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In This Edition:
Making LOA an Election Issue
New!
Expanded Learning Toolkit
Grant Opportunities |
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American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen
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Tune into your local public TV station on September 22, 2012 for the airing of a critically important program, American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen.
American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen is a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities identify and implement solutions to address the high school dropout crisis.
Working with Alma and Colin Powell's America's Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises and Johns Hopkins Everyone Graduates Center, the initiative puts a face
on the numbers of more than 1 million young people who fail to graduate each year.
American Graduate is an empowering teachers, parents, and students to help youth most at risk of dropping out through community collaboration and classroom resources
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Second Annual Kansas Anti-Bullying Awareness Week | | |
The State Board of Education encourages schools to actively address bully prevention and designate the first week in October as Anti-Bullying Awareness week. KSBE encourages school districts and programs to develop a daily theme with one day devoted to wearing Blue signifying a Safe Schools theme. |
| Lights On Afterschool Toolkit |  |
On October 18, 2012, nearly 1 million people will gather across the country to rally support for afterschool. With only 3 weeks away, there is still time to plan a successful Lights On Afterschool event. Download the planning guide Lights On Afterschool Toolkit |
| Children in the Southwest | |
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First Focus has begun releasing papers from Big Ideas: Children in the Southwest. The Southwest is home to more than one-fourth of America's children. This unique set of publications brings some of America's most innovative thinkers together to examine the distinct needs of children in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah, and offer game-changing ideas to meet those needs. The complete report will be released in the fall. To learn more about Big Ideas and sign up to receive each paper as it is released. The complete book will be forthcoming in a downloadable format.
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Nebraska Loves Public Schools
Watch, Nebraska Loves Public Schools , a compelling video
that showcases
Morton Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. It takes a look at a multi-layered treatment of a successful afterschool program and how it impacts youth with a positive solution to keep youth safe and actively engaged in a quality afterschool program. Sponsors of the video include Nebraska Public Schools, The Nebraska CLC Network, and Network Lead, | | |
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True or False: Many Americans Don't Understand the Basics of Investing |  | |
When it comes to understanding basic concepts about investing, Americans come up woefully short. Consider that while 67% of respondents to a 2009 survey rated their own overall financial knowledge as "high," yet only 53% answered this question correctly: "True or false: Buying a single company's stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund?" Only 6% got the answer wrong, choosing "True." But fully 40% said they didn't know the answer. The survey was created by the Investor Education Foundation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Read the article. , True or False. |
| Environmental Literacy Small Grants |  |
Request for Proposals of up to $5000 to support environmental literacy efforts in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri
and Nebraska:
The Environmental Education Associations from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska are seeking environmental education proposals from eligible organizations for grants of up to $5,000. KACEE is soliciting proposals and will award sub-grants to organizations for projects that contribute to regional goals for environmental literacy and building capacity for environmental education in the four state region, while supporting the EPA's educational and environmental priorities.
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Dear Followers,
Now that the 2012-2013 school year is well underway school districts and programs are engaged in many out-of-school time fall events, most notable for afterschool programs, Lights on Afterschool. On October 18, 2012, stakeholders from across the nation will come together to celebrate Lights on Afterschool. To commemorate Kansas Enrichment Network's tenth anniversary, the Network is hosting a special campaign to celebrate Aferschool across the entire state of Kansas. We are excited to announce "Kansas Afterschool Lights the Trail". This year's event will highlight the impact Afterschool and Expanded Learning has on children, families, and communities by showcasing programs along the Santa Fe Trail across the entire state of Kansas in an effort to raise awareness.
The Kansas Enrichment Network would be honored to showcase your Lights on Afterschool event. To register your event or to find an event in your area visit,
Please join us as we light the trail,
Claudia Conner,
Coordinator
Kansas Enrichment Network
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Toolkit for Expanding Learning
This toolkit provides resources for state agencies, school districts, intermediaries, and other organizations interested in implementing or strengthening city-wide expanded learning opportunities, and Statewide Afterschool Networks to design multi-city initiatives. These tools can guide such agencies as they develop plans for afterschool, summer learning, and expanded learning time initiatives in their communities.
The tools were developed by leading intermediary organizations that are members of the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS) and are based on these partners' experience working with expanded learning stakeholders. To learn more about the Expanded Learning and Afterschool Project, read Toolkit for Expanded Learning |
Making Afterschool an Election Issue
LOA Campaign Toolkit
Election season presents a key opportunity to put afterschool on the radar of policy makers and the general public. During presidential election cycles voters' concerns are brought to the forefront of the public debate and discussed widely in the media. What concerns will be raised during this election? Whose voices will be heard? What will the candidates and pundits choose to care about and talk about? It is the voices of people like you, in local communities, that drive candidates' campaigns.
If you are facing an election in your community, now is the time to tell the candidates: "I support afterschool and I vote-YES!"
Whether you have the time and resources to run a coordinated, multi-tiered afterschool campaign issue or you are just looking for some ideas on how to raise the profile of afterschool during the election season. The LOA Campaign Toolkit can assist with assessing and planning a local afterschool issue. Download the two complete guides; Campaign Toolkit and Candidates Guide to Afterschool.
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Federal Policy - Active Hours Afterschool
Approximately 16 percent of U.S. children ages 6 -19 are overweight and another 15 percent are at risk of becoming overweight. Afterschool programs can and do play an important role in promoting healthy lifestyles for youth. Many afterschool and summer learning programs offer youth an array of organized physical activities and serve healthy afternoon or summer meals and snacks while emphasizing the value of a nutritious diet through hands-on nutrition education. Afterschool programs are well-positioned to be key partners in comprehensive efforts to ensure healthy futures for our youth. You will find a variety of resources, links, and policy tools that can contribute to the goal of promoting healthy childhood weight for young people. The Afterschool Alliance's work in the wellness, nutrition, and physical activity areas is supported by ES Foods and the Food Research and Action Center through the ConAgra Foods Foundation. See Story
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Training, Webinars, Resources
Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012
Wichita, KS
Oct. 19-20, 2012
Junction City, KS
Associaton of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference
October 13-16, 2012
Columbus, OH
Wichita State University's Center for Community Support and Research
Fall 2012 Webinars
Free Cyberbullying Toolkit for Educators
This free toolkit has the resources schools need to take an effective stand against cyberbullying. Rely on it to start your year off right.
Every day, you see how cyberbullying hurts students, disrupts classrooms, and impacts your school's culture. So how should you handle it? What are the right things to do and say? What can you do today that will help your students avoid this pitfall of our digital world?
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(closing student achievement gap grant)
Verizon
Education, Health and Sustainability
Verizon Foundation; the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communication is focused on using technology to solve critical social issues in the areas of education, healthcare, and sustainability. The Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States that address one of the following funding priorities: increasing student interest and achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); preventing domestic violence and helping victims gain independence; improving healthcare through innovative technology-based programs; fostering smart energy practices; and inspiring good environmental citizens among schools and communities. The average grant size ranges from $5,000 to $10,000. The application deadline is October 14, 2012. Visit the Foundation's website to submit an online application, http://www.verizonfoundation.org/
Youth Services
Learning Projects Addressing Obesity http://www.ysa.org/HEROES
The UnitedHealth HEROES Service Learning Grants administrated by Youth Service America pprovides support to schools and other community-based nonprofit organizations for service-learning projects that take place throughout the United States Grants up to $1,000 are available for youth-led service-learning projects which aim to combat childhood obesity through walking, running, or hiking programs. Funded projects should launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 21, 2013) and end on Global Youth Service Day (April 26-28, 2013). The application process will open on September 4, 2012 and will close on October 15, 2012. Visit the Youth Service America website for online application guidelines.
Toshiba
K-12 Science and Math Programs
Toshiba America Foundation promotes quality science and mathematics education in U.S. K-12 schools. The Foundation provides grants through the following two initiatives: The Grants Program for K-5 Science and Math Education provides grants of up to $1,000 to teachers in public or private schools in order to improve the teacher's science and math teaching units. The application deadline is October 1, 2012. The Grants Program for 6-12 Science and Math Education provides small grants of up to $5,000 and large grants of over $5,000 to teachers who are passionate about making science and mathematics more engaging for their students. Applications for small grants may be submitted throughout the year. The annual application deadlines for large grants are February 1 and August 1. Visit the Foundation's website for details about each of the grant programs.
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2012 International Walk to School Day
It's time to start planning your 2012 Walk to School Day celebrations! This year, International Walk to School Day is October 3. Be sure to check out the links on http://www.safekidskansas.org/pedestrian.html for ideas and information to plan your own celebration. Complete the sign-up sheet for your school and you will receive reflective zipper pulls for your students. Register early as quantities are limited and sent out on a first-come basis. Schools that register for Walk to School Day through Safe Kids Kansas will automatically be registered with the International Walk to School Day web site, http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/.
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