On May 15, 30 first-grade students from College View and Cheltenham Elementary Schools enjoyed an unforgettable end to the school year. The students had been working one-on-one with Janus employees once a week through the entire school year, reading together and getting to know one another.
The twist: they had never met face to face.
The students and Janus employees had been participating in an innovative new online tutoring program called TutorMate. Using proven online curriculum, the Janus employees had been giving students weekly extra instruction in reading using a web-based tutoring program. TutorMate made its debut in Denver this fall, but has been operating with outstanding results in other cities around the nation. TutorMate is a program of Innovations for Learning, a Chicago based non-profit dedicated for more than 20 years to improving student literacy through digital learning applications.
On this special morning, the excited students had a chance to shake the hand of the tutor they had come to know over the school year and celebrate the friendship they had formed. Students read with their tutors, toured the Janus office, learned about career opportunities and visited the Denver Public Library bookmobile. As a special gift, Janus generously donated 150 new hardcover books – one for each first-grade student in both schools.
Your business can join the TutorMate program. Volunteers at your organization can tutor a first-grade student without ever leaving their desk! We’re currently recruiting more companies to participate next fall. To learn more contact Nicole Capage-Brown, School Partners Program manager at nicole_capage-brown@dpsk12.org.
To see more photos from Janus | TutorMate Celebration, head on to our Facebook page and don’t forget to like us.