“For me, education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better.” - Carter G. Woodson

February is traditionally designated for the celebration of African American history. At U Prep Schools we celebrate African American history and Black Excellence, every day. Although throughout our network, this month students will highlight the accomplishments of prominent leaders in the black community, and engage in school-wide celebrations, our teaching staff will also lead our scholars in discussions that allow them to realize their own prominence and excellence. As it is our custom at U Prep, through cultural responsiveness we engage, motivate, support and expand the intellectual capacity of our students. It is through this lens that we cultivate the leader within for every child. Join us in celebrating Black History and Excellence, every day!

Earlier this month, you received a letter outlining our plans for returning to voluntary in-person learning. As mentioned, we are embarking on a three-phased plan to ensure our buildings and the crew is ready, so the voluntary and limited transition back into the classroom is a comfortable and positive experience for our scholars and their families in mid-April. Please look for the details regarding your school's reopening to come from your School Director in March. Should you have any questions in the interim, please reach out to your school’s leadership, directly. Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we navigate this slow but steady transition.

We are also happy to announce the launch of Open Enrollment - the time of year when your family and friends have the opportunity to join our crew! Below you will find dates for upcoming Virtual Open Houses at each of our districts, and instructions on how your community of loved ones can apply for the 2021-22 school year. We look forward to welcoming them to the U Prep Crew!

Yours in Community,

Our scholars are online more than ever due to virtual learning. To ensure their safety in the digital space, we have exciting technology enhancements currently in place at U Prep. We are excited to announce the addition of the Blocksi Manager Education Everywhere system to our digital tools. This software program allows parents, school administrators, and teachers to monitor their students' activities, which helps prevent cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and online predators.

Blocksi Manager Education Everywhere also provides an AI-powered tool, called Student Safety, that allows school administrators, principals, and parents to detect harmful behavior on any student’s Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, or YouTube accounts.

This technology is currently active for the entire U Prep Network. Teachers and parents can immediately access the Student Safety or Content filtering functions for student accounts. This program helps us provide security, protection, and support to our scholars while they operate on virtual platforms.

University Prep Schools is pleased to announce a partnership with the Africa-America Institute (AAI) in a project aimed at transforming the student educational experience.

This partnership will allow our scholars to take part in increased academic rigor, while professional development will be offered to teachers and leaders.

Click below to learn more about this partnership and its benefits.

"University Prep Schools provides a culturally responsive educational experience for scholars that builds academic competence, habits of work and scholarship, and self-actualization, empowering them to accomplish their post-secondary plans, as well as becoming socially and civically engaged as change agents for themselves and their community."

At U Prep Schools, Cultural Responsiveness is not a practice; it informs our practice and allows us to make better choices for eliciting, engaging, motivating, supporting, and expanding all students' intellectual capacity. Culturally Responsive methods and practices examine instructional philosophy and practice critically, both acknowledging and searching for the presence of historical forms of oppression embedded in curriculum, instruction, policy, and approaches to teacher-student relationships.

Through the execution of Restorative Practices, students are provided a safe space to resolve conflict. They are equipped with techniques and best practices to ensure that all person-to-person interactions are respectful and productive, contributing to the development of school culture.

Our executive leadership, school leaders, and teaching staff network-wide are invested in this work. The implementation of curriculum enhancements, teacher development, and ongoing staff training will ensure that we prioritize creating a more culturally responsive and improved educational experience for every U Prep scholar.

Do you have friends or family who are in search of a school community to call home? We would love to welcome them as part of the U Prep family.

Open Enrollment is currently available. Please invite them to visit our website under “admissions” to obtain information about our upcoming Virtual Open House dates or submit an enrollment application. For more information, email admissions@uprepschools.com.

Thursday, February 25

Friday, February 26

Wednesday, March 3

Wednesday, March 3

Tuesday, March 16

Thursday, March 18

Tuesday, March 23

Thursday, March 25

Tuesday, March 30

Many events and projects are happening at U Prep in celebration of Black History Month. Each school will be uniquely celebrating Black Excellence.

These activities are meant to help scholars learn about the historical figures and change-makers that came before them, encouraging our scholars to view themselves through the lens of Black historical achievement and Black community accomplishments.

U Prep is always proud to highlight the positive impact that our alumni make in the community.

Two alum have recently been given a prestigious honor by the Skillman Foundation, making this year's 20 Black Detroiters Making History list.

Congratulations to Jeremiah Steen and Jalyn Baity! They work diligently and are dedicated mentors to youth in the City of Detroit.

Click below to see the full list of Detroit honorees.

Start the new year with a new style! Did you know you can customize your U Prep merch in different styles and colors? There are several options for all three of the U Prep networks, in hoodies, jackets, and tees.

DEAL ALERT: U Prep Merch is 20% off your order of $85+ with the PROMO CODE: FEB21. Valid through the end of February.