The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) shares information and important resources for school employees on its main webpage and on social media. Also, its dedicated COVID-19 website has resources and materials to assist administrators, educators, and families during the pandemic.

Be sure to follow @SanDiegoCOE if you're on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook for new information as it's available.

Emergency Broadband Funding Available

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company using an online or mail-in application. Additional details, including eligibility and enrollment information, are available at www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit or by calling 833-511-0311.

To help get the word out in your school or district, access the FCC webpage with outreach information, which includes flyers, infographics, and social media posts in English and Spanish, and fact sheets in Arabic, Amharic, Burmese, Chinese-Traditional, Chinese-Simplified, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

The Back to School in Unity virtual summit is presented by the Riverside County Office of Education in partnership with SDCOE, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, and other community partners. The event is designed for families to learn skills as they navigate a return to school with a focus on valuing humanity. Families will hear from motivational speaker and author Miles McPherson, participate in a breakout session with a facilitator, and end with a culminating activity. They will also receive a calendar of at-home activities.

Go to the event registration page. Download an informational flyer in English or Spanish. Interpretation services will be provided for Spanish and American Sign Language.

School employees across the county have an opportunity to learn about various tech tools for free as part of SDCOE's Innovative Digital Learning Series.

The online series is held every Wednesday afternoon and continues through June 29. It includes courses, live training, and resources to support digital learning and productivity. The lessons are centered around the National Equity Project’s Liberatory Design principles to increase innovation and equitable learning practices for distance learning. Throughout the series, participants will learn tools, platforms, and techniques to improve and customize instruction for all students.

This series is aimed at everyone, beginner to expert, and includes synchronous and asynchronous lessons as well as additional resources that can be accessed anytime. Access the registration page. Participants can join one of the sessions or all of them with the same registration link.

Teachers, get your students ages 6 to 14 started on a summer of fitness by challenging them to participate in the Get Fit and Thrive Challenge!

This program, now in its 17th year, is presented by the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, Kaiser Permanente, and Star 94.1 along with other community partners, including SDCOE. The activities have been designed to promote healthy family living keeping current safety restrictions in mind. Kids can perform easy activities, such as completing fun workouts online from the YMCA or taking a family bike ride, get healthy living tips from the Kaiser Permanente website, or prepare healthy recipes at home.

Qualified participants will be entered to win the grand prize of a weekend getaway for a family of four at the Hotel del Coronado. To take part in the challenge, students need to download a challenge card, complete five easy activities, and submit their card before the Aug. 29 deadline.

Visit the program webpage for more details. Contact Sierra Carruth with any questions.

The 20th annual iVIE Awards and Student Film Festival is back and in person, celebrating elementary through high school student filmmakers.

The June 12 event will take place at Reading Cinemas Town Square 14 in Clairemont. Each finalist will have their film shown at a screening by grade level:

Attendance is free but there is a limit of three tickets per reservation. Please only place a ticket order if you are planning on attending. Click on the links above to order tickets starting June 2. Visit the event page for updates.

The Global Leadership Youth Program is offered by the San Diego Diplomacy Council to engage high school students who are interested in international affairs. Students entering grades 8 through 12 can expand their global knowledge, take part in diplomacy simulations, hear guest speakers, and participate in projects while connecting with like-minded peers.

The online program takes place this summer from 9 to 11:45 a.m. Monday through Friday and is divided into four week-long modules:

The registration fee per module is $200 but sponsorships are available for students with financial need and/or students who identify as underrepresented or underserved in their community.

Visit the program page for complete details, including links to register and to request financial assistance. Contact Lulu Bonning with any questions.

Junior Achievement (JA) of San Diego has some great end of the school year career exploration options for students.

For more information on these and other JA programs, contact Jenni Preciado.

In addition to the programs featured below, remind your students to check out the summer reading program at their local library!

This free program lets kids enter their summer reading minutes online between now and Sept. 3. Readers earn digital rewards as they extend their reading streak. They can also attend online author events, interact with their favorite characters, play book-based games and activities, and more.

After readers reach certain levels of minutes collectively, Scholastic will donate books to kids in need across the United States. Visit the Scholastic website for complete details.

Teachers can download and distribute a summer reading journal to students in grades 1 to 6. After reading eight books, students can bring in their journal to any Barnes & Noble store during July and August to choose a free book from a grade-level list of titles. Visit the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading webpage for reading opportunities for other age groups.

Live Well San Diego invites youth 12 to 24 years of age to participate in the Our Health is Worth a Shot! challenge to raise awareness about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine through video and visual art. Eligible participants will compete within their age group in their chosen category. Various cash prizes ranging from $100 to $1,200 are available as well as the opportunity to have their work shared through media communication outlets. Visit the contest page for complete details. The submission deadline is June 14.

The American Academy of Pediatrics - San Diego Climate Change and Health Committee and the Children's Arts Council present their first annual youth arts contest, focusing on ocean life and environmental awareness. All San Diego county youth ages 3 to 18 can submit artwork, photography, or poetry. For every entry, a tree will be planted in Nepal. All entries will be eligible for a prize raffle and an invitation to a celebratory event. For full details, view the contest webpage. The submission deadline is June 20.

Through Health Care Communicators (HCC) of San Diego, high school seniors in San Diego County who plan to enter the healthcare field after college can apply to win a $2,000 scholarship courtesy of AMN Healthcare. Visit the HCC website for more information. The application deadline is June 30.

The Barona Band of Mission Indians awards $5,000 grants to K-12 schools for purchases that enhance academic performance and benefit current and future students. Funding is intended for the acquisition of supplies and materials, including computers, books, and other much-needed supplies that will promote educational improvements. Applications must be accompanied by an endorsement letter from a state executive office holder, senator, or assembly member within the school district. Visit the grant webpage for complete details. The application deadline is June 30.

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (AFBFA) funds the Christina Sue Lilja Resource grant to provide K-12 educators with $100 to purchase agricultural literacy materials from AFBFA. The goal is to assist teachers in acquiring quality resources for classroom use to promote the importance of agriculture. Visit the grant webpage for details. The application deadline is June 30.

The Road Runners Club of America awards grants of $500 to $1,000 to elementary and middle schools to help implement structured youth running programs. The funds are intended for ongoing programs, either new or existing, that ideally utilize the Kids Run the Nation youth running curriculum or that have kids running regularly as part of their program. For complete details on eligibility and acceptable program types, visit the grant webpage. The application deadline is Aug. 1.

San Diego Family Magazine has these helpful articles for families and students in its June digital edition:

Flip through the digital edition. More ideas and resources are available at sandiegofamily.com.

Want more free and low-cost opportunities? What's Happening is taking a break in July, but we share events, resources, scholarships, and more on social media every day. Follow @SanDiegoCOE on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Recommend this newsletter to one of your colleagues for the next school year; just share this link with them. They can also email [email protected] and ask to be added to the mailing list.

Have feedback on What's Happening? Email the San Diego County Office of Education Communications department: [email protected]

858-292-3500 | www.sdcoe.net

The mission of the San Diego County Office of Education is inspiring and leading innovation in education.