Philippine Scholars Handbook
Your Name: ______________
Your Coordinator: _______________________
Phone: _________________
Facebook and/or Email: _________________
Address: ____________________
Your Facilitator: __________________
Welcome to Philippine Scholars
Philippine Scholars wants to help you attend school. We want you to be successful in school, and to go as far as you wish.
You deserve this opportunity so you can realize your full potential and lead a successful and productive life.
The Basics of the Scholar Program
· What Philippine Scholars does for you
o Provides money to help your family keep you in school
o Provides help and encouragement to make you a better student
· What you must do to be a Scholar
o Work hard in school
o Faithfully attend school & Scholars meetings
o Pass all your courses
o Communicate with your Sponsor
o You & your parents must sign the Yearly Contract for Participation in Philippine Scholars
o At the end of each grading period, bring your report card to your Coordinator
· You will have your own Sponsor
o Your Sponsor wants to help you in your education
o Your Sponsor will want to continue to send money to support for you if you work hard and are dedicated to your education
o Becoming a friend of your Sponsor is very important to this program
o Your Sponsor’s ability to help may be at risk if he/she loses job, has high family expenses, moves, etc.
· You will be a member of a Group of Scholars
o Your group meets regularly with your Coordinator
o You may have an annual 2 or 3 day retreat (summer camp)
o Scholar activities can help you become a better student
Scholar Meetings
· Regular meetings are for you and your parents
· Meet fellow “Scholars" & make friends
· Join in fun activities
· Get encouragement to think positively about your education
· Meet people who can teach you about solving problems in your life and help you think things through and deal with them
· Get to know older students who can help you
· Discuss problems about your education and find answers
· Develop your abilities to communicate by sharing your beliefs and feelings with fellow Scholars
· Develop leadership skills
· Work with your Coordinator to help plan your education
· Receive financial support from your sponsor
Pillars to Success
· This is a Scholars self-help program designed to help you and your parents focus on what is needed for success
· See the Pillars to Success Handbook or go to the Philippine scholars website: www.philippinescholars.org
· You will learn more about the Pillars at your Scholar meetings.
Yearly Summer Camp
· Scholars might stay at a retreat house or camp for 2 or 3 days
· Many fun activities & some learning and thinking
· Paid by your Sponsor
Special Financial Awards for Scholars
· For high grades and good attendance
o Must show a copy of your end report card
· Essay Contest
o Requires some thought and writing on your part
· Awards for finishing high school or college
Your Duties and Obligations
1. Know the rules, policies and procedures of Philippine Scholars as described in this Handbook and presented by your site Coordinator.
2. Read and try to apply the “Five Pillars to Success” in your life.
3. Attend school regularly, pay attention in class and perform all assigned homework.
4. Bring your report cards to your Site Coordinator & share your grades with your sponsor. Money will not be given without grades.
5. Write regularly to your Sponsor by letter, e-mail or Facebook (6 times or more a year).
6. Attend all Philippine Scholar activities, if possible.
7. Use money from Scholars for school expenses only. This might include tuition, books, transportation, fees, uniforms, shoes, medicine, inoculations, projects and lunch.
8. Let your Coordinator know about your school plans and major changes in your life. Major changes in life like family emergencies must be reported immediately.
9. At the end of each school year, you need to write to your Sponsor summarizing the year, your grades, activities and accomplishments.
10. If you have emergencies or new schooling costs, do not write directly to your sponsor, but first discuss this with your Coordinator.
11. If you have trouble in school, you and your parents should report to your Coordinator and make a plan for improvement.
12. When you graduate from high school you need to write to your Sponsor with a full report of your schooling and achievements. Send a copy to the Facilitator also. Your $10 award will be withheld until you do this.
13. If you decide to drop from the Scholars program, you must write to your sponsor, giving the reasons, and thanking them for helping you. Send a copy to the Coordinator. Any final monies for you will be held until you do this. This is an honorable way to leave - your Sponsor deserves this. If you do not do this, it is possible that your Sponsor will not help another student! Please, please be helpful.
You and Your Sponsor
· You will get to know your Sponsor, the person giving the money to your family.
· Your Sponsor has been successful in school and usually has already raised his or her own kids and now has decided to help you.
· Your Sponsor may become like a Tita or Tito, helping you to do good work in school.
· Your Sponsor needs to hear from you:
o You need to write regular letters, emails or Facebook messages to your Sponsor. This is a requirement of the Scholars program.
o Your Sponsor would like to know about you, your fears, hopes and dreams.
o The leaders of Philippine Scholars believe that your letters to your Sponsor are very important. There needs to be a good, friendly relationship between you and your Sponsor.
o Writing to your Sponsor will help you practice your English. In school you are learning to read, think & write. Practice of these is important. Your Sponsor will enjoy your letters a lot.
· See the Appendix B at the end of this Handbook for an example of the kinds of things you can write about. Sharing letters with a person is good way to let you express yourself. It is different than talking: It slows you down, and lets you redo your statements. It lets you be deliberate and thoughtful.
o Your Coordinator and older Scholars can help you.
o We encourage your Sponsor to write back often, but many Sponsors are very busy and may not respond to all of your messages. They will always appreciate news from you, though.
Your Coordinator
· Your Coordinator has been chosen by the Philippine Scholars Board of Directors because he/she has experience with helping others.
· Your Coordinator has a deep interest in helping you achieve success.
· Your Coordinator will:
o Organize and lead meetings.
o Receive the pesos for you, and give it to your family once every 3 months.
o Respond to the needs of you and your family.
o Organize summer camps.
· Discuss special situations and emergencies with your Coordinator prior to contacting your Sponsor or Facilitator.
· Please work with your Coordinator.
· Your Scholar site may have additional rules and procedures.
Your Facilitator
- · The Facilitator is a member of the Board of Directors of Philippine Scholars in Minnesota, and has agreed to work with your Coordinator to manage your site.
- · All Facilitators have experience in the Philippines and knowledge about your region.
- · Your Facilitator recruits Sponsors and works closely with your Coordinator.
- · Your Facilitator works with Sponsors and reminds them to send money to the Scholars programs.
- · Your Facilitator will be visiting your site and looks forward to meeting you and your parents.
Philippine Scholars Organization
It is a non-profit, non-governmental charitable organization (NGO) registered in Minnesota USA. We have 11 sites, and help 180 students.
APPENDIX A.
Yearly Family Contract for Participation in the Philippine Scholar Program
We, the undersigned, understand that a member of our family, _____________________ has been accepted to be a Scholar in the Philippine Scholars program. We shall receive financial support for the Scholar to attend an accredited school in the Philippines. We certify that:
1) The Scholar is between ages 4 and 25;
2) The Scholar attends an accredited school;
3) Our household income is less than 11,000 pesos per month
4) No family member is related to a Sponsor.
If at some time we no longer meet these criteria, we are obligated to immediately inform our Philippine Coordinator. We agree to any additional conditions described by the Coordinator.
We understand that participation in this program requires work and attention by the entire family so that the Scholar attends school and makes good progress. There must be:
1) Minimal absences from school;
2) Hard work by the Scholar to learn, study and finish homework on time;
3) Good citizenship in the school;
4) Submission of report cards to the Coordinator within 30 days of the end of each semester;
5) Regular attendance at by the Scholar and parents at Scholar meetings, unless other arrangements have
been made with the Coordinator;
6) Regular communication of the Scholar with the Sponsor.
We understand the above requirements, and agree to meet them and agree to abide by the spirit of the Philippine Scholar program.
_____________________________ _________________________
Parent(s) Scholar and birthdate
_____________________________ _________________________
Philippine Coordinator Date
APPENDIX B.
LETTERS TO SPONSORS
Here are things you might include in you letters, emails or Facebook messages. You should discuss several topics in each letter.
Caution: Letters mailed to the U.S. often have incorrect addressing. Print in large letters on the envelope; have one line for the person's name; one line for street name, house number & apartment number; and one line for city, state and zip code. Put USA on a bottom line. Put a complete return address in the upper left corner or back side.
Your first message each school year:
Dear Sponsor, (give their names!!!!) Date:
My School is: My grade is:
My hardest subjects are:
My easiest subjects are:
My classes this year will be:
My most favorite and least favorite things about school are:
Some schooling expenses that you family pays with the Scholars money:
Ask your Sponsor to please write to you and tell you about him or herself and family:
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Additional topics for later Messages:
Dear Tita or Tito,
Personal news about yourself:
What you are studying in school and your school activities:
News about my family and community & activities:
What I hear is happening in my barangay, city, town or region (holiday activities, storms etc.):
What you hope for:
Personal greeting to Sponsor and family:
