Lake Washington School District seeks LINKS volunteers in Kirkland

Students in the Lake Washington School District have finished their first semester of the school year.

January 29, 2014 8:08 pm
LINKS volunteer Stephanie Baldwin Muir works with a student in the district.
LINKS volunteer Stephanie Baldwin Muir works with a student in the district.

Students in the Lake Washington School District have finished their first semester of the school year. While some kids are celebrating their report cards, others may be wondering what to do when they see their grades. They may want to do better second semester but not know how. Elementary students may be struggling with math or reading while others might need help with learning English. That’s where Looking into the Needs of Kids and Schools or LINKS volunteers come in.

Volunteer requests from staff range from working with small groups of kids on math to being an academic mentor to a struggling student. In both cases, students show improvement more quickly when they receive additional support from a volunteer. Classroom volunteers help teachers by working with a student who may be stuck on a math problem or doesn’t understand what they are reading. Volunteers help students focus and encourage them toward success.

Middle and high schools throughout the district have implemented lunch-time and after-school study programs. Many students voluntarily meet with an academic mentor or tutor to receive help with math, science or English homework. Most students who participated in this last semester proved to themselves that they can get better grades with the support and guidance of a volunteer. Schools with tutoring programs have seen those results.

Additional volunteers are needed throughout Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish to help meet the growing number of volunteer requests from schools. Currently, LINKS has 45 requests for volunteers in all grade levels. Elementary school needs include classroom help, academic mentors and lunch buddies.

Middle and high schools need volunteers to tutor during lunch-time and after school study programs.

Many students are willing to stay after school to receive the added help.

To learn more about LINKS volunteer opportunities, visit the Lake Washington School District website www.lwsd.org/links. To register for an upcoming volunteer orientation, email Nanci Wehr at nwehr@lwsd.org or call (425) 936-1410.