learning plans that our HOSTS mentors and Coordinators use everyday. It will be business as usual serving our students with our HOSTS mentors and our HOSTS materials and plans. Our students and mentors should not notice any difference caused by the corporate HOSTS closure. We will continue to monitor our program, students needs, and support for our mentors. We will fill any training needs for newcomers by our own highly qualified staff. While we are saddened to see such a great force for good fall, we are grateful that we can continue to serve our students and community. As a positive step forward, I hope everyone will take this occasion to assess the opportunities for change and growth this presents. We have a terrific opportunity to customize our mentoring program to meet the specific needs of each student, and we will need continued community involvement. We will continue the most critical part of HOSTS, what we have used the most with HOSTS, our mentoring program and materials…and that means our students still need you…our mentors. They need to know our community will continue to care about them and their future. Thanks for all you do everyday for our students…you are everyday heroes…you are heroes everyday.
Dr. Farrar
Natomas students need community’s help
You can change a Natomas child’s life today by becoming a mentor for just one hour a week in the Natomas Unified School District.
Through the Help One Student To Succeed (HOSTS) mentoring program, community volunteers are paired with students who need one-on-one assistance in basic reading and math.
Nearly 500 students in Natomas elementary and secondary schools are enrolled this school year in HOSTS, with the goal of helping them find success in school.
“I’ve seen the kids change – they’re connected to school now. I love the program,” Natomas teacher Cynthia Bluewater said.
Under the guidance of a Natomas teacher, mentors work with students in a school learning center and follow easy-to-use lesson plans customized for each student.
Mentors choose the grade level, school and schedule that will work best for them.
Retirees, local churches and businesses, service clubs and parents are the focus of a volunteer recruitment effort now under way.
“Research shows that students learn faster and are more self-reliant when they are taught one-on-one,” Natomas Superintendent Steve Farrar said. “An equally important benefit is an increase in their self-esteem that results from having a caring mentor in their life.”
HOSTS has served more than 1 million students over the past 30 years, and now operates in 40 states.
The program is part of a nationwide effort to increase parental and community participation in schools, and has been recognized by name in the report language of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
The Natomas Unified School District, which began the program in October 2006, has been chosen a national demonstration site by HOSTS.
The school district has partnered with the Natomas Schools Foundation to raise funds for the HOSTS program and to recruit community volunteers.
More information is available at www.natomas.k12.ca.us/HOSTS.htm and at www.natomasschoolsfoundation.org, or by calling NUSD Public Information Officer Heidi Yanez at 916.561.5253.
| For more information on this program, you can download the following pdf files. You will need to download the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. If you need a current copy of Adobe Reader, click here! | ||
