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The transition from elementary school to middle school can be difficult - finding classrooms, making friends, seeking out resources and developing their own personal skills. The peer mentoring program is designed to bridge the gap by matching 5th grade students (mentees) with 8th grade students (mentors). The mentors went through the same adjustments a few years earlier. What is a peer mentor? A peer mentor is a trusted guide, friend and peer counselor who assists the 5th grader in areas of adjustment and transition to middle school.
The peer mentor program is based on two premises:
- Students are uniquely qualified to help other students succeed.
- Students learn best in an environment of friendship, warmth, and encouragement.
Through the peer mentor program, young adolescents are given the tools and support necessary to make positive choices during a critical period in their lives. The peer mentor program emphasizes the connection between the academic and the social. The peer mentors receive mentor training to develop their knowledge and skills in active listening, communication (verbal and non-verbal), interpersonal ethics, respects, responsibility and consistency.
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