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Teacher and Student

ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

How to get involved

With schools closed indefinitely, students are left at home, away from their friends and without the structure of a classroom. Local students in Antigonish play a big role at St. FX, whether they're cheering on our varsity sports teams, participating in programs at the Charles V. Keating Centre/ Amelia Saputo Centre, taking part in class trips or just visiting campus for a bite to eat. 

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Research has found that pen-pal programs between younger students and university students can help to develop literacy skills, promote mentoring relationships and improve student confidence. Without a traditional classroom structure, this is a great opportunity to continue to practice reading and writing skills, while also developing positive mentorship. As a mutually beneficial project, many of our students are interested in pursuing careers in education or related fields. There may also be an opportunity to connect with St. FX athletes or students with similar interests to the student (please indicate any special requests on the form and we will do our best to accommodate them). If interested, it is also possible for students to correspond with local senior citizens.

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How to get started:

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  • Click on the link below and leave your contact information. Please indicate if you have any preferences for who you are paired up with (a St. FX student or senior citizen) and if you would be interested in more than one pen pal.

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  • Please indicate if you have any limitations when corresponding with your pen pal. Ideally, we would like to work via email (either scanning written letters or typed letters) or online video/audio chat like Skype. However, we are looking to accommodate everyone, so telephone calls or "snail mail" are possible options!

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  • You will be contacted with information about the pen pal you have been matched with to begin correspondence! 


  • How often you communicate and the method of communication is up to you and your pen pal (though we would recommend at least once weekly)- if you have any challenges or questions, don't hesitate to reach out via Facebook or through the Contact page!

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  • Join the Facebook group if possible, to keep up with communication and help spread the word about the project!

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Local Students: What We Do
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