After-School Bulletin | January 28, 2019
'Cool Projects' Showcase Features Youth Creations 

If you're between 7-17, and making something with technology for fun, to solve a problem, or as a creative outlet, then you're invited to share your project at a technology showcase on March 23 at the Discovery Cube Museum in Orange County, Ca.
 
The sponsor, Coolest Projects USA, is a world-leading showcase for young innovators who make stuff with technology.     
 
Check out this project registration form and information about Travel stipends. Successful applicants will be notified in February.   
Alliance Hosts Webinar Tues. on 'Compelling Content'

The Afterschool Alliance is hosting its next webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. on the topic of "Compelling Content."
 
Join the discussion here: http://afterschoolalliance.adobeconnect.com/sanwebinar/ or by dialing in at (844) 419-4704. The conference code is 4020631.

Speakers will share a few top-performing social media posts, emails, webinars, and blog posts, and discuss the traits that help them earn attention and shares.  
 
Bring a few of your own success stories to the conversation and be prepared to brainstorm more ways to make content that sticks.
   
Mini-Grants of $500 Offered for Creative Ideas

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is offering funding of up to $500 to design and implement a creative program for your school or library.
 
Public schools, public libraries, and public preschool programs are encouraged to apply.
 
Previous successful projects have included a ceramic totem pole-making project for young people from the Deeni tribe in Newport, OR, a bookmaking workshop for 27 students in Englewood, CO, and puppet theater and arts display about social tolerance for students in Jamaica, N.Y.  
 
Find more inspiration at the  great mini-grant program gallery.
 
To apply, head over to the   How to Apply for a Mini-Grant page. Watch the instruction video, read through the do's and don'ts, and complete your online application by March 31, 2018.
 
Learn more at the  FAQ page.
Looking for more funding opportunities?  Check out the  Afterschool Funding Database!   

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Raising Money for Afterschool: An Insider's Guide to Discovering Foundation Grants  
        
Running a successful afterschool program is half the challenge. You'll need great educators, interesting curriculum, and engaged young people and parents. Finding funding for your program is the other half of the challenge and for some, the most daunting.  
 
Many programs struggle to maintain and grow their funding streams to ensure children and youth continue to receive vital academic and social enrichment while supporting working parents. For better or worse, it is up to the individual programs to find funding for the services that are most important to their community.  
 
There are myriad ways to raise funds, but for this article in Afterschool Snack, you'll learn how to  get started in five steps: Finding funding; Creating a budget; Developing a pipeline; Submitting a Proposal; and Stewardship.
 
Among other resources, there are also fee-based online tools such as the Foundation Center Online. 
 
Enter M ASP's Photo Contest, 'Snap, It's Michigan Afterschool,' and Show Off Your Best  Program Images 
        
Every Afterschool Program has someone who loves taking pictures of all the cool projects and activities you do before and afterschool - and over the summer!   
 
Here's your chance then to make them famous! 
 
The Michigan After-school Partnership is launching a new photo contest called "Snap, It's Michigan Afterschool," to illustrate all the smart and imaginative things students do across our state. Winning entries will be proudly displayed at the top of our bulletin (replacing the climbing structure photo).
 
Specifically, we're looking to select images that represent Michigan afterschool students, activities, innovations, and well, just cool stuff you work on every week!    
 
And yes, there will be prizes! First prize is a 3D Printer; Second prize is an Amazon Fire Tablet; and Third Prize is a 3D Pen.  
 
At least four top photo entries will be chosen, so that we can rotate them for each season. Each one will appear for several months at the top of the bulletin, sent to thousands of afterschool advocates across our state.   
 
The contest rules are pretty basic: 
 
1.  Most importantly, we'd like each photo to include the faces of great Michigan children and youth having fun, working hard, and being creative.
 
2.  Some themes to consider in the images, but not limited to are: STEM work; Kids coding; Lights on Afterschool events; Health and Nutrition; Digital Badges recognition; Outdoor learning.
 
3.  Images should be emailed as attachments in a jpeg or png format to msutton@umich.org. For best results, images should have a horizontal, landscape-style format to fill the rectangular space available at the top of each bulletin.  
 
4. Besides use in the Bulletin, photos may be used by the Michigan After-School Partnership in other ways, including infographics, reports, and news releases.
  
5. Parental approval is needed for student images.  
 
The deadline is Feb. 25, 2019.  Include your program's name, the name of the person submitting the image, a contact phone number and email. Also, please include a brief 4-5 sentence description of the photo, who's in it, and what was happening at the time the picture was taken.
 
For those selected, we will post a story introducing your program and the winning photos in upcoming bulletins.
 
So get snapping, and send us your images to "Snap, It's Michigan Afterschool" at msutton@uwmich.org.  We can't wait to share your pictures!
 
Digital Badges Featured in Webinar on Tues., Feb. 5  
        
A new webinar that explores Digital Badges with author David Niguidula takes place Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Register here. 
 
In this webinar, David Niguidula will discuss the essential questions from his new book, "Demonstrating Student Mastery with Digital Badges and Portfolios ," including
  • Setting the Vision: What do we want your students to know and be able to do?
  • Defining Badges: How do we define the badges that are required for all students? How can students create personal badges that reflect their interests?
  • Portfolio-Worthy Tasks and Projects: How do students earn those badges?
  • Culture: How do digital badges support initiatives that are already occurring at your school?
If you can't make the live webinar, be sure to register anyway and you''ll receive a link to the archived recording afterward.   
 
In his book, David Niguidula shows how students can meet standards and express their individuality through digital badges and portfolios. Building off an essential question, What do schools want their students to know and be able to do?, he shows how schools can implement a proficiency-based approach to student learning that has been successfully field-tested in districts across the United States.