The November Saturday Session provided students with the opportunity to build community, learn about other cultures, and think deeply about why it’s important to build connections across diverse backgrounds and cultures. 7th-10th grade students participated in a sequence of activities that invited them to engage with each other and share their experiences. Many great conversations were held, ask your student what they learned about themselves and our community at this Saturday Session! Saint Paul 11th and 12th graders received a college application presentation from Luther College, ECC 11th and 12th graders got a presentation covering financial aid, the ACT, and accessing scholarship opportunities.

Parents and guardians can plug into Saturday session by:

– asking 7th -10th grade students what they learned about other cultures, the BTC community, and themselves through the conversations they had in class.

– asking 11th and 12th graders about the college presentation or financial aid, and prompting them to think through any additional questions that might have come from these sessions to ask their college counselors during their next check-in

We kicked off the school year with some exciting changes at our September Saturday Session. Students held Town Hall elections to select their classroom representative. This year in addition to attending Town Hall meetings with Breakthrough staff, those representatives will have a greater leadership role in sessions by leading Community Circle and facilitating deeper feedback discussions among students. We also welcomed keynote speakers Dr. Salma Hussein at our Chaska site, and author Bao Phi at Mounds Park Academy.  Many of our students had read Bao’s work in school and were excited by the chance to speak with him in person! 11th and 12th graders held a beginning-of-school check in and prepped for the Twin Cities Parternship (TCP) college fair in October. 

Parents and guardians can plug into Saturday session by:

– asking 7th -10th grade students what messages or ideas they took away from the keynote speaker

– asking 11th and 12th graders if they plan to attend the TCP fair with a Breakthrough advisor