SBCO-sponsored tutors improve high school math competency
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
For 20 years SaddleBrooke resident Robert Springer has been organizing math tutoring programs for local students. The program he started at Coronado School in Catalina, known as MathPLUS+, involves approximately 40 volunteer tutors working with students in grades three through eight.
Currently, he is coordinating instruction at the Ironwood Ridge High School Math Lab. Most Coronado graduates attend Ironwood Ridge High School. With grants from SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO), both of these tutoring programs have provided one-on-one assistance some students need to attain required math skills.
The Math Lab is designed to help students complete courses in Algebra I, Intermediate Algebra, Algebra II (or equivalent) and Geometry in order to graduate from an Arizona public or charter high school. If students fail one or more of these courses, they are sent to a computer-based math lab to sit at a computer and receive audio-visual lessons and tests, including a final exam. The student must pass the course he or she is taking, with at least a 60 percent score (a grade equivalent to a D) in order to satisfy the state’s requirement for passing that math subject. Some students can find it very difficult to do maths, or really any subject that they feel they can’t express on paper. They may turn to sites such as collegepaperworld.com to help them with educational work, it really is how they best want to learn.
In addition to tutoring in all levels of Algebra, Springer has recruited volunteers, all of whom are former engineers or other professionals, to tutor the students working on their interactive computer learning program for one or more three-hour sessions a week. This assistance is very important because the students do not always understand the audio-visual lectures and can’t ask the computer program for clarification. The volunteer tutors help the students any time they do not understand a math concept, and many have found finding out how to become a tutor has helped launch careers for them that they had not expected.
In addition, and crucial to the program’s success, for the past eight years SBCO has provided a $15,000 annual grant for hiring math students at the University of Arizona and Pima College to tutor for one or two three-hour sessions per week. By augmenting the volunteers with the paid student tutors that Springer recruits, there are at least three tutors available for every class.
Prior to implementing the Math Lab tutoring program, many students did not graduate and had to go to summer school, spend additional semesters in high school or obtain a GED degree. As a result of this program, this spring 66 students, an all-time high, graduated who otherwise would not.
If you would like to become a tutor at the Ironwood High School Math Lab, please contact Robert Springer at [email protected]. He also can help prospective Coronado math volunteers become involved in that program.
Donate to SBCO while shopping at Fry’s
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
It’s easy to use your grocery dollars to help improve the lives of needy children in local communities. Fry’s allows reward cardholders to designate SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) as a recipient of contributions from Fry’s community rewards program.
Here’s how to link your Fry’s VIP card to SBCO:
STEP ONE: Create an online Fry’s account
If you already have an online Fry’s account, skip to step two
*Go to http://www.frysfood.com/
*Click on “Welcome! Sign In” (top right)
*Click on “No Account? Register” (top right)
*Under “Create an Account,” enter your email and create a password (write down your email and password, you will need it in step two)
*Under “Select your preferred store,” enter your postal code and click “Find”
*Select your store then click on “Create Account”
*You will then be prompted to check your email for the confirmation email
*Click the hyperlink “View My Account” in your email to finish creating your online Fry’s account
*Continue to step two to register for the Fry’s Community Rewards Program of your choice
STEP TWO: Register for the Fry’s Community Rewards Program
*Go to https://www.frysfood.com/topic/community?activePage=community-rewards-2
*Select “Sign-In”
*Enter your email and password then select “sign-in” (this will be the email and password you created in step one)
*Under “Welcome Back!” click “Your Name/My Account”
*Under “Account Summary” scroll down to “Community Rewards”
*Click “enroll” under “Community Rewards”, if prompted, enter personal information
*Under “Find Your Organization” enter the NPO number or name of organization then select “search”. (You can get the NPO number from your organization)
*Under “Select Your Organization” select box next to your organization (left side)
*Then select “save changes”.
*If you have registered correctly, you should now see your organization information listed under “Community Rewards” on your account summary page.
Linking your Fry’s VIP card to SBCO is a simple way to make your grocery dollars go much farther.
Renew membership now
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach fiscal year begins on July 1. At the beginning of each fiscal year, we are required to update our membership database. If you are currently a member, you should have received an email asking you to rejoin for 2018-19. Please respond promptly. If by chance you didn’t receive the email, send an email to [email protected] containing your name and stating that you would like to renew your membership.
If you are not already an SBCO member, please join us! There is no fee to join. By adding your name to our database, you are simply indicating your support for the work of SBCO. You will receive information about upcoming SBCO events and ongoing projects. To join, just visit our website community-outreach.org and click on the red “Join” button located on the home page.