September 2019 Newsletter

Program Highlights

Attend the SIS Partner Fair

Jump into the new school year by building partnerships and learning about resources to support your students in serving their communities. Service in Schools (SIS) invites all educators to attend the seventh annual SIS Partner Fair. This event provides educators with the opportunity to meet and network with community-based organizations and nonprofits that will support them in building a culture of service in their schools. The SIS Partner Fair will take place on Thursday, October 17 at the American Airlines Theater at 227 W 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036 from 3:00-5:30pm. Learn more about this event, and register to attend.

Follow SIS on the Web

SIS posts information in a variety of places online to make staying up-to-date simple and accessible. Bookmark and follow us to get information on SIS programs, partners, and resources. Bookmark SIS on the InfoHub and on the NYC DOE family website Follow SIS on Twitter and on Instagram

Save the Date to Apply to the SIS Kids Action Team Program

Elementary school teachers (grades K-5) who want to launch service-learning in their school, consider applying to the SIS Kids Action Team Program to launch an after-school service-learning club. Participants can look forward to two days of professional learning (Tuesday, December 10 and Tuesday, January 28) and are eligible to earn up to 20 hours of per session for time spent outside of regular school hours planning for and facilitating the after-school club. SIS provides participants with support for leading students through a service-learning project, which they will present at the Celebration of Service on May 28. Sign up to receive a notification when the application opens on Monday, October 7.

School Spotlight

Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School – Manhattan

Project Summary: Students on the Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School’s Green Team worked together to combat food waste in their cafeteria. They took a variety of approaches, including making informative signs and creating a PSA. Investigation: Green Team members noticed a large amount of quality food in the trash in the cafeteria each day, with no option to compost in the school. They began to intentionally observe and take notes on this, as well as other issues with waste in the community, and then chose their main focus: improving recycling in the building and combating food waste caused by students not eating the cafeteria food. Student members identified stigmas against eating cafeteria food through peer interviews and found a primary one to be perception of low income.   Planning: The Green Team discussed ways to convince peers to eat in the cafeteria and selected an emphasis on the monetary cost of turning down cafeteria food rather than sharing food waste facts, as it became apparent that students found this to be more personally impactful than the abstract concept of global warming.

Action: By the end of the year, the Green Team had installed recycling bins in the hallways and made 3D signs to display alongside them to educate fellow students and staff how to recycle properly. In collaboration with Housing Works and Re-Fashion NYC, they installed a textile recycling bin in the lobby of the school's shared campus, where students and staff from all five schools in the building could leave gently used textiles, further reducing landfill waste. Green Team students also produced a public service announcement video that was shown in advisory to highlight and work against the stigma of eating cafeteria food versus purchasing lunch from outside the school. They also produced a rap video that highlighted their Green Team, the issue of food waste, and recycling.   Demonstration: Representatives from the Green Team shared the work they did to inform and empower their school community to recycle a variety of materials and avoid food waste at the Sustainability Showcase in May 2019, which was attended by many school-based staff and students interested in addressing these needs in their own school communities.  Reflection: Students explained the issue of food waste for an article in the school newspaper. The work the Green Team did around the campus caught the eye of another high school, and this year they are looking to collaborate with them to be even more dynamic in their efforts!

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Current and Upcoming Opportunities

Multiplying Good Ongoing Opportunity for High Schools Students In Action , a Multiplying Good program, is an intensive youth service, leadership, and recognition program that unleashes potential in young people and multiplies the good they achieve. Through in-person leadership trainings, an online network, and end-of-year competition, students across New York City and the country are changing themselves and their communities with Students in Action. Joining is free. Contact Janai Smith to learn more .

Publicolor Ongoing Opportunity for Middle and High Schools Publicolor is a youth development program that provides design-based programs to prepare students for success in college, career, and life. Students at under-resourced schools transform spaces with warm and welcoming colors, painting alongside community volunteers. Students are invited to join multi-year programs that offer tutoring, mentorships, and workshops. Visit  their website for more information about these opportunities. Learn more about painting with Publicolor by contacting Catherine Stein .

March of Dimes Ongoing Opportunity for Elementary, Middle, and High Schools For over 80 years,  March of Dimes  has worked toward the goal of ensuring that all babies are born healthy. The WonderWalk program provides elementary school students the chance to help March of Dimes give all babies a healthy start. A mini-walk on school grounds, WonderWalk is a fun, safe, and rewarding way for students to make a difference in their community. They raise money by asking friends and family to make donations to support them in reaching their goals. Participating schools help fund research, education, programs, and advocacy that save babies’ lives.  Learn more about the 2019 WonderWalk campaign, email Joelle Brancov ,  or call 212-500-1808 with questions.

Resource Highlights

Doing Good Together Service Resources and Volunteer Listings Doing Good Together provides tools to both families and organizations in order to help them raise engaged and compassionate children. Through an e-newsletter, volunteer opportunities, presentations, and curriculum toolkits, educators, students, and parents are engaged to practice kindness and serve their communities. Check out current volunteer opportunities for NYC families, reflection materials, and sign up to receive monthly volunteer listings in your inbox.

Educators Consortium for Service Learning Resources for Educators Educators Consortium for Service Learning (ESCL) is a nonprofit organization that brings together a network of K-12 educators, administrators, and parents to help students identify and meet the needs of their communities, local to global. ECSL’s curriculum, tools, and resources empower educators to help their students build academic skills and learn to use their voice to generate meaningful outcomes for genuine issues. Review their resources on a variety of topics for service-learning and check out their newsletter archive for ideas on how to get started with service-learning. Email ECSL at ECSLabc@gmail.com with questions or for more information.

Contact the Service in Schools Team

Invite the Service in Schools team to visit your service project. We want to see your students and school community in action. Email the Service in Schools team at ServiceinSchools@schools.nyc.gov with two weeks’ notice, and we’ll schedule a visit to your school to learn about your project and see the impact you’re making on the community.

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Follow @ServicenSchools on Twitter and @ServiceinSchools on Instagram to receive program updates, upcoming service opportunities, resources, and more. We encourage students who use social media and are interested in service opportunities to follow us.

Mission: Service in Schools strives to expand the number of NYC students engaged in transformative community service and service-learning experiences that enable them to use their voice, skills, and critical thinking to strengthen communities.