The News Pulse of GearUP CT Published by the Office of GearUP CT LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER As you may have noticed, Gear Up CT has a whole new look...new logo, new website and new success stories. “In Gear” is our newest publication, bringing you the pulse of both what’s new in our GearUP programs around our state, around our neighborhoods and around our nation. What’s on your mind? Our Pulse is Beating. Is yours? Christina Lapierre State Project Director STATE BEAT CT State Colleges & Universities (“CSCU”) partnered with Manchester Community College (“MCC”), Middlesex Community College (MxCC), and Naugatuck Valley Community College. Partner school districts include East Hartford Public Schools (EHPS), Meriden Public Schools, (MPS), and Waterbury Public Schools (WPS). Each partner will oversee their respective project as a combined partnership. The cohort model is the style of programming that services students. GU CT programs recently completed Grade 8 that served 2,515 students. Students have now transitioned into Grade 9 for the academic year 2021-2022. All services will follow each cohort throughout high school and into their first year of college. Within each strategic partnership, programs service both online and onsite students and families to properly maintain health & safety guidelines per CT State Department of Education GRADE EHPS/MCC cohort will serve 495 students 9 MPS/MxCC cohort will serve 651 students WPS/NVCC cohort will serve 1,435 students TOWN BEAT Within the East Hartford partnership, students participated in after-school programming along with academic tutoring throughout the year. GU offered a credit recovery program at both middle schools to support those students in Algebra I. Sunset’s “Ideas Challenge” promoted rigorous STEM engagement, family events, and the Career In STEM after-school program. In our Meriden partnership, students participated in a variety of activities that consisted of math tutoring, a credit recovery program in Algebra I, and STEM based learning that helped to reinforce math concepts in the classroom. Within the Waterbury partnership, students participated in tutoring sessions, an April Spring Break session that offered a social emotional component along with a June STEM Summer Program. CLASS BEAT EAST HARTFORD Students participated in virtual workshops presented by Mastery-Prep on the topic “Why College” on how to begin to think about how to pay for college (both economically and in terms of personal freedom) in a high-energy, interactive workshop. Students also participated in the workshop “The Big Five” where it was explained that colleges are looking for five essential components. These include: (1) grades/course rigor; (2) ACT/SAT scores; (3) essays; (4) involvement in/out of high school; and (5) recommendation letters. The program offered “Growing Leaders – Habitudes” curriculum over eight weeks where relatable stories and experiences are brought into a leadership development curriculum and lesson plans that resonate with today’s young adults. These services helped to equip and navigate students through life’s challenges and opportunities. Family STEM nights were offered by the West Hartford Science Center that offered a time for both the student and parent/guardian to attend a virtual event to learn more about science in a fun and exciting way. MERIDEN RJ Julia - Virtual Author Visit with Tochi Onyebuchi was conducted virtual and in-person. All students received a copy of his book, “Beasts Made of Night”. Mastery- Prep PSAT Bootcamps were offered to students to prepare for upcoming PSAT testing that consisted of four sessions over four days, covering all standardized testing subjects. Over the summer, students transitioning into high school attended a week-long summer program that included a presentation for students and families on the GEAR UP Meriden initiatives and what they can expect throughout high school and beyond. Students took a tour of the building, put their newfound knowledge to the test with a Selfie Scavenger Hunt where teams raced to identify key places throughout the school. Through ice breakers, students and staff had time to conduct self-reflection, build community collaboration amongst each other, and hear from student volunteers in Grades 10-12 about high school life. Ending the week with CoolSpeak - a youth engagement company with motivational speakers on self- purpose, self-realization, resilience, and more. Students engaged in team settings using leadership skills, critical thinking and how resilience is about every-day life. Members of CoolSpeak shared their personal stories about their own journey as a student and their own personal struggles. Through these stories, students were able to resonate their own experience and cultivate a meaningful connection allowing each student to own their authentic self. WATERBURY GU teams worked with students in after-school on a platform called “Find Your Grind” that helped students to identify what careers are of interest to them. “Find Your Grind” is a web-based platform that provides relevant career profiles that help to support students explore future careers. Students and parents participated in workshops conducted by MasteryPrep that covered “Why College” and “The Big 5.” Offering these workshops to both parents and students allows everyone to hear the same message that going to college is attainable and can be achieved when the process is understood. GEAR UP for GEOMETRY (Algebra 1 Focus) math pilot pro- gram expanded support to Grade 8 students over six sessions on the weekend. Both pre- and post-assessments were conducted to ensure students meet basic standards. GU teams supported students to organize their academics by providing all students with planners where GU teams created tools to help students with their time man- agement as well as SMART goal planning. SMART goal planning refers to “specific, measurable, attainable/achievable, relevant/realistic and timely”. An author visit by “Ghost Boys”, Dr. Jewell Parker Rohodes ended the year with student discussion and engagement around the creation of Ghost Boys.
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