Virtual Families Update

INDIANA

We congratulate our president, Monique Christensen, for her good work at the Indiana Charter Association presentation on Parent Advocacy.  To read her full speech click here!

Indy to Receive Funding For New Charter Schools

InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report - 6-21-2010

The Walton Family Foundation is pledging up to $1.3 million to promote and establish new mayor-sponsored charter schools in Indianapolis. The CEOs for New Schools initiative utilize a $125,000 matching grant to seed five community-based organizations to consider establishing new schools. More money will be provided if a proposal develops into an actual charter school.  To read full article click here (http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=42256).

"A Clere View of the Statehouse",  State Representative Ed Clere, 6-22-2010.

Time to knuckle down on education Tuesday's column was the conclusion of a three-part series on K-12 education. Two weeks ago, I reviewed the history and status of funding. Last week, I looked at how the money is distributed. Education funding is complex. Thank you for wading through it with me. I'll wrap up with some suggestions for moving forward.  To read the full article click here.

Mark your calendar for upcoming summer picnics.  If you live in these areas and can help coordinate the event please contact us at info@indianavirtualfamilies.org. .

  • July 31st - Potawatomi Park, Mishawaka Indiana
  • July 31st - Noblesville Park, Noblesville, Indiana
  • August 7th - Lincoln State Park (the picnic location near Holiday World) , Santa Claus, Indiana
  • August 28th - Turkey Run is booked at the Big Log shelter , Lafayette/Evansville, Indiana

NATIONAL

How advances in technology are changing-and improving-the way kids learn.  Earlier this year, a third grade art class at the Godfrey Elementary School in Wyoming, Michigan worked on a collaborative sculpture project with Park Lane Elementary School in Sandy, Utah-and they did it over Skype. A group of sixth graders at Godfrey held a Skype session of their own with a former student who is now stationed in Bahrain. From halfway across the world, the students were able to ask the soldier questions about the geography and culture of the Middle East.  In the information age, a couple of online video chats might not sound like such a big deal, but for a struggling four-school district in Michigan, with the lowest per-pupil non-instructional costs in the state, it's a cutting-edge bridge to a brave new world.


"Being a high-poverty area, our kids can't get out a lot and don't see the rest of the country and don't get a chance to meet other students in other parts of the country," says David Britten, superintendent of the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools. "Technology is a way to open a new window for them."   To read full article go click here (http://www.good.is/post/creating-digital-citizens/).