success schools

SUCCESS
NEWSLETTER
SCHOOLS
FEBRUARY 2013
Top Score for CCP
Capital City Program (CCP) ninth
grader Jaivon Rowe was Virginia’s
Empower3000 top scorer for the
week of January 28-February 1.
Empower3000 is a differentiated
online program that helps high school
students make gains in the reading
and writing skills needed for success
in college and in future careers.
Jaivon’s computer lab teacher,
Marlene Cooper, spoke at a luncheon
in recognition of this outstanding
achievement. “Jaivon has displayed
exemplary talent and enthusiasm and
has provided inspiration for his
peers. He has a genuine desire to
learn, which has been key to his
success,” she stated. Also present at
the luncheon was Virginia
Department of Education consultant
Frank Erhardt and a host of other
CCP staff members.
A Success Academy student works on a project for
Black History Month.
POSITIVE PRESS FOR STETSON
Success Academy at John B. Stetson
was featured in a WHYY radio
program earlier this month, after a
behavioral health reporter came to
the school to interview staff and
students for a piece on the
academy’s use of Guided Group
Intervention (GGI) as a means of
altering negative behavior. GGI is a
daily process at the school that
requires students to gather in a
circle each morning to discuss social
issues in their lives, including both
grievances and positive elements.
Using audio clips from an actual GGI
session, the reporter described how
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the practice effectively defuses
school tensions before they have a
chance to escalate into larger
conflicts. Two eighth graders were
highlighted in the piece. Nicholas
Herrera and Natalie Rodriguez were
composed as they spoke about how
GGI has been instrumental in
“squashing” potential disputes
several times over the school year.
“GGI is a time for us to talk through
our problems and take
responsibility for our actions. This
way, we’re not fighting in the
cafeteria or after school,” Rodriguez
said.
Student government members at Clayton Academy
help with new peer packets.
FEATURED
STUDENT
Homework Academy Leads to
Increased Completion Rates
Rachon Roman
School: Capital Academy,
Harrisburg, PA
Favorite Class: Social
Studies with Mr. Blazi
because he makes learning
fun.
Why Success Schools?
The staff doesn’t just point
out the wrong things
student do; they point out
all of the right things, too,
and how we can better
ourselves.
Rachon became a member
of student government in
February 2013.
HOMEWORK HELP
After receiving frequent feedback from parents about their
children’s difficulty with homework, teachers Mr. Stolfus
and Ms. Jannotti at Path Academy at Frederick
Douglass Charter School established an afterSuccess Schools
school Homework Academy to assist students in
need. Along with members of City Year, the
Programs
teachers
stay after school four days a week to
Success Academy at John
B. Stetson
work one-on-one or in small groups, helping
Charter School, Philadelp
hia, PA
students with anything from math problems to
Path Academy at Frederic
k
social studies projects. Program Director Richard
Douglass Charter Schoo
l,
Gear
said he understands the importance of doing
Philadelphia, PA
homework at home so that there can be a
Clayton Academy, Pittsb
urgh, PA
connection between home and school, but he also
Capital Academy, Harrisbu
recognizes the challenges: “If students are not
rg, PA
completing
their homework due to academic
Capital City Program, Ric
hmond,VA
difficulties and/or lack of home support, it
Success Academy at Olne
becomes useless. By completing their assignments
y Charter
High School, Philadelphia
, PA
during Homework Academy, they can at least
Anthony Wayne Academy
experience
a sense of accomplishment. Hopefully,
,
Philadelphia, PA
they will gain enough skills and confidence to
eventually start doing homework at home.” Until
then, staff members say they will continue the
program. Since its establishment, teachers have reported a
big increase in homework completion and overall skill
development.
Celebrating Through
Research
In honor of Black History
Month at Success Academy
at Olney Charter High
School, students in Ms.
Simpson’s English classes
have been hard at work
conducting research on
African American inventors.
Each student has chosen an
African American inventor
and identified four subtopics
to research about the
individual. Information
collected, along with works
cited, has been used to
create a note-card database,
which will assist them with
developing timelines
consisting of 20 life events.
Students will conclude this
project by constructing a trifold board and a three
dimensional icon linked to
their chosen inventor.