June Newsletter: A Slice of APIE

APIE is celebrating the completion of another great school year!

It has been a fun and productive year for all our programs and we owe our volunteers a big, THANK YOU.  Your time and presence make a difference for our students.

• Math Classroom Coaching helped students improve their math skills, and boosted their academic self-confidence in math.
• Our high school students became college ready and some participated in our new Pathways to Self-Advocacy Program.
• Mentors made connections with students that will support them on their academic journey.
• Career Conversations exposed students to different STEM careers.

Keep scrolling to see what’s been going on at APIE this spring and how we honored our volunteers and school champions during Celebrate and Salute.

Quick Bites of APIE | Community Volunteers Share Their Experiences

• Lucy Badillo – “I wanted to be impactful, and to be impactful you just need someone to talk to who’s not judging.”
• Scott Byars – “It’s a great opportunity for City of Austin employees to participate within their community.”
• Principal Shannon Sellstrom – “APIE volunteers are always here with a smile and positive attitude; and what a difference they make!”
• Spikes Kangera – “I enjoy working with the kids each year and the subject matter suits me.”
• Dorcus Moore – “When I see a child open up and become empowered to learn and grow, I think that’s the best thing in the world.”

Celebrate & Salute 2017!

This year’s Celebrate & Salute events were a wonderful success – bringing together the AISD community, volunteers, and school leaders to recognize excellence throughout the district and honor those who give their time and commitment to make our schools a better place. Read more here.

Volunteer Champion| Becky Chen

Volunteer Champion Becky Chen (left) with APIE Math Coordinator Emily Arnold (right)

As a Math Classroom Coach for over a decade, Becky Chen has long been a consistent presence at APIE. Since her first days volunteering at Bedichek Middle School to her current volunteer position at Mendez, Becky has arrived at each class with a smile and a friendly attitude.

Her experience as a manager at Austin Water Utility, her love of math and her patience and flexibility make her an incredible asset to AISD students and the APIE program. In addition to her exceptional volunteer work, Becky has assisted APIE with volunteer recruitment efforts at the City of Austin. She continues to share her experience and encourage her co-workers to volunteer. We are honored to recognize Becky as APIE’s 2017 Volunteer Champion of the Year.

Donor Champion | Michael and Susan Dell Foundation

Since 2007, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation has been a generous funder, advocate, and partner to APIE. MSDF’s commitment to APIE ensures our programs will be successful and continue to impact Austin ISD students.

The MSDF team members have been engaged supporters of APIE’s work, playing a key role in maximizing resources to serve AISD students. The Foundation and staff have been instrumental in supporting the growth and development of APIE’s programs, and have provided support in the creation of APIE’s three-year strategic plan, participation in Mission Capital’s Innovation Lab, and developing a logic model for our pilot program, Career Conversations.

As a highly strategic organization, the Foundation is committed to regional collaboration among organizations that support student success in Austin, of which APIE is a direct benefactor. This is best understood by MSDF’s explanation of their approach: “We push ourselves to experience the reality of the children and families we serve, preferring to work with our partner’s shoulder to shoulder to gain the biggest impact and learn what the next big opportunity or big idea could be. We approach our work with the needs of the community in mind and work directly with our partners from idea to implementation.”

APIE in the Classroom | College Readiness Facts and Stats

Lauren, College Readiness Senior at Lanier High School

This year, APIE’s College Readiness Program served ten Austin ISD high schools and supported over 500 students. Not only did we help these students meet college readiness standards, our program also produced the following outcomes:

• 91% of our students’ motivation to learn improved.
• 97% of our students now know the steps needed to continue their education.
• 99% of our students now know the importance of entering college academically prepared.

“I am grateful this program exists. I now have a detailed plan of where I want to go in my future.” – Lauren, Lanier HS student

APIE After School | UTeach Science Olympiad

This semester, APIE launched an exciting new partnership with UTeach Outreach. This collaboration has led to APIE recruiting, training and managing 12 STEM professionals in three after-school science clubs.

UTeach Outreach is a course at the University of Texas where UT students run STEM-focused after-school clubs and camps. The 7^th-8^th grade clubs met weekly for 7 weeks at Burnet, Covington and Fulmore Middle schools.  Volunteers guided students in lessons about experimental design, forensic science, and food science/nutrition. Students and volunteers enjoyed the active, hands-on UTeach lessons.

On May 15^th, the program culminated in a mini-Science Olympiad held at the University of Texas, where the 7^th-8^th grade team from Covington Middle School won top honors! After a successful 1^st semester, APIE is looking forward to continuing and expanding this partnership with UTeach in 2017-2018.

Spring Day of Caring with Sprint

This Spring Day of Caring, APIE spent the day with a wonderful group of volunteers from Sprint.  “Thank you for cutting out materials and decorations for teachers at Brooke Elementary!” – The APIE Team

Philanthropitch 2017