Certain kids will be getting some extra help and incentive at school, thanks to the John W. Decas Elementary school’s new mentorship program.

The program, Principal Donna Noonan said, is the school’s “next big push,” and is aimed at helping students who would “benefit from connecting with an adult on a regular basis.”

“We are aiming to have … any kind of volunteer come in for half an hour a week where they make this connection with a child,” Noonan said.

During this half-hour time period, the child would get to share what he or she has learned with the volunteer. This is helpful in a few ways, Noonan said.

“One, it’s really an academic focus, where the person will come in and be the person the child reads to, to practice their fluency in reading, or might do flashcards with, or might do more skill-based [learning] to help enhance the learning of that particular child,” Noonan said.

“Then, there is another pool of folks we are looking for to meet with our children that would benefit from a connection to an adult, just to talk about their day, and talk about school,” Noonan continued. “They might be children that might struggle with attentiveness, or some anxiety, or just some other aspects that maybe keep them from putting their full attention on school.”

Noonan said building this kind of relationship with a “check-in person” can serve as an encouragement with regards to learning, and can help keep the child on track. It can also help round out other areas of their lives, Noonan said.

“For some children, it might be that we get a young adult male to volunteer, and maybe they don’t have an adult male in their life right now,” Noonan said.

Noonan said the children who are currently participating in the program are children who have been recommended by their parents or teachers, and that there are 11 mentors who have been matched up with students. She said the school hopes to grow that number to 20 or 25 by the beginning of 2016.

“You put that warm, smiling face in the room, someone that’s encouraging, and they’ll rise to that occasion, and they’ll do that work,” Noonan said. “We can help pull some of those kids along that may not be keeping pace with the work.”

For more information or to volunteer, email Jenna Lehane at jlehane@wareham.k12.ma.us, or call the school at 508-291-3530.