SC GEAR UP
Weekly Memo - 9/21 to 9/27
Good Morning!
I trust everyone had a great weekend! It's National GEAR UP week! It's our designated time to showcase and highlight the best of what we do and who we are. I look forward to getting out to some of the schools for your events. Please be sure that you take pictures, document your programs so they can be included in the newsletters, and send the pictures to Vickie so she can post them on SCCANGO and SCGU Facebook.
College Application Month events
Please make sure you are attending your CAM events and, more importantly, that the Coaches are attending and supporting them. They will bare the responsibility of CAM next year for our cohort, so they should be walking hand and hand with the counselor to see how it is being done. They should also do some type of "Junior" activity with our cohort that runs alongside the CAM event.
PLEASE MAKE SURE THE SURVEY IS GETTING DONE AT THE CAM EVENTS BY THE STUDENTS!!!
This is most important for data collection purposes.
Staff Meeting recap
Step 1, Step 2, and now Step 3
Just to give you an update, at the last CHE Access and Equity & Student Services Committee, Karen unveiled the plans for adding a third step to our College Access process, College Signing Day (Step 1 = CAM and Step 2 = College Goal SC). While you already knew we wanted to do this for our schools this year, the unveiling by Karen and the approval given by our Committee essentially puts a big spot light on our College Signing and Commitment initiative. This means SC GEAR UP has to lead the way. So please make sure your coaches are already talking with their Administrations about the 3 step process and laying out plans for how their Commitment (11th graders) and Signing (Current 12th graders) Days are going to look like.
Budget and Award Letters for 2015-16
I apologize for having to cancel budget meetings last week. It truly was out of my control. I want to get with everyone this week, either in person or phone to work out the suggested changes. We can do it over the phone. As a heads up, we are going to reduce EVERYONE's award letter this year. Unused funding is an issue and we are going to move that funding to initiatives that benefit everyone. I'm not going to lie to you, the cuts to existing tutoring programs will be large. If you want to keep the program in its current state, I need to see data that it worked. Just for an example, I have reduced some program's tutoring budgets by as much as 65%.
ACT/SAT Prep
Objectives for 2015-16
The SCGU Grant objectives for 11th grade will be that 1) At least 25% of our cohort will have passed at least 2 math courses above Algebra by the end of 11th grade; 2) 80% of our students will pass U.S. History by the end of 11th grade.
Remember, the success of the SC GEAR UP Grant will be judged on three things:
1) Did your GU cohort graduate high school at a higher rate than the non GU cohorts?
2) Did your GU cohort enroll at a post-secondary institution at a higher rate than the non GU cohorts?
3) How prepared to succeed were our GU cohort when they arrived at college?
Finance
We meet on Tuesdays to go over the Program and sign invoices. Questions usually come up. Be available between 1:30 and 3:00 for a potential call or text.
CCTI
CCTI sign-up is currently open. I have about 1 week to get the class to at least 50% SC GEAR UP participation or we will lose it.
Get the coaches on getting counselors to take the course....please!
College Access/Social Media Update
The SC GEAR UP Facebook and Twitter are now both up!!!! Please have the coaches encourage students to like and follow SC GEAR UP on social media. We can do better on Twitter and certainly on Facebook.
Don't forget about the newsletters as well!
We have set a date of February 27th, 2015 for College Goal SC statewide!!! Please keep in mind that every SC GEAR UP School is required to serve as a College Goal site (or partner with a neighboring site) this year. Your dates don't have to be on the 27th though.