March 17, 2020 Bullying Prevention and SEL: What Can I Do Now? Are you interested in learning best practices in social-emotional learning and bullying prevention? Join Leah Galkowski from the Center for Safe Schools on March 24 for her webinar, “Bullying Prevention and SEL: What Can I Do Now?” About The research tells us that evidence-based practices in social-emotional learning and bullying prevention help students to be successful in school. The question is: “What does that look like?” This interactive webinar will provide a brief overview of best practices in social-emotional learning and bullying prevention. Participants will be provided with some simple, hands-on strategies to implement in their schools and classrooms that will support students and teachers in building a positive, cohesive, and welcoming environment. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage!
November 14, 2019 Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) Parent Summit The Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) Parent Summit is a half-day experience that empowers families by offering workshops that will enable them to better support their child and work with schools. Workshop sessions will be offered by school district staff in collaboration with parents and community organizations. Workshop topics have been identified by PPS parents and families and will serve as a support to help their students be successful. Registration Registration is required and space is limited. If child care is needed, please specify during your registration. Child care will be provided. To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
October 8, 2019 Navigating Pittsburgh Public Schools Community members are invited to join together on October 21 for an educational session on how to best navigate Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS). About Presenters will discuss the following topics: what is a magnet school and what do they offer? magnet school application timelines procedures for applying to a magnet school navigating the city school system In addition to these discussions, the event will feature a Q&A session with Ebony Latham of Pittsburgh Public Schools. Child care will be available. Learn More For more information, contact Bob Haddad at 412.849.4799 or rjhaddad5@gmail.com. Share this flyer with your network.
September 17, 2019 Healthy School Summit 2019 Join Healthy Schools Pennsylvania on Friday, October 25 for their 4th Annual Healthy Schools Summit to learn, collaborate, and commit to creating healthier, greener, and more sustainable learning environments for all children in our region! Morning Sessions Foundations for Student Success: How School Buildings Influence Student Health, Thinking, & Performance Keynote Speaker – Erika Eitland, MPH Program Manager, Schools for Health, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health What Does it Take to Create a Healthy School? Panel Discussion – Cassandra Brown, RN, Pittsburgh Public Schools; Jake Douglas, Food Services Director, Deer Lakes School District; Christine Schott, Parent and Sustainability Coordinator, Steel Valley School District; Vicki Ammar, Teacher, Pittsburgh Public Schools Celebrating Success through Our Healthy Schools Recognition Program Awards Ceremony and Luncheon Working Lunch: What Makes a Successful School Grant Proposal? Featuring Tracey Reed Armant from the Grable Foundation Afternoon Sessions Teaching Resiliency and Environmental Justice in the Classroom Educator Workshop – Katie Modic, Director of Education Initiatives at Communitopia Creating a Game-Plan for Whole-School Sustainability School Administrator Workshop – Donnan Stoicovy, Head of School, State College Friends School Engaging Parents and Community Partners for Healthy Schools Parent and Partner Workshop – Monté Robinson, Community Schools Coordinator, Pittsburgh Public Schools and LaKeisha Wolf, Executive Director, Ujamaa Collective Registration To register, visit the Eventbrite page. Learn More For questions, email Healthy Schools Coordinator, Kara Rubio, at 412.404.2872 or kara@womenforahealthyenvironment.org.
August 2, 2019 #WeArePPS Event This August, Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) will be hosting its annual back to school event, #WeArePPS. About Every year, the district welcomes thousands of families through this event that is designed to help equip them with the resources necessary to achieve a healthy start to the 2019-20 school year. #WeArePPS is open to all current PPS students and will include a parent resource fair. This event is in alignment with the district’s mission to serve students and schools and create effective family and community partnerships in every school. More Information For more information or questions, call the PPS Parent Hotline at 412.529.HELP (412.529.4357) or email parenthotline@pghschools.org. The hotline operates Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 20, 2019 Get Ready for the Next Steps Are you wondering about how the preschool enrollment process works? Unsure of how to assess or choose a local school for your child? Have questions about whether your child is ready for Pre-K or Kindergarten? Join us at the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library for an information session co-hosted by A+ Schools and Trying Together, with Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Early Education. A pizza dinner will be served. Children are welcome! This is event is FREE and open to the public. Questions For more information, call 412.682.4430 or email outreach@pghtoys.org. Share this flyer with your network.
April 22, 2019 Phone Banking: School Board Member Elections Being a School Board member is one of the most important elected positions in Pittsburgh. They play a vital role in our community property, including setting tax rates, negotiating the work rules and pay for all school staff, hiring key school administrators, and enacting policies that govern the district and budget. However, only one in five registered voters cast their votes during school board elections. How Can You Help? On May 21, 2019, voters will vote in the primary elections for Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8. You can help make sure voters are informed about the upcoming School Board elections by signing up to volunteer today and talking with your friends and neighbors. Interested volunteers can sign up for varying types of opportunities, including: Door Knocking, Phone Banking, and Giving Voters Information on Election Day. Volunteer Sign Up Sign up for phone banking today to support your local community. Other Sessions Door Knocking – Saturday, April 27 | Highland Park | 11 a.m. | Learn more and register.
April 10, 2019 PPS: Take a Father to School Day 2019 Pittsburgh Public Schools welcomes fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and positive male role models to participate in the nationally recognized Take a Father to School Day. In support of the District’s long-term outcome of increased proficiency in literacy for all students, this year’s theme is #ExpectGreatThings. Every school will have an activity or event planned to celebrate the day. Ask your school for details! Questions For questions, contact Larry Meadows at 412.529.3851. Share this flyer with your network.
April 3, 2019 PAsmart Announces Grant Awardees In February 2019, Governor Tom Wolf announced funding for PAsmart Apprenticeship and Next Generation Industry Partnerships grants which will connect Pennsylvanians with the information needed to succeed in our evolving economy. About PAsmart PAsmart is focused on ensuring Pennsylvania students and workers have the skills and abilities to meet the economic needs of the 21st century. This initiative aims to do this by expanding access to STEM education in Pennsylvania schools, embracing the Next Generation Industry Partnership model, and creating the Apprenticeship and Training Office to increase apprenticeship opportunities within a variety of industries. OCDEL’s Role The Office of Child Development and Early Learning supports the efforts of PA’s Department of Labor and Industry and is working with them to professionalize the early education field. Efforts include increasing access to a career pathway that results in stackable, portable credentials, and providing relevant, developmentally and culturally appropriate content to support educators working with young children to advance their individual career and education progression. Organization Grantees The following organizations will be supported through PAsmart funds: 1100c Training and Upgrading Fund: Will expand their apprenticeship model in Southeastern Pennsylvania Partner4Work: Will establish a regional hub for Early Childhood Education registered apprenticeships in the Pittsburgh Metro Area Keystone University: Will partner with Lackawanna Trail High School, Luzerne County Community College, and Wilkes University to build an Early Childhood Education (ECE) pipeline through a competency-based apprenticeship that leads to an entry-level ECE credential Shippensburg University: Will design curriculum and develop advanced competencies to expand the Philadelphia ECE apprenticeship to four-year programs Arcadia University: Will expand their RA program for ECE First Up and its partners: Will expand upon apprenticeship supports and program to provide career paths in ECE Learn More For more information, visit pasmart.gov. * Information provided by OCDEL’s PA Early Ed Newsletter
March 29, 2019 Pittsburgh Spotlight Receives 82 Innovation Submissions After receiving a total of 82 submissions from southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia schools, museums, libraries, nonprofits, government agencies, and more, HundrED released a full list of the innovative submissions they received. Submissions included: Innovative approaches from 27 schools and school districts in the Pittsburgh region 9 technology tools to facilitate learning developed by local companies and research projects 8 projects of local colleges and universities, including innovations from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Penn State University 31 programs and approaches from local museums, nonprofits, and community centers Our Highlight Listed as a submission, Message from Me (MfM) is an early childhood communications tool developed through the collaborative efforts of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) CREATE Lab and Trying Together. MfM was designed with the intention to involve families in the education experience and bridge the home-school connection while enhancing a child’s communication skills, independence, and opportunities for interaction. Using the MfM app, a child can record and share daily thoughts and experiences, impacting his or her feelings of individuality, self-confidence, and well-being. To learn more about MfM’s purpose, design, and impact, visit the HundrEd page. See the full list of submissions. What’s Next? HundrEd’s global research team will be running a rigorous review of all eligible applications, in addition to a review by a local committee consisting of educators, parents, students, researchers, and community stakeholders who will score each innovation to help decide which ones will be featured in the Spotlight collection. Following this review period, the 10 selected innovations will be announced in May as a part of Remake Learning Days, a regional celebration of the future of learning. About the Pittsburgh Spotlight HundrED is a not-for-profit organization that researches, highlights, and propels K-12 education innovations in an effort to improve education and inspire a grassroots movement by encouraging pedagogically sound, ambitious inventions to spread across the world. The Pittsburgh Spotlight is one of 6 individual spotlight categories, all centered around specific regions or topics. Through this spotlight, HundrED seeks to highlight educators and innovators in our area that are doing extraordinary things to help students. *Information provided by HundrED
