ENP Blog

School Is Starting Back Up

Hi Volunteers and Partners, 
Can you believe it’s already August?! School is starting back up this month! 
You’ll notice this is no longer just a Literacy Mentor newsletter, but a whole new title and style to reflect our new combined, growing work.

We are the School Support team!
Andrea Ricci
Volunteer Staff Coordinator
  • What does she do? Volunteer & Intern Staff Onboarding and Processes
  • Fun Fact: She’s attended a game at the three oldest baseball stadiums that are still in use today: Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodgers Stadium.
Sabrina Rodarte
Extended Learning Coordinator
  • What does she do? Read Fresno After School program and Saturday Sports
  • Fun Fact: She’s attended a game at the three oldest baseball stadiums that are still in use today: Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodgers Stadium.
Justin Kennett
Recreational Resilience Coordinator
  • What does he do? Saturday Sports and Neighborhood Sports Camps
  • Fun Fact: He is a huge fan of all Boston sports teams and loves coffee (said with a Boston accent).
Laqusha Locke
Literacy Mentor Coordinator
What does she do? K-2 and 3-6 Literacy Mentoring 
Fun Fact: She plays the cajon.
Jenessa Cheema
School Support Director
What does she do? Oversee all ENP School Support
Fun fact: She took 2 years of Chinese in college. Ni hao!

We’re excited to support you all as you support our kids, schools, teachers, and families across Fresno. 2022-23, let’s go!
Blessings, Jenessa and team


August Events

August 15 – Fresno Unified School starts – Be in prayer for our schools!

August 27 –  Saturday Sports Site Lead Training from 11am-1pm – email Justin to RSVP

August 27 – First Aid/CPR Site Lead Training from 1:30-5:30pm – email Jenessa to RSVP

September Events

September 6 – K-2nd Literacy Mentor Orientation from 9-11am email Laqusha to RSVP

September 8 – Saturday Sports Volunteer Orientation from 10am-12noon email Sabrina to RSVP

September 16 – 3rd-6th Literacy Mentor Orientation from 10am-12noon email Laqusha to RSVP

September 21 – K-2nd Literacy Mentor Orientation from 2-4pm email to Laqusha to RSVP

September 22 – ENP Fall in Love with Fresno Banquet 

Many sites/programs are starting up throughout September. Talk to us or your site lead for more specific dates as needed!

Literacy Mentoring (LM)

Read Fresno Afterschool (RF)

Saturday Sports (SS)

Mentors work with school-selected students 1 on 1 on their early reading skills at times coordinated with the classroom teacher.
In K-2 focus on high frequency words and phonics; in 3-6 focus on WPM, reading comprehension and writing. Curriculum aligns with Wonders.

Mentors lead a targeted after school reading intervention program for up to 24 school-selected students. Program includes whole class read alouds, writing, and phonics (Rime Magic) as well as small guided reading groups (Reading A-Z).

Mentors lead fun and healthy activities, including character lessons, crafts, and sports in small and large group stations. SS opens greenspace to students and provides a safe supportive environment on the weekends. 


College Students – We’re Hiring!
Through ENP Reads Work-Study and ENP Reads College Corps we are hiring about 100 college students! These students will run Literacy Mentoring, Saturday Sports, and Read Fresno after-school program at 8 sites throughout Fresno. We’ve hired about 40 so far, but there’s space for more.
Applicants are showcasing their communication and teamwork skills through a minefield game as part of the interview (photo above).

Church Partners Needed
We’re ecstatic about all of our college student support, but our big vision is still to have ongoing church (or business) partnerships that last beyond the 1-2 years a typical college student can give (such as the awesome team from Butler MB – watch and read more about them!)
We would love to see church volunteers build relationships with our college students as they work alongside to support our elementary school kids. What a great team! To build this we need more church partners! We’re specifically looking for a partner to support Olmos Elementary in SE Fresno. Do you know any pastors or leaders who might want to learn more? Email Justin and we’ll grab coffee and chat!
Some college, church, and community volunteers together at a training last year (photo above). Join us!

Last Year’s Highlights
A brief glimpse at the work we accomplished together last year…
Recreational Resilience had 6 active Saturday Sports back on-campus, reaching about 200 kids per Saturday. The team also launched 2 Sports Camps at Gaston Middle, where the local 5th-6th graders got to come and compete with other schools (see pic above). Building a sports pipeline for students!

Thank You!
Big thank you to some of our partners:

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Central Valley Community Foundation

Dick’s Sporting Goods – funded Saturday Sports equipment and a new trailer we can haul supplies around in for community events!

Central Valley Community Foundation – their generous funds will allow us to deepen and expand our work across schools.

Authorable

Rime Magic and Bring Me a Book

Authorable – we piloted this local writing curriculum at 2 of our Read Fresno after school sites last year.

Rime Magic and Bring me a Book – these two CA-grown companies are supporting us through our planning processes for Read Fresno after school, ensuring we do quality work for kids. 

Desiree SedanoSchool Is Starting Back Up

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