Mission
Our mission at RISE is to empower students at Hamilton School to realize their full personal and academic potential by providing them with an array of targeted and thoughtful curricular and co-curricular opportunities that support the development of a growth mindset, a positive attitude, and high achievement.
About
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The Issue
The majority of Hamilton K-8 students are not realizing their full potential.
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In 2019, 75% of Hamilton Students from low income families did not meet California Math Standards. In addition 71% of these same students did not meet California English Standards. * Test scores and academic achievement is expected to decline even further this year due to the teaching and learning constraints of COVID-19. Without a solid foundation, these students are not prepared to succeed at the high school level and beyond. *
The Cause
The reasons for underperformance are many and varied, including:
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Limited access to opportunity
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Everyday stresses experienced in predominantly low-income environments
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Vast underfunding
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Large class sizes
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A wide range of student readiness
Our Response
We believe in the potential of every student at Hamilton School.
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Opportunity to learn outside of the classroom is missing from the lives of most Hamilton students. While many Marin students have access to extracurriculars that enhance their learning and development (like sports, music, tutoring, travel, chess, coding, acting, or summer enrichment), Hamilton students have little to no program opportunities. We call this the Opportunity Gap.
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RISE is committed to addressing this Opportunity Gap by creating equitable opportunities for the students at Hamilton. RISE provides targeted and thoughtful curricular and co-curricular opportunities, to empower students to become independent learners, adopt a growth mindset and take control of their life path.
Our Approach
We believe everyone at Hamilton should have access to engaging curricular and co-curricular opportunities.
However, most opportunity in Marin County is fee based, which can be a challenge for many in our community.
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Our programs are open to all with minimal or no fees, supported by donors and grants, and operated by passionate volunteers.
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We are a working volunteer board that is on campus to ensure program excellence.
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We collaborate and communicate closely with the principal, administration, and teachers on campus.
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We believe parent engagement is vital to children reaching their full potential and work to engage families.
