 Afterschool Programs Highlighted in White House Council on Women and Girls Report |
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Jump Start the New Year with Training Opportunities!
Start your New Year off right by having brand new techniques, materials, and curriculum at your fingertips! In January, OregonASK will offer two full days of training that support afterschool providers in offering STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming to their students.
On January 10 Master Trainer, Susan Hamann, will train on the Techbridge curriculum. This curriculum is focused on the engineering design process and on helping all kids feel comfortable in STEM, especially girls. TechBridge is appropriate for older elementary and milddle schoolers. Register for the training HERE.
On January 31, Thinkersmith's Kiki Prottsman will empower educators to teach the concepts of programming in a variety of settings. Every part of the course is a blend of online and "unplugged" activities that are integrated to provide students with an introduction to coding, along with preliminary skill development. Thinkersmith is appropriate for older elementary students and middle schoolers. Register for the training HERE.
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OregonASK Quality Team Update: A Busy Fall Training Schedule!
The training philosophy at OregonASK is to improve the the quality of afterschool programs by providing relevant training and resources. The OregonASK Quality Team's fall training season started with gusto in August and peaked in November with the annual Oregon Afterschool Conference. The Team delivered over 100 hours of training to nearly 400 afterschool providers by the end of November. Half of those training hours were related to offering STEM content in afterschool.
Another project of the Quality Team is sup  porting licensed, school-age childcare sites in the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) and encouraging staff to participate in and log their professional development and education in The Oregon Registry. The Team has been working with 40 sites in 2014 and will add 5 more in the New Year. Additionally, the Quality Team serves afterschool programs by offering observation and assessment based on Oregon's Quality Standards for Afterschool and Summer Programs. Like QRIS, this process creates opportunities for continuous improvement and recognizes a job well done. |
ADX: A Local Makerspace Offering Hands-On Youth Education
 Makerspaces are quickly becoming the new big thing, and ADX is leading the way as a successful model that is receiving international attention. Since founder Kelley Roy and her team converted a SE Portland warehouse nearly four years ago, ADX has developed into equal parts work space and incubator, where a membership-based community unites multiple creative disciplines within a 12,000 square-foot facility to innovate, support, experiment and create. As a hub for collaboration, ADX supports individuals and groups in sharing tools, knowledge and experience, operating under the deeply held philosophy that things are done better when we all work together.
ADX's educational programming is open to both members and the general public, and allows participants to take their skills to the next level. Youth programming at ADX is on the rise, with hundreds of students served in 201  4: 5th graders from Forest Park Elementary designed and built an interactive circuitry wall over a one week period in May; young adults participated in an electric bike workshop in partnership with ImpactNW; and middle schoolers learned the ins and outs of both the metal and wood shops through Saturday Academy. Committed to collaborative, cross-disciplinary, cross-generational and experiential learning, ADX is actively pursing partnerships with local non-profit agencies serving youth to expose kids to the Makerspace environment and experience.
In order to expand offerings to youth in 2015, ADX is excited to announce a collaboration with the Equity Foundation, to provide scholarships to individuals as well as grants to non-profit organizations in order to to subsidize programming costs. Scholarships and grants will be awarded quarterly, and  will be targeted to traditionally under-served populations in the Makerspace community, including girls, minorities, children from low-income families, and students who aren't successful in traditional learning environments.
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Local STEM Organizations Partner with the Portland Art Museum to Present The Mythos Challenge
 Starting this February, The Mythos Challenge will be a new opportunity for youth in Multnomah County to work with STEM Mentors to create their own interactive game, app, or digital story inspired by mythology. Participants will have the opportunity to have their work featured during the Portland Art Museum's special exhibition
Gods and Heroes: Masterpieces of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris. Winning entries will be played in the exhibition and eligible for awards totaling $5,000.
Pixel Arts, PAM, Girls Inc., ChickTech, Portland Youth Builders, Multnomah County Public Library and other STEM organizations are partnering to create workshops and mentorships for participating youth. Mentors from these organizations will offer workshops in their personal areas of expertise, including copyright, digital storytelling, game theory, and app design. Through these workshops, youth can earn interest-driven badges, in topics which they determine most relevant to their Mythos project. This will help track achievement and progress across the large, multinodal project, as well as ensure engagement with the Mythos project process as a whole.
Youth near Multnomah County will shape the Challenge's direction in the form of a Youth Council, who will establish bylaws, work with other youth and community partners, and create the museum exhibition. For information regarding The Mythos Challenge, including participation in the Youth Council, please contact Kristin Bayans, Interpretive Media Specialist for the Portland Art Museum at [email protected] For a detailed description of the Challenge, please follow
OregonASK will be following the progress of this exciting project in out upcoming newsletters. You may also find information on the Mythos Challenge on our website!
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Oregon Girls Collaborative Project Updat  e
The Oregon Girls Collaborative Project is getting ready to start the New Year with a series of forums around the state. After a well-attended Kick Off conference in September, a Collaboration forum in November and the recent Mini-Grant submissions in December, we are excited to continue the conversation around quality STEM experiences for girls. Mini-grant recipients will be announced February 18th and our first forum will be in Eugene on February 23rd. We will send out a full forum schedule in the coming weeks. For more information, check out our website. |
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Teaching Successful Science Lessons in Afterschool
January 10, 2015 9:00am-4:00pm
Cost: $89, includes lunch
Location: 9140 SW Pioneer Ct, Wilsonville
The TechBridge curriculum is designed to engage student interest in STEM, promote inquiry, and highlight real-world applications so kids can see how STEM careers make the world a better place. It can be used with girls and boys in a variety of out-of-school time settings, including afterschool programs, summer programs, and youth groups. All units are appropriate for older elementary students and middle school students. Participants will receive Set 2 professional development credit from the Oregon Registry.
Register HERE
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Coding for Middle Schoolers
January 31, 2015 9:00am-4:00pm
Cost: $89, includes lunch
Location: 9140 SW Pioneer Ct, Wilsonville
This training from ThinkerSmith will empower educators to teach the concepts of programming in a variety of settings. Every part of the course is a blend of online and "unplugged" activities that are integrated to provide students with an introduction to coding along with preliminary skill development. The workshop provides hands on training using both computers and physical manipulatives to explain computer concepts. The second phase of training allows educators to work independently through the 20 online self-paced lessons provided by code.org. Educators will be given connections to the common core, strategies for implementing the curriculum in their afterschool program, and opportunities to collaborate on best practices.
Register HERE
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Behavior Management in Afterschool
Feb 7, 2015 9:00am-4:00pm
Cost: $89, includes lunch
Location: 9140 SW Pioneer Ct, Wilsonville
In this workshop, participants will learn techniques for managing behavior in the context of afterschool. The training will include transition and time filler activities, designed to reduce waiting time, keep students busy, and reduce behavior problems. More details to come soon! Participants will receive Set 2 professional development credit from the Oregon Registry.
Register HERE
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 Oregon Farm to School Summit and School Garden Summit
Back-to-back events celebrating Oregon School Gardens!
Thursday, January 29th, 2015: Oregon Farm to School Summit A day of workshops, resource sharing, and networking focused farm to school topics including local food procurement, promotion, and farm to school education programs at the Willamette Heritage Center at Mission Mill in Salem, OR. More information HERE.
Friday, January 30th, 2015: Oregon School Garden Summit
A day of sharing and learning between school gardeners, so we can maximize the success and sustainability of all our school gardens. There will be an inspiring keynote speaker, a focus on hands-on activities, a track for beginning school gardeners, and an exciting lineup of workshops and discussion topics. More information HERE
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NCCE Conference: Aloha Instructors!
March 18-20 in Portland
NCCE is a professional learning organization for educators and hosts the largest education conference in the Northwest. Join them for their annual conference in March for keynote speakers, workshops, and an exhibition hall!
For more information, click here
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Resources & Opportunities
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Better Together: A Resource Directory for Afterschool System Builders
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) has created a helpful tool to support afterschool system building efforts. "Better Together: A Resource Directory for Afterschool System Builders," is a comprehensive directory that identifies over 50 organizations that offer resources and tools on afterschool system building. Staying on top of the ever-evolving list of national organizations and their work can be daunting, and this directory is a one-stop shop for information on the leading afterschool tools, information, and resources.
Download the Directory HERE |
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DHS Subsidies to Child Care Programs
DHS helps eligible low-income working families pay for child care. To do this, they work with providers and other child care partners across the state to help families find and keep good child care, improve the availability of quality child care in Oregon, and to develop resources for parents and child care providers. For more information about how your program can become a DHS listed provider, download the flyer here |
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Funding Opportunities
Funds projects including education-related programs in eleven Oregon counties.
Due Feb. 13, 2015
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