September 2018 Newsletter
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Register for the SIS Partner Fair
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Kick off the new school year with resources and partnerships to support your students in serving their communities. Service in Schools (SIS) invites all educators to attend the sixth annual SIS Partner Fair. This event provides educators with the opportunity to meet and network with community-based and non-profit organizations that can support them in building a culture of service in their school. Free resources will be available and light refreshments will be served. The SIS Partner Fair will take place on Thursday, October 25 at the American Airlines Theater at 227 W 42 St, New York, NY 10036 from 3:00-6:00pm.
Learn more
about this event, and
register
to attend.
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SIS has launched pages on the new NYC DOE websites as well as a new Instagram account. Bookmark and follow these to get the most up-to-date information on SIS programs, partners, and resources.
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P.S. 327 Dr. Rose B. English, Brooklyn
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Project Summary:
Teachers and students at P.S. 327 spent the 2017-18 school year investigating nutrition and advocating for healthier school food options in fun and engaging ways.
Investigation:
While supervising PreK lunch, civics teacher Jonathan Schulman noticed that the food was almost exclusively fried. After forming the Healthy Choices Committee with his cluster team teachers, they surveyed students and staff about their favorite lunch foods. Students overwhelmingly mentioned loving fruits and vegetables!
In January and February, the Healthy Choices Committee embedded nutrition and health into their lesson plans. Classroom activities included mystery label games detailing the amount of sugar in everyday foods, investigating the emotional and physical effects of eating fruits and vegetables, and using technology to promote healthy eating.
Planning:
In April, all of the students in grades 3-5 wrote letters to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams proposing changes to their school’s lunch menu. He quickly responded to the students’ letters and drawings, noting how moved he was by them, and proposed to hold a Nutrition Assembly at the school in May 2018.
Students contributed photos, drawings, and videos for a slideshow to advocate for a healthier lunch menu.
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Action:
During the assembly, the students performed an original rap, and presented the slide show.
Inspired by the students’ advocacy, the school administration applied for a daily healthy school snack through the
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
for the upcoming school year. The application was successful, and this year the students will be treated to a fruit or veggie every afternoon.
Demonstration:
Borough President Adams was so inspired by P.S. 327’s commitment to healthy eating that he joined them for a trip to the Borough Hall Farmers’ Market in June. He demonstrated how to shop for healthy salad greens and gave a tour of his office in Borough Hall. News 12 Brooklyn covered their trip and interviewed the students about their favorite vegetables and the importance of good nutrition.
Reflection:
Looking back on their success, Mr. Schulman attributed it to the entire school community coming together to ensure students’ health and well-being. The momentum is continuing after a meeting with plans to develop a discovery garden at the school. The students are very excited to dig in!
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Current and Upcoming Opportunities
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March of Dimes WonderWalk
Deadline: Schools Confirm Participation by October 10, 2018
For the past 76 years,
March of Dimes
has worked toward the goal of ensuring that all babies are born healthy. The WonderWalk program provides elementary school students the chance to help March of Dimes give all babies a healthy start. A mini-walk on school grounds, WonderWalk is a fun, safe, and rewarding way for students to make a difference in their community. They raise money by asking friends and family to make donations to support them in reaching their goals. March of Dimes is looking for schools to participate to help fund research, education, programs, and advocacy that save babies’ lives.
Learn more
about the 2018 WonderWalk campaign, and
email Eva Kirkman
or call 212-353-8267 with questions.
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Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Ongoing Opportunity for All Ages
About one in seven Americans don’t know where they will get their next meal, yet 40% of food in America ends up in the trash.
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
is closing this gap by collaborating with restaurants to save leftover food from landfills and deliver it to those who need it most. They depend on volunteers to bring rescued food from donors to recipient organizations, who then distribute the food to people struggling with food insecurity. Volunteers under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and volunteers between the ages of 14 and 18 require a parental permission slip. Volunteers can choose how often they participate, and the location of the pick-up is within a four mile radius of their home address.
Learn more
and
sign up
to volunteer.
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Reading Partners
Ongoing Opportunity for Students Ages 14 and Up
Reading Partners
is an organization dedicated to unlocking the skills of students who struggle with reading. It provides one-on-one reading instruction to elementary school students reading below grade level to help them succeed in school and in life. Reading Partners believes that given the right support and resources, all children can learn to read. The organization is looking for volunteer tutors ages 14 and up who will receive research-based, structured lesson plans designed to focus on the individual needs of the students. Tutors are required to commit to at least one hour per week.
Register
to volunteer today!
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Start a Glamour Gals Chapter
Ongoing Opportunity for High School Students
GlamourGals
Foundation inspires and organizes teen volunteers to provide ongoing companionship and complimentary beauty makeovers to women living in senior homes. These compassionate teen leaders establish connections across generations and work to end elder isolation. GlamourGals supports its teen volunteers with skill-building experiences and promotes their development as leaders in their communities. GlamourGals invites high school students and teachers to establish school-based chapters of its program. Starting a GlamourGals chapter provides teens the opportunity to do community service while developing leadership and communication skills, making friends of all ages, and fighting elder loneliness. Email
Contact@GlamourGals.org
to learn more.
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Lead2Feed
Student Leadership Program
Lead2Feed
is the nation’s fastest growing free leadership program that teaches middle and high school students to become passionate, service-minded leaders for life. The Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program takes students through the steps to design and implement an effective, relevant service project. Teachers can enter their student teams into the Lead2Feed Challenge where they can win up to $10,000 in grants for their school and charity.
Join today
to participate in the youth leadership movement.
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Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots
Service-Learning Toolkit
Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots’
mission
is to empower and encourage youth of all ages to pursue their passion, mobilize their peers, and become the leaders the world needs in order to ensure a better future for people, animals, and the environment. Kids who participate in Roots & Shoots follow four steps in order to make a difference in their community and learn in the process: engaging with the community, mapping, taking action, and celebrating—all with the goal of developing the skills and competencies of a
compassionate citizen
. The Roots & Shoots toolkit provides sample activities for each step, a sample timeline of an effective service-learning project, and a list of Common Core Standards that each step can address.
Download
the free toolkit to get started!
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Contact the Service in Schools Team
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Invite the Service in Schools team to visit your service project. We want to see your students and school community in action. Email the Service in Schools team at
ServiceinSchools@schools.nyc.gov
with two weeks’ notice, and we’ll schedule a visit to your school to learn about your project and see the impact you’re making on the community.
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Follow
@ServicenSchools
to receive program updates, upcoming service opportunities, resources, and more. We encourage students who use Twitter and are interested in service opportunities to follow us.
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Mission:
Service in Schools
strives to expand the number of NYC students engaged in transformative community service and service-learning experiences that enable them to use their voice, skills, and critical thinking to strengthen communities.
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