Welcome!
To those who are new or might not be familiar with the "Connect" newsletter, this is a tool we use to disseminate information across all of CAN with a focus on CAN-wide Announcements & Professional Development tips/information related to our work.
This newsletter, published bi-weekly on Monday mornings, is collaborative-- if you have any announcements, stories/insights, people you want to celebrate, or resources you would like shared here, please email klampen@canwashtenaw.org the week before the next newsletter is released.
Please view the Spring 2022 schedule below:
January 24
February 7
February 21
March 7
March 21
April 4
April 18
May 2
May 16
Announcements
February Birthdays-
Happy birthday, friends!
Frankie Moore (Director of Development), February 9 - Frankie's out on maternity leave, but I'm sure she would still love birthday wishes! Welcome to the world, Kennedy Ray!
Alyssa Cisneros (Bryant PA), February 18
Jamie Conner (VISTA), February 27
Kayla Samuels (Director of Brick), February 28
Upcoming Staff Meetings- The next couple of months, our meeting schedule as of right now will look as follows:
January 28, Off Week: Teams meet as-needed
February 4, Management Meeting: 1-2:30pm
February 11, All Staff* Meeting: 1-3pm
February 18, Management Meeting: 1-2:30pm
February 25, Off Week: Teams meet as-needed
*All staff & interns are welcome to join, but work-study/part-time & interns are not obligated.
All of our staff meetings and CAN holidays are up on the Google Calendar. If you are in our Google Group listservs (canvistas@googlegroups.com, caninterns@googlegroups.com, canprogramssistants@googlegroups.com, & canmanagement@googlegroups.com) you should receive an invitation to the relevant staff meetings.
If you are not in one of these listservs, please email klampen@canwashtenaw.org so you can be added!
You can find a link to the CAN Google Calendar at www.can-academy.org/staff-resources (CAN Calendar).
Google Calendars are a helpful tool CAN uses so we can make updates and share them out with all of our stakeholders in case anything changes!
After School Program Plans-
We know you're tired of hearing it but...flexibility is our theme for now. We will do what we can to take care of each other to ensure we can engage with each other in ways that are healthy and safe for all.
Openings and closures will be on a site-by-site basis, so make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor, caregivers, and volunteers so everyone is in the loop.
COVID-19 Policies
We are currently in Phase 4 of our COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Each site will look a little bit different based on space, attendance, staffing, etc. so please check in with your supervisor to determine your location's specific adjustments
Tips & Tidbits
How do we cultivate strong literacy skills and a passion for reading and writing in our students?
Read aloud / read together every day, even if it's virtual
Tell stories together, find opportunities to create your own stories
Talk with your students about their interests- their favorite movies and books, for example, to get an idea of what stories they are drawn to and use those discussions as jumping off points into the magical world of storytelling
Listen to audiobooks together and talk about what you listened to
Engage with your students in a variety of activities that build their general knowledge of the world - life experience improves reading comprehension!
Create cozy spaces where students can get comfy while they curl up with a good book
Do an activity with enrichment groups or partnering organizations, like AADL or 826michigan!
While we are not a classroom and our aim is not for everyone to become reading specialists, understanding how students learn to read can be very beneficial in our after-school work.
Here is a link summarizing one system, Collaborative Strategic Reading, that some teachers use to help students develop the mechanics and comprehension: https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/collaborative-strategic-reading-csr-comprehension-strategy-enhance-content-area-learning
Amir & Rakeem, 2018
How do I become a CAN Academy Member to comment on these posts?
Click the little profile icon in the upper right hand corner of the website header
Sign Up with your email and create a password
Your request will be approved and you can go into your CAN Academy profile to update the information
Make your profile "public" so you can add comments below
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments (or highlights, announcements, etc.), please email Katie at klampen@canwashtenaw.org.