More than 250 adults from 15 cities attended the sixth annual Diplomas Now Summer Institute in Baltimore and heard how the kids’ film “The Lego Movie” actually also applied to their work of keeping kids on track to high school graduation: “We are a community of master builders. Everything is cool when you are part of a team! We all have the power to be ‘the special’ to our students if we believe in them and in ourselves.” “Diplomas Now is about relationships – relationships we build with students and one another,” said Diplomas Now Director Doug Elmer, sporting an orange safety vest like the one worn by an ordinary Lego construction worker in the movie. “You have to believe in yourselves and believe in your kids and take that to unlock the potential of your kids.” To kick off the two-day institute, Elmer celebrated Diplomas Now middle schools that met all their goals to keep students on track or get back on track in terms of attendance, behavior and course performance.
– Broadmoor Middle School (East Baton Rouge) – Allapattah Middle School (Miami) – Drew Middle School (Miami) – Edison Middle School (Miami) – Rhodes Middle School (San Antonio) – Clinton Middle School (Tulsa) He also acknowledged some spectacular accomplishments by Diplomas Now high schools: Elmer also recognized new support for Diplomas Now from major national funders, including AT&T, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Carnegie Corporation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the PepsiCo Foundation and the Schusterman Family Foundation. He also pointed to significant local support from: GlaxoSmithKline (Philadelphia), the George Kaiser Family Foundation (Tulsa), Hermann Miller Chairs (Chicago), the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Paul Allen Foundation in Seattle. Photo Credit: Will Kirk – Homewood Photography Attendees from the 13 Diplomas Now cities and the guest cities of Austin and Buffalo spent two days attending sessions focused on the core principle of providing the “Right Interventions for the Right Students, at the Right Time.”
City teams had time for individual planning but they also attended sessions, such as “Improving Behavior: Restorative Practices in Diplomas Now Schools,” “Take Time to Celebrate” and “Getting the Most out of Your Early Warning Indicator Meetings.” “I am here really as a lifelong learner seeking to sharpen my skills, hear ideas from colleagues across the country and recognize those who have done exceptional work,” said Ernesto Martinez, field manager in Columbus. “I’m passionate about what we do. It’s great to see us starting Diplomas Now from the ground up, and now we’re seeing the fruits of our labor coming to fruition.” Robert Balfanz, director of Talent Development Secondary at Johns Hopkins University, spoke to attendees about the historic national graduation rate of 80 percent. He noted that the increase has been driven by awareness, accountability, secondary school reform and enhanced student supports, such as those provided by Diplomas Now. Diplomas Now, he said, can play an important role in helping the nation reach its goal of a 90-percent graduation rate by 2020.
While Diplomas Now has achieved terrific success with curbing chronic absenteeism over the past two years, a new focus on improving course performance is needed, Balfanz said. He challenged attendees to pool their insights, knowledge and experiences to understand what school structures, strategies and adult efforts can create the conditions needed to develop productive persistence, hope, engagement and well-being among adolescents in high-poverty environments and how this can be translated into better grades. Balfanz announced a design challenge for middle and high schools. The middle school teams will develop plans to help students transition from 8th to 9th grade. Each team that submits a plan will be given $1,000 to continue work on the proposal, with one middle school receiving a $3,000 prize. High school teams will have several possible goals, but each will focus on helping students move from 12th grade to college or technical education. Likewise, each team that submits a high school plan will receive $1,000, and the winning team will receive $3,000.
Collaborating to creatively solve challenges is a daily part of life for Diplomas Now teams across the country. Carla Fleming, Communities In Schools site coordinator at Clinton Middle School in Tulsa, often seeks guidance from other Diplomas Now team members to address challenges. She has noticed improvements, especially in attendance, at her school over the past year. For example, Fleming noticed that a student, who lacked social skills and connections, had more than 10 absences his first semester. When she placed him in groups and encouraged interactions, he was able to form relationships with other students. Remarkably, he only missed one day of school for the entire second half of the year. In the end, a big part of Diplomas Now’s success, she said, is that students “know there is someone at school who wants to know how they’re doing and cares about them.”Family fun with 2 rides, 10 LEGO build & play zones, a 4D cinema & much more! How to get here We're open every day
Save up to 25% on tickets 12 family attractions & activities4D cinema, Kingdom Quest laser ride, Merlin’s Apprentice, LEGO City Play Zone... and more! Discover the city in miniatureSee Boston's top attractions made from LEGO in our MINILAND® Birthday parties & group dealsLEGO themed birthday parties here in Boston! Get LEGO® building tipsLearn building tips from our Master Model Builder Workshops. School tripsOne-of-a-kind school trips to support the National Curriculum. Sign up for Offers Enter your email and we'll send you the latest news and offers!The festive season is certainly over, but Katie Price still dressed like it was Yuletide on Sunday.The glamour model wore a bobble hat with a white outfit as she and her family hit the red carpet for the LEGO Movie UK premiere at Vue West End in London.But it wasn't just Christmas fashion Katie displayed at the Leicester Square event, but also some Christmas spirit as she wore a bright smile while posing with her children and husband.
Yuletide fashion: Katie Price doesn't seem to want to let go of Christmas judging by her festive outfit at the LEGO Movie UK premiere Family time: the glamour model brought her three children Junior Harvey and Princess Tiaamii to the red carpet event Junior, eight, and Princess Tiaamii, six, were there with their mother, with Princess opting for a tutu and bow, while Katie's eldest son Harvey, 11, had a on a padded khaki green gilet, with burgundy trousers and cream Ugg boots. Kieran Hayler, Price's third husband, was on hand too, but it seems their five-month old son Jett was with a babysitter so they could all enjoy the 3D animation together.Also in attendance was glamour Nicola McLean and her youngest son Striker, who she happily carried in her arms as they walked down the red carpet at the Leicester Square cinema. Like mother like daughter: Princess had also opted for a white and silver colour theme but with the addition of a pink bow and tutu One missing: Katie's husband Kieran Hayler was also there but their son Jett seemed to be at home with a babysitter
Third times a charm: Katie married Kieran following her divorce from Alex Reid, and before that Peter AndreThe blonde model looked pretty in a cropped blazer, vest top, grey skinny jeans and nude heels for the though she had a quick chat with some of the performers, including a woman wearing a vibrant dress with colourful LEGO pieces attached and hanging from the red fabric. presenter Kate Garraway was also in attendance, and got accosted by a LEGO characters Emmet and Wyldstyle, who in the film are voiced by Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks. Yummy mummy: Nicola McLean took her youngest son Striker to the £D animated event Trim: Former WAG Lizzie Cundy went for a wintry look in leather mini and fur (left), while Kate Garraway opted for jazzy green trousers Well presented: Ex Blue Peter host Katy Hill and her husband, the former Live And Kicking presenter Trey Farley brought their two children Kaya Skye and Akira Rare appearance: Justin lee Collins took two young family members to the red carpet premiere at Vue West End
Collins made a rare public appearance with two young family members, over a year after he was convicted of harassing former girlfriend Anna Larke in a seven-month abuse campaign, for which he was sentenced to 140 hours community service.Ex Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill attended with her husband, former Live And Kicking host Trey Farley and their two children Kaya Skye and Akira.Certainly Katy would be up against Princess Tiaami in the 'who wore the tutu skirt best?' competition.Nicola chatted to a LEGO lady inside the venueKate chatted to LEGO characters Emmet and Wyldstyle, who in the film are voiced by Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks The celebrities had turned out to watch the animated story that follows one ordinary LEGO minifigure, who is mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, and so is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.Hollywood stars from the big to the small screen have leant their voices to the 3D movie, including Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Will Forte, Will Ferrell, Dave Franco, Jonah Hill, and Morgan Freeman.The new 3D computer animated film will be released across the UK from the 14th February 2014