December has gotten off to a great start for the homework assistance program and VU. First, the VU board added a new member, Akanksha Raol. Akanksha is a microbiologist who has also taught eighth grade; her background and enthusiasm make her a valuable addition to the board and a wonderful…
The Thanksgiving break was wonderful, and VU volunteers are refreshed and back at work assisting students with homework. On Monday, another valuable lesson was learned as one of our young learners came in with directions for a project that was due on December 9. With the assistance of a volunteer, she was…
VU has been collecting report cards so that we can keep track of how all the young scholars are doing. As with all of us, each student has areas of strength and areas they need to continue to work on, with additional support from VU volunteers. It’s so rewarding to see the…
Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers, Vecinos Unidos has had a successful first quarter. Children are coming regularly as they need help, and our new students and volunteers have become valued members of the VU community. But we can’t rest on our laurels! We have a waiting list of…
Halloween is a unique holiday in many ways, but especially because school and homework don’t stop. Monday night, 13 students and 9 volunteers made sure that work was done before trick or treating began. It was a fun, quiet evening with time for reading and even some games. The hardworking students even got some…
I have been a volunteer with Vecinos Unidos for 10 years. During that time, I’ve worked with a lot of different students and have been fortunate to see some “ah-hah” moments when a child makes a breakthrough and grasps a new concept or finally understands something they have been struggling…
Sometimes the best part of VU is after homework and reading are done, and there’s time to do a word scramble or play hangman or another game. Comparing and finding the differences between two pictures is also a popular activity. That time is as important as anything else at VU: it’s when students …
Last Thursday was math night, with a healthy dose of word study thrown in (Fridays are spelling tests). We had a great time with 22 students and 10 volunteers. Thanks to Mr. Bob for his succinct rules for changing improper fractions to mixed fractions. Good thing we had oranges, fruit…
Once again, homework assistance was a busy place–but manageable–with 18 students and 11 volunteers. Good news from student S who got an A+ on her math test. She’s worked hard, and so have many volunteers who helped her along the way. D forgot her homework (it happens sometimes), but still read…
What do you do when you have 28 students who need to get a healthy snack, do their homework, and read for 20 minutes and only 10 volunteers to get it done? Everyone takes it in stride and juggles multiple homework assignments. Patience abounds. When it comes to reading, it’s…
