5th and 6th hour Trailblazers

This year we have two different groups of Trailblazers

5th hour will arrive at approx. 12:45 and leave at 1:15

6th hour will arrive approx. 1:50pm and leave at 2:20.  

Link to all our Bell Schedules

2017 Field Trip to Pioneer:  Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Thank you for welcoming Trailblazers into you school this school year!  

Principal/Site Supervisor To Do List:
  • Collaborate with classroom teachers and principal to identify kids who will be good consumers of the services our Trailblazers offer.  Kids that offer behavioral challenges might be too much for the Mentors.  Instead, choose kids that need that extra push to get work done, need reading help or require individual attention to reteach.  Your school should plan for 12-15 Mentors! 
  • Fill out the Mentor/Mentee match form for each pair of students.
  • Mentor/Mentee matches should ideally be made by the 3rd week of school, but not be rushed.  This is a year-long commitment and we want to get it right.

Pioneer Students will be ready to come to the elementary school the middle/end of the second week of school.

Students don't need to meet their Mentees right away.  It's ok for the Mentors to observe in classrooms or to work as a classroom helper for a few days until we can make thoughtful matches between the elementary and high school students.

High school students should not choose who they want to work with.  They are not able to do this and having that choice makes them uncomfortable.  Matches should be purposeful matches to achieve a specific academic goal.

Classroom Teachers

• It is best if teachers volunteer to be a mentor-teacher rather than being assigned.  
• Teacher should be available to support mentors in their efforts.  Support should be offered so that the Pioneer Mentor can better understand his/her mentee's needs and how to best work with him/her.  That support can come in a variety of ways, including:
• email
• Notes left for mentor
• Daily, “on the fly” contact
• Face to Face conversation after school.
• Teachers should establish their own way of working with their mentor.  Common patterns include:

            • having mentor concentrate on one or two subject areas (helping mentee learn multiplication facts and spelling words)

            • having mentor concentrate on all unfinished class work or homework

            • having mentor work on special projects with mentee (where students have long reports to research and write

• Teachers should feel free to bring any areas of concern to site supervisor or the Pioneer supervisor, Don Packard (Packard@aaps.k12.mi.us)

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Site Supervisor

• Oversees attendance taking/recording with elementary school secretary so that accurate records of student engagement can be recoded in Powerschool in a timely manner by the Pioneer Advisor.

• Coordinates with classroom teachers which elementary students will receive Trailblazers for the year and secures the necessary paperwork for participate in the program. 

• Reviews profiles from Pioneer Mentors and works with Pioneer Advisor to match Mentors with their elementary Mentees

• Provides consistent support for teachers, mentors and mentees

• Connect, if only quickly, with mentors at least 3 times each week.  Daily as mentors walk in/out is optimal.

Pioneer Mentors

• Will arrive each day at the assigned time with appropriate attire for the elementary school, realizing that elementary schools are MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE than high schools 

• Will call the office BEFORE their scheduled arrival time if they will be absent.  

• Will come up with strategies/activities to extend learning.

• Appreciate a folder waiting for them each day with the work to accomplish included and maybe a quick note.

• Thrive on becoming members of the school community