| Greetings!
We are quickly approaching the end of another successful school year! The next month holds much to do as our KIPPsters are preparing for TAKS tests and end-of-year field lessons.
Also, we are all anxiously awaiting the opening of our first KIPP Austin high school, KIPP Austin Collegiate. Its doors will open this summer, welcoming 90 ninth graders on their continued journey to college readiness.
Join us in celebrating National Charter Schools Week, next week May 4-10! National Charter Schools Week celebrates and focuses our nation's attention on charter schools successfully closing the achievement gap for all students. Currently charter schools are providing new and successful educational opportunities to over 1.2 million students across our nation. To find out how you can get involved check out the Center for Education Reform's website.
We are pleased to announce that the 2007 KIPP Report Card is now available. The Report Card reflects our commitment to reporting student achievement results for the entire KIPP school network and highlights the results of our students on required state exams and national standardized tests. Registration is free and simple, requiring only a username and password that you create. |
| Students Participate in Junior 'Dillo Run |
On Saturday, March 29 over 280 KIPP Austin students showed just how fit they are at the Austin American-Statesman Junior 'Dillo Run. The tenth annual race was a certified one mile run that took part in conjunction with the Capital 10,000. Sixth grader Jorge Sustanita says it best: "I got really tired and my legs started to hurt, but it was good because I finished." That same dedication was displayed by many as an average of 65% of students from each grade level finished in the Healthy Fitness Zone. The Healthy Fitness Zone was established by the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research to represent a level of fitness that offers a degree of protection against diseases that result from sedentary living.
KIPP Austin students participated in this event as a part of the Born to Run Program, receiving a t-shirt and new pair of high quality, name brand running shoes upon completion from Shoes for Austin, set up by RunTex and the Carrozza Foundation. Born to Run is a 12-week physical education program started by Run Tex CEO Paul Carrozza to help increase the physical fitness of local students.
We also want to give a special thank you to Covert Chevrolet, who graciously paid race entry fees for all of our students. Thanks for giving our KIPPsters this opportunity!
On a similar note, we are proud to announce that 70 of our fifth grade students participated in the Marathon Kids Final Mile on Saturday, February 29. Students earned this field lesson by completing a marathon, or 26 miles over several months, as well as by eating fruits and vegetables every day. A finisher medal and t-shirt were awarded to these deserving students. Keep up the hard work! |
| Teacher Spotlight |
Amber Pecoraro, 8th grade English Language Arts Teacher
Ms. Pecoraro graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a degree in English, then continued her education at Loyola Marymount University, earning her master's in Secondary Education. While working towards her master's, Ms. Pecoraro became interested in teaching and began her career in south central Los Angeles teaching a year each of middle and high school English with the Teach For America Program.
Ms. Pecoraro is about to complete her first year with KIPP Austin, where she enjoys an environment of educational consistency for her students. Her students' test scores demonstrate her phenomenal teaching abilities as 100% of her students passed the reading TAKS this year, with an even more impressive 63% receiving a commended score. Ms. Pecoraro will be joining her students on the eighth grade field lesson to New York this May.
Ms. Pecoraro's personal goal is to foster independent thinking from her students. Every day she works to inspire critical thinking and encourages her students to make good choices on their own, acknowledging how their actions affect others. When she is not teaching, Ms. Pecoraro won't be found in front of the television, as she does not own one. She enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her family and friends. |
| Student Spotlight |
Edgar Jaimes, 8th grade
Edgar is finishing up his time at KIPP Austin College Prep, but unlike past KIPPsters, we do not have to see him go. Edgar will be a part of the first class of students starting ninth grade at KIPP Austin Collegiate this summer.
Edgar chose to attend KIPP Austin Collegiate because he feels it will best prepare him for college and build on the skills he has learned at KIPP Austin College Prep. Edgar first came to KIPP Austin as a fifth grader and has grown each year both academically and personally. He admits the long KIPP day was an adjustment at first, but now is used to it and says that in the end it will pay off. He knows the teachers at KIPP Austin really care about him and that being able to trust them enables him to succeed in the ways he has. Currently Edgar's sights are set on Tufts University where he wants to study to become an architect. Best of luck, Edgar! |
| End-of-Year Field Lessons |
Starting in May, each KIPP Austin grade level will be setting off on their much anticipated end-of-year field lessons. Check out where they are headed!
Fifth Grade-
This year the Class of 2015 will embark on a new field lesson for KIPP Austin by taking a Texas Tour! This tour, running May 19-23, will give our students more in-depth knowledge of their home state and all the wonderful things they have to experience right here at home. Leading up to the tour, students will be learning about the history of Texas in social studies class, reading the personal memoir of a young, Latino woman from South Texas, and exploring the flora, fauna, and land of Texas through science class. Students will be able to experience camping at Bastrop State Park, a visit to Texas A&M University, meeting their KIPP cousins in San Antonio, and even touring the Bluebell Ice Cream Factory!
Sixth Grade-
After months of preparation of practice campouts, cooking outdoors, and hikes, the Class of 2014 will be lacing up their hiking boots and hitting the trails of three national parks in Utah from May 18-25. While there, they will be hiking Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park as well as participating in a day of paintball, horseback riding, ziplining, and rock wall climbing. Additionally, students will be completing outdoor science labs, completing a trip journal and reflections, and reading and writing about Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Seventh Grade-
The junior Class of 2013 will be taking a civil rights/college tour of the South. Heading first to New Orleans, students will visit Tulane and Loyola Universities as well as the French Quarter on a haunted ghost tour. The next days are spent in Memphis and Atlanta visiting various colleges and historical points of interest in the struggle for civil rights; including Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta University, the birth place of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, a tour of the Coca Cola museum, CNN headquarters and hiking. Students and teachers will be reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to discuss as a group throughout the tour to end a unit on civil rights in social studies class.
Eighth Grade-
The Class of 2012 is embarking on a tour of East Coast universities, visiting such schools as Columbia, NYU, Fordham, Yale, and Brooklyn College. This tour gives students the chance to experience a taste of where they have the opportunity to continue their education. Along with the college visits, students will see various historical sites such as Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, museums, and much more. They will also get to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway! While there students will read Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom, to further understand the eighth motto "Be the Change..." and learn more about overcoming obstacles in life. | |
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Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
KIPP Austin
"Imagine a future in which the color of a child's skin, the language a child speaks and the side of town a child comes from are no longer considered barriers to a great education and a great life."
- Dr. Maria "Cuca" Robledo Montecel, Ph.D. |
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KIPP Austin Needs You! |
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KIPP Austin is expanding to 10 schools over the next 10 years, serving more than 5,000 students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. We need passionate, dedicated individuals who are committed to our students and their educational progress.
Positions available include founding teachers at KIPP Austin Collegiate High School, middle school teachers at KIPP Austin College Prep, and organizational leaders to support schools on the Shared Services Team.
Our recruitment brochure is available for more detailed information on KIPP Austin's growth and what it takes to become a KIPP Austin educator. You can also visit our website. |
| Mirage Networks Volunteer Event |
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Our first high school, KIPP Austin Collegiate, will be opening soon and will now look better than ever thanks to the landscaping efforts of Mirage Networks!
On Friday, April 25 a team of dedicated employees from Mirage persevered through blood, sweat and tears (okay, maybe not blood and tears, but a lot of sweat) to complete a beautification project in front of our high school building. The incredible team spent the day digging out flower beds, planting shrubs and flowers, and clipping overgrown branches. The campus looks terrific and will serve as a great backdrop to welcome our ninth graders this summer.
To Greg, Michael and the entire Mirage team, we deeply appreciate your efforts and dedication to our school! |
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