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  • News & Events
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    • Committing to Racial Equity
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    • Showing us What they Know
    • Empathizing with Parents
    • Building Dialogue
    • Creating a Welcoming Culture
    • Celebrating Families
  • Resources
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    • How to Write a Blog Post for AFCOST
    • Professional Development Reports
    • 5 Key Elements for Successful Virtual OST Programming
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2022-23 Afterschool OST Opportunities Guide (Elementary and Middle School)

Elementary School OST Network: February Meeting Recap

2/14/2023

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Hello OST Community!

​Below we’ve added a brief recap of the February Network meeting, resources, and community announcements, along with upcoming Network dates to remember. Here is a copy of our February 1st meeting
slideshow and Newsletter. ​
During our last meeting we spoke about stereotypes, biases, and how they impact students in school, out of school, and on social media. We watched 2 videos related to the topic. 1 video, was of a young African American man who was dealing with stereotypes in the classical music world, and the the other was of a video that has recently gone viral.
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​i-Ready Personalized Instruction: An Introduction for OST Programs and Providers

On January 19th, 2023,  Cambridge Public Schools and AFCOST co-facilitated a workshop to provide an overview of the i-Ready personalized learning program. As the more than 25 OST professionals who attended the workshop learned, i-Ready is an online platform for CPS 3rd-8th graders to use beyond the school day to support their learning in the areas of Math and English Language Arts.
Click here to view the slides from the workshop or watch the recording!

ESON & MSN February Break Slideshow

​Be sure to check out our recently created ESON and MSN February Break Fun OST slideshow. ​Make sure your program is included and accurate. This slideshow will be shared with families, CPS Family Liaisons, and shown in schools.
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2023 Rollin’ & Summer Resources Event: Provider Table Sign-up

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Have you signed up for your Programs Table for the event? If not, you can do so below.

​Hello Summer Program Providers!

The Village, CPS, Agenda for Children OST, CFCC, & DHSP are hosting the 2023 Rollin’ N Summer Resources. This resource fair is being set up to help Cambridge families get ready for summer and will take place on Saturday, March 4th, from 1-4:30pm, at the CSUS/King Open Building, located at 850 Cambridge Street.  We invite you to come and set up a table to have families hear about and/or complete applications for your summer programs.

This fun event for K-8 families will also include roller skating run by Party Vision. We’ll provide snacks and some entertainment for younger children (provided by community partners) so that caregivers can get applications and check out the summer program options for their children.

Click 2023 Rollin' N Summer Resources: Provider Sign-up to reserve a table for this event. 

​Community Announcements

Sarah Lincoln: We want to hear from people that work with youth in the city! Sarah Lincoln from the Cambridge Public Health Department is gathering feedback on information we've learned about youth substance misuse from focus groups, interviews, and the Youth Health Survey. Follow this link to look at what we've collected so far and let us know your thoughts! This information will be used to plan future youth substance misuse prevention programming in the city. 
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Please contact me at salincoln@cambridgepublichealth.org if you have any questions or if you're interested in learning more about this work.
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Allyson Allen: Are you a young Cambridge artist with a masterpiece to share? Enter the Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest for a chance to win $1,000 and see your artwork featured in Cambridge.
 
The City of Cambridge invites artists of all ages to submit their illustrations, prints, photographs, or other 2D media to the 2023 Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest. Six winners will receive a $1,000 prize and their artwork will be displayed in the windows of empty storefronts in Cambridge. Applications can be submitted now and the deadline is March 1, 2023.
 
Submit your art and apply here: 2023 Vacant Storefront Design Contest Application
 
Find more information here including the art from previous winners: cambridgema.gov/storefront-contest

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Claudia Ferrara: Join us for a Math Talk Play Session! 
MathTalk is currently inviting families to play sessions! The goal of the play sessions is for kids to have fun and for us to collect feedback about how to make our math products better for families. See flyer for details!

​Cambridge Camping: February School Vacation Camp-Cooking with STEAM!  Kitchen science and cooking program for grades 6-8, Feb 20-24, 9-2:30PM, $50/child, hosted at The Foundry.  Visit website for more information: cambridgecamping.org/cooking


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Elementary School OST Network: November Meeting Recap

11/10/2022

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Hello OST Community!

​Below we’ve added a brief recap of the October Network meeting, resources, and community announcements, along with upcoming Network dates to remember. Here is a copy of our November 2nd meeting
slideshow and Newsletter. 
During our last meeting, we had a chance to learn a little more about who each other are and how we show up for the young people that we serve every day.

​The topic of the meeting was Family Partnership, with a focus on Parent Voices. We watched a short video from the Agenda for Children OST Learning Institute Professional Development: Stories of Family Partnership, and discussed and answered guiding questions. One clear takeaway from the breakout group discussions was that the Pandemic has placed barriers in our programs that have impacted face-to-face communication with parents and caregivers. Many programs have policies in place that don’t allow parents into the building, let alone the classrooms we serve our children in. This has forced programs to think outside the box and host more community spaces where all families can gather for an event. 
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Click here to learn more about the OST Learning Institute Training Workshops and Series.

ESON & MSN Slideshows

Be sure to check out our recently updated ESON and MSN OST Opportunities slideshows. Make sure your program is included and accurate. These slideshows are shared with families, Family Liaisons, and shown in schools. ​
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K-5th Grade OST Opportunities
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“What’s Happening After School”

Community Announcements

Opportunities and Announcements for You:
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Network Coworking Session
Please join us for our Joint Network Coworking session this Wednesday, November 16th, from 10:30am-12:00pm at the Hive, in the Cambridge Public Library, (main library) on Broadway. These sessions are laid back, informal, productive, & fun! Bring what you are working on, and do that with others in the network. We will have a very lightly facilitated space for folks to share what they're working on and anything they'd want to talk about with other folks. We will start off by taking a tour of the Hive and learn more about how our programs can take advantage of this state-of-the-art space that is the home to a fabrication lab, a multimedia recording studio, a podcasting studio, and an extended reality lab (XR lab). Click here to learn more about the equipment and studio.

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A message from our Youth Connector:
"Hello everyone! My name is Tyrique Kittrell, I have just started working for the AFCOST team as the Youth Connector. My role is to help support  ESON and MSN, and get more youth enrolled in OST programs. A goal of mine is to get out there and visit all the programs to get a feel for what each one offers. I would love to schedule some time to visit your program. I will be reaching out to Program Directors within the next few weeks to schedule brief visits. Also, I’m somewhat new to Cambridge so please introduce yourself to me, as I learn more about the OST landscape." tyrique@agendaforchildrenost.org 
​Opportunities for Young People and Families:
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Half-Day Hangout
This Wednesday, November 16th ​
The Hive Makerspace is hosting a Half-Day Hangout for young people ages 12-18, from 1-4:30pm. There is no safety training needed for this event, so come out and make the most of your early release day by making buttons and recording yourself on TikTok with green screen technology. Learn more at: https://cambridgepl.libcal.com/event/9849106
Free Food Market
Select Cambridge Public Schools are hosting Free Food Market in November and December. All 
Cambridge Public Schools families are welcome. Please review the flyer below to locate the site nearest to you.
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City Sprouts Young Leaders Program
Join City Sprouts Young Leaders Program After School Club. This program is for Middle School Students in grades 6th-8th. Contact Heather Fisher at 617.981.4077 or hfisher@citysprouts.org to sign up.
Gender Expansive Youth
Calling all youth interested in exploring gender as a social construct! This group is open to anyone interested in gender socialization and queer issues and will center trans and gender non-conforming youth. This is a youth-led space to connect, learn and unpack what matters!

To sign up contact Georgia (they/them) at youthleadership@ywcacam.org
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CPS Updates

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CPS Caregiver Equity Summit will be held on Saturday, December 3rd! Come Learn, Connect, and Reflect with families as we identify what equity sounds like, looks like, and feels like to caregivers in the Cambridge Public Schools community. There will be workshops, music, food, and much more! Exact date and location will be coming soon! Interested in getting more information? Sign up here!
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Elementary School OST Network: October Meeting Recap

10/19/2022

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Greetings, OST Community! I want to send a big shout out to everyone who was able to join us for our October 4th ESON meeting. Below we have provided a recap and announcements that were shared during our meeting for those who were unable to attend.

  • ESON October 4th meeting slide deck
  • Handout with MSN/ESON Meeting Dates and Schedule for this Year
  • Check out our brand new After School Guide, 2022-23 (now one book for K-8).
    ​
During this convening OST providers and community partners began to build or build on relationships and connections that have been made over time in our Agenda for Children OST spaces. The focus for the first part of our meeting was Welcoming Students & Families back to our programs and discussing which practices we want to hold on to and identify what practices we have to let go due to being understaffed in our programs. Many providers spoke about the importance of starting the year off on the right foot, meeting students and families where they are, and prioritizing teamwork while preparing for and running programs. The second half of our meeting we shared Tips & Tricks to attract more job applicants. This appeared to be a hot topic that resonated with the group. We will use our co-working session on Wednesday, November 16th, at the Hive (located at the Cambridge Public Library) to build off of ideas to partner with local colleges and universities to help find interns & staff, host an annual OST Job fair, and more.

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Community Announcements

Opportunities and Announcements for You:

Joint Network Coworking Sessions
ESON & MSN are now hosting Network coworking sessions. These sessions are laid back, informal, productive, & fun! Bring what you are working on, and do that with others in the network. We will have a very lightly facilitated space for folks to share what they're working on and anything they'd want to talk about with other folks.

Our first session will be Wednesday, November 16th, from 10:30-12:00 pm at the Hive, in the Cambridge Public Library (main library) on Broadway. We will start off by taking a tour of the Hive before jumping into our session. 
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STEAM in the Early Childhood Classroom
The STEAM Initiative and the Cambridge Office of Early Childhood are collaborating for their  2nd annual 4 session STEAM in the Early Childhood Classroom Workshop Series. Workshops are targeted at educators and OST providers working with 3-6 year-olds in classroom settings and after school programs. 
 
Scan the code on the flyer or click here to sign up!

​For more information, contact:
Barb MacEachern (bmaceachern@cambridgema.gov)
Elizabeth Barlock (ebarlock@cpsd.us)

Opportunities for Young People and Families:
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STEAM IT UP!
Barb MacEachern, STEAM Initiative: Steam It UP Event, October 20th at PAUS (Putnam Ave Upper School)
 
Have you ever wanted to investigate the connection between rocket shape and launch distance? Does observing coastal critters excite you? Maybe you’d like to engineer a terrifically tall tower? Come join local STEAM providers for a fun filled evening!

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The Bob Moses MathTrail is now up and running!
​The Bob Moses MathTrail is a mile-long path in The Port neighborhood that begins at Sennott Park on Broadway and stretches along Elm, Broadway, Windsor, Main, Cherry, Eaton, and Columbia Streets. The goal of the Bob Moses MathTrail is to encourage Cambridge residents, especially children and families, to find the fun in math and explore math in the world around them.
​

Visitors can engage with visual and interactive installations along the trail. Math activities include examining painted candy circles at Squirrel Brand Park, measuring how far you can jump at Fletcher-Maynard Academy, exploring the patterns of a gigantic number line at Greene-Rose Heritage Park, and more!

​Visitors also have the option of downloading the
Measure! Everything! App to guide their exploration of the MathTrail and continue fun math activities at home.

Cambridge Youth Flag Football League 
Do you know a child that would like to play or learn how to play Flag Football? If so, the Cambridge Youth Flag Football League is for you! All games are played at Russell Field, on Rindge Ave in North Cambridge. Registration will be up and running for only a few more weeks. Take advantage of this great opportunity. If you know a child who is in need of a scholarship, please contact Shawn at sproctor@cpsd.us. See the chart below for time slots.

For more information, contact: Kenneth Cooper at CambridgeMensFlagFootball@gmail.com.
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Cambridge Community Center Pantry
The Pantry offers quality and nutritious foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to other quality grocery items. The pantry will also provide toilet paper, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, etc. The Food & Supply Pantry is open Tuesday through Friday, from 1:00pm-3:00pm to all on a first come, first served basis until supplies run out. 

Location: 5 Callender St., Cambridge
Check out the pantry’s feature in an article published on Waste360.com!
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Soca Fusion
Soca Fusion is now offering 3 different Classes on Sundays starting October 30th, from 3:15-5:00pm for young people ages 3 yrs old and up.

​Check out the flyer and website for more details.
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CPS Updates: Something New is Coming.....

9/29/2022

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iReady to Try Something New? 
This year, Cambridge Public Schools is rolling out the use of
 iReady Personalized Instruction, an online learning platform and tool that can be used by families (and OST programs) to provide additional learning time in math and literacy beyond the school day. The district is excited by the prospect of collaborating with OST programs and partners to support students this way! 
​
How is this different from other online-based tools that CPS students use for learning? 
  • The platform provides targeted lessons based on student’s individual skills (it’s linked to an assessment called iReady that all 3-8th graders take in schools)
  • Lessons are designed to be culturally responsive, engaging, and connected to real-world scenarios (age-appropriate graphics, music, sound effects, activities beyond multiple choice questions, relevant and diverse texts)
  • Young people grades 3-8 can follow their own pathway on the site, or teachers/educators can assign specific lessons to whole classes or individual students 
  • The program includes quality content at all levels, from below grade level all the way to above grade level

When/How is this happening?
  • Onboarding sessions for teachers, for caregivers and for OST programs will be offered throughout the fall. The iReady program for the 2022-23 school year will be ready for young people to use by mid-November. 
  • CPS Teachers CAN use the platform to assign and monitor student progress, but it is not required, especially this year, as all users gain confidence in the platform and what it can do. 
  • With CPS, the Agenda team is planning a training session just for OST Providers (likely a morning in Oct/Nov) to orient themselves to the platform, ask questions and figure out how they can use it in their spaces.

What does this mean for me as an Out-of-School-Time (OST) Program?
  • You have the option of using the program at your site 
  • CPS and the Agenda for Children will be offering training for OST Programs on how it works and how you can use it in your spaces
  • iReady Personalized Instruction could be used during Homework Time, either as homework (if teachers assign it as such) or as a ‘after your homework is done but it’s not time to play yet’ tool.
  • The program can help your after school staff communicate with schools/teachers, be more connected to work happening in the classroom, and be part of helping young people close learning gaps or get what they need in terms of academics.

More info is coming soon - for now check out this 2 page infographic about the timeline and how it will be used! ​
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ESON and MSN Meeting Dates for 2022-23

9/5/2022

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This year ESON and MSN will meet on the same day for all Network convenings. There will be opportunities for folks to break out into respective groups (ESON & MSN) during our time together. 
We are planning to do our first and last meetings of the year as in-person meetings at community locations - and then use Zoom for the bulk of the meetings in between, as we have heard from folks that the convenience and ability to sign in from anywhere allows more folks to attend and contribute. 


Please join us for as much or little time as you can for our upcoming IN-PERSON Kick-Off event on Wednesday, September 14th, from 10:00 am- 12:00 p.m at Starlight in Central Sq, 84 Bishop Allen Dr. 

See all calendar dates on our Events Calendar page 0r All Joint Network meetings on Sched (where you can RSVP!) ​

Meeting dates for each month of the year: 

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ESON Mid-Summer 2022 Newsletter

8/4/2022

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​Hello OST providers, school based staff, & community partners! We hope that you are all finding joy this summer, whether you're providing our young people with memorable
experiences in your programs, finding time to a take well deserved vacation, or soaking up this midsummer SUN locally! Even though we haven't been engaging in our typical network spaces over the summer, we have been
planning for this upcoming school year and can't wait to share more of our upcoming plans with you in the near future.   
Click here to read more in our ESON Newsletter 
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It's Resource Guide time!
We are assembling our 2022-23 School Year Resource Guide for families - a book that compiles all the after school and OST opportunities for the new school year in one place.
​Action requested: Fill out this form by Friday, August 5th with your program info
  • For the first time this year, we are combining options for K-5 and 6-8 families in one book
  • If you fill out the form by Aug 5th, your info will be updated FOR YOU on FindItCambridge.org as well as included in  the Guides
  • If you miss the deadline, you can still complete the form, we just can't promise your info will make it into the printed  copies that are given out at schools and back to school events
  • Even if you're still in the planning stages, fill out as much as you can!
Last year's guides for reference:
ESON: K-5 Guide School Year 21-22 (last year)
MSN: 6-8th Guide School Year 21-22 (last year)
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June 14th Joint Networks Meeting at Danehy Park

6/6/2022

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​This month ESON will join forces with MSN (The Middle School Network) and RAY (Reaching All Youth) to host an In-Person Network Convening.
In this joint effort , we will continue our collaborative discussion on "What is difficult about the Transition Years.”
​
We will review what was learned across all groups, share what’s already being done, what needs to be done, and next steps as we look towards the road ahead. We hope that you can join us as we reflect on the progress that has been made and celebrate with each other as the school year comes to an end.
When: Tuesday, June 14th, from 10a-12p
Where: 99 Sherman St. Danehy Park
R.S.V.P Here 
For more information, read the June ESON Newsletter 

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April 2022 ESON Newsletter

4/19/2022

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This year Afterschool Professionals Appreciation week is April 25th-29th.  More than 200 staff from 60 OST providers actively participate in AFCOST Professional Development.

​Our next ESON Meeting is Tuesday, April 26th, from 10:00a-11:30a.  For more info, read the full newsletter here. 

We at the Agenda for Children are grateful to share this networking space with all of you! We've been able to share ideas & practices, think collectively about ways to provide our young people with equitable access to programs, and build community.  

We can't thank you enough for being a part of this OST village that serves as building blocks that provide rich, rare, and transformative opportunities for our youth. 
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Many of you are heroes to our young people. They believe in YOU, rely on YOU, trust YOU and depend on YOU. Please continue to be the BEST version of YOU!
​

"There is no one alive who is 'Youer' than You."
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March 2022 Newsletter

3/10/2022

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On Tuesday, March 15th from 10a-11:30a on zoom, we will be joined by the Middle School Network for our Summer Program Pitch workshop.   Have you ever wondered how you
sound while pitching your program to young person or family?  In this meeting, you will be able to create , practice, and receive feedback on your pitch. We hope that you will join us!
Zoom link:  
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81338091634

​
If you would like a table to recruit participants at the upcoming Rollin' & Summer Resource Fair! Please click here to fill out this form. There will be a section for K-5 programs, Upper School programs and Health & Wellness resources.

Click here to read more of the ESON newsletter! 
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February 2022

2/17/2022

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In order to create equitable change in our schools and OST programs we must first be willing to step out of our comfort zone & into difficult conversations. During our last ESON convening we looked to our network members to share and be present in a space that would require all to be BRAVE while discussing implicit biases on race and the impact it has on providers, our shared young people, and families. 
​
Please check out our ESON February Newsletter for a full recap of last months meeting as well as our slide deck with February vacation programs, events, activities, and much more
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