FOR PARENTS

This is an exciting time for your student and probably one of the reasons you chose Impact Academy over other high schools: Workplace Learning Experience!

We hope this page helps you find answers to your questions.

Frequently Asked Questions:

When will the student be at their internship?

Students must be at their internship for 7.5 hours each Tuesday. Generally, between 8:00am and 5:00pm, although earlier and/or later times are negotiable on an individual basis.  Talk to your student’s advisor.

How can I reach my student while they are at their WLE?

You can call your student’s mentor (your student should have their number).  Please don’t call your student directly since they are not allowed to use their cell phones at the WLE (this is Impact school policy).  You can also call Impact Academy’s main office.  We will have all students’ WLE contact information.

Can the student get paid? 

No.  Students receive school credit and cannot be paid during the workplace learning experience. Many mentors hire students after the workplace experience is concluded, but this is not an expectation of the program.

As a parent, can I meet my student’s mentor?

Sure!  Just contact your student’s mentor or advisor, and we can set up a time.

How long is the Workplace Learning Experience?

A total of 11 Tuesdays from October-December.  The students’ first day will be a Job Shadow with you on Tuesday October 4th, and then continues every Tuesday until December 13th, which is the last day of WLE.

What about insurance?

The school district will be responsible for insurance coverage, as this is a school-sponsored activity.  Naturally, employers would be liable in the event of gross negligence or sexual harassment.

What type of support will my student have?

Your student’s Advisor will meet with the mentor and the student at the beginning of the internship to set goals, create a job description, and begin to design a project for the experience.  The advisor will visit the workplace several times during the course of the experience period.

Here are some things you can do to help:

1) On a daily basis, ask your student about his or her progress on finding a WLE. Discuss ideas with your student. Encourage him or her to make exploratory phone calls to potential mentors. Remind your child of the power of networking.

2) Brainstorm with us on possible mentors, then let us know about them, whether or not it's in a field of interest to your child. If you have ideas, email them to Joel Key (joel@es-impact.org).

3) Make a pitch to potential mentors. Tell them that the most important qualification for a mentor is willingness to provide guidance to a young adult. Inform them that Impact faculty advisors will be visiting the job sites regularly to offer support to mentors.

4) Remind your student to think outside the box. Impact students are skilled in ways that have value to a wider range of employers than many of our students first consider. For example, an interest in computers doesn't mean that a student should work at a computer company; almost every company or organization needs computer expertise for networking, designing, web publishing, etc. The Bay Area’s wealth of nonprofit organizations is a particularly good source for such opportunities.

Important Documents:

Impact WLE Mentor Guide 2011-2012.pdf

Download this document as your go-to for everything you’ll need to know about mentoring one of our student interns.

Impact WLE Agreement Form 2011-2012.pdf

This is the official agreement between you (the mentor), the student, the student’s legal guardian, and Impact academy.  All parties must sign before the internship begins.

WLE Timesheet 2011-2012.pdf

Your intern should ask you to sign this sheet every day to record their hours.  Only download this sheet if the original is lost.

Contact an Academic Seminar Teacher for help!

We are always available by phone and/or email.

Kristina Becht            kristina@es-impact.org

Cliff Cheng                cliff@es-impact.org

Daisy Cook               daisy@es-impact.org

Tara Hobson       tara@es-impact.org

Joel Key                    joel@es-impact.org

Tess Lantos                tess@es-impact.org

Clare Odell               clare@es-impact.org

Nida Sahr                  nida@es-impact.org

Brianna Winn               brianna@es-impact.org

Andrew Wild               andrew@es-impact.org

WLE director: Joel Key: joel@es-impact.org

2560 Darwin Street

Hayward, CA 94545

Phone: (510) 300-1560

Fax: (510) 300-1565

2560 Darwin Street

Hayward, CA 94545

Phone: (510) 300-1560

Fax: (510) 300-1565