Our tutoring programs in Rochester City School District Schools #9 and #35 help children who need extra support. As a tutor, you share your skills and experiences to enrich the life of a child in need. Tutors work with students one-on-one or in small groups on teacher-directed activities at a weekly time of your choice. Our tutors say the experience and relationships built benefit them even more than the students!
The Math Matters Program is a twice-weekly supplemental program we offer at School #35 to help children in Grades 1-3 reach grade level in math skills.
One student said it best in a thank you card:
“I just want to say Thank You. You did not have to come here and help my friends, but you did, and this goes to all of the tutors. Because of what you did I have a lot of respect for all of you. Thank You.”
Schools we support with our tutoring programs:
| RCSD Pinnacle School #35 194 Field Street Rochester, NY 14620 (585)271-4583 |
RCSD Martin Luther King Jr. Community School #4 485 N. Clinton Avenue Rochester, NY 14605 (585) 325-7828 |
Want to help?
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Tutoring Contact Information
Melanie Jones
Tutoring Coordinator at Martin Luther King Jr. Community School #9
mjones@thirdpresbyterian.org
Melanie Jones
Tutoring Coordinator at Pinnacle School #35
mjones@thirdpresbyterian.org
What does a tutoring experience look like?
Tutors work one-on-one with the same students each week for 30 minutes at a time, or in the classroom with small groups guided by the teacher. Student placements are made with teacher input and paired with the time and day of the week availability of volunteers. Tutors specify whether they prefer early childhood, elementary or middle school pairings.
How much time is required?
Most tutors volunteer one day per week for anywhere from 40 minutes to 2-½ hours during the school day. Our tutoring calendar runs from mid-October through the end of May, observing all school holidays and closures.
Who can tutor?
We recruit tutors from diverse backgrounds and all ages and stages of life. Retirees, professionals of all types, college students, and stay-at-home parents create the roster of volunteers. Tutors require no special expertise, no prior experience in education nor outside planning. Besides the obvious academic assistance, students benefit from mentoring relationships developed over time with caring, reliable adults.
Do I have to be a Third Church member to be a tutor?
No. Our tutors come from many faith traditions and from no faith tradition.
Do you require background checks for tutors?
Yes. We require all new tutors to successfully pass a criminal background check before starting. We work with a third-party provider who will send you a secure link to input your required information, so that the background check can be conducted.
How many students do the programs serve?
Our tutoring program at School #3 currently has about 30 tutors and classroom volunteers working with about 70 students. At School #35, we have over 50 tutors working with about 150 students.
How will I know what the students need?
Classroom teachers prepare materials to meet the individual needs of students. Volunteers typically serve students in 30-minute intervals at prearranged times during the school day.
Do you need bi-lingual tutors?
Yes, especially Spanish-English. One-third of the student body at School #35 is bilingual. Each year the school gets new Spanish-speaking students at all grade levels who only speak Spanish and are academically behind their peers. We need your help to help them.
What is the Math Matters program?
Math Matters is a supplemental math program for pupils in Grades 1, 2, and 3 at School #35. It is designed to prevent the dip in test scores by children in the Rochester City School District versus their suburban peers, as they progress through the elementary grades. The program provides grade-specific math workbooks. Tutors also work with students on games and puzzles that encourage them to think about math in other ways.
What is it like at Nathanial Rochester Community School #3?
Operating on an early start schedule, the school day runs from 7:00am-2:00pm. NRCS #3 is working intentionally to become a community where everyone SOARS! To live into this vision, School #3 is engaged with multiple community partners who offer services to meet the academic, social, physical and emotional needs of students. The Third Church tutoring program is one volunteer component of this team. Together, we believe the whole community has an essential role to nurture the growth and development of its children.