Young Women's College Prep
The Report Card / Sept. 2014
Welcome Back!
On Monday, August 25th, Young Women’s College Prep Charter School of Rochester welcomed 252 students back to school for 2014-2015 academic year. For the first time, YWCP hosts three classes of students in the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades! These students come to YWCP from all corners of the city of Rochester, particularly the northeast and northwest quadrants, and 88% qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.
For many of our students, however, this day is a continuation of their academic year at YWCP - they got a head start over the summer! In fact, thanks to support from people like you, we were able to provide critical summer programming for our students to help them overcome summer learning loss and begin to build a student record that will impress colleges.
What Did YWCP Students Do Over Summer Vacation?
9th Grade Summer Bridge @ Roberts Wesleyan College
YWCP partnered with Roberts Wesleyan College in August to host nearly 60 students for a true college immersion experience called 9th Grade Summer Bridge. The students lived in Davison Hall for six days and took classes such as College Exploration, Financial Literacy 101, and Service Learning. They also utilized the college’s facilities for racquetball, cardio, swimming, soccer, basketball and meals.
7th Grade Summer Bridge @ Nazareth College
65 incoming YWCP students spent three weeks on the campus of Nazareth College for 7th Grade Summer Bridge. In its third year, this program allows our newest class of students to bond with their sisters and begin to prepare for the academic rigor of YWCP by taking part in Math, Social Studies, Science, and ELA classes. It’s a lot of fun, too! The students took field trips to Letchworth State Park, the Erie Canal, and Mt. Hope Cemetery and stayed overnight at the Seneca Park Zoo!
Summer Camp Scholarships
10 deserving students attended various summer programs throughout Rochester, Syracuse, and the Adirondacks, including music camp, photography camp, and an outdoor writing camp thanks to scholarships that were awarded as part of the Foundation’s “100 Women to the 10th Power” campaign. Programs like these would have been out of reach for our students without the financial support of the YWCP Foundation. Thank you to Visions Federal Credit Union for supporting the 100w10 Campaign!
Celebrating Our Growth!
In addition to adding our first class of high school freshmen, YWCP welcomed many new staff members, including a new Dean of Students (June Bailey - pictured), a Reading Literacy teacher, a Math Literacy teacher, a second Latin teacher, a Spanish teacher, two full-time school counselors, and a Behavior Specialist. With these new positions, and many returning teachers, YWCP is well poised to tackle the achievement gap that low-income students face and put our students on the road to college!
Acceleration, Not Remediation
One of our strategies for increasing academic achievement this year is “Acceleration, Not Remediation.” This means we are setting the bar high for our students. Last year, YWCP offered Regents classes (high school-level classes) in Living Environment, US History and Government, Algebra and Latin. As a result, 25% of the Class of 2018 already has high school credits! And this year, we are increasing the number of Regents classes we are offering to six, and adding a college-level course – AP World History!
Upcoming Year Highlights!
Improving Reading Levels
We have increased the number of students in our READ 180 program to 65. READ 180 is a literacy intervention program that helps students accelerate their reading achievement. During the 2013-2014 school year, 38 students participated and 77% showed significant gains in reading as a result. Six of those students improved their reading by at least two grade levels in just seven months!
Increasing Math Skills
We have 72 students participating in Math 180, an intervention program that will help close the gap for students who enter YWCP with math skills below grade level. Math 180 utilizes a proven computer software program to assess and guide student instruction individually and in groups, one hour per day throughout the year, taught by a trained instructor.
Full-Time College Counselor
In January, we will have our first full-time College Counselor on staff! This person will be trained by the highly successful College Bound Institute in NYC to offer one-on-one guidance for students and their families in how to gain access and financial aid for college. The goal of this position is to increase the college enrollment rate for students at YWCP by creating a college-bound culture and improving college access.
Providing Mentors
The YWCP Foundation is implementing a School-Based Mentoring Program for 9th grade students in need of social or emotional support. This program will help develop positive female role models to help our students realize “If I Can See It, I Can Be It!” If you, or someone you know, would like to volunteer to be a mentor, please click here.
Introducing Yoga
Partnering with the Girl Scouts
YWCP is partnering with the Girls Scouts of Western NY to enhance the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Thanks to a grant from the Wegmans Education Foundation, the GSWNY will offer 8 hours of hands-on STEM learning in partnership with the YWCP Science Department. The Girls Scouts have also offered free membership to 100 YWCP students.
Thank You For Helping Our Students Achieve Their Goals!
As you can see, we have many successes to celebrate and a lot of exciting plans for the 2014-2015 school year! We greatly appreciate your generosity as a donor and your support in helping us to continue this great work. Together we can achieve wonderful things!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Gkourlias, Ed.D.
Founding Principal, YWCP Charter School
LaShunda Leslie-Smith
President & CEO, YWCP Foundation
About Us
The mission of the YWCP Foundation is to break the cycle of poverty for young urban girls by increasing their economic self-sufficiency through improved leadership skills, career awareness, college readiness, and college access. To accomplish this, YWCP Inc. creates, implements, and supports innovative programs that educate the whole girl - academically, socially, and emotionally.
The Report Card is a quarterly newsletter for the donors and supporters of YWCP. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.
Email: info@youngwomenscollegeprep.org
Website: www.youngwomenscollegeprep.org
Location: 311 Flower City Park, Rochester, NY, United States
Phone: (585) 254-0320
Facebook: www.facebook.com/youngwomenscollegeprep