1. Buford GEAR-UP KICK-OFF CELEBRATION Success starts here!

2. What is GEAR-UP? Grant awarded to Buford Middle School’s current 7 th grade class Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Purpose is to prepare students to further their education after high school Will follow them through the next 6 years until graduation in 2012

3. How did we qualify? We applied to SCHEV (The State council of Higher Education for Virginia) for the grant To qualify for application, the school must have at least 50% of their students on free or reduced lunch Only 46 schools in Virginia were chosen

4. Who does GEAR-UP benefit? All Buford Middle School 7 th graders and their families Regardless of financial status, all students will be afforded opportunities provided by the grant

5. How will families benefit? The 7 th grade cohort’s school will receive approximately $30,000 per year used to implement Tutoring programs Neighborhood academies Mentoring Parent workshops Summer programs College visits

6. How will families benefit? At school, students will be registering for a free account on the Virginia Mentor website www.virginiamentor.orgwww.virginiamentor.org The website is an online resource to help students and their families select a college, apply for admission, and plan to finance higher education

7. How will families benefit? After graduation, scholarships will be available for students These scholarships can be used for post-secondary education

8. Pledge All Buford 7 th graders and their families must sign the pledge on the following slide There are 10 basic requirements to fulfill as a GEAR-UP family Today, we will be reciting an abbreviated version of the pledge

9. GEAR UP/ACCESS Virginia Pledge I, __________________________as a GEAR UP/ACCESS Virginia student, agree to do the following Graduate from a Virginia high school and apply for admission to at least two Virginia colleges or universities. Attend school regularly. Maintain an attendance rate of 95% or better. Provide information needed for evaluating the success of GEAR UP/ACCESS Virginia. Encourage my parents/guardians to actively participate in GEAR UP/ACCESS Virginia meetings, workshops, and events. Attend at least one parent/teacher meeting per year, accompanied by at least one of my parents/guardians. Establish a student account on the Virginia Mentor website www.virginiamentor.orgwww.virginiamentor.org Enroll in College/University Prep or College Tech Prep course of study in high school. Maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 in high school. Take the PSAT no later than 10 th grade. Take a college entrance exam, the SAT or ACT, in the 11 th and 12 th grades. Student’s Signature_______________________ Current Grade___________________________ Parent’s Signature_______________________ Date:_________________________________ School District Personnel Superintendent’s Signature _______________ Principal’s Signature____________________ Coordinator's Signature_________________ Date:_______________________________

10. Pledge I _____________ as a GEAR-UP student, agree to do the following: Graduate from a Virginia high school and apply to at least two Virginia colleges Attend school regularly Maintain a GPA of at least 2.5 in high school

11. Thank You! Special thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible!