March Director Newsletter

Dear Kids Hope USA Director,

“What?! It’s March, and I’m already supposed to start thinking about the end of the school year?”

Yes, as crazy as it sounds, we’re now entering the home stretch. A well-prepared year-end plan can help each student feel known and loved, will help you support and retain your mentors, and will deepen your partnership with your school.

Reviewing all the year-end resources can feel a bit like trying to eat an elephant, so we’ve broken it down for you in this newsletter. We encourage you to start now, one bite at a time, so you’ll arrive in April with a solid plan in place. I hope to see you all at the Virtual Director Group on March 17th!

Kari McLennan

Launch Success Specialist

Best Practice: Closure

Closure is a critical component for all student-mentor relationships and is designed to help both mentors and students process the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to a significant end or change. A few tips for helping your mentors bring the year to a healthy close:

Prepare students by counting down meetings together at least a month prior to the last visit.
Reflect on any growth or progress observed as well as challenges experienced.
Consider a closure activity that might help students put their feelings into words (i.e., writing a goodbye letter or composing a poem/song).
Be honest; do not make promises that cannot be kept.

Closure Resources

Closure can be difficult for both the student and the mentor. Many Kids Hope USA students have experienced unfinished endings in past relationships, so it’s important to take time for this key part of the mentoring year. Kids Hope USA suggests that mentors start counting down their meetings together at least one month prior to their last visit. Here are some resources to help you communicate this important topic to your mentors:

10-minute video by Dr. Emilie DeYoung: Healthy Closure for Students: https://vimeo.com/678726127/0d8c752360
Tips For Saying Goodbye - a guideline for mentors
Resources for mentors to use during their mentoring hour:

Farewell to a Wonderful Year (A worksheet to complete together)
I Remember Worksheet (For a mentor to fill out and give to their student)
A Year In Review (For those connecting via penpal)

See our Closure Pinterest board for more ideas!

March Director Group

Our March Director Group is designed to help you begin planning for the end of the school year. We’ll highlight our resources – including closure, celebrations/parties, and evaluations. Come with your questions and ideas to share. Register in advance at the link below.

Mar 17, 2022

1:00 PM Eastern Time

(adjust for time zones)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrcOCgrDsvGtHF4S3a2tFbuqyCcdyNMiuR

March is Reading Month

Don't miss this article from Early Literacy Coach, Diana Lerch, from Ottaway Area Independent School District. This is a great reminder for all mentors who want to encourage a love for reading.

Reading Month Blog

Ideal Idea - Inspiring Volunteers

This idea comes from director Beth Ball from Christ Community Evangelical Church in Greeley, CO. Beth collected comments from their mentors and shared them with her pastor. He then used them in his plea for volunteers. According to Beth: “People responded so well to this. We had over 20 people fill out an interest card, and 13 of them have been trained and have already started mentoring!” Here are a few quotes he shared:

Church members often don’t realize there is such a great need, and sharing quotes and stories is really powerful. If you have an ideal idea, please share with us!

Story Time

A story of thanks from former Kids Hope USA Director, Steve Whitney. Steve served as a director at Central Wesleyan Church, partnered with Jefferson Elementary,

in Holland, MI from 2006-2017.

Years ago, I paired Linda and Brianna together when Brianna was just a 3rd grader. Over many years, their friendship grew as they met together once a week for mentoring. A few weeks ago, Brianna reached out to me to share some exciting news! "Mr. Steve, I'm graduating in four months, and I wanted you to know that I've been accepted at two colleges!” I could hardly contain my excitement for her and told her I was very proud of her. Then she showed me a picture of her with Linda. “Thanks for connecting me with Ms. Linda,” she said as we wrapped up. “I keep this picture on my refrigerator, so I am reminded of Linda and her friendship every day!”

This is one child of thousands whose life has been changed through the encouragement of a Kids Hope USA mentor. Week after week, Linda faithfully showed up for Brianna and together they developed a strong friendship that has kept them together for years. As a former program director, I'm grateful to have been a very small part of what God is doing around the country through Kids Hope USA.

Look through the Closure resources on the Kids Hope USA Director website and create a plan to communicate and share them with your mentors.
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6! Talk to your supervising pastor about how your church can celebrate the teachers at your school that week.
Look at your school calendar and note any upcoming breaks or testing that will prevent mentors from meeting with their students.
Create a file on your computer or a note on your phone to keep track of anonymous comments collected that you could use for recruitment or encouragement in the future.
Did you know that the stretch between spring break and summer can feel wearisome for many school staff? Take some time to write your school contact a note of encouragement!

Thank You for Giving to Kids Hope USA

Thank you for your program leadership and the vital role you play, connecting mentors and students together in meaningful relationships.

Our donors also play a critical role for Kids Hope USA. Many of you and your churches give faithfully, and we steward those funds carefully to serve our existing programs and bring on new church partners who extend our network of mentoring to new schools and more children.

Each gift made to Kids Hope USA makes a difference and paves the way for this ministry to continue each year. We believe in this ministry and in the lives of our kids, and we’re glad you do, too.

Click here to donate!

Seasonal KHUSA Pinterest Boards

Spring Activities

Teacher Appreciation Week (May2-6)

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Game – This is a silly fast-paced card game that will quickly become a favorite. Here’s a video with directions on how to play and here’s a link to purchase one for your program’s game closet.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM DR. EMILIE DEYOUNG

In the closure video above, Dr. Emilie recommended the following books related to closure. Check with your school media specialist for availability or purchase them to add to your KHUSA supply cabinet. Click the images for links to purchase the books.