When I think about the new school year, I can’t help but get excited because it means I will be seeing my Seedling mentee again. I love hearing about her summer and her new classes as we settle back into our routine.  I am delighted she lets me be in her life, to be her mentor. Having been matched with my mentee for several years now, I understand that each new school year brings different challenges, joys and sometimes sorrows.  For this reason, I see the importance of sharpening my mentoring skills, so I can be my best mentoring self!

How do you feel about mentoring this year?  Excited, nervous, hopeful?  Whatever level of comfort you feel right now, Seedling is here to support you in many different ways; 

Your Mentor Director (MD) Available to you by phone and email, your MD can offer timely mentoring support.  They will also call and email you to check in, asking about the health of your mentoring relationship. Questions may include;  

• How often did you and your mentee meet this past month? 
• How do you decide what activities you and your mentee do together?
• Do you think your mentee enjoys your time together?
• How do you think your relationship with your mentee is progressing? 

Your MD is also the bridge between Seedling and your mentee’s school.  Whether a School Contact or School Helper, your Mentor Director will ensure that you are connected.

Seedling Website https://www.seedlingmentors.org/

• • Updated monthly, the “current mentors” section stores short, informative articles about mentoring, activity ideas, and educational videos.
    

Seedling Mentor Minute

• • Sent by email, the Seedling Mentor Minute newsletter includes a re-cap of our Monthly Training, Calendars and lists of important dates, such as school holidays, testing dates, and Seedling events.

Monthly Mentor Training

• • Once a month, Seedling hosts a virtual (or in-person) lunchtime educational training for mentors.  The topics presented are requests  from our yearly Seedling Mentor Surveys.

Seedling Mentor Portal

• • A unique link is given to you by your MD at the beginning of your mentoring relationship, so that you can create a virtual page to log your mentoring hours.  Most mentors record approximately 1 hour as to include travel time to/from the mentee’s school. There is also a note section where mentors can write a line or two about your visit (i.e., mentee and I played two games of Uno.)  If you have any questions about the Mentor Portal please ask your Mentor Director.  This step is extremely important for Seedling accountability.

Mentor Guide Shared at your Seedling New Mentor Orientation, the Mentor Guide provides Seedling guidelines and policies for mentoring.  Meant to be revisited throughout your mentoring journey, the guide is full of important information about boundaries, logistics, and Seedling mentoring rules.  For example:

• • Seedling is school-based.  Seedling mentors only visit with their mentees at school, usually during their lunchtime.  The only exception to this is if your mentee INVITES you to attend a school sponsored event, such as a choir concert, sports game or graduation ceremony they are participating in where school personnel will be in attendance.
  • Mentors often want to bestow a holiday gift to their mentee.  You are the gift! However, if you do give a gift please check with your School Contact or Mentor Director first.  We do ask that you keep the price of the gift under $25 and relevant to the relationship. 
  • Sometimes mentees may want their friends to join your meeting, however you only have parental consent to meet with your designated mentee.  
  • For a complete review of Seedling policies and procedures click here. 

The friendship you are building with your mentee today is a blueprint for them to create positive relationships in the future.  Go Mentor!