Elementary School OST Network: October Meeting Recap

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).
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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. 

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)

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Opportunities for Young People and Families:

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.
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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.

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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.

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!

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.