Dear Interested Parents and Community Members,

 

This letter has been distributed to you as part of our efforts to locate adults within our community who might be willing to share their professional expertise, talents, experiences or rich life history with the students in our Verona schools.

 

In designing programs to meet the needs of our children, it is important that we provide a wide variety of enrichment experiences. Classroom studies, independent research, and special classes already meet many of our students’ learning needs. Our goal is to access the wealth of talent and experience that already exists in our community, and invite those interested to become an additional resource for our students.

 

It is our belief that student interests can best be encouraged by bringing the students in touch with adults who share their interests and ambitions.  We firmly believe that children who have this opportunity for contact with adult role models will gain an appreciation for task commitment, creativity, and problem solving by observing the practicing professional, the talented amateur or the living historian.  These experiences will help foster positive attitudes toward independent learning, self-motivation, and in-depth investigation.

 

The community involvement we seek differs a great deal from traditional volunteer programs. We are not searching for chaperones, cookie bakers, or teachers’ aides. Instead, we are asking you to share your professional expertise, your experiences, talents, and hobbies. Depending on student needs and your availability, this sharing and exploration might involve service as a classroom speaker or as a mentor for an individual or group of students involved in a long-term project.

 

The committee has established a password protected Community Resource database that faculty members can access when looking for experts in a particular field. If this idea intrigues you, please click here and complete a brief contact information sheet. If you have any questions regarding this database, please contact Charles Miller, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, at cmiller@veronaschools.org.

 

Please accept, in advance, our gratitude for your cooperation,

 

The Community Resource Committee