From the Founders' Desk:
Perspectives Welcomes CEO Rhonda Hopps
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Dear Friend of
Perspectives,
For the past 15 years, we have had the privilege of
founding and working alongside our dedicated board and staff to create
Perspectives Charter Schools, a network of five public schools. As founders, our
passion has been student achievement and school success. We were fortunate to
benefit from the leadership of the late Rodney Joslin who served as our board
chair for 10 years and then spearheaded the growth of our organization to one
that will soon serve over 2,500 students across Chicago. Since Rod's passing over a year ago,
we have been working with our board to identify new leadership and are excited
to announce that we are appointing Rhonda Hopps to serve as Chief Executive
Officer for Perspectives Charter Schools. With Rhonda's appointment, we move
from a founder-led organization to one of a single Chief Executive Officer. We
will be closely involved to assist in this critical transition and will continue
working with Perspectives in new capacities.
Rhonda is a native
of Evanston, Illinois, and attended Northwestern University earning a dual bachelor degree
in Economics and Mathematics. Rhonda received her MBA from Stanford University
Graduate School of Business. She worked at Allstate Insurance Company for over a
decade and was a senior portfolio manager in its investment management
subsidiary. She then launched an executive coaching business and most recently
was a director of multi-family mortgage originations at Red Mortgage Capital, a
subsidiary of PNC Bank.
Rhonda brings years of experience working with
non-profit organizations. She has served as either chair or member of the
Finance Committee for four non-profit organizations: LEARN Charter School, National-Louis University, Illinois Facilities Fund and Mercy Housing
Lakefront. Rhonda is passionate about public education, is acutely aware of the
charter school landscape and will bring a strong presence, financial and
analytical expertise, and proficiency for data assessment to our
management.
We enthusiastically pass the torch to Rhonda and are
confident that she will bring us excellence in leadership - the kind of
leadership that our organization needs to move to the next
level.
Wishing you a happy
and healthy new year,
Kim and Diana
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Be a Mentor for a Student at Perspectives
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Internships begin early in the new year! All Perspectives Juniors
across the network participate in an Internship and are assigned a Mentor. The goal of
this program is that every child builds a relationship with a professional role
model and that our students learn from
hands-on experiences, life as a professional. You could make a significant
difference in the life of a student - and the student in yours! Our students
look forward to this experience and develop into more resourceful and informed
young adults as a result.
Our Mentors attend a special breakfast in January to meet their Mentees. Then, on Wednesdays from February 10th through April 4th students
shadow mentors from 9AM-3PM.
We are still in need of mentors, so give us a call! Areas of interest include
engineering, the legal field, physical training/coaching/athletic directing,
dentistry, interior design, retail, science, computers, and medical fields.
Please contact Jane Esser, Program Director, at 312-604-2109 or jesser@perspectivescs.org.
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Ernst & Young Continues to Give
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This season over fifteen employees of Ernst
& Young visited Perspectives
Calumet High
School and brought gifts for all students and
their families. This has become an annual tradition that began when the school
opened four years ago.
 The Ernst & Young employees
brought gifts with them of cardigans, hats, and mittens as well as holiday
gifts for adopted Perspectives families. The gifts were enthusiastically
received, and classrooms were abuzz with the holiday spirit.
Ernst & Young has had an ongoing partnership with Perspectives Calumet
High School since 2005.
Multiple partnership programs are taking place within the school at any given
time. Ernst & Young is the largest corporate donor to Perspectives Charter
Schools. Tony Anderson, Vice-Chair and Midwest Managing Partner with Ernst
& Young, has been committed to developing a model for corporate/public
school partnerships and we intend to present our work together at the National
Charter Schools Conference this summer. We are grateful for the generosity of
our friends at Ernst & Young during the holiday season and their ongoing
support year-round!
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Invest in Student Success Today!
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This time of year we reflect on the success stories of so many young
scholars at Perspectives Charter Schools, and we pause to show gratitude to
those who have invested in their success. Thank you for choosing to be a part
of the Perspectives family - you are a gift to us!
Our five school network is now serving over 2,200 students across Chicago and our college
attendance and persistence rates are our greatest outcomes. For the past three
years, 89% of our students have graduated, 92% of our graduates have enrolled
in college, and 76% are still in college! These rates surpass nearly every open
enrollment public school in Chicago
and are proof that our A Disciplined Life© model is effectively changing young
lives everyday.
Our goal is to achieve financial sustainability in 2012, which means we will be
able to operate our five school network on public funding. We are close to
closing the funding gap in this phase of growth and we need you today, more
than ever.
Please consider a gift this season to support the students at Perspectives
Charter Schools. Every donation brings us closer to our goals for our
students.
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Perspectives on the Web
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Visit Our Website
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A Disciplined Life©
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Accept only quality work from yourself
Take responsibility for your actions
Seek wisdom
Be open-minded
Think critically and be inquisitive
Love who you are
Demonstrate honesty, integrity, and decency
Be generous
Be a life-long learner
Live a healthy lifestyle
Communicate effectively
Challenge each other intellectually
Show gratitude
Solve conflicts peacefully
Respect each others' differences
Be positive and supportive of each other
Show compassion
Demonstrate a strong work ethic
Use your time wisely
Listen actively
Be punctual and prepared
Be organized
Be reflective
Be reliable
Take initiative
Demonstrate perseverance
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