Brought to you by:
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1000 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
1-888-819-EPIC
www.epicforchildren.org
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EPIC Family Engagement Services:
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Family Engagement Assessment & Planning
Parent Leadership Academy
Parent Capacity Building
Parent/School Volunteer Training
Taking Charge of Your Child's Future
Parents as Advocates
Academic Support Classes for Parents
Internet and Social Media Safety Workshop
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Pointers for the Principal
EPIC's Recent With NYSUT
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NYSED Escort, Tara Burgess,
Michelle Urbanczyk
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EPIC Staff, Michelle Urbanczyk, Tara Burgess and Shelley Richards, traveled recently to Albany for a meeting with NYSUT members of the NYS Family Engagement Coalition, of which EPIC is a management team member, as well as Catherine Romano, NYSFEC management team member and Kyle McCauley Belokopitsy, Esq., Executive Director of the NYS PTA. We were jointly working on a professional development model in family engagement for educators.
While in Albany this group also had a meeting with the newly hired Kimberly Arrington who works in the Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement Service as director of the Office of Family and Community Engagement to hear about the goals for the office. EPIC has also been an ESSA Think Tank member, trying to ensure that family engagement is considered within the content of NY State's implementation plans. This level of involvement with statewide policy for family engagement will ensure that EPIC is a partner who is aware of the key issues in play when advancing family engagement in New York State.
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Let Us Know What You Think
This past year, EPIC started the
News You Can Use newsletter, which is sent to Principals across New York State, containing helpful information they can use, as well as pass on to their teachers and parents. We would love to know what you think.
1. Did you find the information helpful/useful?
2. Do you pass the newsletter on to your teachers and parents?
3. Are there any information articles you would like EPIC to provide in future newsletters?
Please take a moment to respond to [email protected] and let us know how your opinion of this year's new newsletter and ways be can better inform and serve you and your teachers and staff.
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Mark Your Calendar!
8:30am - 3:30pm
at Salvatore's Italian Gardens
6461 Transit Rd., Depew, NY
Cost per participant-$100
Participants (educators, administrators, and social workers), will have an opportunity to network and share ideas, meet and receive information from conference vendors, listen to the latest practices in family engagement during the dynamic presentations from national and state speakers, attend and interact various breakout sessions, and earn CEU credit for Social Workers only.
Event Agenda:
8:30 - Registration
9:30 - 1st speaker - Ken Braswell
10:30 - Mid-morning break
10:45 - Breakout
11:45 - Sit-down lunch
1:00 - Breakout starts
2:00 - Mid-afternoon break
2:15 - 2nd speaker-Angelica Fontae-Green
3:15 - Wrap up
Featured Speakers:
Ken Braswell - Executive Director of Fathers Incorporated (FI), a not-for-profit organization that serves as the leader in the promotion of Responsible Fatherhood. Mr. Braswell serves as the Director of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) under the U.S. Department of Education of Health and Human Services. Mr. Braswell is the author of the children's book "Daddy There's a Noise Outside" and Daddy's Feeling Blue" as well as two documentaries "Spit' in Anger" and Dark Hearts.
Angelica Fontae-Green - As Deputy Commissioner for NYSED, she is working with educators and stakeholders at all levels to ensure that the policies designed to ensure equity for our students are put into practice in districts, schools, and classrooms. As Associate Commissioner in the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages, she developed a "Blueprint for English Language Learner Success" and spearheaded the amendments to CR Part 154 that will set the course for the education of ELL/Multilingual Learners for years to come.
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Tips for Teachers
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!
Are you looking forward to the end of the school year? Are you looking for ways to relax this summer? And then before you know it, the end of summer comes along and we think, where did the time go? Are we really going back to school already? You are not alone!
While we can't help you slow the summer down, we do have 5 tips for some things to do over summer.
- Relax - it makes sense, right? It's summer, I'm going to take it easy. By the time the first full week of summer starts, you probably already have things booked for half of it. So instead of relaxing when you have time, plan your time to relax, and schedule your appointments and your children's around your down time.
- Appointments - do you save your eye doctor, physical, dentist appointments, insurance reviews all for the summer? Pick a week or a few days and schedule as many as you can. Don't schedule them all over the place, and schedule them early so you aren't stuck spending your last week dragging the kids and yourself all over town when you wanted to plan time to relax.
- Suggestion Jar - Do you think of ideas that would work really well in your classroom next year - while you're at the beach - then when school starts you try to recall what that brain storm was but can't? Find a nice box or jar that will fit small note papers, when you think of a brilliant idea, write it down and put it in the jar to open and explore in September.
- Pre-planning - that sounds like absolutely no fun and no way to enjoy the summer. However, it might help the school year be more productive and less stressful if you have some things pre-planned. Purchase a monthly expander file to keep birthday and anniversary cards for co-workers, friends and family, purchase the cards over summer and stick them in the folder. Pick up some sympathy and thank you cards, along with some forever stamps while you are out as well.
- Family Engagement - you didn't think EPIC would avoid the words family engagement did you? This one is easy though - think of one way that you can engage your students' families better next year and practice it on your family. Thinking of making 1-2 phone calls home a week to share random good thoughts about a student? Do that with your friends and family. Think of how pleasantly surprised Aunt Sally will be to hear from you that she makes the best pickled beets you've ever tasted or how proud your 5-year-old nephew will be to hear that you think he ties his shoes better than anyone you know. Practice makes perfect, so whatever you chose to do, it will come more naturally when school starts if you have been doing it all along.
We hope you find a number of the tips helpful. Your job is not an easy one. We know you deserve plenty of opportunities this summer to relax, unwind, and re-center.
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Family Focus 
The "Summer Slide"
'Summer slide" is the tendency for students to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous year.
Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they've learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. Try these strategies to help your reader improve his/her reading during the summer and beyond:
Six books to summer success:
Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right - not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your local library. Ask for help selecting books that match your child's age, interests, and abilities. Libraries often run summer reading programs that motivate kids to read, so find out what's available in your area. Also check our book lists for recommendations.
Read something every day:
Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:
Morning:
The newspaper - even if it is just the comics or today's weather.
Daytime:
Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc. For example, if your daughter likes the food channel, help her look for a recipe on the network's Web site - then cook it together for more reading practice.
Evening:
End the day by having your child read to you from the book he is currently reading (one of the six books, above). Have him rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Rereading will help him be more fluent - able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.
Keep reading aloud:
Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so she will build listening comprehension skills with grade-level and above books. This will increase her knowledge and expand her experience with text, so that she will do better when she reads on her own.
It's hard to keep up a reading routine in a season packed with distractions and diversions. These suggestions will fit into a busy schedule and make reading fun!
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JOIN US!!!!!
Every Wednesday from 11am to 1pm
June 28
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- August 30
th
Canalside: 44 Prime St, Buffalo, NY 14202
A
FREE
10-week family reading series
focused on learning, healthy living, and fun!
EPIC Storytime Calendar
6/28-Safe Summer Storytime Kickoff with Sabretooth
7/5-It's Okay to Be Different
7/12-Fit n' Fun
7/19-How Flowers Grow
7/26-Germs are Gross
8/2-Laughter & Yoga
8/9-Tummy & Teeth
8/16-
Zoomobile
Fun
8/23-Weather Wonder with Andy Parker from WKBW
8/30-End of Summer Party with WNED
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