Oct 2021 National News
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
One out of five students has been bullied, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. To help raise awareness of this pressing and startling issue, Stride Inc., is partnering with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and STOMP Out Bullying™ to launch a new bullying prevention initiative.
As part of this initiative, Stride is helping to promote various social-emotional wellness activities during October and throughout the year. The company is launching a new online resource hub for its estimated 6 million unique annual website visitors. Additionally, Stride is sharing specialized toolkits and resources with 200,000+ enrolled students and families at Stride-powered programs, and students at more than 1,000 school districts that outline critical ways to recognize and respond to bullying.
We’re proud that as part of our personalized and holistic approach to education, Stride helps provide wraparound support services for families to help address the challenges that impact students’ ability to perform well in the classroom. In addition—from the safety of home or from anywhere with an Internet connection—every student has access to a rich curriculum taught by state-credentialed teachers.
No student should ever be worried about going to school or logging into class because they’re afraid of being bullied. At Stride, every day, we’re working to ensure that every student feels safe and respected—no matter who they are or where they come from.
Please click here to find some easy ways you and your family can make an impact during National Bullying Prevention Month.
Stride Serves: Bullying Prevention
We invite you to help put an end to bullying and cyber bullying.
How You Can Get Involved:
- Wear blue on October 4, the World Day of Bullying Prevention.
- Have a conversation with family or friends about the various forms of bullying and the importance of demonstrating kindness and tolerance.
- Speak up when observing bullying.
- Create and sign a pledge to stand up to bullying.
- Stomp Out Bullying by participating in one of more of these activities.
- What other ideas can you think of to stand up to bullying?
Be sure to share photos of your activities on your school's Facebook page with the hashtag #StrideServes!
Stride Innovation Challenge: My Planet, My Neighborhood
Join students across the country in our first ever Innovation Challenge to share your big ideas. Innovation is about creativity, problem-solving, and working together. This year’s theme—My Planet, My Neighborhood—asks students to consider their solutions to today’s environmental issues.
· Open to students in 9th–12th grade
· Students outside of Stride K12-powered schools can also participate
· Work alone, with a partner, or on a team of three
· State, regional, and national winners
· Final stage of the contest at Stride Headquarters
· Prizes from $100 to $1,000 Amazon e-gift cards and more
· Registration open from September 1, 2021 through November 30, 2021
Get Your Cameras Ready, the Stride National Photography Competition Is Here!
Join students across the country capture what makes their communities special. This year, the National Photography Competition theme is My Community. We want to see the people, places, and things that reflect your community and what it means to people through photography.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The competition is open to all students in K–12th grade whether they are enrolled at a Stride K12-powered school or not
- There is one photograph submission per student
- There will be one Stride and one non-Stride winner for each grade level
- Photos will be selected by a panel including professional photographers
- All winners will receive a glass-etched trophy and a framed print of their winning photo
- First, second, and third place winner will also receive Amazon e-gift cards
- We are accepting applications from September 13th through October 29th, 2021
Mental Health Family Night
Stride is partnering with The Cook Center for Human Connection to host a free online Mental Health Family Night October 6th, 2021 @ 5PM PT, 6 PM MT, 7 PM CT, 8 PM ET geared towards parents and guardians.
Participants will hear from a leading clinical psychologist, have the opportunity to ask questions, and learn more about free resources available.
When registering for the event, select A Stride K12-powered School.
Register today to save your seat! https://cookcenter.info/Oct6
Stride Career Prep's Criminal Justice and Community Services Pathways Get a Community-Focused Revamp
Are you a high-schooler interested in working in a law enforcement-related career? If so, Stride is expanding upon its Criminal Justice and Community Services career pathways at schools offering the Stride Career Prep program, with the goal of building a more diverse, socially conscious, and community-supportive law enforcement. The pathways will provide the academic, professional, and social skills students need to thrive in the high-demand career fields of police, detectives, paralegals, legal assistants, cybersecurity analysts, and many more.
The pathways will include brand new course offerings in Cybersecurity, Sociology, Human and Social Services, Interpersonal Communication, and Customer Service, as well as updates to existing courses on Criminal Justice, Law and Order, Criminology, and Forensic Science. The curriculum was thoughtfully designed to provide a 360-degree view of the law enforcement workforce with input from criminal justice educators, members of law enforcement, and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Eight Stride K12-powered schools are currently including the new content as part of their Fall 2021 Career Prep curriculum: K12 Private Academy, Destinations Career Academy of Colorado, Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin, Indiana Digital Alternative School, Indiana Digital Learning School, Pikes Peak Online School, Utah Virtual Academy, and Wyoming Virtual Academy. More Stride Career Prep schools will be added in the coming years.
Click here for more information on the Criminal Justice and Community Services career pathway!
Financial Aid Crash Course for Students, Parents, & Learning Coaches
Friday, 10.8.2021 | 12 PM Eastern Time | 45 Minute Webinar
Click here to access the webinar!
Find out what you need to know about paying for college. Students and parents can learn from our financial aid experts on why you should always submit your FAFSA first, and accept grants, scholarships, and work-study before student loans. Our Student Success Coaches will also be taking questions during the webinar to help guide through this process and provide other tips about preparing for college.
Social Emotional Learning - Being Accountable
The 100% Accountable mindset teaches us that we are not victims of our past, that our futures are not predetermined, and that our lives are what we choose them to be at this moment and each moment forward.
The four guiding principles are:
1. Owning your life means not allowing the opinions and actions of others to matter more than your own. Make sure you are owning all aspects of your life by taking responsibility for your situation and every moment of your life.
2. Sometimes we limit ourselves by letting our fears take over or making excuses for why we haven’t tried something new or done the things we want to do. Overcome these limiting beliefs by believing in yourself, taking a chance, and not allowing excuses to get in your way!
3. We get 24 hours every day to focus our energy! Of course, we have to sleep some of that time, but spend the rest of your day doing the things that give you energy and getting the most out of the moments you have. Aim to go to bed each night feeling good about yourself and what you accomplished.
4. There is a difference between going through life and growing through life. If you just GO through life you don’t use what you have learned in the past to help you in the future. When you GROW through life you are learning from your experiences and using that knowledge to become even better!
National Learning Coach Community
Join thousands of Learning Coaches in the National Learning Coach Community within the K12 App. This virtual village has been built to help Learning Coaches:
- Access helpful resources
- Meet and message other LCs
- Connect their students with new friends
- Receive and share advice, ideas and encouragement
- Join interactive discussions, challenges, community building events and live guest discussion board moderators
Download the K12 app, log in using your Learning Coach credentials and join the National LC Community. #learningcoachlife
Learn more at www.learningcoachlife.com
National Learning Coach Programming
RECEIVE SUPPORT AS A NEW LEARNING COACH!
We are honored you chose a K12-powered school for your student(s)! We strive to provide you with helpful content, resources, and connections to be successful in your important role as a Learning Coach.
Please visit our K12 National Learning Coach Programming Newsletter frequently to view the latest Learning Coach sessions and information.
K12 On Learning Podcast
Each episode can be enjoyed here: https://app.resonaterecordings.com/hosting/k12-on-learning
You can also find us and subscribe to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and others. Find us on the STRIDE/K12 website! Look for our Podcast Cover, as shown above!
Each podcast has an average download of 100 unique listeners and over 100 re-listens.
Our audience is listening on Google Chrome, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iTunes, and Stitcher, to name just a few. The podcast is now featured on the carousel banner on the K12.com website.
Are you listening? Please subscribe today and leave a review. We would love to hear from you.
If you are interested in being featured on the K12 On Learning podcast or know a student, family, or professional you think would make a great guest, please email Heidi Higgins at hhiggins@k12.com
Stay Connected on the Go!
Explore K12 on your smartphone or tablet! And stay tuned, we're continually adding new app features.
The K12 app is a great resource for parents and legal guardians, keeping you in the loop starting with your online school search to completing the enrollment process to the last day of the school year and beyond!
With the K12 app, you'll have the power to:
- Start and complete enrollment
- Track your student's progress†
- View your schedule†
- Log daily attendance†
- Receive instant notifications
- Communicate your plans for future school years
The K12 app experience may vary by school. If you have questions, call 866.571.4316 for information.
†This feature is only applicable in some schools.