Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Welcome to the ConnectEd Bulletin Board!
This is the place to find opportunities for further professional development, grant and awards opportunities, and much more!
- Increased Cases of Mycoplasma Pneumonia (M. pneumoniae) in School Aged Children
- Apply for a Homegrown Grant from Herb Kohl Philanthropies
- Call for Applicants: BadgerLink Advisory Group
- Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year® Award Nominations
- Deadline Approaching: Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Civics Games Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest
- Fostering Young Readers Through Language and Literacy
- Wisconsin Farm to School Recognition Program Launch
- PBS Wisconsin Education’s ‘Wisconsin Biographies’ collection welcomes Roberto Hernández
- Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project 2024
- We've Moved! Update Your DPI Contacts
Increased Cases of Mycoplasma Pneumonia (M. pneumoniae) in School Aged Children
The Department of Health Services has alerted DPI that Wisconsin is experiencing an increase in pneumonia cases in school aged children caused by the M. pneumoniae bacterium. DPI’s school nurse consultant has shared information with school nurses during virtual office hours and a sample letter is posted to the School Health Services Resources webpage under Sample Family Notification Letters.
Apply for a Homegrown Grant from Herb Kohl Philanthropies
Homegrown Grant proposals should focus on:
Helping children and youth achieve their potential through education, building family well-being, helping families and individuals become financially stable and self-sufficient, or providing a direct, safety net resource or basic need. Collaboration with local partners is encouraged. The proposal or organization must:
- Invest in people - increase skills, abilities, knowledge, and/or well-being
- Engage people it serves
- Strengthen community connections and/or resources
Homegrown Grants of up to $5,000/year should be considered one-time grants. The Homegrown Grant Committee accepts and reviews applications on a rolling basis from July 1 - March 31. Each application is evaluated with emphasis placed on efforts that create the greatest positive impact through innovation and collaboration. For more information, please visit the Kohl Philanthropies Homegrown Grant web site.
Call for Applicants: BadgerLink Advisory Group
Apply to join the BadgerLink Advisory Group! We are seeking 10 new members to serve two-year terms beginning Spring 2025. Applications accepted through December 13, 2024. Review and selection finalized by January 17, 2025.
Read more about the BadgerLink Advisory Group and apply today!
Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year® Award Nominations
Every year, Operation Homefront picks one child from each branch of the services (7 recipients in all) and awards them with $10,000 CASH, a laptop, other donated goodies, and a 3-day trip to Washington, DC for them and their families.
Children are entered by nominations. Anyone that knows a military child can nominate any military child. So, you may nominate your students, your children, or friend’s children and so on. The program is entirely FREE and exclusive to military children. The awards are open to active duty, retired and National Guard children. Nominations are OPEN NOW – December 2nd!
Deadline Approaching: Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin
Do you know a school that is working to reduce environmental impacts and costs, improve health and wellness of students and staff, or increase environmental literacy?
Encourage them to apply for state or federal recognition!
December 1 is the deadline to submit the annual Green & Healthy Schools survey. Respondents can answer as much or as little of the survey as they wish and get recognized at one of four levels. Schools, districts, and early learning centers who reach the top “Sugar Maple” level are eligible for nomination to U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools.
Wisconsin Civics Games Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the Wisconsin Civics Games are hosting the fourth annual Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest this fall. This contest is designed to promote civic engagement and education in Wisconsin middle and high schoolers. The prompt this year is the First Amendment and the deadline is Wednesday, December 4th. First place winners will receive $500.
Visit this page for more information that you can share with a student who might be interested in entering this competition.
Fostering Young Readers Through Language and Literacy
A Guide for Connecting the 2023 Wisconsin Act 20 Across Early Childhood Systems
This collaboratively developed resource provides an overview of the 2023 Wisconsin Act 20 and highlights the intersections to key early care and education systems (child care, Head Start, 4K). It also offers practical strategies for educators to create effective learning environments that nurture the development of strong young readers.
Wisconsin Farm to School Recognition Program Launch
The DPI Farm to School (F2S) team would like to share about an exciting new program, the Wisconsin Farm to School Recognition Program! The purpose of the program is to help schools promote and celebrate their F2S accomplishments. Schools that sign-up complete activities in the three core elements of F2S (local procurement, nutrition and agriculture education, and school gardens) and the number of activities they complete determines their broccoli-pun recognition level. Many of these activities can be seamlessly incorporated into existing programming.
There are four levels of recognition (with an additional bonus level), Broccoli Seedling, Broccoli Sprout, Broccoli Floret, and Broccoli Crown (Bonus: Broccoli Flowering School). Participation is by school (versus district) but there is no limit to the number of schools within a district that can participate. Prize incentives will be given for each completed level. The program officially launched on October 1, but schools can join at any point in the school year. Awards will be given at the end of May 2025.
PBS Wisconsin Education’s ‘Wisconsin Biographies’ collection welcomes Roberto Hernández
PBS Wisconsin Education recently added a new story to the Wisconsin Biographies collection. Roberto Hernández: Working for La Comunidad shares the story of Roberto Hernández, who became an activist for better educational opportunities for his fellow Latino students in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project 2024
The Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project (WACP) began in 2023 as a collaborative project between the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Arts Board created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wisconsin Arts Board. The project offers FREE music, lesson plans, and materials created by Wisconsin artists and educators to Wisconsin schools, communities, and libraries. The project continues in 2024 with MORE collaborations, connections and opportunities!
The 2024 WACP will center on the theme of “Curiosity”. As Sir Ken Robinson once said, "If teachers can keep the flame of curiosity burning in children, then pretty much everything else will follow from that. Curiosity is the engine of achievement." This year's project will launch on this website around October 18, 2024. Below are the artists and educators contributing to this year's project. We are grateful to each of them!
To learn more and to see a list of our contributing artists and educators, head to the website.
We've Moved! Update Your DPI Contacts
As of August 5th, the DPI is now located within the Tommy G. Thompson Building, a few short blocks away from our previous location at GEF-3. Our new address is:
201 West Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53703
Phone numbers and email addresses for DPI colleagues will remain the same.
Underly's budget proposal is a bold step toward strengthening Wisconsin's public education via Daily Cardinal
Underly’s plan, prioritizing special education, per-student funding increases and property tax relief, is a substantial and badly needed investment in the future of Wisconsin.
State superintendent proposes $60M to expand career, tech ed programs via WSAW
Wisconsin is one of six states without ongoing funding for CTE programs in public schools. The proposal is part of Dr. Underly’s 2025-27 Biennial Budget request, available now on the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s website.
'We want to be here for you:' How Wisconsin schools welcome immigrant and refugee students via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
That sense of belonging, the feeling of “being a part,” is a key component to the mental health of newcomer students, “an umbrella term that includes various categories of people who were born outside of the United States,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Instruction.
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