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Oregon is Joining the Battle of SPHERES
OregonASK is excited to coordinate the Zero Robotics Middle School Competition in Oregon this summer. Alongside teams from across the country, six teams from Oregon are participating in the competition. Students on participating teams will gain hands-on experience programming Synchronized, Position, Held, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) - bowling-ball sized spherical satellites used inside the International Space Station. The competition starts online, where teams program the SPHERES to solve an annual challenge. After several phases of virtual competition in a simulation environment that mimics the real SPHERES, finalists are selected to compete in a live tournament aboard the International Space Station where an astronaut will use the winning computer code to conduct the championship competition in microgravity with a live broadcast to students!
The competition kicks off next week, so stay tuned for updates throughout the summer! OregonASK is excited to support each of the Oregon teams, and can't wait to see what they do. For more information on Zero Robotics, visit http://zerorobotics.mit.edu/
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Summer Learning is Underway!
The fourth year of SL3: Summer Libraries, Summer Lunch, Summer Learning is underway! For the past three summers, OregonASK has facilitated the SL3 program in schools across the state in order to combat summer learning loss. Throughout the summer, students typically lose two months of math skills, and low-income students lose an additional two months in reading achievement.
On June 19th, First Lady Michelle Obama helped kick off summer with these encouraging words of support for National Summer Learning Day.
Summer learning loss is so prevalent, in fact, that unequal access to summer learning opportunities accounts for two-thirds of the achievement gap between low and middle income students. By offering access to books, learning activities, and summer meals, SL3 works to reduce summer learning loss in low-income neighborhoods throughout the summer.
With 30 SL3 programs up and running around Oregon, we invite you to join us in adding your own programs to the national Summer Learning Map , take the pledge to help stop summer learning loss, and use this letter template or these resources to let your legislators know what an important opportunity summer learning plays in the lives of youth and families in your community.
New this summer, OregonASK is also partnering with OMSI to offer GSK Science in the Summer classes, made possible with support from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).Classes will be offered Monday through Thursday, for five weeks, each week in a different location around the state. One of OMSI's professional science educators will lead classes for 2nd through 6th graders at: Oak Heights Elementary in Sweet Home, Nellie Muir Elementary in Woodburn, Four Corners and Highland Elementaries in Salem, and Oak Grove Elementary in Clackamas. OMSI will supplement the GSK Science in the Summer curriculum with hands-on activities from OMSI's existing chemistry classes, including Cowabunga Chemistry, Crime Lab, Investigation Chemistry, and Kiddie Chemistry.
Check out pictures from the first week of GSK Science in the Summer, June 22-25 at Highland Elementary in Salem and this infographic on Summer Learning Loss. For more information on SL3, please contact Kelsey Painter. OregonASK is looking forward to a great summer of learning!
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Training for Afterschool Literacy Education
Thanks to funding and support from the Office of Child Care, the OregonASK team revised, re-wrote and redesigned the AfterWords training content (re-branding it TALE: Training for Afterschool Literacy Education) to include updated resources,  alignment to the Common Core State Standards, new activities for engaging training participants, and new activities to implement in afterschool programs. OregonASK worked in tandem with the Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education to ensure the training met the standards for Set 1 Standardized Training and Oregon Registry Training of Trainers, while putting on the event for 19 trainers from all over Oregon. The trainers who participated received a Trainer Manual, a Participant Manual (with access to electronic versions), and 10 children's books to use in their trainings with providers in their respective areas. The 7 modules covered in this training give afterschool providers the tools they need to support and promote literacy for the students in their programs. Modules can be presented independently or as a series. CLICK HERE to see how the topics are broken down. |
Thank you to our Digital Badge Pilots!
Many thanks to all of our wonderful partners who took part in Open Badges Work Group over the last year! We were thrilled to wrap up our first set of pilots this summer as we prepare for the next phase. Take a look at this newly released Badges in Afterschool report for a comprehensive look at how digital badging is being used in the world of afterschool. And don't forget to visit Badgr online to learn more about digital badges and how you could start issuing your own today!
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Resources & Opportunities
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CryptoClub Coming to Oregon
OregonASK Master Trainer, Susan Hamann, recently returned from Chicago where she learned about some great middle school math curriculum designed for out-of-school time by math professors at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Susan will be developing training for middle school providers to teach cryptography, and the math concepts behind it, to students in their programs.
CryptoClub Description
A CryptoClub program uses games, treasure hunts, and other informal activities to engage students in cryptography and mathematics. It applies topics from middle school math standards such as decimals, percents, common factors, negative numbers, and pattern recognition. Participants will explore and practice the curriculum for grades 6-8.
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Supporting STEM in Afterschool
The National Research Council recently released this report on Identifying and Supporting Productive STEM Programs in Out-of-School Settings. This report gives guidance on designing and implementing quality STEM programming designed specifically for expanded learning opportunities. You will find a short analysis on the way youth learn, followed by the criteria for identifying as well as evaluating STEM programs. The report ends with recommendations for action to help create more productive STEM experiences for youth.
Check out the report and spread the word to help build and grow effective STEM programming in Oregon.
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Win a $1,000 prize for your STEM Afterschool and Summer Program!
OregonASK is pleased to announce that the Noyce Foundation, with support from the C.S. Mott Foundation, has launched the STEM Uncovered: 2015 Video Competition challenging young people and their after school programs to creatively tell their stories about how STEM learning continues to keep them engaged and inspires their future career plans. Submit your summer program videos by August 1st and see our full announcement HERE
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Northwest Council for Computer Education: Free Summer Workshop in July
To register and for more information, please go to NCCE.
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Funding Opportunities
The mission of the Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. The Foundation's Community Grants Program supports projects that address one of the Foundation's four primary funding priorities: Nurture Children and Strengthen Families, Enhance Educational Opportunities, Increase Cultural Opportunities, and Preserve and Improve Oregon's Livability through Citizen Involvement. Grants, which generally average $20,000 to $22,000, are typically provided to small and moderate-sized nonprofit organizations.
Due July 31, 2015
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