Each Thursday after school, a group of Shadow Lake Elementary students meet with volunteer tutors for additional help on schoolwork. The program is called KidREACH, and matches students with a one-on-one mentor to help them with their homework, as well as helping motivate and encourage them.
“We are so fortunate to have this partnership with KidREACH,” Principal Mike Hanson said. “Our students connect with additional adults in our community. The tutors and teachers collaborate to make it an even more powerful program. The caring community stretches beyond the school walls and our students are the beneficiaries.”
Based out of the Maple Valley Presbyterian Church, KidREACH has served children in the Puget Sound area since 1991 and in the Tahoma School District since 2005, said Kim Newell, site coordinator for the program. Each year, sessions begin in October and run through May. Shadow Lake teachers refer students who they think may benefit from participating, and parents or guardians who are interested submit an application. When students are accepted into KidREACH, they can return each year while they attend Shadow Lake, and their siblings are also eligible. Tutors receive input from each student’s teacher about how to make the best use of tutoring time, Newell explained.
For the rest of this article in the district newsletter, click here: https://goo.gl/XeANgW
*In the photo, Volunteer Sheri Roelofs works with Shadow Lake fourth-grader Daniel M. as part of the KidREACH tutoring program.
