Flyer for Alex Sanger Preparatory School’s “Book Buddy & Math Mentor Program.”
Forest Hills’ Alex Sanger Preparatory School is starting a new “Book Buddy & Math Mentor Program” and needs volunteers to help children in reading and/or arithmetic.
Teachers will pick out students in kindergarten through second grade who could benefit from the program, Alex Sanger PTA Volunteer Engagement Chairperson Katy Spartz said in an email to the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate. Then, adult volunteers and kids will pair up and work together one-on-one for 30 minutes a week. These sessions will take place at various times during the school day, depending on the students’ class schedules.
“Through regular one-on-one work, mentors will help these young scholars build foundational skills, grow in confidence, and discover that they can learn and lead,” Sanger Prep Principal Alex Merritt said in a statement emailed to the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate. “We are guided by our mission to provide a world-class education that fosters equity through dual language proficiency and student leadership. Whether students are in our Spanish Dual Language classrooms or our general education settings, this program will further strengthen the foundations that let them thrive, now and later — especially as they move toward our candidacy for the IB Middle Years Program.”
You don’t have to be related to a Sanger Prep student to volunteer, but you do have to complete a background check through Dallas ISD’s Voly website and attend an in-person training session before starting this program. One such training class will take place from 9-9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the school, and there may be another date available in the future for people who can’t attend then, Spartz said.
“I welcome community members to join us in this work,” Merritt said in the statement. “As a volunteer, you will be investing in a bright future: not just for one child, but for our whole community. Sanger is already a beacon of excellence in East Dallas, and with programs like this — and with your help — we will continue to live out our vision of being the premier school in this part of the city.”
There’s other ways to volunteer with the school and help out around campus. You can connect with the PTA and let them know you’re interested here.
