Our mission is "To help student-athletes take responsibility for their futures through lessons learned on the playing field, in the classroom, and in service to others."

Happy Halloween! Please enjoy this issue of The Extra Point. We have introduced a couple of new sections to this issue, "And the Game Ball Goes To..." and "Sideline Chatter".

Thank you and good luck the rest of the year.

Len Stachitas

Executive Director, Play It Smart

Vice President, National Football Foundation

Student Athlete of the Month

Each month Play It Smart schools recognize a student-athlete of the month. This student-athlete of the month is an individual who has achieved on and off the playing field.

Click here to see the Student-Athletes for the Month of October. Don't see your school represented? Make sure you honor a student-athlete for the month of November. Submissions are due by the third Friday of every month.

From the student-athlete of the month pool, Play It Smart will elect one student-athlete as the Play It Smart National Co-Captain. The Co-Captain best personifies excellence in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.

For excellence in the classroom, on the field, and in service to others.

JERRI BROWN
Play It Smart
National Co-Captain

Click here to read about Jerri

Important Reporting Guideline Note
Len Stachitas
Executive Director

Dear Administrators, Head Coaches and Academic Coaches:

The Play It Smart program is only as successful as the schools who participate in it. As you all are well aware, an important part of Play It Smart's ability for growth and support is directly linked to each program's ability to adhere to our reporting guidelines.

Each member school for Play It smart is evaluated on timely tangible reporting requirements such as:

entering roster information (all players on the active roster),
submitting personal data sheets,
school academic information,
completing the PACE strategic planning tool
completing the Mid-Year report
completing the End-of-Year report

Complying with these guidelines is important for each school to continue to maintain their Play It Smart membership status. This notice is to remind each school to check with their staff on progress toward meeting all of Play It Smart's reporting deadlines.

If you have any questions about the status of your school's compliance with Play It Smart guidelines, please contact your National Football Foundation Fellow/Program Officer: Kydani Dover, Bernard Ford, or Tamesha Hilliard.

Thank You!

What's The Deal With Orbit
Hue Nguyen
Database Coordinator

Can you believe it?

Wow, it is already the end of October. Time sure does fly by when you are having fun. Before everyone gets caught up with football playoffs and Halloween parties, don't forget to enter your team's data and mail in all necessary forms.

The information we receive from you helps us with securing funds for the Play It Smart program. Statistics, such as 95% of Play It Smart student-athletes graduate from high school, come from the information you give to us.

Please make sure the following are completed before you go trick or treating:

enter in school information (minimally) (ASAP)
- Principal Complete Contact Info
- Athletic Director Complete Contact Info
- Head Coach Complete Contact Info
- Grant Administrator Complete Contact Info
enter in roster (October 31st)
enter in any completed community service hours
turn in PACE (ASAP)
turn in Student Personal Data Sheets (ASAP)
turn in School Academic Data Sheets (October 31st)

Click here to visit Orbit to complete your data.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

And the Game Ball goes to....

Each month "The Extra Point" will award "Game Balls" to schools and students who exemplify responsibility by serving their community.

A Game Ball goes to Henry W. Grady HS for their participation Buckingham Students Read

in the AIDS Walk Atlanta 2007. (photo right)

A Game Ball goes to Ben Davis HS for their work with children who were graduates of the neonatal intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital.

Here is what someone had to say about the student-athletes at Ben Davis

"I am the grandfather of a child who participated in the Methodist Hospital NICU reunion this past Sunday, and I was extremely impressed with the participation of your student athletes in the days activities. They were kind and helpful, well mannered, and it was easy to tell that they enjoyed helping the kids have a fun and exciting day. Please extend our thanks to the young men who participated in the reunion. I applaud whoever made the decision to engage your players in the community in this way. No matter the outcome of their games, your young men are already winners in our book. And they're pretty darn good dancers too!"

A Game Ball goes to Topeka HS. Student-athletes are going to read to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders at State Street Elementary School. For 8 weeks Topeka HS student-athletes will participate in reading type of activities in hopes of enhancing the teacher's efforts to build better readers. One of the teachers, Ms. Alexander says that the children look forward to the players coming to their classrooms and are disappointed if the players have schedules that conflict with theirs.

Another group of football players will begin reading at another elementary school second semester

KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK!!!

A Helping Hand

Mitchell Pinta
UW Athletic Communications
Reprinted with permission of the National W Club, University of Wisconsin

How Play It Smart helped Wisconsin's Jonathan Casillas

Wisconsin outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas was a highly-touted recruit that came to the Badgers from New Brunswick, N.J. As a senior in high school, Casillas Buckingham Students Read earned first-team all-state honors in football along with being a standout basketball and track star.

Click Here to Read Full Story

FAFSA

I'm sure that most of your seniors are beginning to complete their college FAFSA money

applications. Although this is very important , what may be more important is making sure that they have completed (correctly completed) a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Failure to complete or completing the application incorrectly could delay your student-athlete from receiving any form of financial aid. What could be even worse, it could delay entry into college for your student-athlete.

The U.S. Education Department will start accepting applications on Jan. 1, 2008. Nevertheless, it is important that you become familiar with the application process. Go to FAFSA.ed.gov to view an application

Your students will need their parent's tax return to begin the application process. It is also encouraged that your students register for a PIN, which allows your students and their parents to electronically sign the FAFSA, which can speed up the application process and can be used to renew the FAFSA each year. You can register for a PIN at anytime, the earlier the better. Click here to register for a PIN.

Have your students register for a PIN ASAP, and complete the FAFSA early so that they will have the opportunity to correct any mistakes on the application. Remember free money doesn't last long!!

Sideline Chatter....

What's all the chatter about? Sideline Chatter is an opportunity for Academic Coaches and school officials to share there expertise with others.

This month's guest columnists share with us ways to make the transition from high school to college a smooth one, the meaning of commitment, and how to work with a very large team.

We hope that the Chatter is useful to you in your school. If you have something that you like to share please let us know, we would love to hear what you have to say.

Thank you to our guest columnists Mike Morris, Margaret McCain, and Leslie Kelly.

Time Waits For No One...

mmorris@nscinnovations.com

Over the past few weeks I have been receiving phone calls from athletes that have moved on to the college ranks and have found themselves in an academic battle that they have not had to ever face in school.

Click here to Read Full Story.

Commitment...

Margaret McCain
Academic Coach
Riley HS
South Bend, IN

mmccain@sbcsc.k12.in.us

Commitment is a life skill that is essential for productive community service endeavors. Since community service demands commitments that are steady, solid and unwavering, one must perform them with inspirational efforts that are reliable and efficient. Commitment is a promise or pledge to a cause; designated action adopted to improve or negate a cause or social concern.

Click here to Read Full Story.

Strategies for Managing Large Study Tables: Meeting a Senior Needs'...

leslie.kelly@wayne.k12.in.us