“[The] Gus Bus has been so generous with their time and also with gifts of books and projects. I am very grateful for the specialized help they have given my son.”
- Allison Garcia, parent of one Gus Bus Student“I like Mrs. Lindsey and reading books and playing games.”
– Miguel, Gus Bus student
The Impact of the Gus Bus
Promoting a Love for Learning
The Gus Bus forms an atmosphere of fun and friendship at our Neighborhood Stops, Afterschool Programs, and In-Home Tutoring to encourage students to fall in love with learning. For many students, the Gus Bus offers an opportunity to engage with academic skills like reading, writing, and math in a low-stakes environment. There are no “grades” at Gus Bus, and no wrong answers, so students are able to explore subjects and practice skills without fear to develop their natural curiosity and wonder.
The Blue Ridge Food Bank partners with the Gus Bus to hand out food to our families.
Academic Goals for our Students
The Gus Bus currently serves four elementary schools in Harrisonburg City School District. We aim to address specific goals determined in partnership with school principals in order to best serve and support our students’ distinct academic needs. Some of these identified needs include strengthening literacy skills and developing creativity. Our instructors design their lessons to help address these concepts using engaging picture books and interactive activities.
One of our specific goals for all of our students is for them to pass Virginia’s SOL exams. In Harrisonburg, an average of 35-37% of elementary students do not pass the Reading SOL, and around 86% of English Language Learning students have yet to reach English proficiency. For students enrolled in Gus Bus on our Mobile Classroom Vehicles, at our After-School Programs, or by receiving In-Home Tutoring, we hope that they will demonstrate proficiency (score at least 400) on the Reading SOL after attending at least 30 days of our program a year (about once a week).
Family Impact
The Gus Bus also aims to support the families of the students involved in our programs. Through a partnership with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, the Gus Bus brings shelf-stable foods and fresh produce to our Neighborhood Stops on a regular basis. Despite limitations due to the pandemic, during the 2020-2021 School Year, the Gus Bus helped distribute over 700 shelf-stable food bags and over 250 boxes of fresh produce to families. Also during COVID-19 related school closures, the Gus Bus delivered over 300 books and nearly 600 learning kits for families to read or complete at home with support of Gus Bus instructors leading over GoogleMeet.
In partnership with Skyline Literacy, the Gus Bus offers free adult literacy class to the family members of our students. In Fall 2021, the Gus Bus helped offer a Conversational English class on their Mobile Classroom Vehicle – visiting neighborhoods and helping adults learning, just like we do for our elementary students.
The Gus Bus also hosts semi-annual Family Engagement Nights to encourage families to learn, read, and play as well as help parents or guardians learn more about how to help their children be successful by practicing skills at home together.
Gus Bus in the Community
Mrs. Lindsey and Angie reading the book Angie created during the Gus Bus summer program.
Two of our students enjoying their time on the Gus Bus
“The first thing Nick and Judah would do when we got home on Thursday, no matter how late or early, they would just go and devour the books [from the Gus Bus]. I would be scrambling to make dinner, and turn around and they were just calmly reading their books.”
– Kasey Nekotwitz, parent of two Gus Bus students