How GEAR UP Schools Connect to Students and Families
As our USU GEAR UP schools continue working in a virtual environment with middle and high school students, we asked the site coordinators at each school to share with us how they continue to maintain communication, build a college-going culture, and plan summer support.
Students are learning through virtual tools like Canvas and Google classroom
Schools are reaching out to students and families through calls, texts, and online resources
Site Coordinators continue to build a college-going culture through virtual resources
For many Utah State University STARS! GEAR UP schools, virtually maintaining relationships, building college-going cultures, and supporting students' postsecondary plans is a priority in addition to providing meals, technology, and instructional resources.“Essentially we're narrowing our focus to just a few core things” said Jeff, site coordinator at N. Davis Jr. High School. Here’s a rundown of what is happening in our twenty-three partner schools.
Maintaining communication
- Granite Park Jr High School uses Google classroom for Class of 2024 to send out weekly resources
- Gunnison Valley Middle School connects with teachers to follow-up with missing students
- Hunter Jr. High School calls all 7th/8th grade students and parents to talk about resources
- Innovations High School tutors call to check on families and keep students working
- Kennedy Junior High School offers both student mentoring and parent outreach
- Manti High School created a video for using Princeton Review for online study groups
- Uintah River High School reaches out weekly to students for tutoring and advising sessions
Building a virtual college-going culture
- American Preparatory Academy held a virtual Parent University to talk about GEAR UP, college, & FAFSA
- Mount Logan Middle School shares online resources for teachers and peer tutors to pass along
- Logan High School has a GEAR UP course on CANVAS and online tutoring
- Ephraim Middle School making a parent night video in Spanish with ELS teachers with Manti HS
- North Davis Jr High School helping students with recovery credits, and AVID career and job activities
- North Sanpete High School continued their career speakers virtually and is holding scholarship classes.
- Eisenhower Jr. High School has virtual career/financial aid day with video interviews and workplace tours
- Matheson Junior High School supports students with calls, email, virtual college tours, & self-guided activities
Supporting students and planning for summer
- Clearfield High School has online math tutoring six hours a week, & credit recovery support
- Cottonwood High School offers virtual campus tours, TED talks, & resources for Spanish-speakers
- Gunnison Valley High School shares videos with study habits, along with a questionnaire via Canvas
- Kearns Jr. High School calls students to talk about their progress and is planning for summer courses
- Valley Jr. High School offers Tutor.com resources for 24/7 assistance, plus high school credit during summer
- West Lake Junior High School online summer courses to help students
- West Wendover High School has laptops to check out & prints handouts for those without internet access
The USU STARS GEAR UP program recognizes all the hard work of our site coordinators, teachers, and staff at our partner schools. This list is a small sampling of all the things that are happening in each of the schools. While we can’t know what the future holds, we know that our schools are doing all that they can to support students and families to stay connected to their education and see college as a reality in their future.