May 2021 News
May Photo Contest: Memorial Day
Our May photo contest theme is Memorial Day - which is the day we honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Many people have used photographs to capture the stories of these men and women in creative and moving ways.
We are encouraging you to submit a photograph you have taken relating to our May theme, Memorial Day, for the chance to win a prize! A winner in each grade range (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12) will be chosen.
The contest runs May 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021. Find full details and official contest rules, along with the entry form, on our National Club Newsletter.
Calling All Class of 2021 Graduates!
It's time for you to share what's next! We want to know what you plan to do after you graduate from high school. Are you headed to college? Planning on joining the military? Or are you jumping into the workforce? Whatever your plan is—we want to hear what your dream is and how your Stride K12-powered school experience has helped you in achieving that dream!
Share a one-minute video, where you tell us your post-graduation plans and how online school has helped you achieve them. You don't want to miss out, because the winner will earn a $100 Amazon e-gift card!
The contest launches May 3, 2021 and ends June 4, 2021.
Find full details and official contest rules, along with the entry form, on our National Club Newsletter.
15th Annual Art Contest!
Stride K12 is calling all artists to step up to the drawing board and enter our 15th Annual Art Contest!
Stride K12 wants to give you a chance to share your adventurous side by participating in this year’s Art Contest. Whether your idea of excitement is rock climbing across the world or reading a book about creatures in a far-off galaxy, we want to know more about the adventures you can imagine. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to participate and are encouraged to submit as many entries as they'd like. Prizes will be awarded to the top winner from each grade level.
The contest runs May 3, 2021 through May 31, 2021.
Find full details and official contest rules, along with the entry form, on our National Club Newsletter.
Summer Programs & Challenges Coming June 2021!
Check out the fun summer events we have planned for you this summer! Do you like LEGOs, cooking, social media, or video games? Well, you are going to love what we have planned for this summer with lots of fun activities you can participate in and plenty of great prizes!
Check our National Club Newsletter for more information!
Twelve finalists from across the country will be flown to Herndon, VA to compete live and in-person for the distinguished title of National Spelling Bee Winner. We will have one winner in each grade band (elementary school middle school, high school).
This event will be streamed live on K12's Facebook page on May 18th.
Save the Date for the Virtual Prom May 15th!
Prom 2021 may be canceled in theory, but the show must go on!
We’re hosting a VIRTUAL PROM on May 15th and you’re invited to attend. Families are invited too! Chaperone, dance, and even show off your throwback prom pictures! Taffeta anyone?
We want you to share pictures and videos of your dresses, tuxes, and best dance moves with us. Did you miss what we did last year? Check it out here!
Parents can join in, too, by showing how to bust a move or giving a classic chaperone headshake.
Upload your throwback photos and your dance videos here!
Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Month
As we look ahead to May, we are excited for the opportunity to celebrate our incredible teachers during Teacher Appreciation Month!
We want to give you a chance to recognize a teacher who you have seen go above and beyond, or a teacher who has helped a co-worker in some way with their own teaching.
Share your stories and photos with us or join us in our #boostyourfuture TikTok challenge. We want to know who has made an impact in your career.
Participation is not a requirement of employment.
Stride's We Stand Together College Scholarship Now Accepting Applications
If you’re a high schooler and identify as Black or African American, you may be eligible for a We Stand Together College Scholarship of $10,000 or $25,000!
The We Stand Together College Scholarship is open to Black high school seniors at schools powered by Stride K12 who plan to enroll in fulltime undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school, and have a 2.0 GPA or greater. Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on factors including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, educational and career goals, and financial need.
Don’t delay—applications are open now through May 18! For more information on eligibility and application instructions, visit https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/stridewestandtogether/.
Social Emotional Learning - Inspiring to Serve Others
The Live to Give Mindset teaches the importance of serving others while maximizing our own potential. It tells us that abundance in life is a cycle; in order to receive love, respect, and financial security, we must first learn to give those things to others. This mindset also teaches us that the greatest gift we can ever give is to find and leverage our unique genius to maximize our positive impact on the world, knowing that good things will be returned to us in kind. In the lessons for this mindset, we guide students to think about the impact they want to make and the legacy they want to leave.
Activities you can do at home to instill the Live to Give mindset:
1. My Impact - link
2. Pay It Forward - link
3. My Birthday Speech - link
Click picture above to RSVP to the event!
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
The New OLS is now out of this world!
Click below to see a demo of some of the new K-5 Online School features!
“The New K-5 OLS now has even more options for students to customize their online school experience! Choose from 20 characters and 3 different themes. You can set the new OLS as your default home page in your profile settings.”
The New OLS now has even more options to help keep your student engaged. Set the new OLS as your default homepage, explore our new features and let us know what you think!
Select our new space theme and explore the OLS galaxy.
Update your address, phone number, email, and time zone from the new Account tab.
The retake button will now only appear if the assessment has retakes available.
Go back and view help tooltips for each of the new OLS pages.
Now all of today’s completed lessons appear on the plan. Whether they were due today or not.
Stride Serves: Join Hands Day - Uniting Older and Younger Generations in Service
Join Hands Day is a day of community service aimed at developing relationships and bridging the gap between generations through volunteering. While Join Hands Day is celebrated the first Saturday in May, you can participate throughout the month. There are many ways that you and your students can help to unite your generations with others and volunteer at the same time!
- Safely volunteer at local senior homes—create blankets, donate stuffed animals, sing songs with residents.
- Spend time talking with an older relative about their childhood and teach them something new.
- Create your own service learning project that can be shared with someone you know who is older or younger than you.
- Take time to brighten the day of a senior citizen!
Be sure to share photos of your activities on your school's Facebook page with the hashtag #StrideServes!
Here to Stay?
We want to hear from you!
Did you join the K12 family due to the pandemic, and now you’re planning on staying successful with online learning?
Share your story HERE, or by clicking the picture above.
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.
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 to schools that require attendance be added by the Learning Coach.