District News – November 2023

Greetings!


I hope you are having a full and productive Fall; time is flying by! Here are some updates and important things to keep in mind as we move forward with AFEC. 

Have a safe and happy holiday!


The AFEC Team


Reminder: Schedule any upcoming training events for January or February by December 15th! (Contact Kendra to schedule your dates)

In this District News Update:


AFEC Partner Program Summary Year 1


Thank you for completing and submitting your Partner Summary forms. 

If you have not submitted one yet, please do so ASAP!


Please contact Kendra if you have questions or need assistance. We want to be sure to include the work everyone is doing in their districts around FE in our annual report.


Download the form, complete and submit via email to kcalhoun@aasb.org by Nov. 29.

Partner Summary Form

AFEC Data Profiles by District


Our partners at Education NorthWest have developed family engagement data profiles for each district based on the 2023 School Climate and Connectedness Survey (SCCS). You can find your profile in your district folder with more information about the data. We hope the profiles will be helpful in prioritizing the next steps of your family engagement work. Data profiles will be updated each year during the course of the AFEC grant so that you can observe changes in responses to these questions over time.


This profile shows trends overall among participating districts.


If you have any questions or you’d like to go over this data, please set up a time to meet and discuss your data by contacting Kendra.


AFEC District Folders

Mini-Grant Application Form


If you are ready to implement a family engagement (FE) plan or would like support for staff to receive training to implement an FE plan, consider applying for an AFEC mini-grant. 

Funds can be accessed by developing an FE work plan that could involve in-depth training and coaching for your district, district-wide or at individual schools.


If you think you are ready to apply, work with your AFEC contact to complete the application form and submit it by December 1.


If you have any questions, please contact Kendra.

Mini-Grant Application Form

AFEC Website – Feedback Request


We have been working to develop our Alaska Family Engagement Center website and are excited to include you in the process. Please note that the website is still being developed. It is important for us to incorporate your feedback before sharing it with a broader audience. 


The intent of the webpage is to provide useful family engagement resources to educators, school districts and families.

 

Click here to provide us feedback by November 30th.


If you’d like to share the AFEC website link on your district website, you can use our logo and this prompt:


Our district is one of thirteen currently participating in the “Alaska Family Engagement Center” (AFEC), which is part of a national effort of Statewide Family Engagement Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education. This is a 5-year project that started in 2022 and aims to improve school-family partnerships across the state by working to develop training, resources, and activities for schools and families that are built on the Stronger Together Framework and that promote family engagement. Please visit the AFEC Website, and if you have feedback, please fill out this feedback form.

Visit our Website
Website Feedback

Family Advisory Board (FAB) Update


So far, we’ve had three great monthly FAB meetings since August, with family members joining from around the state. We'd like to continue to grow our FAB network so that we have statewide representation. Our next meeting will be Friday, December 1, at noon. Please email Kendra if you’d like to attend!


Nominate someone from your school or community (adults and youth - juniors or seniors - will be considered) to join us. Self-nominations welcome!

FAB Nomination Form

AK Family Coalition

Update


The Coalition met in August, and workgroups resumed in October. However, we have been unable to meet in November due to our Annual Conference and other Fall conferences.


Workgroups are scheduled to meet in December, but we will be moving to one monthly coalition meeting starting in 2024. We will update our calendar invites. Let us know if you don’t receive one or if you’d like to participate! We will send a poll out in early December to determine a time for an in-person meeting in 2024. 

Upcoming Events

FAB Meeting

Friday, December 1, Noon

Contact Kendra for an invite.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 947 2979 5053

Passcode: 777887


AK FAM Coalition Workgroups

Training and Resources: Thursday, December 14th, 11 am

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 856 5416 1373

Passcode: 960001


Family Supports and Communication: Thursday, December 21, 11 am

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 832 0210 3338

Passcode: 392160

Alaska Family Engagement Center was made possible by the U.S. Department of Education. Reference Grant Award Number: #S310A220012 ALASKA.