GRADUATE FOR MAS CHALLENGE 2016-17 WELCOME TOOLKIT
WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE Dear Educators, We are thrilled to have you join us for the 2016-17 school year. Get Schooled has partnered with the Taco Bell Foundation to bring you the Graduate for Más Challenge, which is designed to: Motivate young people to come to school every day Keep teens focused on school, high school graduation and their educational success Model new ways of connecting with youth, and Improve education outcomes This booklet will help you understand what the Graduate for Más Challenge is, how it works, and what a school needs to do to be successful in the Challenge. Please read through the entire toolkit to learn all the details about the Challenge.If you have any questions about the Challenge, please reach out to your Graduate for Más liaison at any time. We look forward to working with you this year to create success for all your students. Marie Groark Executive Director, Get Schooled Tina Nguyen Managing Director 1
CHALLENGE OVERVIEW The Graduate for Más Challenge is a friendly competition where high schools across the country compete to earn the most points for amazing prizes and celebrations. Each school will compete for top place in their region and first place in the country. Last year, Tempe High School in Tempe, AZ was our grand prize winner every student at Tempe High School got involved in the Challenge throughout the school year. To recognize their amazing efforts, singer/songwriter Jasmine V. led an all-school assembly, a Taco Bell Taco Truck lunch for all the students, and Tempe High School received a $10,000 school grant. And they weren t the only school that experienced the excitement and impact of the Graduate for Más Challenge. Hundreds of high schools earned more than $200,000 in grants, and thousands of students earned more than $250,000 in scholarships, prizes and more, all through their efforts in the Graduate for Más Challenge. 1. 2. HOW DO WE EARN POINTS? Students Complete the Graduate for Más badge 40% of points, up to 200 points Students log back on to GraduateforMas.com to engage in our online educational tools and activities so they make progress toward their Promise. 60% of points, up to 300 points THE WINNING FORMULA? FREQUENT PARTICIPATION MORE BADGES IN THE ONLINE COMPLETED + GRADUATEFORMAS.COM = WINNING STRATEGY! ACTIVITIES DATES OF THE CHALLENGE The Graduate for Más Challenge will run throughout the 2016-17 school year, with two rounds: Round 1 October 3 - December 16 (10 weeks) Round 2 January 23 - April 7 (10 weeks) WHAT PRIZES CAN WE EARN? We have cash prizes for schools, microgrants and scholarships for students, celebrity celebrations, and much more! Learn more in the section about prizes. 2 3
DETAILS HOW POINTS ARE EARNED Schools earn points when their students engage with the educational activities and games on our website. To get started, students need to: 1) Create an account at GraduateforMas.com 2) Select their school (IMPORTANT! Make sure your students pick the right school this is how they earn points for your school) 3) Complete the Graduate for Más badge 4) Continue to log-in and participate online a few times a week to earn points for themselves and your school We have a wide variety of academic and college-readiness activities for students, so anything your students read, watch, play or use will all help your school move up our leader board. WHAT IS THE GRADUATE FOR MAS BADGE? The Graduate for Más badge consists of ten pieces of content designed to make students more familiar with the resources available on Graduate for Más. It should take students 10-15 minutes to complete the badge. The badge will include: Using the Free College Tuition Finder tool Reading Get Your Writing Life Take the quiz Attendance Shapes You Reading Can Your Grades Determine Your Future Salary? Reading Did I Pick The Right Classes? Take the quiz Which Type Of Planner Are You? Reading How Good Is Your Test Prep Timeline? Reading Homework Help 4 5
HOW POINTS ARE CALCULATED A public leader board on GraduateForMas.com tracks your school s score for all to see. You can also sign up for an Educator account at www.getschooled.com/educators to see more point details, how many students in your school are active and the content most popular at your school. We keep track every time your students complete one of our activities or badges, and all points are based on the percentage of students participating in the Challenge. When you sign up for the Challenge, make sure you share an accurate enrollment number! We also account for school size in our scoring we know it can be easier to motivate a school of 500 students than an entire school of 5,000. Our goal is to keep the playing field level for all schools. For the first time ever, educators can also earn points for their school in a challenge when they create an educator account. Any teacher in your school can sign up for an educator account. Educators can cash points in the exclusive Educator Rewards Store. STUDENT AMBASSADORS Graduate for Más Student Ambassadors are key to your school s success in the Challenge. The Student Ambassador program gives students a chance to develop leadership skills, motivate their fellow students and access exclusive experiences (they are the VIP s at any celebration event your school earns through the Challenge!). Ideally, schools will select at least five Student Ambassadors to lead the Challenge. You may select students who already hold leadership positions in the school, or tap students who you think have leadership potential but have never been given the opportunity. We will support your Ambassadors with leadership training, marketing and communications tips, and special prizes, as well as an exclusive t-shirt. 6 7
PRIZES SCHOOL PRIZES We have school-based prizes to keep your whole school engaged throughout the year. Unlock the Box Every school that gets at least 30% of their students to earn a Graduate for Más badge will receive a $500 cash gift. Staff and Student Ambassadors can determine how the money will be used. Regional Prizes The school with the most points in their assigned region at the end of each round will win a $1,000 grant from the Taco Bell Foundation. National Prizes The school with the most points nationally at the end of a round will win some amazing prizes: STUDENT PRIZES Students work hard and we want to reward their effort! Individual Prizes Every time students engage in an activity, they earn points for themselves that they can cash in for cool swag such as apparel, books, PlayStation Vitas, and much more through our Rewards Store. Microgrants Several times throughout the year, we will hold contests where students can share their ideas for spreading cheer in their school or community. Students will have an opportunity to win a microgrant to support their ideas. Round #1 (Oct. 3 Dec. 6): $5,000 grant Round #2 (Jan. 23 April 7): $10,000 grant and a celebration event with a celebrity. Previous celebrities have included Zendaya, Kendrick Lamar, Trey Songz, Becky G., Jasmine V., and Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden! 8 9
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS To promote the Challenge, we will send you materials and other items to get the word out throughout your school, including: Posters Table tents Mouse pads Teacher flyers Student Ambassador recruitment brochures Student Ambassador overview Taco Bell coupons for student incentives Countdown Graduation clocks (for new Graduate for Más schools) Graduate for Más calendar Order your materials by September 10 at: https://getschooled.com/dashboard/tool/3003-graduate-for-mas-marketing-kitorder-form. Use your Student Ambassador crew to hang up posters and distribute the flyers and brochures so you can get the word out to your entire school community. Most importantly, put up that Countdown clock! STAY CONNECTED EDUCATOR ACCOUNT + COMMUNICATIONS You can learn more about the Challenge, order school marketing materials, and get inside tips and up-to-date information on our educator site at: https://getschooled.com/graduate-for-mas-educators You can also access an administrative site where you can fully track your school s progress in detail. To access that information, you need to sign up for an Educator account at: https://getschooled.com/educators Through your Educator account, you will be able to: See how your school is earning points and how you can earn more See the type of content (videos, articles, games, etc.) most popular with your students Search for tools and activities for your student population Discover exclusive insights on teens and ways to motivate them Earn points for your school Access our exclusive Educator Rewards Store 10 1111
LOGISTICS PARTICIPATION TIPS Display your Countdown clock in a prominent place Encourage your students to log-in to GraduateForMas.com a few times a week to use the tools and play the educational games Open the computer lab early, during lunch periods, and after school to provide students with Graduate for Más time Empower your Ambassadors to rally their peers and build events that engage their classmates Create a Make the Promise inter-class Challenge where the winner gets a cool prize (pizza/bbq/ice cream party, no uniform day, prizes from the school store, etc.) Hold an alumni event where recent alumni come to school to inspire your students EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS Schools can help ensure that the Graduate for Más Challenge works for their school by doing the following: 1. Share the Challenge details with your staff and ask them to help promote the Challenge 2. Set aside 1-2 hours a week to update your students and staff on the Challenge and work with your Student Ambassadors 3. Recruit and engage five Student Ambassadors to build a peer-to-peer motivational campaign 4. Work with your administration to build the Challenge activities into your school s schedule and technology access 5. Use the Graduate for Más promotional materials hang posters, pass out flyers, etc. 6. Play, have fun and keep your eyes on the prize increasing student success at your high school! 7. Contact us if you have questions, need ideas on how to get started or just want to boast about the amazing work of your Student Ambassadors! Use your taco coupon to incentivize participation Encourage other educators in your school to join in! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THIS EFFORT. AND KEEP UP THE INSPIRATIONAL WORK! 12 13
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