January 2024
Contents:
 Welcome to 2024!
This month's newsletter contains a lot of helpful information to start the year strong, including virtual and in-person training opportunities, important dates to remember, and ways to connect with students and families. We are excited to start this new year with you!
DATA:
Please review the data collection guidance from the Weikart Center sent out in last week's Round Up email. There are two data activities due by January 31, 2024:
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Program Attendance Spreadsheet - attendance spreadsheets must be submitted through the secured Box account provided by the Weikart Center. This Program Attendance Spreadsheet contains Personally Identifiable Information (PII) required for federal reporting and should never be shared through email. If you need the Box link, please contact Paige Johnson.
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Activities, Staffing, and Family Services Tracker – this Tracker was formerly collected through Qualtrics. We have moved to Survey Monkey to allow for quicker access and summary of data. A new link was emailed to all program directors. If you have used the previous link, that is ok! We have your data, and it will be reflected in the audit.
If you have any questions or concerns while entering your data, please reach out to okdata@forumfyi.org for support.
IMPORTANT DATES:
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January 24th: Program Quality Community of Practice (virtual)
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January 31st: Fall Data Management Spreadsheet and Tracker due
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February 1st: Student, Parent, and Staff Survey and Report Forms due
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February 12th: OKC Cohort - Planning with Data (In-Person Training - see Nice to Know for details)
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February 13th: Tulsa Cohort - Planning with Data (In-Person Training - see Nice to Know for details)
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February 21st: Power Up Meeting: Improvement Planning webinar with Weikart
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February 28th: Improvement Plans due in Scores Reporter
Planning with Data: In-Person Training in February
Mark your calendars for the Planning with Data training in February. The event will be held at the Canadian Valley Technology Center in Yukon; look for registration details and more information in the weekly Round Up emails.
Please note that each grantee is expected to attend the training date corresponding to the area in which you live. Register your team of 3-4 individuals using the designated link for your specified date only.
February 12th: OKC Cohort
February 13th: Tulsa Cohort
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading's January Learning Opportunities
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is offering three different webinars in January:
Click on each of the links above to register for the webinars, or visit the Learning & Engagement Opportunities page for more information.
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Self-Assessment Tool for Expanded Learning Programs
The self-assessment tool (shown below) can help programs gain a deeper understanding of what is and could be happening to improve attendance in your out-of-school time program. This is also an excellent tool for laying the foundation for a team of key stakeholders to begin working together to reduce student absences.
To download a copy of this tool, visit the Self Assessment page on the Attendance Works site.
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Creating and Printing Yard Signs with Canva
At a recent online technology summit, Joe and Kristin Merrill shared their "greatest hits" for using technology to engage with students. One of their top tips was creating and printing yard signs with Canva. The signs are presented to the students at school and then sent home for the week or month. When the sign is returned, it is presented to other students as the year goes on.
This is a fabulous (and relatively inexpensive) way to connect with students and families. If you would like to create a yard sign, the Merrills provide templates for two different versions on their blog, @TheMerrillsEDU. An example of one of their signs is shown below.
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Painted Play Spaces
As you begin planning for your spring and summer program you might want to consider working with your Advisory Committee to create a painted play space. The mission of painted play spaces is to enhance the play environments at schools by using colorful paint and stencils to create an array of recess games on existing hardscapes. Painted play spaces increase physical activity and student engagement on school campuses. Creating a painted play space is easy - you just need paint and volunteers!
Painted Play Spaces video
 Expanded Learning Hero of the Month: Justin Daniels
In recent communication we shared the passing of our friend and colleague, Justin Daniels. Several people requested that we honor his legacy by making him our Expanded Learning Hero of the Month. Most of us could share a story, tribute, or reflection about how Justin positively impacted our lives. We are grateful to include a few from our Oklahoma Expanded Learning family.
Rita Montgomery, 21st CCLC Quality Coach:
For those of us who knew Justin Daniels, there is a void in our hearts. There is also a void in the expanded learning community. He was amazingly gifted and talented in many ways; but perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to relate to each person—adult or youth—in a deeply personal way. He remembered little details and always acknowledged even the smallest kindness shown toward him.
Whether you knew Justin through the expanded learning community or one of his many other passions (and there were many), you KNEW you were his friend. We all felt the value he placed on our friendship. His work with youth exemplified the value he placed on relationships. He was never too busy to stop and have a conversation with a young person. Any conversation with Justin always ended with a note of gratitude—his gratitude for you! That note of gratitude propelled us forward toward being better and stronger in our work with young people.
Yes, there is a void in our community which will be felt for a very long time. As we continue our mission, we can help fill that void by embodying the qualities that Justin modeled so completely in our own relationships with youth and one another.
Morgan Lawrence, Program and Family Engagement Manager, Tulsa Debate League:
Justin started each of our Elementary Debate Tournaments by having the competitors say "I AM SOMEBODY" and that just completely embodies who he was and his philosophy as an educator and advocate for young people. That philosophy extended to how he felt about his employees too- his words gave me the confidence and courage to successfully build two debate programs. He is not gone- his passion and legacy will live in me forever and I am inspired daily to be more like Justin in my work.
Kelvin Bonner, VP of Programs, Youth at Heart (YAH):
I first met Justin in 2019 when we offered him a position with YAH. He graciously declined our employment offer after simultaneously receiving an opportunity he could not refuse to follow his passion for expanding debate programming in North Tulsa schools with the Tulsa Debate League. I can never recall a job candidate being as genuine and apologetic as Justin in declining an offer. He even voluntarily recommended another individual he felt might be a good fit for the position.
As fate would have it, Justin would still later make a significant impact at his alma mater by launching an inaugural afterschool debate club in partnership with the YAH program that helped elementary kids who struggled in reading to excel in debate.
I enjoyed reconnecting with Justin when I saw him at the Directors' Meeting after his promotion to Program Director with TDL. He would always be encouraging and uplifting.
My final interaction with Justin was seeing him during a community youth performance of The Wiz Jr last summer. Though it was outside of the traditional expanded learning spaces I had grown used to seeing him, Justin was still exhibiting the same qualities he was known for---rooting for young people and challenging them to be their best selves. My life is so much better having crossed paths with him.
Chris Cook, Program Director, Tulsa Debate League:
His vision, voice and values left me in awe. Speechless. Not the type of awe that makes one feel inferior, but the awe that makes you see the beauty of our lives and the best of what human beings are capable of achieving. The type of awe that makes you want to walk the walk that he was on.
Justin embodied the mission of those of us who work in the after school space: providing all students with high-quality afterschool opportunities that inspire, transform, and enrich the lives of all young people. We will continue the work that Justin loved in his honor, and as a tribute to his legacy.
Emily Collins, Community School Coordinator, Jenks East Elementary
I smile when I think about Justin. He was such a kind soul, always encouraging and willing to do anything to help. Justin worked wonders in Tulsa through his work with Tulsa Debate League. I was lucky enough to get to know him over the last few years as TDL welcomed our school to the world of (TOTALLY COOL) elementary debate!
His radiant smile and kind words were a source of light in the lives of all who knew him. His presence in Tulsa was not just felt—it was experienced, deeply and profoundly, by the countless students he guided and the countless hearts he touched. His work with students went beyond education; it was a journey of inspiration, a testament to his belief in the potential of every individual. Justin didn't just teach; he transformed lives. He will be so missed.
Ross Faith, Executive Director, Tulsa Debate League:
Justin was a true coach. He saw the good in everyone and he saw it as his goal to help people be their best selves - not to change or to fix people, but to lead them to what they do best. When I had difficult people issues to wrestle with, I went to Justin for advice. And often he would lead these "crucial conversations." His emotional intelligence was what set him apart from others.
He brought so much joy and positivity to our team. He led meetings with optimism and encouragement. He radiated hope. But his most important job, as he saw it, was as a husband and father. He loved his family more than anything. We will miss him greatly.
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