Communities In Schools of North Texas Programs |
Saturday Connections
Students face many barriers in their day to day lives. The stress and rigors of schoolwork while balancing tough family situations at home can take their toll. Thus, the Saturday Connections program was introduced to let kids be kids again! It is an enrichment based program that runs from 9:00-11:00 AM at our participating campuses. Students are paired with volunteer mentors to enjoy activities such as arts and crafts, sports, board games and various cultural presentations. Occaissionally, students and mentors also attend field trips to the local fire department, visiting a local library, or be part of a parade!
Sight For Students
Through
a partnership with VSP Insurance Communities In Schools of North Texas is
able to provide free eye exams and glasses to any student who is up to 200%
over poverty level. Communities In Schools is very excited about this partnership
because many students benefit, regardless of where they live. This is also
a benefit for our community because it does not deplete local resources
such as the Lion's Club and local store programs. Students are screened
by the school nurse and in several cases volunteers from Prevent Blindness
Texas. If this preliminary screening indicates that the student may need
to see an eye doctor, a Communities In Schools campus manager will talk
with the parents and give them a voucher. The voucher allows a student to
see an Ophthalmologist and if necessary receive a free pair of glasses.
Holiday Assistance
One of the roles of the Communities In Schools program is to make sure that each student's and family member's needs are met. During the holidays, this can be a daunting task. Each Communities In Schools program organizes a holiday assistance program through local community resources. This program provides food throughout the holiday season, as well as toys for the children at Christmas time. Communities In Schools works with Christian Community Action, HelpNET, local churches and local food pantries to coordinate assistance for the families who need help. It is a goal that every Communities In Schools child and family have plenty of food for the holidays and special presents at Christmas time.
Mentoring Program
The
CISNT Mentoring Program is the ideal way of connecting people in our community
with at-risk children in our schools. By spending one hour a week for the
duration of the school year, students receive positive role model support,
academic assistance, guidance and self esteem enhancement from their mentors.
Communities In Schools looks forward to working with dedicated volunteers
throughout the year to help students become all that they can be. To become
a mentor, please fill out our online
volunteer application form.
One On One Tutoring
Communities
In Schools programs implement a Homework Club on each of the school campuses.
Homework Clubs are designed to give students a safe place to go to complete
their schoolwork before heading home for the day. Each program recruits
volunteers to help with the tutoring. Communities In Schools is fortunate
to have volunteers from Retractable Technologies in Little Elm, Verizon
in Griffin and Delay Middle Schools and Hillwood at Roanoke. There are also
many student volunteers who attend school at The University of North Texas
or Texas Women's University that volunteer their time to tutor students.
Summer Programs
Communities
In Schools of North Texas provides two types of summer programs for students.
At the elementary level, Communities In Schools campus managers provide
a day camp-like enrichment program with an educational component. Students
are exposed to cultural activities, social skills and etiquette training,
educational field trips, and field trips that allow them to take part in
activities that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience.
The summer programs at the middle and high schools are more academic. Campus
managers at these schools provide tutoring to summer school students in
the CISNT program, empowering the students with the knowledge and skills
they need in order to be promoted to the next grade.
Community Service Activities
Communities
In Schools believes that it is not only important to provide services to
students and families but also give students the opportunity to give back
to their community. Communities In Schools students participate in a variety
of community service projects on various campuses. Students from Delay and
Griffin Middle Schools, as well as Little Elm High School volunteered their
time at the North Texas Food Bank. Students sorted and stacked donated food.
In return for their volunteer hours, Communities In Schools receives credit
toward the purchase of snacks for the school programs. Students from Denton
High School volunteered with 
Habitat
for Humanity to help build a house for a needy family that lives in Denton.
At other campuses, students participated in a campus beautification project.
Trees, plants and flowers were donated by a local nursery and students cleaned
up their campus, as well as planted the shrubs. On other campuses, students
cleaned up graffiti and organized canned food drives.
Red Ribbon Week
Red
Ribbon Week was inspired by one person and his dedication to the cause.
Believing that one person could indeed make a difference, Enrique Camerena,
an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, was investigating a major
drug cartel in Mexico in 1985 when he was kidnapped by five men. A month
later his body was found in a shallow grave. In his honor, his friends and
family began wearing red badges of satin, and formed groups to combat illegal
drugs. Three years later, the National Partnership organized the first Red
Ribbon Campaign.Every year Communities In Schools organizes Red Ribbon Week
activities on each of the school campuses. Many programs sponsor Dress Up
Days such as wear red day, sock out drugs day and celebrate your school
not drugs day. Other activities include anti-drug poster contests, classroom
participation contests and pledges to be drug free. Communities In Schools
not only organizes events for this week, but believes this week should serve
as a kick off for the campaign that runs throughout the school year.
Career Awareness Activities
Communities
In Schools programs offer many activities to promote career awareness, as
well as prepare students for the job force. Several Communities In Schools
programs offer Job Shadowing Day activities. Students at Little Elm High
School chose a profession they were interested in exploring, and they were
paired with a professional in the community to "shadow" for a
day. This programs stimulates students' thinking regarding their future
and career possibilities. Activities such as these can be beneficial in
narrowing down the career choices and majors a student may choose in college.
Another pre-employment activity sponsored by Communities In Schools is The Real Game. The Real Game is an innovative, interactive, and experiential career exploration program in which students take on adult work roles. They participate in role-playing and completing classroom and research exercises, and learn about many of the aspects of real life that they'll soon face as adults. Different aspects include learning how to earn money, budget, how earnings must be spent (housing, transportation), discretionary expenditures, evaluating job satisfaction, assessing personal aptitudes and inclination, and planning for the future. This group was designed to emphasize the value of all work and the importance of ongoing education, adaptability, and positive attitudes. It teaches students how to define goals and plan a route to achieving them.
Communities In Schools partnered with the Denton County Young Lawyer's Association to teach children about the legal profession. Communities In Schools students at Denton and Ryan High Schools were taken to Denton's new and old courthouses to learn about the legal and municipal process. Students were also given a tour of the local county jail to view the new facility, as well as the existing facility and to learn about the law enforcement center. During this activity one of the Communities In Schools students learned of the Citizen's Youth Academy. This student was allowed to ride along in a patrol car and learn more about the police force. As a result of this program the student has decided that he wants to become a police officer and is preparing to sign up for law enforcement certification classes when he graduates this year.
Many Communities In Schools programs offer Career Days for their students. Central Elementary School invited professionals to speak to the fifth grade classes. The Griffin Middle School Program invited many professionals, including an NFL player to make presentations. Communities In Schools also planned and implemented Career Days at Roanoke Elementary, Prairie View Elementary, Delay Middle School, and Decatur Intermediate. To see pictures of Career Day activities, click here.
Communities In Schools believes that it is never too early to start talking to students about their future careers. Any exposure to different professions a student receives may spark an interest and become the motivation to staying in school, passing their classes and remaining successful.