Quantcast
Channel: News – Scholars Unlimited

Now serving students in Westminster

0
0

Students are returning to classes — which means recruitment is underway for our Scholars After School program. This year, we’re excited to be recruiting at two new schools: Harris Park and Mesa elementary schools, located in Westminster Public Schools district.

This expansion, our second beyond the borders of DPS, began with conversations with Becky Hoffman, CEO of the Youth Initiative of Adams County. The mission of the Initiative is to drive the shared efforts of cross-sector partners committed to improving youth outcomes, from cradle to career.

Becky is a long-time fan of Scholars Unlimited’s programs. And she knew that Westminster Public Schools was eager to expand out-of-school-time opportunities for the district’s students.

Becky introduced us to Dr. James Duffy, Chief Operating Officer at WPS, who welcomed the opportunity to work with Scholars Unlimited. Dr. Duffy enlisted the support of Westminster Parks & Recreation and the Hyland Hills Recreation District.

Together, we developed program plans and shared agreements. Now, thanks to funding awarded from the Colorado Department of Education via the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, we get to put those plans in motion!

We’ll be serving 50 students at each school site, providing both Scholars After School and Summer Scholars at Harris Park and Mesa. Westminster Parks and Rec is providing staffing at Harris Park, and Hyland Hills Rec is providing staffing at Mesa. Thanks to our 24-year partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation, it was easy to use our existing model to develop working agreements with these wonderful new partners.

“No one organization can do it alone,” said Dr. Duffy. “WPS values our collaborations with Scholars, the City of Westminster, and Hyland Hills. Thanks to everyone who stepped up to the plate to support our kids and community.”

The post Now serving students in Westminster appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.


Enhancing the Principal Pipeline

0
0

Each summer, Scholars Unlimited plays a vital role in helping candidates for principal licensure gain the real-world experience they need. These principal interns oversee the academic portion of our summer program – and gain real-world experience as school instructional leaders at each program site.

For the past two years, the principal intern program has been led by Cindy Miller, a long-time educator at Harrington Elementary who has been involved with our organization since shortly after its founding as Summer Scholars.

Cindy has always been a big believer in the power of education because she saw it first-hand in her own family. She was the oldest of six children who grew up living in a two-bedroom mobile home in California, where her father worked as a steelworker. Her dad encouraged his kids to “design your own destiny” and modeled how to do it when he returned to school, earned a degree in forestry form Indiana University, and became a renowned leader in wildfire management.

Cindy followed a similar path: She worked as a flight attendant for about five years, but was inspired to return to college so that she could pursue a career in education. After student teaching at Bromwell, she was hired as a fourth-grade teacher by Sally Edwards, the principal at Harrington Elementary School.

Summer Scholars was offered at Harrington, and Cindy quickly became a fan. “I always believed in the program,” she said. “It was easy to support it, because the kids loved the program and had enthusiasm for attending. They were playing and laughing – and learning. I knew that because I got the see the growth in students’ literacy skills – really amazing growth.”

After six years in the classroom, Cindy was named Harrington’s assistant principal. By then, Summer Scholars had expanded to year-round programming. Because Cindy wanted to continue to have direct instructional time with students, she signed on to work as a teacher in Scholars After School.

When Sally Edwards retired, Cindy was named principal at Harrington. As principal, she continued to be a vocal advocate for Scholars Unlimited. “I have always appreciated the people who started this program and helped it grow and thrive. When nobody else stepped up, they stepped in.

“I am so appreciative that Scholars Unlimited provides that equity factor. Kids in our program get the same, high-quality programming that is usually accessible only to suburban kids of higher socio-economic status, that live in families who can afford to pay for it. That high quality is built in to Scholars Unlimited’s programs – and it is so important that our students can access it.”

After four years as the school leader at Harrington, Cindy decided to retire. But she still wanted to be involved in education – so she worked with us as a summer principal at John Amesse. In that role, she met regularly with many principal interns, doing the same job she was doing for college credit that would count toward licensure.

Cindy recognized another opportunity – and designed her destiny again. Now, as the supervisor of intern principals, she has an opportunity to share the knowledge and experience she has gained during her 25 years in education.

Through training, coaching, refection, and collaborative problem solving, Cindy helps these interns build their own experience base and develop as leaders. “I really want to help them stretch,” Cindy noted. “I want them to have their own growth mindset, I want them to help their students and staff develop a grown mindset. I want them to know how to have difficult conversations. I want them to know how to help students and staff discover answers, rather than just giving answers to them. And I want to raise the bar on professionalism.”

It’s an ambitious agenda, particularly when our program runs for only six weeks each summer. And yet, Cindy makes it happen. And in doing so, she is helping to ensure that the next generation of school principals is prepared to be an effective leaders who drive better outcomes for students.

And follow in Cindy’s footsteps.

The post Enhancing the Principal Pipeline appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

2019 Summer Scholars Recap

0
0

Summer Scholars wrapped up on July 19 after six weeks of learning, fun, field trips and more! Over 1,000 scholars participated in our program that was offered at 15 different sites – 12 in Denver, one in Aurora, and two in Westminster.

The summer curriculum was developed around Denver’s Youth One Book, One Denver (YOBOD), Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell, and captured the imaginations of our scholars as well as provided opportunities for learning across multiple content areas. 

Three of our school sites afternoon enrichment blocks featured our Next Generation City Builders program, where scholars engaged in numerous planning activities, design challenges, and hands-on STEM activities – all related to city planning and design. 

Likewise for the second summer, Scholars Unlimited offered three school sites our K-transition program, Ready Scholars, our program focused on increasing the social-emotional learning of rising kindergartners, and in turn increasing their school readiness and trajectory for success.

Click to enlarge: 2019 Summer Scholars Recap Infographic

The post 2019 Summer Scholars Recap appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

Spotlight: Scholar Success

0
0

We are so proud of the academic and character gains that our scholars make! Each quarter, we will feature one Scholar Success Story. Let’s start with Drew*.

*Name has been changed for student privacy purposes.

As told by a Youth Development Instructor who worked for Summer Scholars: 

“Drew’s success story is not one of an isolated act, but instead one of an overarching theme of integrity and kindness. Even within the short period of time that program has been running, Drew’s considerate and kind nature have been placed on display time and time again, not only in an academic setting but a recreational one as well.

One instance that comes to mind is Drew’s continued willingness to read aloud in class, helping the teachers cover more material in one session as well as providing an example to the other kids as to what a good participation looks like.

Another example of his positive attitude and resilient spirit is him being paired almost exclusively with children many years younger than him due to him not being registered yet for our partner program with Denver School of the Arts. In a situation that most children his age would have complained or simply rejected the lesson plans, Drew instead chose to use his advanced understanding of the tasks at hand to become a leader within his group, helping his peers along the way.

We hope to eventually see Drew’s role as a leader passed on to all of our other kids in the program, and we are excited to see how Drew grows in the future!” 

The post Spotlight: Scholar Success appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

2020 Virtual Summer Learning Program Announcement

0
0

Dear Scholars Unlimited Families, 

 

We miss you so much…

 

We know that these past few months have been hard, and the uncertainty looking forward can be tough. Scholars Unlimited wants to thank you for all you do to keep your families thriving. If you need any support please reach out, and although we might not have the answers, we will work to connect you to the people that do.

 

While we wish that we could provide in-person learning this summer, due to safety concerns and school building closures, we will not be able to have our program in person this summer.

 

However, we are excited to be able to offer “Virtual Summer Scholars” this year! Virtual Summer Scholars will offer our academic and enrichment programming 5 days a week, and we will have live programming through Zoom, challenges, and other activities that will be available online. We will also be supplying every family with paper copies of the curriculum and supplies that will be needed for the activities! Kits with these supplies will have weekly pick up locations that will be communicated with you ahead of time and you will also be able to drop the kits back off at the specified location, if needed.

 

We know that families prefer in person programming, but this summer will be FUN, EDUCATIONAL, and ENGAGING. 

 

The program will run from June 22 – July 17. We ask that your kids engage for 1.5 hours per day.

 

If you would like to enroll click here.

 

More information will follow on what the schedule looks like, and how to login to the learning platform. If you have any questions, please contact us at programs@scholarsunlimited.org 

 


Estimadas familias de Scholars Unlimited,

 

Los extrañamos mucho a todos …

Sabemos que estos últimos meses han sido difíciles, y la incertidumbre que se anticipa también puede ser difícil. Scholars Unlimited quiere agradecerle por todo lo que hace para que sus familias prosperen. Si necesita ayuda, comuníquese con nosotros. Es posible que no tengamos las respuestas, pero trabajaremos para conectarlo con las personas que las tienen.

Si bien deseamos poder proporcionar el aprendizaje en persona este verano, debido a preocupaciones de seguridad y cierres de edificios escolares, no podremos tener nuestro programa en persona este verano.

¡Estamos entusiasmados de poder ofrecer “Virtual Summer Scholars” este año! Ofreceremos nuestra programación académica y de enriquecimiento 5 días por semana. Tendremos programación en vivo a través de Zoom, desafíos y otras actividades que estarán disponibles en línea. ¡También proporcionaremos a cada familia copias en papel del plan de estudios y los suministros que se necesitarán para las actividades! Tendremos lugares de recogida semanal para estos kits, y también podemos dejarlos si es necesario.

Sabemos que las familias prefieren la programación en persona, pero este verano será DIVERTIDO, EDUCATIVO y EMOCIONANTE

 

El programa se ejecutará del 22 de junio al 17 de julio. Pedimos que sus hijos participen durante 1 hora y media por día.

 

Si desea inscribirse, haga clic aquí.

 

Seguirá más información sobre el cronograma y cómo acceder a la plataforma. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con nosotros a través de programs@scholarsunlimited.org

The post 2020 Virtual Summer Learning Program Announcement appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

A message from Diana

0
0
Hello Scholars Community,

 

There are few words to adequately describe the complexity of the challenges we face in today’s environment. We are confronted with a public health crisis that demands we adapt and re-imagine how we meet the needs

of our scholars and families. We also have tremendous pain from the social injustice in our communities, that require all of us to be allies and champions for change. Today, over 90% of the student scholars we serve are children of color, live in low-income communities, and are reading below grade-level. Schools shuttered early due to Covid-19 burdened many children and their families with the responsibility of trying to manage their learning with limited support, while their families may be struggling to find work or juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet. The virus widened the already expansive education gap for children of color in low-income communities. Without the small group, teacher-led summer enrichment programs like Scholars Unlimited, our students will fall further behind, setting up a generation of children and young adults who will struggle to access economic opportunities for the future.

 

You may be asking yourself, what you can do? Now more than ever, we need to continue to address the systemic and educational inequality of our scholars’ experience. Scholars Unlimited is committed to engaging students in meaningful programs that cultivate imaginations, nurture young spirits, and promote the bright minds in our communities; however, we can’t do this alone. We need your help. Please join us, alongside our education and community partners, and together we will push forward because we know young people, and our scholars are counting on us, and our future is counting on them.

 

Join us today, by committing to one of the special opportunities located on our homepage. We are in need of mission ambassadors, fundraisers for our programs, and guest attendees for our upcoming special event.

 

The Future of Our Programs

 

Scholars Unlimited has been adapting and evolving for the Covid-19 world we all now live and operate in. Starting back in mid-March of this year, we started an internal review of our programs: Scholars After School, Ready Scholars, Next Generation City Builders, CodeSpire, and Summer Scholars, and we are happy to report that we are ready for a successful relaunch, beginning with our new summer programming in late June.

 

To set our students up for success, we made a strategic pivot and have worked with experienced partners to transition our curriculum for a professional, user-friendly platform to a new online format. In addition to “going online”, we are also prepared to ensure our students are engaged during our multiple remote learning sessions. Here is what we are doing to address equity and inclusion and advance social justice in our program for summer success:
  • All of our Summer Scholars will receive headsets with a microphone, which will allow them to hear and be heard to better enhance their focus and participation.
  • We are creating weekly learning packets that scholars will have to enhance their online learning with hands-on materials.
  • In partnership with our local school districts, we will connect with families at pick up “grab-and-go” food sites across the metro area.
  • We are addressing technology barriers with new investments in Chromebooks and access to neighborhood hotspots.
  • All of our students will continue to participate in enrichment and exercise, now online, with expertise from our youth development instructors who have existing relationships with students, and have creative activities to keep them moving and engaged.
  • Every scholar will receive a book that is foundational to our curriculum.

 

And finally, to address our student-online engagement even further, we will continue our outreach to households in the form of phone calls, texts, and short conversations with families over our new online learning platform. Our teaching medium may have changed, however, our outreach will remain the same—often.

The post A message from Diana appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

Celebrating Our Students

0
0

Check out our Cyndi & Jessica Awards from earlier this month! It was a blast celebrating these students for excelling in our summer programming.

Look at our newsletter here to see the story!

 

The post Celebrating Our Students appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

Fall Update 2020

0
0

In case you missed our Fall Updates, view the video to learn how Scholars Unlimited is working to counter the COVID-19 slide. You will hear from our program experts on how we are utilizing one-on-one tutoring to ensure students are achieving their academic milestones.

 

The post Fall Update 2020 appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.


A Letter From Diana – Nov 2020

0
0

Hello Friends,

I hope this letter finds you healthy and safe. I’m sure each of you has your own remarkable story of how the year 2020 has impacted and changed your life and perspective. For us, at Scholars Unlimited, it has been a year that has strengthened our resolve and resiliency. I am inspired by our amazing Scholars community that has come together to lean into the challenges the year has presented to all of us. From a pivot to remote programs and learning, with hands-on materials blended with a virtual community, wrapped in literacy instruction and included social-emotional support, this year has certainly changed and strengthened the way in which we operate. Your participation supports the resilience and success of our scholars.

Ongoing financial contributions help us stay focused on what we do best: foster academic, social, and emotional growth for children in low-income communities around metro Denver. Help us today to continue this important work.

The national and local movement for racial justice has been a time of stress, heartbreak, awareness, and fortitude for many in our community. It is the resiliency of families in our community that gives me hope that we will weather the multiple crises we are facing and move toward recovery; we are getting closer each day. We know that scholars don’t have the luxury to wait for this pandemic to end; we are continuing to provide an online platform that gives the support and connection that scholars need to learn and grow.

I believe we will see the impacts of the COVID-19 slide for many years to come if we do not act now. Students are establishing the foundation upon which their future literacy and social-emotional learning will grow, and we are committed to supplementing the school day by providing an extra boost, and the connection to keep students engaged. Believe me, it’s not easy for anyone right now but this is where we have found our opportunity to be a part of the solution to combating the COVID-19 slide.  

Resiliency shouldn’t be an effort a child has to undertake on their own. A strong community supports a child’s resilience and this becomes a success story for us all. You make it possible for students to continue to engage in learning, build confidence, and create agency to persist and thrive.

Thank you for being a part of the community that strengthens the literacy support that is so needed today.

Stay positive and stay well,                                      

Diana Romero Campbell

President, Scholars Unlimited

The post A Letter From Diana – Nov 2020 appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.

Spotlight: A Scholar Success

0
0

“Scholars Unlimited is an incredible program for any student to be a part of. All the staff genuinely care about the students.”   

-Olivia’s Grandmother, Sarah*


Scholars Unlimited’s success is directly built upon all of the people that thrive in our community. We recently connected with two of our friends: one of our current scholars, Olivia, and her grandmother, Sarah, to see how they are coping with the challenges from the pandemic.

Our story first begins a few years back when Olivia’s grandparents were committed to creating a safe and stable home, and also needed a structured place for her after Kindergarten each day. Olivia was in need of a new environment, as her family navigated life circumstances. When Sarah learned about Scholars Unlimited, and that Olivia would also receive literacy and social and emotional learning support, she was thrilled to enroll her into our afternoon program.

Once in Scholars After School, Olivia showed a spirit for learning and wanted to be a leader in reading in her class. In addition to Olivia’s commitment to become a better reader, she has other goals such as learning how to type faster, discovering how to cook, and being able to perform handstands on her own. Olivia has big dreams!

Sarah quickly learned that Scholars After School was a place that her granddaughter could thrive. Not only did they find a place that Olivia was safe and happy, they found a family and community that was focused on her education and personal needs.

Olivia’s confidence has grown and she is now reading at grade level and continues to persevere! She is now in her second year participating—still working as hard as ever— in our programs and continues to find her family of friends, whether it is in-person or remote. As her grandmother reflected on this past summer, Olivia’s excitement comes from working on projects with her grandparents, with their personal favorite: building a cardboard castle as a family.

Olivia has bonded with her teachers and other students, where everyone feels like family to her. This support system has provided her with real connection and reassurance for her grandmother. And we hear there is no other place she would rather be after school! Olivia is doing what she knows best — learning.

*Names have been changed for privacy purposes.

 

The post Spotlight: A Scholar Success appeared first on Scholars Unlimited.





Latest Images