Florida Association of Partners 
in Education 
 January 2016 Newsletter
 Visit our website @ www.flpie.net    Become a  FAPE Member!

Up Coming Events, 
Awards and Programs
American's Promise Alliance  will shed light on the latest national and state high school graduation rate data.
2016 National Mentoring Summit
The National Mentoring Summit is convened by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, and garners support from both the private and public sectors.



February ****
Feb 9 -
Connecting & Promoting Community Partnerships 
Register for a free Florida Association in Partners in Education webinar from 
Noon to 12:30 p.m.

April 
Award Sponsored by BB&T

April 20 2016 - Nominations due for the Community Engagement Volunteer Award

March
FAPE Membership Drive
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     SEE WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO!
Left to right: Sara Au,President Elect, Liz Stark, Past President, Debi Elfen, V.P. Business Partners and Michelle Roberge, President
Welcome to a new year! 
I hope you all had a restful holiday break,     and are ready for the second half of the school year. I'm excited to see how the rest  of this school year unfolds. FAPE ended 2015 with a "knock it out of the park"
day of workshops.
   O n December 7, 2015 FAPE held the second annual STEM and Community Engagement day of workshops in the NASA Education Resource Center at the Kennedy Space Center. 
      We were honored to have Senator Thad Altman welcome attendees to the education center. Senator Altman is the Executive Director of the Education Resource Center and the President of the Astronaut Memorial Foundation.
      Workshop sessions included: STEM Literature presented by Meredith Fraysure, from the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach. Her hands on presentation combined fun and inexpensive activities for elementary school students through literature. The NASA Education Resource Centers' staff gave an overview of the vast resources the center has to offer teachers and students.  NASA staff also presented workshops on  Basic Robotics and Coding for Teachers and Volunteers, and Hands on Engineering Activities.  Attendees also had an opportunity to tour the Kennedy Space Visitor Center, IMAX Theater, and listen to an Astronaut
Speaks presentation. 
      It was a jammed packed day of activities, sharing of resources and information. We hope to continue to offer workshops around the State that support student achievement,  family, and community engagement programs.
      FAPE is launching a new award this year; it is the Florida Association of Partners in Education Community Engagement Volunteer Award. The award will  promote and recognize an innovative program that increases the engagement of community volunteers. Volunteer coordinators across the state will submit their best community engagement volunteer programs. The winner will be invited to present the program at the leadership conference in the fall, and there will be a cash award to support their program. The $500.00 award is sponsored by BB&T. Nominations are due April 20, 2016. The winner will be announced in the Fall of 2016.
   
Registration is open for the 2/9/2016 webinar on Connecting & Promoting Community Partnerships from noon to 12:30p.m. Join FAPE for a free 1/2 hour webinar on engaging community partners to promote student success in school districts across Florida. Topics to include: Where to find interested businesses, ideas to engage partners, ways to sustain & grow partnerships and much more!

Keep Smiling!
Michelle Roberge, 
Florida Association Partners in Education, President
District Volunteer Coordinator, Pinellas County Schools

January is National Mentoring Month
The difference mentoring makes. 
Mentoring shapes lives, now and into the future. Young adults who were at-risk for falling off track but had a mentor are:
  • 55 % more likely to enroll in college
  • 78% more likely to volunteer regularly
  • 90% are interested in becoming a mentor
  • 130% more likely to hold leadership positions
 
Statistics from mentoring.org
For more mentoring resources visit www.flpie.net
 
BEING THERE - A Student's Story

"Ms. Tami is special. She helps me with my reading."
  
This is the response given by 5th grader Kahla when asked what she likes best about having a mentor. She has been paired with Ms. Tami, her Lunch Pal mentor from Raymond James, for three years. They meet once per week during Kahla's lunch at Mt. Vernon Elementary and have formed quite a bond. Kahla adds, "It is nice when your mentor helps you get better at something you weren't so good at and you can see the difference."    Read the rest of the story 
  

Devin Lawrence a member of the Hawthorne High School football team helps a first-grade student Jonas with his reading. Students at Chester Shell Elementary School get extra reading help from Hawthorne High School athletes after school on Mondays through the Barbara Bush Foundation's Teen Trendsetters program. 
P hoto by Michelle Neeley WUFT News.
  Michelle Neeley November 18, 2015 - WUFT  News

      On Mondays, members of the Hawthorne High School football team swap footballs for books and tackling practice for reading practice. Instead of going straight to practice after class, they take a short walk to Chester Shell Elementary School to tutor students who are behind in reading as part of the  Barbara Bush Foundation's Teen Trendsetters program.
      Liz Stark, the Alachua County Public Schools' volunteer coordinator, said this is the first year athletes have been tutors for the program. She said she tried to implement the program at Shell before, but there wasn't much interest from the high school students. However, the athletes are a captive audience since they are already staying after school for practice. Read More