About Our Mentor Program
The Quincy Public Schools’ Mentor Program matches adult volunteers to work one-on-one with students. Mentoring involves developing a relationship in which an adult provides a student ongoing support and guidance for his/her academic and personal growth. The goal of mentoring is to provide students with the confidence they need to be successful in school and to succeed in life. In addition, mentoring helps students gain the basic skills of reading, writing and math.
We make every effort to provide students, from prekindergarten through high school, who have been identified as being in need of a mentor with a caring, responsible adult. The student and mentor meet once a week for thirty to sixty minutes during school hours. Each relationship is different, but the core remains the same. The mentor supports the child’s efforts and helps them reach their potential.
Click here to view a video to learn more about mentoring.
OUR STUDENTS
Mentors can help our students in many ways:
– improving academic achievement
– developing gifts and talents
– increasing self esteem/self confidence
– improving a student’s ability to get along with others
– overcoming shyness
– overcoming aggressiveness
The one-to-one relationship with a mentor can help a student face challenges such as poor academic performance, poor decision making skills, lack of academic goals, few academic successes, poor work habits and lack of basic skills.
OUR MENTORS
Our mentors come from all walks of life, from high school students to retirees, but they all have one thing in common: They all care about children and want to make a difference. It’s an excellent time for mentors to help young people develop their potential and shape their lives. The mentor’s role is not to replace the role of parent/guardian, to expect dramatic changes quickly, nor to provide solutions to all the questions. The traits of listening, caring, nurturing, and supporting are the most important part of the mentor’s role.
All of our mentors go through an interview process, background check, and training/program orientation.
VOLUNTEER NOW
How to Become a Mentor
An application form must be completed which includes your consent for us to conduct a background check. Once the application has been received by the Mentor Coordinator and processed, an orientation will be scheduled.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or learning more about the Quincy Public Schools Mentor Program, please feel free to call Tracy Bugh 217-228-7105 or bughtr@qps.org.
“The number one indicator of success for a child is a good relationship with a caring adult”
— Fortune Magazine
THE QPS MENTOR PROGRAM HAS OVER 220 MENTORS IN OUR SCHOOLS!
Student mentoring Statistics
Approximately 250 mentors serve students and classrooms in the Quincy Public Schools.
Approximately 1000 children from pre-kindergarten through high school receive some type of mentoring.
Mentors come from all walks of life, from college students to retirees. A number of service clubs, organizations and businesses have partnered with the Child-Family Mentor Program to provide volunteers.
Mentor UPDATES & Stories
Thank you to ALL of our dedicated Mentors!
Easy ways you can help our students even more!
Want to know some easy ways to help out our schools – and therefore help our students (even more than you already do)? Many products that you buy every day have promotions that raise money or provide educational supplies for schools. Most of our schools collect the items listed below, and you can drop them off in the principal’s office at the school where you mentor. Or, you can drop them off to me at the Board of Education Office and I will be happy to distribute to school(s) that participate.
Box Tops for Education
Cut out the Box Tops logo which can be found on many commonly used products including Betty Crocker mixes, General Mills cereals, Land O Lakesbutter, Pillsbury crescent rolls, biscuits, etc., Ziploc bags, Hefty waste bags, Avery office products.
Campbell’s Labels for Education
Look for this logo on Campbell Soup products and many other items such as BIC pens, Franco American, Pepperidge Farm, Post cereals and snack items, Prego sauces, Swanson broth, and V8 beverages. The labels are cashed in for a variety of educational products.
Shop for Schools
Some schools collect Hy-Vee product bar codes and Coke Rewards Codes (the rewards codes are found under caps, inside tear-off on 12-packs, and on multi-pack wraps).
Quincy Junior High and Quincy Senior High Schools participate in the “Shop for Schools” program which involves the school selling gift cards from a variety of merchants. It works like this: If you purchase a $50 gift card to County Market or Hy-Vee, you pay $50 and you receive a $50 gift card. The grocery store then gives the school 5% back ($2.50). It is that simple! The list of participating merchants is extensive and includes restaurants, department stores, clothing stores, home improvement stores, and much more. These are places where you shop every day, and essentially your dollar goes even farther by spending the same amount you normally would at participating merchants with the added bonus of dollars coming back to our schools! Contact me at the Board of Education Office if you’d like more information on how to purchase Shop for Schools gift cards.
