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Greetings!
We're happy to share that the 2010-2011 school year is off to a great start. Both of our two new schools opened on time and the students are off to a strong start. If you haven't already seen our Back-to-School video, you can check it out here and see photos from all of our campuses during their first week back at school.
One of our new Heights Prep middle school students recently posted the following testimony to Uplift's mission on his blog:
I just wanted to tell you about this awesome school named Heights. It is the most amazing school I have ever been to. It is awesome. The teachers really care. Now do not get me wrong, it is a lot of work. But their teaching is different. They do not just stand up and lecture - they do a lot of hands on work. I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to come to this school. I hope many more people have this opportunity.
With the new school year underway, I'd like to reach out to you as one of our committed supporters and encourage you to become personally involved with Uplift's mission of college access and success for all students. Consider volunteering with our HERO mentoring program or donating to support incentive pay for teachers so that we can continue to recruit and retain the most effective teachers in our Uplift classrooms.
You can make your donation to Uplift Education go farther by donating through DonorBridge tomorrow, September 8 as part of Get Up and Give! Day. Donations of $25 or more will be eligible to receive matching funds.
Thank you for your support.
Shine through,
Yasmin Bhatia, CEO
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News & School Highlights |
| � Uplift's iShine data warehouse in USA Today
� Dallas educators: DISD needs partnerships with private sector
See The Dallas Morning News article here.
| � Donate through Donor Bridge on September 8, and your donation will be matched!
1. Visit www.donorbridgetx.org 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on September 8.
2. Search for "Uplift Education" and follow directions to make a credit card contribution.
3. Your donation must be a minimum of $25.
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 Teachable Moments: Summit International Prep
Allen Anderson, Summit International Prep teacher, shares about "doing whatever it takes" to advance achievement
When I taught 4th grade last year, I had a student named Nicodemus who entered my class struggling with reading and writing. After months and months of encouragement, daily tutoring and getting to know him on a personal level, he opened up to me and finally began to believe in himself.
All the hard work we spent together working on phonics, spelling, writing structure and reading comprehension everyday paid off at the end of the year. Not only did Nicodemus pass all three of his TAKS tests (Reading, Writing, Math), but he was also Commended on Reading and Math!
I was so impressed by his dedication and work ethic, that I mentioned him in a speech to President Bush at a Teach for America event. Nicodemus is a student I will never forget.
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 From a Leader's Perspective: Peak Prep
Our campus and school leaders share about their schools
Chris Garcia serves as director of the primary school at Peak Preparatory. This month, he shares about himself, his vision for Peak's primary school, and the exciting things happening at Uplift's East Dallas campus.
Here are some fast facts about Chris Garcia:
First Teaching Job: Teaching English in Japan
Dream Job as a Kid: basketball player, Navy officer or lawyer
Advice for Students: There's no substitute for hard work.
Favorite Way to Spend Free Time: Working out, dinner with friends, movies and reading
Goals for Peak Primary: Build community with the parents. Build pride with the students.
Favorite Peak Memory: College Signing Day and seeing the graduates enroll in college
Click here to see Chris talk about what it's like to be the primary directory at Peak Prep.
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Results Driven: 2010 TAKS Snapshot
14 out of 15 Uplift schools receive Exemplary or Recognized ratings
Uplift students outpaced the state on the percent achieving Commended status for all 27 subject-grade combinations tested through TAKS. Uplift outpaced the state's Commended rates by 10 or more points on two-thirds of the tests and, and by 13 to 26 points on all the math tests.
% Commended by Subject
The percentage of Uplift students passing portions of the 2010 administration of the TAKS test increased in every subject over 2009 tests, and Commended rates improved in four of the five subject areas.
There were significant improvements in the areas of Math and Science. The percentage of students achieving Commended status increased on both the Math and Science portions of TAKS, with 45 percent of students Commended in Math and 38 percent of students Commended in Science. Both subjects showed marked improvements at the 10th grade level specifically - with double-digit improvements in both passing and Commended rates.
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 Uplift Milestones: The Class of 2011
Our first year with seniors at every Uplift campus
The 2010-2011 school year is an important milestone for Uplift - the first year with senior classes at all of Uplift's high schools. More than 200 Uplift seniors will graduate and be accepted to college this spring. As the first senior classes prepare to graduate from Hampton Prep, Summit International Prep and Williams Prep, they take seriously their role in setting a high bar for the classes behind them. Click here to watch Hampton Prep senior, Yael Portley, talk about the start to the senior year, being a role model for his younger brother and other Hampton students, and his college plans. Uplift still needs HERO mentors for seniors like Yael. These mentors spend a few hours a month helping our seniors with college applications, financial aid, and other aspects of their Road to College. The following training sessions for HERO mentors are still available: Thursday, September 9, 2010 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Summit International Prep (1100 Roosevelt, Arlington) Saturday, September 11, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Williams Prep (1750 Viceroy, Dallas)
Sign up: Click here to complete a mentor application and get involved.
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| Bottom Line |
100 percent of Uplift Education seniors graduate and are accepted to college. |
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