NEW HAVEN REACH:
Mentor Training Session
ABOUT REACH
We won’t repeat the info session, but we want to make
sure you know how the program works
SAFETY
Aren’t they grown?
• High school students
seem big
• Under 18: Minors
• As mentor, YOU are
responsible
Forms
• Red tape – fun
• Two forms that your
student (parent if
under 18) MUST sign:
• Media release
• Permission form
• Try to get signed
before first meeting – if
not do not meet again
until they have it.
Where to Meet?
Saturday Session
Meet On My Own
• Preferred
• Common Sense!
• Group – collaboration
• Public place (not your
• Support network
dorm room)
• Some ideas: New Haven
Public Library, Coffee
Shop (beware $ though),
Bass Library (not first
meeting), their school
(only if you want to)
Check-In
Screenshot here of
what the form looks like
• Weekly: fill out Google
Form (left)
• Purpose: make sure
we know you’re
meeting
• 1-2 minutes only!
Code of Conduct
• You should have read
– if you didn’t take a
look
• Hand in final page only
(for our records)
APPLICATION
How does it work, what’s my role, and what do I
need to know?
Mentor’s Role
• Guide, friend, advisor – not necessarily teacher
• Break process into “bite-size chunks” (we’ll help)
• Build relationship with student
• Friend? Up to you
• Facebook, cell phone, etc – YOUR CALL
• We encourage e-mail instead of Facebook, esp. at first
• Expert! You know the college application process
• Adult – again you are the adult in this relationship and are
responsible for safety, professionalism, etc
• Problem? We got your back
Timeline
• Look at Syllabus
• Fall: application process
• Where to Apply
• Applying
• Money?
• Winter: financial aid/scholarship focus
• Spring: Mentally prepared for college!
• Want to go off topic? No problem! It’s a GUIDE not a
REQUIREMENT for you, every student is different
Weekly
• Sat. sessions: short presentation at first. Otherwise: brush
up on your info (we’ll send it to you) and explain topic to
student. Keep it short
• Work on topic of day: essay/resume/list of colleges etc
• Save 10+ minutes at end to talk big picture
• What will you do this week? Students have to put in time on their
own as well
• Upcoming deadlines
• Check-Ins
• Stay on top of your e-mail!
• We might send out info about other sources of help, scholarships,
SAT dates, etc. Please stay on top of e-mail
Resources
• We got your back!
• Every date in the syllabus has (or will have):
• Presentation and/or intro handout
• Worksheet
• Sample essays/resumes
• www.newhavenreach.com  student resources!
• We’re getting Current Volunteer page set up as well
• Question? Ask each other! Ask us!
AN INTRODUCTION TO
NAVIANCE
Created by Yombe Fonkeu
What is Naviance?
• Briefly and as explained by them, Naviance is “a college
and career readiness platform that helps connect
academic achievements to post-secondary goals.”
• This is being implemented in New Haven high schools for
the first time this year.
• The link to the website: http://www.naviance.com/
So what’s inside?
• The key word from the last slide was “platform”.
• Naviance acts like an all-in-one organizer, divided up into
tabs for:
• Courses
• Colleges
• Careers
• About Me
• My Planner
• Students, families, and school officials can all access it
• There’s an interface for individual students to communicate with
counselors
• It’s really acting like a holistic system
An example of
the tab platform
Naviance uses
This is the student
version. The counselor
version includes
information about
college applications, atrisk students, and a tab
of tasks and priorities.
More information soon!
• Naviance is a brand new system.
• As more students use if for the more of the year, we’ll be
able to identify specific benefits and draw-backs.
• Tentatively, it looks good, especially for students and
families with constant internet access.
ESSAYS
Editing Tips
First Steps
Wait Till The End
• Who am I?
• Writing style
• Why am I applying to
• Complete
college?
• What do I bring to
college?
• Look past spelling,
grammar & help students
develop these themes
•
•
•
•
paragraphs/sentences
Spelling
Tone
Metaphor
Wait until you think the
student has developed
the themes – likely
several drafts in
Strategies
• DO NOT write the
• Ask questions!
essay for the student
• Think comments,
questions, and
thoughts in the margin
not writing the
sentence
• Keep student’s voice
and writing style
• Look to the end for the
main idea
• See sheet: essay
editing tips
Group Essay
• This is not a first draft – you will likely see something a lot
rougher than this
• Small groups
• What is author trying to say and how do they relate to key
themes of college essay?
• Go through, edit, suggest mark-ups
THANKS FOR COMING!
Fill out survey form (Google Docs), ask questions!