In this article, all volunteers can access the routine communication provided to the School Outreach Volunteers. This newsletter shares opportunities for volunteers to enhance their skills in working with schools as well as tips, tricks, and resources that can be sent directly to any educator/school regardless of a volunteer’s role with AFS. We hope you find this information helpful as we know many volunteers interact with schools so knowing how to set AFS apart from other organizations will continue to be important in those interactions.
September 9, 2022 Newsletter
Calling all School Outreach Coordinators!
Happy September! No matter where you live, ALL of the schools with whom we work around the country are officially in session! To help you strengthen your local school relationships, the below school outreach initiatives are ready for use.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOLUNTEERS
- School Outreach Training/Updates - Webinar for ALL Volunteers: Much like we want our school staff members to feel prepared and up to date, we want to do the same for any/all volunteers. Starting on September 21st at 8:00pm Eastern / 5:00pm Pacific, we are offering a webinar for volunteers who want to hear from the School Outreach Advisory Group and from AFS-USA Staff about what initiatives are going on, see the latest changes in MyAFS, and learn best practices for engaging with schools. Please share this widely with your team and new volunteers who are looking to find a way to get involved. Register in advance here.
- Template for Welcoming Students to your Schools: A best practice for the start of a new school year is to introduce yourself and introduce the exchange students coming to the building! This can be a task for a School Representative or a Liaison. As we have some students that are arriving this week and will arrive yet this month, we strongly encourage sending this message within two weeks of a new student’s arrival to the school. Here’s a template to help you and your team get started!
- School Outreach Calendar: This is a reminder that we have a School Outreach Calendar for you on MyAFS Help & Learning to help you know what’s happening and how to engage with schools. Please read more about the calendar and download it HERE.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE WITH SCHOOLS
The first edition of the 2022-2023 Global Educator Newsletter focuses on Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15). This date range encompasses many of the Independence Day celebrations for Central and South American countries and marks a time to celebrate the contributions and inspiration provided by many Hispanic people throughout history.
Although there are more than 7,000 educators that receive this communication, there are tens of thousands more than don’t know it exists. If your local educators don’t receive it, I strongly recommend that you forward it to them, and ensure that you highlight at least ONE specific section that may be of interest to them in a personalized message. Below are some templates for you to share a resource or two from the newsletter.
TWO Upcoming Global Meet and Greet Opportunities for Educators
1. September Opportunity— Intended Audience: Any teacher (all grade levels and content areas are welcome)
2. October Opportunity— Intended Audience: Spanish teachers, Bilingual teachers, Native Spanish-speaking teachers (This event will be held in Spanish).
- “Have you ever wanted a partner classroom abroad? We have two Educator Meet & Greet events with educators in Central and South America on September 21, 2022 at 6:00pm Eastern time/3:00pm Pacific (English version) and October 12, 2022 at 6:00pm Eastern time/3:00pm Pacific (Spanish version). These are 1-hour live virtual events where educators of all grade levels and subject areas will connect with teachers abroad to discuss how they want to collaborate and/or build a class-to-class exchange or project. These events are NOT recorded. We hope you will register for one of them today. Register for 9/21/22 in English or Register for 10/12/22 in Spanish.”
2023 Global Educator & Global School Awards
Intended Audience: AFS School Champions, Teachers who lead globally-focused clubs, Counselors who do a lot with international students, Principals who encourage hosting and study abroad
- 2023 Global Educator & Global School Awards. Are you open to this nomination? If so, I’ll be working on my letter of nomination and other items needed for submission. You will receive an email to complete the application after I’ve submitted your nomination. You can read about the application and see last year’s winners on the AFS-USA website. Thank you again for all that you do to model and support global education initiatives. Your dedication is noted and appreciated.”
Scholarships for Students to Go Abroad
Intended Audience: Language teachers, Social Studies teachers, Counselors, Model UN Sponsors, etc.…
- “I wanted to call your attention to three merit-based scholarships that are available for high school students this fall where they can learn culture and language abroad through funds provided by the U.S. Department of State. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship focuses on study and cultural immersion in Germany. The Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad scholarship provides high school students a chance to experience an academic year in countries like Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Thailand, and Turkey (among others). The National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship offers a chance for high school students to learn one of eight critical languages during the summer or one academic year. Encourage your students to apply this fall and please reach out if I can help answer any questions for you or local families!”
Routines, Rituals, & Traditions Classroom Activity
Intended Audience: All teachers, especially English as a New Language (ENL) teachers, Language teachers, and Middle School teachers.
- “As you get started this year, I wanted to re-introduce myself as your AFS-USA School Representative. I know bringing a new group of students together can create challenges at the start of the year, so I thought I would share this classroom activity from AFS that might help students learn about their own habits, the traditions of their school, and the routines and rituals that are part of your classroom culture! I look forward to hearing how this activity turns out with your students and if there is anything I can do to help you this year.”
Cultural Considerations in the Classroom Handouts
Intended Audience: Any teacher with AFSers or students with diverse backgrounds in the classroom
- “Welcome back to school this year! Ever wondered if students from distinct academic backgrounds might have different ideas about homework completion, how to work in a group, or even about what you mean when say “participate” in class? I thought you might appreciate these quick handouts that explain some cultural components likely at play in some of those topics. Each one has a classroom activity to help all your students benefit from learning about each other’s perspectives. I’m wishing you and your students a great start this year. Please reach out if AFS-USA can help support any of your classroom goals!”
We hope these volunteer opportunities and short email starters with information from the newsletter are useful to you and your team. Thank you for all of your time, effort and passion as AFS volunteers!
Jill Woerner, Rebecca Oswalt, Sarah Radermacher, & Amparo Rios