Mentor Training Meeting #0October 24th, 2013Science Fair in 6 months!

Responsibilities

• Always keep a positive attitude when working with your buddy

• Be patient with your buddy• Know Science Alliance Calendar• Make sure buddy understands task for the

week/month• Be available in case your buddy needs help

with conducting project• Have lots of fun!

Email Protocol• Email your buddy at least once a week to see how they are

progressing. MORE often is better!• Be grammatically correct when emailing; use complete

sentences and full words• ALWAYS copy 3 others: THE PARENT, the club officers

(admin@mvsciencealliance.org), and your mentor trainer.• ALWAYS USE “REPLY TO ALL” TO KEEP THE EMAIL

STRING GOING• Put your last name, your first name, buddy last name, buddy

first name AND ONE of these key phrases: JUST CHECKING IN, topic question, introduction-background, hypothesis-control-variables, procedure-materials, tables-data, analysis-graphs, conclusion, project board, binder write-up, judging

• Remind buddies to be productive!

Bad vs. Good Email• Bad: “wassup kid? need sum help 4 the hypo? u can use

this 1 bro: if you shine red light on a plant, it will grow more, aight? ttyl man”

• Good: “Hey (insert buddy name),

I just wanted to double check on your progress with the hypothesis. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. Remember to try using the “If… then…” format we discussed before! Here’s an example _____ Be sure to respond back this week.  

Meeting Protocol • Be on time: Bring your mentor binder, extra pens/

pencils, check into the commons by 3:30 pm• Pick up the Mentor-Buddy worksheets for the

meeting.• Go to the sign on the wall with your buddy’s

SCHOOL NAME & wait there until the buddy arrives.

• Greet Buddy enthusiastically! Move off to the assigned room or another area of the Library (inside or outside).

• Have some small talk…bond some with your buddy!

MB meetings continued…• Begin the task for the day. By the end of the meeting be

SURE your buddy understands the task for the day…

• Discuss the next steps with the buddy…tell him to check his email and to copy his parent, admin@mvsciencealliance.org and the mentor trainer, and to put your last name, first name, his last name, first name in the subject line of ALL emails…

• Remind them to always use “REPLY TO ALL”!

• Offer your help and advice but do not do the upcoming tasks for your buddy. Give them guidelines/suggestions.

• If you have an emergency and cannot make a meeting…call the buddy’s parent cell phone no later than 3:00 pm AND send an email to the club officers at admin@mvsciencealliance.org

• Tell the buddy to still come to the meeting. A substitute mentor will work with him.

• The NEXT day call the Parent & schedule a make-up meeting at the buddy’s house or the library within 2-3 days. Before meeting…download “mentor make up meeting form” so parent can sign it. Turn it in to Mrs. Bandrowski, room 500

First Meeting

• Greet them as your NEW BEST FRIEND. MEET the Parent. Be professional!

• Exchange emails & phone #’s with buddy and parent

• Narrow down a possible project area: biology, chemistry, physics, geology, botany, etc…

• Go over the safety quiz and contract. Get Parent signature.

• Look through experiment ideas in binder• Offer suggestions to tweak ideas in binder!

Calendar

• Meeting 1: Nov. 4 -- MEET, SAFETY, TOPIC• Meeting 2: Dec. 2-- TOPIC, Question,

Hypothesiso Question, Hypothesis, Control, Variables, Proposed

Procedure & Materials, Tables for data collection due Dec. 16

o Introduction/Background info, Edits to Q/H/C/V/P/M due Jan. 5 before next meeting

• Meeting 3: Jan 6 -- Make plans to set up experiment within the next week or two!

Calendar (cont.)• Begin experiment in mid-Jan. if project is safety

approved by Mrs. Bandrowski (must receive an email stating “THIS PROJECT IS APPROVED” in the subject line).

• Meeting 4: Feb 3o Data Analysis/Graphs due when project is finished

• Meeting 5: March 3 – Conclusion due• Meeting 6: April 7 -- Check that all written parts are

completed, Work on Project Board. Final Draft due. • Science Fair! Apr. 26 (tentative) -- mandatory for all

mentors and buddies! 9:30 am-3:30 pm at SRVHS

Calendar Summary

Facebook Group• If you have a Facebook account, here is the link to

the group:

tinyurl.com/mvsa1314