July 2008
Vol. 1, Issue 2
In This Issue
- Art & Essay Contest
- Network Welcomes New Director of Professional Development
- Training & Consultation
- Check Out the New Network Lending Library
- Ideas That Work - Summer Edition
- Community Giving Grant Available
- New STEM Resource
- Memoir Offers Different Perspective on Autism
- Reports & Articles of Interest
- Literacy Research Sources
- Calendar of Events
Save the Date
CT Afterschool Network Fall Conference, Saturday, November 15, 2008. This year we'll be hosting the event at the Farmington Marriott in Farmington, CT. Details coming soon!
Calendar of Events...Stay Informed
Local & Regional:
July 14 - 16, 2008
School of the 21st Century National Conference
The Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
New Haven,
Connecticut
www.yale.edu/21c
July 14 - 17, 2008
NIOST 2008 Summer Seminars
John
Hancock Conference
Center
Boston, Massachusetts
www.niost.org/sumsem08.html
August 4 - 6, 2008
New Hampshire
21st Century Community Learning Centers Summer Conference
Meredith,
New Hampshire
www.nh21cclc.org
August 20, 2008 -or- September 20, 2008
How to Teach Inventing to Students - A Fun Way to Meet State
and National Science Inquiry Standards
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (lunch included)
CT Center for Advanced Technology
Rentschler Field
409 Silver Lane
East Hartford,
CT
RSVP by August 2, 2008
Info at www.ctinventionconvention.org
National:
July 15 - 17, 2008
21st Century Community Learning Centers' 2008 Summer
Institute
InterContinental Dallas Hotel
Dallas, Texas
www.sei2003.com/21stcentury/welcome.htm
September 17 - 19, 2008
National Conference on Science and Technology in
Out-of-School Time
Chicago,
Illinois
www.scienceafterschoolconference.org
September 25 - 27, 2008
Florida After School
Alliance 2008 Annual
State Conference
Walt Disney World
Orlando,
Florida
www.floridaafterschool.org
Reports & Articles of Interest
The Center for American Progress recently released
Additional Learning Opportunities in Rural Areas: Needs, Successes and
Challenges. The report focuses on expanded learning time (ELT) opportunities in
rural areas. It lists criteria, both primary and secondary, to consider
using in identifying rural settings and offers examples of successful
programs, reviews available limited funding sources and provides
recommendations to improve those funding sources. This report is available
here
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center
that studies children at every stage of development. As the nation’s only
independent research and policy center focused exclusively on improving
outcomes for children, Child Trends covers a range of research areas including
after school. Recently they published a brief titled, Using
Incentives to Increase Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs. Their
research suggests that regular participation in after school programs can
benefit children and youth in several ways. Incentives such as food,
prizes and field trips may promote program attendance, a sense of belonging to
a program and increased academic achievement. The brief provides key
strategies for implementing a successful incentive program and a list of print
and online resources as well as advice from a practitioner who has successfully
used incentives to promote program attendance and involvement.
Literacy Research
The Network recently facilitated two training sessions for after school literacy planning with Dr. Helen Abadiano, of the School of Education & Professional Studies at CCSU. Research indicates that after school literacy activities benefit students most when they include six key elements.
The CT State Dept. of Education has established Pre-K through 8 Language Arts Curriculum Standards for literacy instruction at various grade levels targeting skills and content to improve academic outcomes.
You may also find Connecticut's Blueprint for Reading Achievement helpful.
Observing student needs and consulting with school day teachers may help you understand state standards and identify appropriate learning goals for your student population.
Welcome to the quarterly edition of the After School News. We've got lots of Network updates, training and activities to share with you. As always, we welcome your suggestions and ideas. Feel free to drop us a line at info@ctafterschoolnetwork.org. Happy reading!
Announcing the Connecticut After School Network's Art & Essay Contest!
Calling All Connecticut After School Students! What does your after school program mean to you?
Do you like to draw, paint or write? Enter the Connecticut After School Network’s Art and Essay contest! Tell us what you love about your after school program in art or in essay – prizes will be awarded for the top three essays and the top three artworks in each of four grade levels (K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12). Open to CT students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Entries must be received by September 19, 2008. All art work and essays should be done on 8 ½ x 11” paper. Essays should be 500 words or less. All finalists’ art and excerpts from essays will be hung in the Legislative Office Building at the State Capitol in Hartford in October of 2008. Download the registration form here.
Ken Anthony has joined the Connecticut After School Network
as the Director of Professional Development. He was formerly the District
Family Resource Center Coordinator for the Windsor Public Schools,
administering five family resource centers as well as a before and after school
component at each site. Ken created many school, family and community
partnerships by working with other agencies and committees throughout the
state. Ken also served as Child Care Services Director at the New
Britain-Berlin YMCA for several years. During his time there he joined the
school competencies with after school enrichment activities to enhance student
performance. Ken holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration
in Child Development, and a Master’s degree in Human Services with a
concentration in Organizational Management and Leadership.
Training and Consultation Service
Interested in an on-site training for your staff? The Connecticut After School Network offers a slew of training and consultation selections that can be conducted right at your site! Additional topics can be developed to meet the individual needs of your program. For more information on our Training and Consultation Service including a link to our full list of trainers click here.
Network Lending Library Now Offers Free Shipping!
It’s now even easier for Network members to access great
after school resources through the Connecticut After School Network’s resource
library. Starting in July the Network will adopt a “Netflix” type of return
system at no cost to members. Simply let us know which book or video you’d like
to borrow and we will ship it to you free of charge with a pre-paid return
envelope for your convenience. Visit www.ctafterschoolnetwork.org/Resource_Library.html
to peruse our extensive resource library!
Ideas That Work…Summer Edition
This activity shows you how to paint with sand. Create lots
of different colors and choose any images you feel like working with –
wildlife, beachscapes, landscapes, flashy cars, city scenes, your name or geometric
shapes are all great themes. It’s creativity at its best because it is created
by you!
Materials:
- Heavy drawing paper, pencil
- Cookie sheet or tray
- White glue, water, spoon
- Paper cup or other small container
- Two or more colors of sand (you can color your own with a
quarter cup of water, a few drops of food coloring and half a cup of sifted
sand).
- Lightly draw your design on the paper. Set the paper on the cookie sheet or tray.
- Mix a spoonful of glue and a spoonful of water together in the cup.
- Thinking of the lightest color, paint glue on all areas where you want that one color of sand to stick.
- Use a spoon or your fingers to sprinkle that color sand over the glue. Make sure every bit of glue is covered. Let sand set for a few moments.
- Gently turn the paper over the tray and tap to let the extra sand fall off. Pour the extra sand back into its container to use again.
- Let the color set for about 10 minutes; then, repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 with the next darkest color. Continue until you’ve used all your colors!
These and many other great summer fun ideas can be found in, Summer Fun! 60 Activities for a Kid-Perfect Summer, by Susan Williamson. Available in Network’s resource library!
Community Giving Grant Available
The 3M Foundation will be providing support to strengthen youth development community initiatives in the areas of K-12 Education, Higher Education, Health and Human Services, Arts and Culture, and the Environment. Deadline to submit: Rolling
A New STEM Resource: Exploratorium Digital Library
The goal of the Exploratorium Digital Library Afterschool Project is to bring more science and math enrichment into out-of-school time using resources from the Exploratorium's Digital Library. Educators visiting the site (www.exploratorium.edu/afterschool/) will learn different after school activities through digital videos, concept maps, links to other STEM resources in NSDL, science explanations, educator tips and related activities. Portable media in the form of a DVD is also available.
Memoir Offers Different Perspective on Autism
by Kathy Wilby
Born on a Blue
Day: A Memoir, by Daniel Tammet,
is a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of an individual
with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of Autism). Daniel sees numbers as
shapes, colors and textures, and it wasn’t until he was a teenager that he
discovered he was unique in this way.
As an educator I was gripped by the descriptions of his early childhood, primary and high school education. Some of his teachers responded more sympathetically than others. However, the descriptions of his own behavior paint a picture of a child who could be highly challenging in a traditional classroom. He describes his loneliness and the difficulty he had mastering simple social skills concepts such as making eye contact or respecting personal space. Bullying and teasing were frequent problems.
Tammet’s life is truly inspiring. He is a young man now living a fully independent life as an instructor of languages through on-line classes. A resident of England, Tammet raises funds for charities to help people with neurological disorders and has been featured on Good Morning America, 60 Minutes and National Public Radio.
After school staff are more frequently being asked to include children with autism spectrum disorders into their programs. This book helps to understand how those with differences experience the world in ways that are so unique. Daniel’s message is that all of us have a great deal to share with each other regardless of what our limitations or challenges may be.
Kathy Wilby is the ECERS Project Coordinator at Charter Oak State College