Elementary & Middle School Out-of-School Time Networks

November 2024

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Upcoming Network Meeting

Join us for a thoughtful network meeting where we’ll explore the concept of a "Second Home" through personal experiences and shared stories.

In a safe and supportive environment, participants will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and reflect on what a second home means to them and how they view the idea of a “Second Home” for young people.

When: Wednesday, November 6th, from 10:00am-12:00pm

Where: Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St., Cambridge

Our Ways of Being focus for this month is: "Assume best intentions and attend to impact."

Also, please be sure to save the date for the School-Community Partnerships Gathering on Tuesday, December 10th from 10am-12pm!

Voices From Our Network: Youth Impact

During September's Network Meeting, we asked for your thoughts on the impact of your work on young people. Each month, we'll be featuring one your powerful responses!

The highlighted quote for November is:

“Every young person needs a go-to person.”

Stay tuned for more of your impactful quotes in our upcoming newsletters!

Opportunities & Resources for You

Submit Program Enrollment Data

Chart from the OST Dashboard that shows the # of CPS students receiving scholarships

It's that time of year again! We are actively seeking OST programs to submit their Summer 2024 and School Year 2024-25 data to the Community Partner Portal.

With updated data, you can easily utilize the OST Demographics Dashboard to export your program data and showcase it in visually appealing charts, like the example chart above. It depicts how many CPS High Priority Students received scholarships for OST programs last school year!

If you require any assistance with data input or have any questions regarding the process, please don't hesitate to reach out to Zeena Brown, Network Associate, zbrown@cpsd.us

Here are your options for submitting your program(s)' student enrollment data:

To access the Community Partner Portal:

Please visit this link, and request a CPP account as needed. For help navigating the Portal, check out this help guide!

For support with uploading large batches of student enrollment lists (especially/including from past years):

Rob created a process for uploading multiple enrollment lists worth of historical data into the Community Partner Portal. Folks who already have CPP accounts will probably start at step 4a or 4b. Link to: Community Partner Portal Batch Upload Instructions

To submit enrollment lists of students for your program, please include the following details:

Program info: Program Name - Program type - Start date - End date - Days per week
For each program, Student info: First Name - Last Name - Grade - School

Stay Informed On CPS Updates

As you may have heard, there have been a number of transitions at CPS, with multiple Interim appointments recently being made at district and school levels. For the latest updates check out the CPS newsletter archive, sign up for Parent Square, or subscribe to school newsletters.

To subscribe to school newsletters, follow these steps:

Go to https://www.cpsd.us/
Go to Select a School in the upper left-hand corner and choose the school you’d like to follow
Click on the banner (like the teal one shown above) on the school’s landing page, which will take you to a newsletter sign-up form that is specific to the school you are interested in
Fill out the sign-up form
Confirm your subscription by clicking on the confirmation email you receive
Then you are added to that school's Community Group!

Repeat these steps if there are multiple schools you’d like to follow and receive newsletters from!

NEW: Optional Network Discussion Spaces

We are hoping to create optional discussion spaces for network members to gather and discuss niche topics that may not be covered during network meetings. Some example topics include The Power of Words, A World of Wonder, and We Are The Consistency Youth Need.

Click here to read the topic descriptions and to voice your interest in participating!

Questions? Contact Greg Green, Elementary School Out-of-School Time Network Coordinator, ggreen@cpsd.us

Bridge Scholars is Looking For Program Sites

Bridge Scholars is a tutoring program, started and run by CRLS scholars, that gives high school students the opportunity to tutor young kids around Cambridge!

Bridge Scholars is looking for program sites to send CRLS students to:

Do you have homework time at your site?
Would you like a chance for students to have a 1-on-1 or group tutor to help out with homework support while also gaining a mentor?

Click here to sign up!

Questions? Email Tyrique Kittrell at tkittrell@cpsd.us

New: Youth Wellness Working Group

The Cambridge Public Health Department and Family Policy Council are forming a Youth Wellness Working Group to develop policy and program recommendations and a plan to ensure every young person in our community has the skills, supports, and opportunities they need to thrive. All the details are in this proposal and slideshow.

They are hoping to get a diverse group of people with multiple perspectives to join.

If you or anyone you know might be interested, please fill out this Google form.

Opportunities & Resources for Youth & Families

Upcoming OST Expansion Study Parent/Caregiver Focus Groups

Caregiver Focus Groups for OST Expansion

Parents and caregivers are invited to participate in focus group sharing sessions to help inform the need for expansion of after school programs across Cambridge. $30 gift cards will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.

The sessions will be held virtually on Zoom and the session options and dates are provided below as well as flyers.

Focus Group Session Options:

Caregivers With Children in K-8 With Special Needs

Wednesday, November 6th, 7-8pm on Zoom

[View the flyer]

Caregivers With Child(ren) on a Waitlist or Not Currently Enrolled in After School Programming

Thursday, November 14th, 7-8pm on Zoom

[View the flyer]

Caregivers With Child(ren) in K-8 With a Lower Income

Tuesday, November 19th, 7-8pm on Zoom

[View the flyer]

Caregivers With Child(ren) in K-8 Who Identify as Black or Brown

Wednesday, November 20th, 7-8pm on Zoom

[View the flyer]

Questions? Contact ostexpansion@agendaforchildrenost.org

Financial Assistance with Eversource Bill

The New Start program can help eliminate your outstanding Eversource balance in as little as 12 months if you make on-time monthly payments.

For more information click here.

Robo Hub Boot Camp for 9th-12th Graders: Adventures for the Data-Curious

The Robo Hub presents a bootcamp on Data Science and AI, designed for Grades 9-12. Created in partnership with MIT AI Professor Manolis Kellis, this workshop will be taught by peer MIT graduate and PHD students from Professor Kellis' team. Through a series of interactive sessions and hands-on workshops, students will explore the foundational concepts of data science, predictive modeling, AI agents, data scraping, and the integration of AI in real-world business models.

To register or learn more, click here.

Upcoming Cambridge Dads Basketball Dates

Join Cambridge Dads Basketball on Wednesday nights, 6-8pm, for an evening of basketball!

Upcoming dates:

November 6th and November 13th, from 6-8pm

Fletcher Maynard Academy School, 225 Windsor St,

Cambridge, MA 02139

Enter at door on Harvard St.

For more information contact, cambdads@cambridgema.gov or call 617-453-8725

Family Literacy Fun Day is This Weekend

This free event is for

Cambridge families with kids ages birth to 3rd grade. Enjoy books, activities, and food!

Saturday, November 2nd

10:30am-1:30pm

Cambridge City Hall

795 Mass Ave

Questions? Call or text 617-475-0616

Interested in continuing your conversations from Network Meetings or want to establish better connections with the OST community, check out our OST Networking Contact Form!

To submit your contact information, please fill out your contact details here. Click here to see the current submissions on our expanding network contact sheet.

The Middle School Network (MSN) and Elementary Out-of-School Time Network (ESON) are programs of the Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time that aim to ensure equitable access and engagement of elementary and middle school youth in out-of-school time experiences in Cambridge. Agenda for Children Out-of School Time is a citywide intermediary situated in both the City’s Human Services and School Departments.

Greg Green

ESON Coordinator

Cambridge Public Schools & Agenda for Children OST

857-235-2946, ggreen@cpsd.us

We're Hiring!

MSN Coordinator

Cambridge Public Schools & Agenda for Children OST

Check our Events Calendar for all other professional development opportunities and links to virtual meetings.