January 2022

Supporting Student Success School Foundations and Mentoring  January is National Mentoring Month, and the Oklahoma School Foundations Network is celebrating the impact school foundations are having in this important outreach. We will host a FREE webinar at noon Thursday, January 27, to share mentoring program success stories from Oklahoma school foundations.   Mentoring has tangible positive effects for students. With a mentor, young people are: • 52% less likely to skip a day of school. • 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities. • 130% more likely to hold a leadership position in a club or sports team.   School foundations looking to support student academic and personal success should consider ways to support mentoring in their school district. Join Dana Gibson from Students Striving for Success, a program of the El Reno Public School Foundation, and Rhonda Clemmer of BEST! Mentoring, a program started under the umbrella of the Cache Schools Education Foundation, to hear how their successful mentoring programs are making a real difference in the lives of students.

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National Conference Registration Open Now The National Association of Education Foundations will host a Virtual National Conference March 2-4, 2022. Registration is open now. Secure a reduced registration rate by becoming a PLUS member of the National Association of Education Foundations through OSFN. You won't want to miss this opportunity to learn from school foundation leaders across the nation. Register now!

NAEF Conference Registration

The Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act allows Oklahomans that donate to eligible public school foundations or public school districts to reallocate tax liabilities and receive a portion of their gift back in state income tax credits. Gifts to designated educational improvement projects allow donors to support innovative educational opportunities for public school students and save on their state taxes. The most recently updated version of this law went into effect November 1, 2021, with donations made after January 1, 2022, eligible for tax credits. For detailed information on this law, see the resources linked below.

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Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute Summer Fellowships Available The application deadline is approaching for Oklahoma fifth- and eighth-grade teachers interested in attending the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute this summer in the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia. The fifth-grade institute is scheduled June 5-11, and the eighth-grade institute is scheduled June 12-18, 2022.  While in Colonial Williamsburg, Oklahoma teachers will have the opportunity to meet character interpreters of 18th-century people and be immersed in early American history through hands-on activities and reenactments of historic events. Applications must be submitted by Feb. 1, 2022, through the foundation website. Scholarships cover travel, lodging, tuition and most meals.

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On-Call Help for Foundations Oklahoma School Foundations Network Director Katy Leffel provides FREE on-call help to all Oklahoma foundations. Have a question or need a sample document? Call or email Katy for support: (405) 922-5420, kleffel@ofe.org. Katy is also available to lead board retreats and strategic planning sessions.

The Oklahoma School Foundations Network is a program of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Follow us on Facebook, and find more information at www.ofe.org.