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The Extra Point
Monthly News and Notes from Play It Smart
September 2008
Volume II | Issue I |
Academic Coach LeKisha Barnaby (left) and the Central HS (Capitol Heights, MD) student-athletes at the Washington Redskins Training Camp |
Number 11 and Counting...
Welcome to the 2008-2009 academic year as a Play It Smart member school. This e-newsletter, The Extra Point, is an opportunity for us to communicate with our member schools on a monthly basis. In The Extra Point you will find articles that will help you stay connected with the National Office. You will find articles that allow you to connect with other member schools and hear from Academic Coaches and school administrators. You will finds tools and resources that will help you develop professionally. There will be several articles to recognize your schools and the student-athletes you serve.
In this our 11th year, we have more tools available to you to assist your student-athletes in reaching their goals. We are always looking to find ways to provide our members school with more resources.
We look forward to a great and successful year. Remember we are here for you, so please call us if you need us. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Len | |
Mark Your Calendar:
September 9th
October 4th SAT
Registration Deadline
September 15th
School Contact Information
(enter on Orbit)
September 19th
October 25th ACT
Registration Deadline
Play It Smart
Studen-Athlete of the Month Submissions
September 22nd
Rosters Due
(enter on Orbit)
November 1st SAT
Registration Deadline
September 30th
PACE Submissions
(submit to National Office)
Student Personal Data Sheets
(submit to National Office) |
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(l to r) Len Stachitas, Executive Director Play It Smart; Monica Kim, Academic Coach-Long Beach Poly HS; Charles Gomes, COO Play It Smart | |
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Remember if you don't tell us, we don't know. So keep us in the loop of your events and the happenings at your campus. Do this by communicating and submitting information to your Program Officer. |
Play It Smart Student-Athlete of the Month Program Bernard Ford, Jr. Play It Smart Program Officer
You better Recognize!!!
That's right, RECOGNIZE, your student-athletes for their efforts on the field, in the classroom, and in service to others through the Play It Smart student-athlete of the month program. These student-athletes do not have to be the star players or the star studens, but the students who exemplify Play It Smart in their actions on and off the field.
Your school's student-athlete of the month will receive a certificate of achievement from the Play It Smart National Office and will be considered for the Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month Award. Each Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month will receive a certificate honoring his/her achievements and a plaque to commemorate his/her selection as the Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month.
In additional to the plaque and certificate each Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month will have the opportunity to attend the Play It Smart annual conference and will receive a national press release highlighting his/her accomplishments.
Please submit your school's selection for the Play It Smart Student-Athlete of the Month by the third Friday of each month. The September submission date is September 19th. Be sure to include a photo of your student-athlete (preferably an action shot). The selection committee will then use your school's student-athlete of the month to select the National Play It Smart student-athlete of month.
Will Coley, March 2008 Student-Athlete of the Month, West HS | |
The Play It Smart Scoreboard
Kydani Dover, Play It Smart Program Officer
The Play It Smart Scoreboard will highlight Play It Smart school match-ups throughout the school year. The match-ups will include face-offs between two Play It Smart schools, annual holiday games, division/sectional championship games, state championship games, regular season championship rematches and more. Schools will be asked to submit their game schedules in advance and designate their scoreboard games. We will then get game scores and highlights throughout the season from you and showcase them through our Play It Smart Scoreboard feature in The Extra Point e-newsletter. So send in your game schedules and be sure to mark your Scoreboard worthy games. And remember if you're going to play....PLAY IT SMART! |
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Troy HS (Troy, NY) student-athletes during a team outing. | |
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Alumni Report
Bernard Ford, Jr. Play It Smart Program Officer
This year over 290 Play It Smart alumni will be taking the field for college football programs around the country. Each week during the college football season Play It Smart will track the on-the-field performance of these alumni in the weekly "Alumni Report".
Play It Smart alumni are represented on over 115 different college football teams across the country (including more than 80 Football Bowl Subdivision teams). With all of these teams and student-athletes represented, Play It Smart will need your assistance in tracking your former student-athletes playing at every letter of collegiate football (FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA, JUCO, etc.). Send us the stat line for your former student-athletes the Monday morning following their contest and we will be sure to feature it in the weekly Alumni Report.
South Florida Kicker, Delbert Alvarado alumnus of Robinson HS (Tampa, FL) |
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I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.
-Frank Lloyd Wright | |
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Grant Disbursement
Charles Gomes, Play It Smart Chief Operating Officer
Play It Smart provides all member schools access to a $1,000 grant known as the Goal Achievement Fund. The fund is designed for reasonable rewards, incentives for participants, and to help support program initiatives. Requests for the fund must be tied directly to the 6 major Play It Smart Measures of Success: (1) Improved grade point average, (2) Increased numbers of students taking the SAT/ACT and improved scores on these tests, (3) Increased graduation rate and opportunities for higher education, (4) Life skills development, (5) Increased opportunities for community service, and (6) Increased parental involvement. Please contact your Program Officer if you have questions regarding the fund.
Additionally, some new schools are also awarded Play It Smart Initiation Grants to assist in the development of their program. These grants are awarded based on several criteria. The schools that are awarded these grants will receive the grant in three (3) disbursements: the first being on or about September 15th, the second being on or about December 15th, and the third and final disbursement on or about April 15th. The grant will go to the school's designated grant administrator who will be charged with receiving and disbursing the funds. Please contact your Program Officer for additional details.
For schools to receive the first disbursement of their respective grant and/or access the Goal Achievement Fund, schools must ensure that a signed Program Agreement Letter has been submitted to the National Office, the contact information and work schedule for the school's Academic Coach has been entered into the Orbit database system, and that rosters for the Fall Sports have been entered on the Orbit System.
Remember if you have any questions regarding the disbursement process for the program initiation grant or the Goal Achievement Fund, please contact your Program Officer and they will be more than happy to assist you. |
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2008 Annual Conference Recap:
Ongoing Benefits to Member Schools
Jeff McCann, Director of Training and Curriculum Development
New partnerships with established organizations will give Academic Coaches access to NCAA initial eligibility tracking technology through Prep48; a pilot program for SAT/ACT test preparation supported by Total Recall Learning and athlife; and discounted membership to the nation's largest network of Academic Athletic Advisors through the N4A.
Click here to read about the opportunities.
Prep 48, a web-based solution, allows students, parents, coaches and guidance counselors to simply and accurately track a student-athletes' academic progress toward qualifying for NCAA initial-eligibility.
Total Recall Learning and athlife have created a program that utilizes a set of algorithms and learning theories to help student-athletes study more efficiently, gain long-term retention of materials, and achieve better results in the classroom while providing metrics for administrators to monitor each student's progress.
The National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A), the national organization of academic support and student services personnel, has agreed to offer discounted membership to the Play It Smart academic coaches.
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Hue Nguyen, Database Coordinator
I hope everyone is doing well and ready to begin a new school year. I know that the beginning of the school year is the most hectic because so many pieces of information are due from Play It Smart and your own school. It is always best to try to get all of the paperwork stuff out of the way first before you start with the "fun" stuff such as working with student-athletes and planning for the upcoming school year. I want to use this monthly e-newsletter as another source to remind everyone about ORBIT due dates and to answer some frequently asked questions.
Due in September:
9/15 Enter in all School Information and Contact Information
9/19 Student Athlete of the Month nomination
9/22 Enter in all rosters (Fall sports)
9/30 PACE Form
9/30 Student Personal Data Sheets
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is ORBIT case sensitive?
No.
Why do I have to enter in my roster before sending in Student Personal Data Sheets?
In order for me to enter in the student-athletes' personal information, their names must appear in the roster first. Entering their names in the roster creates a link for me to enter in their personal information, without the link I can't enter any information for thestudent-athletes.
Don't see a question you need answered?
E-mail me at hnguyen@footballfoundation.com |
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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.
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If you're going to play...Play It Smart
Sincerely,
Play It Smart Staff
1-800-486-1865 |
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The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc. | 433 E. Las Colinas Blvd. | Suite 1130 | Irving | TX | 75039
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