Useful Publication

The Road to Sustainability

This 51-page sustainability workbook offers great information. We recommend you review it and gain some great strategies for achieving sustainability.

This workbook was created by The National Center for Community Education in collaboration with the Afterschool Alliance with generous support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Click on the image above to download the workbook in a PDF.

Sound Bite

More than 89,000 people of all ages and backgrounds are helping to meet local needs, strengthen communities, and increase civic engagement through 236 national service projects across Texas. Serving with national and local nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations and other groups, these citizens tutor and mentor children, coordinate after-school programs, build homes, conduct neighborhood patrols, restore the environment, respond to disasters, build nonprofit capacity and recruit and manage volunteers.

As service-learning projects continue to grow in 21st CCLC programs, we can expect to see even greater civic engagement across Texas. Let's continue to encourage service-learning projects to make future generations even more proactive Texas citizens.

Service-Learning Documents

S.T.A.R.S. handout

S.T.A.R.S. is the 5 point philosophy of service-learning. This handout provides a clear picture of what your service-learning projects should entail.

Service-Learning Description

Service-Learning Activity Approval Request Form This form was recently sent to all grantees from Geraldine Kidwell. This is the official form that should be used for any contract ammendement to add a service-learning project.

High School Afterschool Program Research

High school afterschool programs are drawing increasing focus as interest in high school reform takes center stage in education circles.

In the past few weeks SUMA/Orchard Social Marketing, Inc., a research firm in Austin, Texas has been conducting interviews and focus groups across the state to gain a better understanding of the core issues affecting high school afterschool programming.

Keep your eyes open for this report in our next issue of A-School Times.

Websites to Visit

In a recent article title Homework? Help!: Lots of Places to Look and Learn Out on the Internet, the Washington Post referred the following websites which can offer many ideas for your program.

For reading and literacy purposes, check out Book Reports http://www.kidsbookplace.org. This site, started by 10-year-old Emma Walker of Bethesda, has lots of book reviews written by kids, for kids.

For activities related to Geography check out: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/homework.  This site offers maps, includes pictures, and has lots of facts about all countries, cultures, and places in the world.

For Science related activities: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org This site offers good suggestions for science fair projects and lab experiments and reports science news.

For Math related activities take a look at http://www.coolmath.com. This site is fun and interactive. It offers tips for both teachers and students.