"Being a T2 mentor is a powerful experience that I haven't found
in any other volunteer positions."
- T2 Class of 2017 Mentor
in any other volunteer positions."
- T2 Class of 2017 Mentor
Transitioning Together: Who Are we?
The Transitioning Together Program is our mentoring program for first generation students in the process of applying to college. Each student and their family is paired with a mentor from the Newton North Community who has been through the college planning process and connects them to numerous resources throughout the year. They actively participate in programming workshops around college matching, financial aid, essay writing and much more. They also attend college visits and workshops throughout the year.
If you are interesting in Becoming a Mentor
We also recommend watching a recording of our 2021 Mentor Open House.
For more information
contact NNHS T2 at
[email protected]
617-559-6347
For more information
contact NNHS T2 at
[email protected]
617-559-6347
Goals of our mentoring program
· Help student and his/her family make sense of and use the resources that Newton North provides
· Guide student and his/her family through Newton North's College Planning Guide and help them adhere to its timeline for post-high-school planning
· Better integrate families into the Newton North community
· Build a trust relationship with another family over time
Mentor qualifications
· A sincere desire to assist a student and his/her family with post-high-school planning
· An ability to communicate appropriately, openly, and without judgment
· Practical problem-solving skills
· Strong listening skills
· Commitment to continually work on establishing and growing a relationship
· An ability to suggest alternatives in a respectful and collaborative way
· Sensitivity to persons of all backgrounds
· Knowledge of a second language in addition to English a plus
Responsibilities, Commitment, and Support
· Attend a 1 ½ -hour in-person mentor training session prior to beginning the mentoring relationship
· Make a commitment of 5-10 hours per month for 18 months in order to develop and maintain a relationship with a high school junior/senior and his/her family.
· Responsibilities include:
Attending monthly group meetings with other mentors and mentees and Newton North staff
Holding a monthly phone check-in with mentee family
Completing monthly activity reports and communicating with program staff quarterly
Steps to becoming a mentor
· Complete online mentor form
· Complete CORI and SORI application
· Participate in 20-minute phone interview with program staff
· Attend 1 ½ hour training session
· Attend first monthly group meeting; meet mentee family
· Help student and his/her family make sense of and use the resources that Newton North provides
· Guide student and his/her family through Newton North's College Planning Guide and help them adhere to its timeline for post-high-school planning
· Better integrate families into the Newton North community
· Build a trust relationship with another family over time
Mentor qualifications
· A sincere desire to assist a student and his/her family with post-high-school planning
· An ability to communicate appropriately, openly, and without judgment
· Practical problem-solving skills
· Strong listening skills
· Commitment to continually work on establishing and growing a relationship
· An ability to suggest alternatives in a respectful and collaborative way
· Sensitivity to persons of all backgrounds
· Knowledge of a second language in addition to English a plus
Responsibilities, Commitment, and Support
· Attend a 1 ½ -hour in-person mentor training session prior to beginning the mentoring relationship
· Make a commitment of 5-10 hours per month for 18 months in order to develop and maintain a relationship with a high school junior/senior and his/her family.
· Responsibilities include:
Attending monthly group meetings with other mentors and mentees and Newton North staff
Holding a monthly phone check-in with mentee family
Completing monthly activity reports and communicating with program staff quarterly
Steps to becoming a mentor
· Complete online mentor form
· Complete CORI and SORI application
· Participate in 20-minute phone interview with program staff
· Attend 1 ½ hour training session
· Attend first monthly group meeting; meet mentee family
A Mentor's Perspective
Featured article in Local Newton Paper and in Newtonite!
Newton North is making the college process more accessible and you can help.
As parents, we are always involved in the schools, but my most rewarding experience to date has been as a mentor in Newton North’s new Transitioning Together program, also known as T2. The program pairs volunteer mentors with students at North for whom going to college seems like an unobtainable dream; low-income students, minority students & some who are the first in their families to go to college in America. There are monthly meetings during the school year and lots of support. Principal Jen Price and the school council have been instrumental in making this program a reality and in making the college process easier for the whole community.
I remember feeling very overwhelmed when my oldest began thinking about college. I wondered how many kids, even here in Newton, really need more help to find the right next step to make the most of their talents and their education to date. In one of our first meetings we heard from a bright and talented
athlete who had applied and got into the school of his choice the year before. He got a scholarship, but no one walked him through the financial aid process so when he arrived on campus he found he had a large bill waiting for him. He left and transferred to a community college. He said if Transitioning Together existed the year before, and he was in the program it would have made an incredible difference for him.
The young woman I mentor is bright and thoughtful. She has traveled from Boston to Newton for the last 12 years for school and has taken on many responsibilities. I have been very fortunate to get to know her and her family. We have gone to college nights together and talked about what she hopes to do with her very bright future. Earlier this week, all the mentors, mentees and many family members sat together in a computer room at North with college counselors on hand encouraging these kids as they worked on their common applications. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them!
This first class of Transitioning Together students were hand selected as 15 kids who could really benefit from some extra attention during this process. Of course, there are so many more who need help. This year Principal Jen Price hopes to expand the program to 25 juniors. We are looking for volunteer mentors from the Newton community who have had some relatively recent experience of the college application process & who are willing to help. Please come to an informational meeting on Tuesday November 19th from 6pm to 6:45pm at Newton North High School or you can email the PTSO about your interest at http://www.northptso.org.
- Class of 2014 Mentor
As parents, we are always involved in the schools, but my most rewarding experience to date has been as a mentor in Newton North’s new Transitioning Together program, also known as T2. The program pairs volunteer mentors with students at North for whom going to college seems like an unobtainable dream; low-income students, minority students & some who are the first in their families to go to college in America. There are monthly meetings during the school year and lots of support. Principal Jen Price and the school council have been instrumental in making this program a reality and in making the college process easier for the whole community.
I remember feeling very overwhelmed when my oldest began thinking about college. I wondered how many kids, even here in Newton, really need more help to find the right next step to make the most of their talents and their education to date. In one of our first meetings we heard from a bright and talented
athlete who had applied and got into the school of his choice the year before. He got a scholarship, but no one walked him through the financial aid process so when he arrived on campus he found he had a large bill waiting for him. He left and transferred to a community college. He said if Transitioning Together existed the year before, and he was in the program it would have made an incredible difference for him.
The young woman I mentor is bright and thoughtful. She has traveled from Boston to Newton for the last 12 years for school and has taken on many responsibilities. I have been very fortunate to get to know her and her family. We have gone to college nights together and talked about what she hopes to do with her very bright future. Earlier this week, all the mentors, mentees and many family members sat together in a computer room at North with college counselors on hand encouraging these kids as they worked on their common applications. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them!
This first class of Transitioning Together students were hand selected as 15 kids who could really benefit from some extra attention during this process. Of course, there are so many more who need help. This year Principal Jen Price hopes to expand the program to 25 juniors. We are looking for volunteer mentors from the Newton community who have had some relatively recent experience of the college application process & who are willing to help. Please come to an informational meeting on Tuesday November 19th from 6pm to 6:45pm at Newton North High School or you can email the PTSO about your interest at http://www.northptso.org.
- Class of 2014 Mentor