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Greetings!
Another successful school year has come and gone at KIPP Austin. Thanks to everyone who helped make it one of the best years yet!
TAKS results are back and all the dedication and hard work of our students and teachers has paid off with another year of shining test scores! We are so excited to share them with you.
For the third year in a row 100 percent of eighth graders met the standard on the reading TAKS and for the fourth year in a row 100 percent of seventh graders met the standard on the writing TAKS.
Again this year our sixth graders surpassed the state average in both reading and math.
Our fifth graders work extremely hard to make up for past academic deficits. This dedication shows as their science scores improved by 20 percentage points over last year's scores.
Many KIPP Austin students are not only passing their TAKS; they are receiving commended ratings. The following graph shows all students' scores, grades fifth through eighth, in each subject area.
Great job KIPPsters, keep up the hard work.
We are proud of you! |
| Teacher Spotlight |
Kevin Newman, Fisher Fellow and Future School Leader
This year 98 percent of our sixth graders met the standard on the reading TAKS and 47 percent finished with a commended score. Achieving such fantastic test results would not have been possible without the dedication of ELA teacher Kevin Newman. Mr. Newman came to us with a Master's in Educational Theatre specializing in English Education from NYU's Steinhart School of Education. Now in his third year at KIPP Austin, Mr. Newman is a great asset to our team.
Just last month Mr. Newman braved the elements with 60 sixth grade students in Utah aboard the sixth grade end-of-year field lesson. They persevered through hikes in diverse conditions, enduring high temperatures of 100 degrees. Then just two days later hiking in snow and freezing rain. While the snow was a new experience for some, everybody had a great time and Mr. Newman reports that all the kids were great sports. They even tied the events into a learning opportunity for the students by referring to the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The students read this book on the field lesson to learn about overcoming challenges and how they can make you stronger.
Recently, Mr. Newman was chosen to participate in the very selective KIPP School Leadership Program, the Fisher Fellowship. This year-long program prepares participants to found new KIPP schools. It includes intensive summer coursework, residencies at high-performing KIPP schools and training conferences to prepare for school start-up in their communities. At the conclusion of this training, Mr. Newman will open our second KIPP Austin middle school, continuing to prepare more students for college success.
Congratulations, Mr. Newman! |
| Space Camp |
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This summer three KIPP Austin College Prep students will be traveling to Huntsville, Alabama, to take part in a very special summer camp called Space Academy, to spend eight days exploring everything space: simulated space missions, wearing real space suits, sampling astronaut food, and even building and launching rockets.
In order to make this camp a reality, we are honored that Fish and Richardson, a dedicated corporate supporter of KIPP Austin, will again generously sponsor these students to attend the camp free of charge and will give them a $250 stipend to spend at camp. The process to choose participants was a difficult one. Sixth grade students turned in applications and after review, they were narrowed down to five finalists who then interviewed in front of a tough panel. After completing outstanding interviews, three deserving students were chosen for this experience of a lifetime: Romario Quijano, Lizza Pinales and Ashley Elizondo. Romario says he is excited about the experience and all it has to offer his future: "One day I want to become a scientist, engineer or astronaut, so this will be a great experience and I will learn a lot about each area."
Thanks to Fish and Richardson for giving our students this opportunity! |
| KIPP Austin and Big Brothers Big Sisters |
 KIPP Austin is very proud to be a community partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas (BBBS). For the past two years many KIPPsters have benefited from weekly meetings with their "Bigs" as a part of the school-based mentoring program.
On June 7 several KIPP Austin students were recognized at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Annual Scholarship Presentation Ceremony. Delisha Daniel was one KIPP Austin student who received the "Scholarship Promise"- a promise of a higher education scholarship to all youth who graduate high school and enroll in college or trade school. This promise is made to seventh graders who participate in a school-based mentoring program for at least six months or in a community-based program for a year or more. The goal of the program is to encourage students to graduate high school and pursue post-secondary education. These scholarships are great opportunities for students as 12 area colleges, universities, and trade schools provide scholarship matching opportunities to BBBS youth when they attend their institute of higher learning.
If you would like more information about becoming a big brother or big sister to a KIPP Austin student or want to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, please visit their website. |
| Program Spotlight: Garden Market Update |
Not only are KIPP Austin students changing their own futures here in Austin, they are helping to change the future for a family somewhere in the world! We are excited to announce that our KIPPsters have successfully raised the $500 needed to purchase a heifer for a family living in extreme poverty. These students have been diligently caring for our campus garden and participating in market days to raise money for Heifer International, an organization that supplies animals to families living in poverty as a way to help them sustain themselves.
Of her experience with the garden market, fifth grader Claudia Guillen says, "In our nutrition and wellness class we grew vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and swiss chard to buy an animal for a starving family. It was hard work, but I didn't care because I knew I was helping a family. Through the year the vegetables grew huge and beautiful. We harvested the vegetables and had a garden market so that parents and teachers would be able to buy vegetables. Months passed and we had raised $500 to buy a cow for the family. This has been a very fun and exciting event in my life and I helped a family in need."
Stayed tuned to updates on next year's garden as even more delicious items like pumpkins, watermelons, and heirloom tomatoes will be ready for harvest. Thanks to Ms. Wilbanks for all her hard work and dedication to this project! | |
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Thank you for your continued support. Enjoy your summer and we'll see you again in the fall!
Sincerely,
KIPP Austin Public Schools
"Education is the most powerful weapon which
you can use to change the world."
~Nelson Mandela |
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| This Summer |
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Join us for Visitor's Day!
Come out to KIPP Austin on July 3rd and see all our extraordinary teachers and students in action. Click here for more information. Senior Promotion Ceremony One more fantastic group of eighth graders has finished the journey through KIPP Austin College Prep and will take the big step to high school. These KIPPsters were recognized a few weeks ago at the annual Senior Promotion Ceremony, where each student stood up and gave his or her word to accomplish or improve on something in the next four years. We are thrilled that many of these dedicated students will be continuing on this fall as the Pioneer Class of KIPP Austin Collegiate.
Summer School
Summer school is well underway at KIPP Austin College Prep and we are working to introduce new students to the KIPP culture and prepare them for the 2008-2009 school year. Later this summer we will also be holding an orientation for our ninth grade students to get our first high school off to a terrific start. |
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