March Afterzone

March 2020 Newsletter

Mind the Gap Spring Conference April 17th & 18th

Registration Open Now for only $100 per day

The Spring Conference "Mind t he Gap" is right around the

corner! OregonASK and the Oregon Association for Education of Young Children (ORAEYC) are working together to build collaborative systems & partnerships that help ensure no child falls through the cracks. Both days will consist of engaging and exciting workshops for Early Learning providers and School Age programs.

The conference is at Linn-Benton Community College

Friday April 17th and Saturday April 18th

Kids Included Together (KIT) will be hosting workshops all day Friday and Saturday on meaningful engagement for kids with disabilities & inclusive behavior practices. Saturday Keynote by Dr. Johnny Lake, "Lighting A Spark in Every Child" will start the day off at an inspiring pace to help each participant dive deeper in their own learning as we explore and learn together. O ther session topics will include Summer Program Planning, STEM, Art, Wellness, and Literacy.

Registration with session selection is open now at a first come, first serve basis. Make sure to check out the Conference Brochure and Register Now! We look forward to seeing you in Albany next month. Please contact Leilani Larsen or click here for more information.

Providing Professional Development to Excite & Engage Youth

This is Afterschool - Developing Professionals to Excite & Engage Youth

Oregon representing at National Afterschool Association Conference

Not only will OregonASK be sending two staff members to present at NAA, there will also be over 20 program providers from around Oregon attending to learn and celebrate together. We are excited to see new faces at the NAA Convention to Show Up, Speak Up in D.C.!

While you're at NAA 2020, come join a session with Rachel Kessler, a previous NAA top 20 presenter and OregonASK Master Trainer, on Art Practices in your program. Or stop by Kassy Rousselle (first time NAA presenter!) & Alicia Santiago's (Science Advisor and Diversity Consultant at Twin Cities Broadcasting PBS) session on Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to STEM Education for Middle School.

Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to STEM Education for Middle School is based off of a pilot project that came to OregonASK in the Summer of 2019, a neuroscience curriculum called Cerebro. Kassy worked closely wit h Farmworker Housing Development Corporation (FHDC) and Twin Cities Broadcasting at the Farmer Workers Housing site in Independence, Oregon. She will be covering the challenges experienced during the pilot and strategies that were successful in working with the housing site.

Women and Girls: Gender Equity in Computer Science Webinar!

To honor National Women's Month, Karen Perterson, founder and CEO of National Girls

Collaborative Project ( NGCP), will highlight the challenges and opportunities to encouraging more girls to engage in STEM activities and careers and the importance of incorporating computer science in education. Joining her on the webinar will be Toni Robinson, President of Digital Girls, Inc., and Cathy Law, Director of STEM Academy at Oregon State University . The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4th at 11AM PST, to register for the webinar click here .

Flying High this Spring...

Service to Careers

Helping youth dive deeper in their community & amplifying youth voice.

Service to Careers is a 10-week, youth voice led curriculum intended for middle school aged youth, developed by OregonASK for out-of-school time programs. Service to Careers puts kids in control of their learning and lets them dive into interests that they are truly passionate about. Service learning is different from community service because not only does it let kids have control over what they learn and how they learn it, but it is more than a one-time project. Students decide what type of service they think would be valuable, and then have the opportunity to reflect on what they learned and new skills they've developed. If you are interested in this pilot program and learning about the Service Learning framework click here or please contact Kassy Rousselle .

Veterans' Legacies

OregonASK is offering access to free curriculum through Veterans' Legacies! The curriculum was created to expose kids to the stories that veterans have to share while also documenting those stories so that each veteran's legacy can be heard for years to come. Veterans' Legacies has a general curriculum, as well as demographic specific curricula. Please reach out to Colleen Dorfler if you would like more information or would like to participate in the pilot!

Are you 2 Weeks Ready? Do you know what it takes?

Are you and your program prepared in case of an emergency?

OregonASK has been traveling throughout the state and holding community conversations to learn what resources exist in each community, and what their barriers are. We want to hear from childcare providers, afterschool programs, emergency services, and community members!

Join us for a conversation as we talk about emergency preparedness communication, provide sample checklists and forms, and help make connections that participants can utilize in the future. Additionally, OregonASK will be providing participants with one hour of Set 1 credit through the Oregon Registry. Next, our team will be going to Tillamook on Tuesday April 28th, 2020 at the Tillamook CCR&R , RSVP Here .

Click here to find out more about the campaign or email Kassy Rousselle with any questions.

Summer Time Fun

Rock Camp!

The days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. You know what that means? Spring is almost here which means Summer is following quickly behind it! What are your fun Summer plans? My Voice Music is hosting a Summer Rock Camp in the Portland area for 9-13 year olds with no experience needed! Kids will have the experience of putting together a band, writing their own songs, recording it, and performing with their peers at the end of the week! To find out more about the Rock Camp and how to sign up click here.

Saturday Academy Summer Camps

Have you seen the classes and camps that Saturday Academy is offering this Summer? These hands-on classes and camps are designated to inspire curiosity around Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Dive into Stage Make-up and Special Effects, web development, animal anatomy, or comic book 101! To view the whole list of classes and camps, click here.

And if you have summer opportunities to share, send them to [email protected] so we can share them out with others as well!

Summer Learning Week: Save the Date July 6th-11th, 2020

The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) has announced that National Summer Learning Week will be taking place from July 6th-11th 2020! This week is a celebration dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer! The week will be full of various themes such as STEM, CTE, Literacy, Wellness, and more!

We know that two thirds of the achievement gap between low and middle-income children can be explained due to Summer learning loss. Summer learning programs have the ability to increase student engagement by 84% and improve school climate. To read more about Summer Learning Loss here.

Join us in celebrating National Summer Learning Week in July by utilizing the resources NSLA has provided here!

Definitions of Expanded Learning Opportunities: Word of the Month

Afterschool Professional: A person who is employed in the field of afterschool and may include front-line staff, administrators, and content specialists.

From the Field...

Central SD 21st CCLC hosted Katherine Roy, an award-winning author and illustrator, to visit their program last month to speak about her process of creating stories that connect us to the natural world around us.

Central's afterschool program walked through her second book "How To Be An Elephant", which follows the story of a newborn baby elephant learning how to grow up in the African wild. The students eagerly listened as Katherine spoke about behavior, biology, conservation, and the importance of POOP! The kids in the program were bursting with excitement through the whole visit!

What's going on at your program? We love hearing about visits like these or exciting projects that are going on in the field! Send us an email at [email protected] to possibly be featured in our next newsletter!

Oregon Legislative Update From Children's First

With the legislative session ending on March 8th, bills are stacking up waiting for action in both chambers at the Capitol. While those bills are stacking up, republicans from the House and Senate walked out last Tuesday, making it impossible for both chambers to hold a quorum.

Here are some highlights from Children's First Agenda items:

HB 4039 Serving Oregon's Unaccompanied Homeless Youth had a work session in Human Services Sub last Monday, and moved out of Full Ways and Means last Thursday. HB 4039A is now waiting to move to the House floor.
(Priority) HB 4148 Indian Child Welfare Act had a hearing and work session last Monday in Senate Judiciary. The bill passed out of the committee and is now waiting to move to the Senate floor.
(Priority) SB 1573 Juvenile Expunction/Reducing Collateral Consequences had a work session in Ways and Means Capitol Construction Sub last Thursday, and moved out of Full Ways and Means on Friday. It joins the list of bills waiting for action on the Senate floor.

Other Children's Agenda Concepts currently waiting in Joint Ways and Means: