Are you looking for opportunities to impact education at the K-12 level? Do you desire to support academics through one-on-one experiences? The local affiliate program of Communities in Schools (CIS) offers great opportunities for individuals to support local students in their academic achievements. These affiliates of CIS are locally-defined organizations that work to develop and harness community resources to bring support into schools and community facilities to help students successfully learn and complete their education.
Education support is encouraged by the University System of Georgia, which offers all full time, regular employees of the University System of Georgia up to 8 hours of education leave annually. Full time, regular employees may request to use and be considered for education support leave, whether or not the eligible employee is a parent of a student.
So, what is education support? Activities directly related to student achievement and academic support qualify for education support leave, and such activities may range from early care and learning through higher education.
Each USG institution or office maintains the authority to determine, in accordance with provisions of the education leave policy, whether an activity would qualify. Examples of activities that promote education in Georgia may include, but are not limited to:
- Attend parent/teacher conferences
- Participate in classroom activities, such as reading to a class or presenting on career day
- Tutor students without receiving compensation
- Proctor examinations
- Attend award and recognition ceremonies or graduation exercises
- Participate in field day activities or chaperone field trips
- Attend open house functions
The CIS Rome-Floyd School Mentor/Volunteer Program is a program for Floyd County and Rome City Schools offers opportunities for interested individuals to mentor or volunteer at any school in either school system. Most of these opportunities align with the activities listed above.
Local Affiliate CIS programs in Georgia currently exist for most communities Georgia Highlands College serve:
- Douglas ●Marietta/Cobb County ●Rome/Floyd County
Mentors commit to one visit per week at school, usually for one hour to meet one-on-one with a specific student for one academic year. The program is school-based; no contact is to be done outside of school grounds. Mentors who have a particular career, hobby or skill can be of great interest to mentees; that interest is often foundational to establishing a relationship with a student.
Volunteers commit to provide a general service to one school for an academic year. This service can be for a class, program, or event (PTO, field trip, etc.). Performing important functions in the classroom, on field trips, and at on-site school events, volunteers are a vital resource in our schools.
Trainings to familiarize potential mentors and volunteers with the rules and procedures (which includes a background check) are held regularly throughout the academic year and, once successfully completed, remain in effect for three years.
If you are interested in volunteering, find local affiliates through the state-wide program at: www.cisga.org. To contact the Rome-Floyd County affiliate program, go to http://cisrome-floyd.org or call the office, located in suite 200 at 519 Broad Street in Rome: 706-802-5740, or e-mail: gwooten@cisrome-floyd.org. Check with your manager to utilize Education Support Leave.